Snippet Saturday: The Message - from Courting Disaster

Welcome back for the third Snippet Saturday!

For the last two weeks, I've shared excerpts from Courting Disaster, my Inherited Stars Series story that's included in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2.

If you'd like to see the previous Saturday snippets, you can read them here:

October 21 - Jagger and Ketsia First Meet
October 28 - Off on a Bad Foot

Today I have a brief, but important scene -- The Message -- where Jagger first realizes all is not as it seems with his vexing new assignment.

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Promotional cover for Courting Disaster

Once he’d piloted Sheeban clear of her berth, Jagger input the course into the nav-system and pulled the packet with the code card from the thigh pocket of his coveralls. He opened it and dumped the contents into his palm. Along with the safe’s lock code, a square of paper slipped out. Jagger unfolded it to discover a handwritten note from Admiral Kareek himself.

Captain Jagger:

The fact that you’re reading this letter means you didn’t file a protest of your assignment at first sight of this junk dealer reject. If so, you will have pleasantly surprised me. It proves you’ve got more mettle than I gave you credit for.

But then, if you have half the intelligence your IQ tests avow, you might have realized that neither the Carduwan government nor Ambassador Gant would allow his ward to be transported through a dangerous sector of space in a second-rate shit-hauler.

There’s a reason he chose you…and a reason he had this ship delivered to Talstar for your assignment.

Once you’re set to leave dock, insert the enclosed datacube into the side port of your helmet for your full briefing of mission parameters and this craft’s capabilities. Let me assure you that, despite appearances, piloting this vessel will afford you a very unique opportunity.

Once you leave the Talstar Traffic Perimeter, you’ll make no further contact with Command, to maintain your cover. We can’t risk a rogue ship picking up any official communications from the Sheeban. You are to dispose of this message and the instructional datacell in the ship’s waste incinerator before you enter the Bradley Rift.

Be safe out there, Captain Jagger. Take good care of your passenger. Much is riding on your success.

Jagger lowered the note to his thigh. The admiral’s last words carried the punch he was sure the man had intended. 

 

We'll be back with more snippets from this and other works on future Snippet Saturdays.

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~ ~ ANNOUNCING A VERY SPECIAL GRADUATION ~ ~

 

As a participating author in both of the Pets in Space anthologies to date, one of the bonuses is being able to help support the Hero Dogs organization with a 10% donation from all preorders and first month's sales.

 

My Hero -- Hero Dog Mitch
Photo credit the Hero Dogs site

A year ago, while involved with the original Pets in Space, I "adopted" one of the Hero Dog trainees -- Hero Dog Mitch -- as a side project and made special donations to assist with his training toward becoming a service dog over the last year. (You can read Mitch's blog here.)

 

I am absolutely delighted to announce that tomorrow, November 5th, Hero Dog Mitch will successfully graduate the Hero Dogs program as a service dog and will be paired with a US Coast Guard veteran!

 

Much is asked of these dogs, and not every candidate has the right stuff to successfully graduate as a full-fledged service dog, so this is a very special occasion indeed. I received a personal invitation to attend from Hero Dogs, but will be unable to make the trip to Maryland this weekend to witness Mitch's graduation.

 

I want to take this opportunity to wish Mitch and his veteran a very long, happy, and successful partnership.

 



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THERE'S STILL TIME TO ENTER TO WIN A PRINT COPY

OF EMBRACE THE ROMANCE: PETS IN SPACE 2

I'd also like to let everyone know about this special drawing for a FREE PRINT copy of Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2. This USA TODAY Bestseller is over 800 PAGES of great stories by bestselling and award winning science fiction romance authors.

To enter, all you need to do is click this link to my Laurie A. Green web site, read the brief instructions, and post a comment. The winner will be chosen on November 7th via a random number generator. But that's not all!

There will also be a second *BONUS* drawing round for the winner's choice of a selection of e-books or an Amazon e-gift card. That winner may select which of the following prizes they'd like:

An e-copy of Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2

An e-copy of my novel Inherit the Stars

An e-copy of Susan Grant's Star Hero

An e-copy of Kara Lockharte's Wanted by the Werewolf Prince

OR an Amazon e-gift certificate for $5

 

Winners choice!

(All e-prizes will be gifted via the Amazon USA site)

But time is running out, so click here to enter today!

 

 

Snippet Saturday -- Off on a Bad Foot

Welcome back for the second installment of Snippet Saturday. This week I'm featuring another passage from my story in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 collection which is now a USA TODAY Best Seller!

Last week, we found the hero and heroine of Courting Disaster had gotten off to a bit of a rocky start over the accommodations for the heroine's pet StarDog, Luna.

This passage is a continuation from the previous snippet, which you can read by clicking here.

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The future cover of
Courting Disaster

“Right,” Jagger said, reaching for the crate. “We need to get underway. I can stow the animal while you get settled in your quarters.”

Now her black eyes snapped with alarm. “You won’t be stowing her anywhere. She stays with me. And her name is Luna.”

No Sundog—or whatever she’d called the creature—was going to have free run of his ship. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we have strict protocols regarding live cargo.”

“With all due respect, Captain, it seems your military protocols have been thoroughly dispensed with for this mission. Luna stays with me.”

So this beautiful face had a bite to it? He didn’t like making exceptions, but he owed a lot to Jaeo, and by extension, his family. Jagger backed off a step, dropping his voice a full octave to rumble, “Noted. I can allow it a trial, but if it causes any mischief, I’ll insist it be confined.”

“She won’t be any trouble.” Ketsia lowered her head to soothe the creature in a voice soft with affection. “Will you, baby?” That gentle lilt caressed Jagger’s awareness like a whisper, making his imagination fire and his traitorous pulse rate spike.

Lock it down! He gave his face a mental slap. Even if women were still on your menu, this one is totally off-limits.

Ketsia lifted her chin, and her black gaze returned to his face. “So, as I understand it, we’re supposed to be married?”

Jagger managed not to choke on his tongue. “Pardon?”

“I was told in case of trouble, our story is that we’re Dallan and Adey Tion, a bonded pair of independent freighters, transporting seeds to the new colony on Arst.”

“Now there’s a brilliant cover.” Jagger huffed out a breath and donned his helmet, snapping the chin strap into place. Not bad enough that they’d given him a shoddy relic to fly, but they’d married him off, as well?

Ketsia lowered her head, but her eyes remained fixed on his faceplate. “They didn’t tell you this?”

“Only the essentials for now, due to the short window.” Jagger subconsciously ran a hand over the code card in the thigh pocket of his coveralls. As soon as they disembarked, he’d pull the datacube and get up to speed.

“Captain Jagger, am I to understand you don’t fully comprehend your mission?”

She was questioning his fitness? “Ms. Mennelsohn, if you have any doubts about my qualifications or my suitability—”

“It’s Ms. Tayah.”

“—then it’s your prerogative to request a different escort. But the truth is I’m woefully overqualified to carry out my orders.”

She lifted an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “I’m aware of your sterling qualifications, Captain.”

He returned her glare, satisfied the faceplate concealed the ire heating his face. She wouldn’t hear it in his words. “Further, Ambassador Mennelsohn specifically requested me for this duty.”

“Ambassador Gant. He hasn’t gone by Mennelsohn for many calendars.” She peered up at him dubiously.

He met her skepticism with a deep frown. “I’m aware of that.”

“Could you please take that off?” she asked quietly. “Because I feel like I’m talking to a machine.”

A machine, was he? With one quick swipe at the catch under his chin, Jagger clamped his hands on the sides of the helmet and lifted it free of his head, stowing it under one arm.

“I imagine—”

He savored the satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen and her mouth part slightly, truncating her thought.

His subspecies tended to sport sharp, pinched features and a pronounced beak for a nose. Jagger’s face was atypical for his kind. Most women found him attractive, and downright alpha when his eyes went stormy. Miss Rathskian Ambassador’s Daughter appeared to be no exception.

Find out what happens next in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2.

Read a review from Delighted Reader review site.

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Thanks for joining me for Snippet Saturday. I hope you enjoyed this snippet from Courting Disaster: StarDog 2. It's one of 12 science fiction romance stories in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 written by bestselling and award-winning authors. You can find it here:

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Order now and 10% of the profits will go to Hero Dogs, an organization that provides service dogs free of charge to military veterans. Ends at midnight on November 11th--Veteran's Day. Just two weeks from now!

 

Thank you for joining me for another Snippet Saturday.