LOVE MACHINE launch party!

For the first time in Heroine history, we are having a launch party for a book that is not by a Heroine Addict.

Or at least, not on the cover.

LOVE MACHINE is an erotic science fiction romantic comedy by Electra Shepherd. It came out yesterday from Ellora's Cave and it's about a woman who falls in love with a big blue robot.

How can the Heroine Addicts not celebrate a book about a woman who falls in love with a big blue robot? Especially when it gives us the excuse to come to a party with ROBOT DATES??

Here's more about the book:

Good-time girl Cally Morgenstern has never paid much attention to the robots her father built. That is, until one night when her vibrator runs out of batteries. And hey, if you’ve got a six-foot hunky robot offering to relieve your sexual frustration, you’re not going to say no, right? Even if he is sort of…well, definitely…blue?

Cally quickly realizes Blue isn’t the average robot. He’s rapidly acquiring a personality, for one thing. And an avid interest in human sexuality, particularly when it comes to Cally. She’s eager to teach Blue all she knows about sexual pleasure, even if they have to build him a few necessary parts in the process. And even if Blue’s explorations of human feelings touch her own, very human, heart.

But enough about the book for now. Let's see what ROBOT DATES the Heroine Addicts have turned up with (in alphabetical order of names, so as not to play favourites):

Anna has come with Optimus Prime. It is a well-known fact that Anna starts to salivate whenever she sees a photograph of Optimus Prime. At least two Addicts have personally witnessed this fact (most lately in the lunch queue at the last RNA conference in Caerleon, if you are wondering).

Brigid would probably like a country music singing robot. But for some reason, robots don't seem to sing country music. So she has The Flight of the Conchords singing 'Robot Song' instead:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1BdQcJ2ZYY&feature=related

'We no longer say "yes", we say "affirmative".'

Christina, of course, with her fondness for Highlanders, has to be accompanied by the Scottish Robot RoboCup Football Team (I joke you not):

(photo from the BBC)

Julie has been known to snog a Dalek on occasion:

Liz doesn't muck around when it comes to robots. She's here with The Terminator. Hasta la vista, baby! And Susanna has often expressed her great love for Blade Runner Replicant Roy Batty, as portrayed by Rutger Hauer.

So, without further ado, we asked Electra Shepherd to answer Five Fast Facts about LOVE MACHINE:

Favourite scene in the book: Without a doubt, it's the scene where Cally and Blue have to build a big, blue, robotic penis. For obvious reasons.

A scene that made you smile: Cally is teaching Blue how to dance, and she goes to turn on the stereo. But then Blue tells her there's no need, and turns on his own internal MP3 player instead: 'I've Had the Time of My Life'. Nobody puts Cally in the corner!

Character who surprised you the most: Blue. One of the characteristics of his growing humanity is the fact that he's unpredictable.

A scene you hated writing: The last scene. I'd had so much fun writing the book that I didn't want it to end.

A book your hero probably has on his book shelf: I happen to know that Blue is a very big fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, by Douglas Adams.

If you'd like to see more sexy robots and take Electra's Who's the Sexiest Robot? quiz, it's on her website, here.

And LOVE MACHINE is available in ebook here.

And finally, faithful readers...we'll admit it, Electra Shepherd is actually a Heroine Addict in disguise. But which one? Take a wild guess.