New(ish) Release - The Thunder Egg

 Pets in Space 6 had its last hurrah at the end of January and thanks to everyone who bought the anthology. You helped support a good cause (Hero Dogs) as well as the pleasure of reading eleven great stories.

That doesn't mean those stories are gone forever, of course. I have published my own contribution, The Thunder Egg, as a stand alone novella, and I know other authors have done that, or will be doing it soonish.

No ordinary rock…

History Professor Drew Torson’s purchase of a thunder egg at a market leads to an astonishing discovery when what should have been just a rock… hatches. He isn’t the only one who wants the unusual creature that emerges. When thieves attempt to capture his new friend, Neyru, Drew is left stunned and bleeding in an alley. Freighter captain Afra Abrussen is shocked when a strange, but beautiful creature named Neyru seeks her help. She’s no heroine. She has cargo to haul and debts to pay. The last thing she needs to do right now is get drawn into Drew and Neyru’s plight.

Drew insists that all they need to do is find out what Neyru is, where she comes from, and get her home without being caught by pursuers who will stop at nothing to get hold of the little creature. Afra thinks Drew forgot one important clause: They need to do all that without falling in love. Can a freighter captain and an academic stay one step ahead of the thieves determined to capture Neyru, and if they do, what will happen when they discover they broke the all too important clause about not falling in love?

This story first appeared in Pets in Space 6 in 2021. It is a novella-length space opera.

Here's a snippet to give you some idea.

"Thunder eggs are just rocks. They're formed in volcanoes and often contain beautiful crystal formations that you can see if you split them. This one was not much different to others in the pile but the colors almost seemed to move as I tilted it. Can you see that?"

She nodded. "Iridescence flickering here and there as it turns."

"That's right. I didn't think too much about that — a trick of the light. But it was interesting, so I bought it. It wasn't any more expensive than the other rocks.  A few days into my next trip, it hatched."

Neyru stopped cleaning her paws and cooed.

"It fell off the shelf where I'd put it, which was odd. I suppose she must have rocked it. When it hit the floor, it started to split and I realized there was something inside. I recall wondering if it would turn out to be some nasty, dangerous, alien creature. Until I saw her.

"She was half the size she is now, a little damp bundle. I'll admit I was startled and felt useless. What did I know about little alien hatchlings? But as it happened, I'd arranged to eat in my cabin and she dived on my dinner, steak with a salad. She ate steak till she was full, then sort of looked at me with those wonderful eyes like black holes and I was lost."

 You can buy the book from the retailer of your choice 

I'm also working on a new story with the working title of The President's Daughter. It's set in the Ptorix Empire series, a place I haven't been to for a while. I'm sure you'll hear more about it in the coming months.