First Look at CaSandra--and Other Pets of Pets in Space® 5

So I've got art!

Our artist has once again completed the sketches of this year's Pets in Space® 5 collection, and they are as adorable as they are diverse!

Take a look for yourself:

As you can probably tell, some are alien, some bio-engineered, robotic or cyborg, and/or possible descendants of creatures that once roamed the good ol' Earth. 

Which one of these "pets" is CaSandra? (Better known by her nick--Cassie.)

It's this inquisitive little girl!

The very talented artist (who, granted, had an easier time envisioning mine, since she's StarDog creation #4) took the following guidance and created my image. 

Paraphrasing a bit here: "I need a StarDog like the others, but this one should be really alert and inquisitive because she finds something very important. Her coloring is like the previous StarDog, Maura--a solid tan with no spots or shading." 

As inspiration, I sent an image of a German Shepherd K-9 looking down at a training device while eagerly awaiting his cue, and then reminded the artist that Cassie, being dog-cat-weasel-mongoose has much shorter legs, a fluffier coat and tail, and a face that suggests all four critters she's derived from, and is female. 

I think they did a great job of interpretation, don't you?

For reference, here are StarDogs #1 through #3, in order: Katrina, Luna, and Maura. 

The first three were K-series, L-series and M-series StarDogs and/or SpyDogs (a StarDog upgrade created specifically for espionage work) whose stories all took place just prior and after Operation Reset--the major action the Network undertakes at the end of Inherit the Stars (and SpyDog, since the two books happen concurrently).

CaSandra though, is a much earlier C-series StarDog--one of the earliest prototypes. Her story takes place a full five calendars (years) before Operation Reset. In fact, at the beginning of the story, they don't even have a name for what she is yet!

And let me just add this reminder that Pets in Space® 5 in available now for pre-order, and as with all the previous Pets in Space® volumes, 10% of the royalties from ALL pre-orders and the first month's sales will go to benefit the wonderful Hero-Dogs organization, that raises and trains service dogs to provide them to disabled military vets and first responders to improve their quality of life. 

So far, Pets in Space® editions have resulted in the donation of over $15,000 to the cause, and we hope to make 2020 a truly banner year for our donation! 

You can help right now by placing a pre-order at the vendor of your choice here. 

And let me tell you, this is no ordinary anthology! Some of these stories can be up to 50,000 words--so actual novels--as well as novellas and novelettes! Pets in Space® 5 will keep you reading for days and days, if not entire weeks or more! All of the stories are standalones that will introduce you to some amazing science fiction romance series, too! 

But it will only be available for a limited time, and then the collection is gone forever, so don't miss out!

I hope you've enjoyed this visual of all the Pets in Space® pets! Which of the images most catches your eye or makes you curious to learn more?