Juggernaut has Docked at the SFR Station!

Juggernaut has now been added to the SFR Station. 

You can find all my current books as well as many other great Science Fiction Romance reads on the SFR Station by clicking the bold "Juggernaut" link below. 

(No more searching on Amazon or other book sellers for hours. The SFR Station has the lion's share of SFR books available just one click away.)

Juggernaut

Luna Says Hello

Luna wants you to know she's feeling much better after her surgery last month, thank you very much. But she wants "Mom" to hurry up and finish her book! 

Yes, Luna was the inspiration for the StarDog (also named Luna) in my next release, Courting Disaster.

Like her namesake, Luna is one clever little StarDog, and it might just be up to her to save the day when her people end up in serious peril. 

One crafty little StarDog to the rescue!

I'll be posting more about Luna -- and her namesake's roll in the story -- soon!

Viva la StarDog Luna!

Friday Notes

I'm probably going to be dark for the weekend, but hope to be back next week with some excerpts from or commentary on Courting Disaster...next up in the Inherited Stars series. 

It's also book four that includes a StarDog. Courting Disaster was originally published in Pets in Space 2, but this story is being extensively revised, updated and expanded, so it will be a very different book once it's published, though the premise and characters will be the same. 

Truth be told, Courting Disaster was my least favorite story of all the StarDog tales I wrote for previous Pets in Space collections, so I've been taking quite a bit of time to work on some of the issues I had with the story. It's really a pivotal book in the series and will set the stage for future works, so it deserves the extra time and attention. I don't want to publish it until it's where I want it to be (but it's getting there fast--*knock on wood*). 

As a side note, Luna, our pup whose namesake is the StarDog in Courting Disaster, just had surgery to remove a mass, so we need to keep a very close eye on her for the next few days, hence my going a bit quiet. 

See you next week! 

JUGGERNAUT Excerpt: Man Troubles

Welcome to today's excerpt from new release Juggernaut, a book in the Inherited Stars series. The story is an expanded, revised version of a shorter story originally published in Pets in Space 5 (no longer available).

This comes with a quick reminder the Amazon Kindle book will only be on sale at .99 cents for a few more days. If you're reading this on February 6th, this is a great time -- and  possibly the last time -- to grab it at a bargain price. (Click this link to visit Amazon.)

Scene Set-Up

Lieutenant Commander Dekessa "Dek" Garr is having man problems. No, not the romantic kind. (At least, not yet.) As second in command, she's been left in charge of the ultra-secure Site D, located in an underground lava tube. But her fellow security team members aren't quite sure how to deal with her as their new boss, and the mysterious stranger -- and his StarDog partner -- who has suddenly been dumped in her lap isn't being very cooperative either.

Excerpt from Juggernaut:

Satisfied Telon’s creature posed no threat to her personnel, Dek left Major Remm in charge of getting the man and his pet settled in quarters.

She directed the major to have the quartermaster assign a vacant berth in Block A. Having the mystery guest and his pointy-eared partner quartered on her level would help her keep a closer watch on their activities.

As she made her way to the mess to grab a morning meal, she met Sergeant Garr on the path.

“Congrats…Boss,” he grumbled, clearly not happy with her in-charge status.

Dek ignored his jibe. “Those kids on the beach. They okay?”

“Yeah. Staggered away from the perimeter shortly after you left, shaken, but under their own power. But since when have you been sentimental about interlopers?”

“It could become a security issue,” she clarified. “They might be back. Possibly with friends.”

“Maybe we should just blast them next time.”

Again, she let his insolent response slide off. “We need to consider placing a secondary deterrent at some distance beyond the barrier.”

“What would you suggest?” Garr gave her a scathing look.

“Why don’t you come up with a plan. Put some thought into it and report back.”

“Yes, sir.” Garr performed an exaggerated salute.

“Carry on.” She passed him, continuing her trek to the mess hall, but the cold burn of Garr’s gaze drilled into her back.

Countering his challenge with a tasking was a subtle form of discipline she hoped might temper the junior officer’s streak of insolence. Pulling rank on him on her first day as acting commander would only heighten his belligerence. Better to give him the time to work through his issues on his own. Patience could win wars before they even started.

When she reached her destination, the boisterous din of the breakfast crowd fell to a sudden hush. Ignoring their scrutiny, she grabbed a tray. Conversations picked back up as she went down the line, selecting im-eggs and pancs from the offerings, before turning to make her way to a table with a couple of other members of the task force. Their conversation stopped as she drew near, and they exchanged glances.

“Acting Commander,” they muttered in stereo.

“Sergeant Caffron. Officer Bell.”

She settled and thumbed quickly through the StatCon messages scrolling on her wristcom. While her companions focused on wolfing down their meals, she switched on the surv-cam video to zero in on the site’s visitor. She locked on the feed of Telon milling beneath the ceiling breach, smiling as his little beastie scampered along the fallen jumble of basalt, her fluffy, cream-colored tail a stark contrast to the mottled black rocks. The little critter’s enthusiasm made Dek crack a tiny smile, too.

At the abrupt sound of scraping chair legs, she glanced up. Her two companions gave her stiff nods and walked single file to deposit their trays in the receptacle. She now had an eight-topper to herself in spite of the growing crowd. Obviously, command was going to be a lonely job.

Dek took a couple of bites of her meal and washed it down with a long swig of weak kinna before checking the surv-cam footage again.

Telon—and his little prototype—had vanished.

Dek straightened in her chair, scowled, and flipped through the various surveillance feeds. Quarters block. Zip. Command offices. Nothing. Secure lift entrance—she held her breath—nope. Her guest and his pet had seemingly disappeared into thin air.

______________________________________________

Enjoy this excerpt and want to read another snippet? Check out last week's excerpt from Juggernaut here.

Thanks for visiting The Firebird today! 

An Acting Commander, a Network Agent and a StarDog Walk into a Lava Tube...

There's no punchline to that. It's actually the premise for Juggernaut.  

Meet Dek, Sno and Cassie in my latest release with snippets from the book.

An Acting Commander...

Lieutenant Commander Dekessa “Dek” Garr is second-in-command of a security force that protects a discovery buried deep inside an ancient lava tube. The implications of the find are staggering, and the stakes are high if their enemy—the Alliance—ever learns the truth about Site D. When her commander suddenly departs with zero warning and a mysterious visitor arrives, her job becomes a whole new level of complicated.

A Network Agent...

Sno Telon has an exercise to perform, and he isn’t about to let anyone stop him--including the dedicated acting commander known as Dek.

And a StarDog

But when his partner, CaSandra, a bioengineered dog-cat-weasel-mongoose, takes an immediate liking to the team leader, Sno realizes there’s much more to the woman than harsh words and hard scowls.

___________________________________

Snippet from Juggernaut

Graveyard shift. Four members of Dek’s security team were in their assigned sectors, manning the night watch. The science crew were all tucked in for the night. None of LaGuardia’s three moons yet cast its light through the break in the cave high above, and a deep inky blackness filled the great hole in the ground that she called home.

Dek crouched on the roof of her quarters, listening, eyes closed, senses keen. Her intuition told her something was amiss, and she’d learned never to ignore the feelings of gut-deep tension and restless unease. They were her wired-in early warning system. She slipped on her night vision goggles, checked the settings, and did a slow pan around the immense cavern. There! By the lifts. Movement.

Someone attempting to access Lower Cave?

Gigadam!

If she sounded the alarm, it would alert the prowler before she’d had a chance to ID him. Best keep this on the down low. Dek debated alerting the security detail via her wristcom and nixed it. This was one guy. She’d handle it.

_________________________________________

Juggernaut is on sale for the introductory price of .99 cents. 

The special price will be ending in the next week.

Click here to view it on Amazon

or use your cell phone camera to scan the QR code below

What's Next?

Upcoming Release

With Juggernaut now released, it's time to look ahead to my next project: Courting Disaster.

This is the last book originally released as part of a Pets in Space volume to have a date with the editor!

Or I should say, another date.

Each of the Inherited Stars Series books featuring StarDogs (StarDog, SpyDog and Juggernaut) were revised and expanded from the original works, but Courting Disaster definitely takes the cake as the most evolved book of the bunch. 

I've done major revisions to various scenes and backstory elements, and re-worked portions of the plot for its upcoming release as the sixth book in the series. 

The release date? I'm working hard to make that happen this summer. 

Plans within Plans within Plans 

(Does that sound a little Dune-esque? LOL) 

As I mentioned in my Reader's Group, StarDog Tales (thanks for the title idea, Donna!) is an upcoming project, and the exciting news is that, in addition to containing all the StarDog stories (I am all the Jedi), it will also have a brand new, never before released StarDog story with the working title StarDog Reunion. 

That's right. A brand new story that incorporates all four StarDogs and their related characters. Together, these five books will make one ginormous volume. There will also be a prompt when to read Inherit the Stars, which dovetails into each and every one of these books. 

Because the books were written years apart, some of the series ties might not have been clear at the time of reading, but trust me, this group is entangled. (But in a good way...um, mostly.) I will guarantee a couple of huge surprises in the new book. 

(But not the return of the dreaded Juggernauts. Or I should say...not yet. Hold that thought.)

This is going to be such a fun project! 

For reference, here's a timeline image I created on the Inherited Stars books:

Chronologically, the order is: 

• Juggernaut
• StarDog
• SpyDog [concurrently with Inherit the Stars] 
• Courting Disaster
• StarDog Reunion 

The hero and heroine of Courting Disaster are not only the central figures in StarDog Reunion, they're also front and center in the opening of the next novel in this timeline, so my projected summer release date for Courting Disaster is key to getting the asteroid rolling on StarDog Reunion/StarDog Tales and the future of the series. (No pressure, right?)

I'll be posting more on Courting Disaster over the next few weeks to reacquaint readers with this pivotal story. 

In Memory of a StarDog

Katrina
August 27, 2005 – July 12, 2022

I apologize for not posting my next The Shell and the Star episode today, but this week we had a loss of a very special friend who played a pretty big role with my writing. I think it’s important I acknowledge her passing and her contributions to my science fiction romance series.

Katrina was born in August 2005. I wouldn’t know her for four more years or that my special little dachshund companion came with the monster hurricane she was named for. But when I first saw her photo posted by a reputable AKC breeder in Texas, I fell in love. And when I read that she carried the same name as a central character in my series, I knew I had to have her. It took several months before she could come to live us, but that day finally came. She flew in via air cargo (before that practice was abandoned by most breeders).

David picked her up at the airport in the spring of 2009 while I was at work, and when I got home, this adorable little black and tan longhaired dachshund came running to greet me at the door!

Katrina at office door - 2011

She soon settled in with us as our only house dog, and very quickly learned what “Let’s go write!” meant. She’d run to my office door and wait for me to open it so she could curl up under my desk while I worked. Her presence seemed to be a positive influence, because I finished three novels in only a few years with my special little muse curled up at my feet. I went to RWA for the first time that year, only a few months after she arrived. I attended again in 2010. In 2011, I went again to celebrate on Times Square as two of my new novels finaled in the Golden Heart Awards. In 2012, the third novel finaled and I was off to Anaheim, California for another celebration. She was quite the productive little muse!

By 2015, Katrina was 10 years old and beginning to feel her age a bit. She was in her co-pilot seat when I published Farewell Andromeda and Inherit the Stars via my agent in early 2015. A year later, I retired from my day job in February 2016, but in the meantime something unexpected happened.

When Pauline Baird Jones first posted about her idea of doing an anthology of science fiction romance stories that included pets, I immediately loved the idea. But I had no idea what to write about, so I told her to let me think about it. That’s when I remembered that I had plans for the sequel to Inherit the Stars to include some sort of clever little ship’s mascot, and what better way to introduce this idea, as well as the future heroine of the sequel, than in an origin story which came to be included in the popular collection known as Pets in Space!

I soon worked out what that mascot would be, a bio-engineered dog/cat/weasel/mongoose called a StarDog, and fleshed out this companion creature for StarDog, the novella. 

That StarDog borrowed Katrina’s name, as well as her color and many of her traits. As I mentioned before, she carried the name of an important character who is central to my series – Katrina – and in the book, the StarDog was named in honor of this historical figure, which ended up working perfectly as a plot point! When the first Pets in Space released in October 2016, it became a great success, and my little StarDog Katrina had a special namesake. Her story was left open-ended, because she’ll be back in a sequel to Inherit the Stars. I’m sure she’ll be curled up at my feet in spirit when I pen that future book.

Katrina and Luna - 2016

Over the next three years, Katrina got some dachsie friends to keep her company, first Luna, and then Maura. (Both would also have StarDogs named for them in two more Pets in Space stories, Courting Disaster in 2017 and SpyDog in 2019). Katrina loved having companions so much that I felt bad she’d been the only housedog all those years. The three amigas went everywhere together, and had a very special bond. It gave Katrina a new lease on life as she passed the mark of 12 years old – an age that was starting to get “up there” for a dachshund. The beds under my desk multiplied to three as she taught the new arrivals the ropes of being a StarDog muse. :)

Katrina and Maura - 2016

In 2019, Katrina would turn 15 and I feared she didn’t have a lot of time left. Her muzzle was getting grey, her eyes were growing dull, and she couldn’t hear very well. She’d lost most of her teeth during her last dental check, and wasn’t the energetic, bouncy girl she’d been all her life – although she still occasionally had her moments. That’s when we stumbled on someone selling two tiny, black-and-tan miniatures of Katrina at the Fourth of July celebration in our town, and had that “What do you think about getting a pup?” convo. I was hesitant, but I knew Katrina probably wouldn’t be with us much longer—after all she was about 105 years old in doggy years. We brought the pup home hoping she would fill the spot in our hearts that we knew would be vacant when Katrina passed. We didn’t think she had much longer.

Well, that poor puppy was an outcast. The other dogs turned up their noses in disgust and wanted nothing to do with her—except Katrina. Katrina adopted that sad little rejected pup and took her under her wing. Zoey must have thought Katrina was “mom,” because she did look a lot like her real mother. We called Katrina her “Godmother.” They’d hang out together and give each other kisses, and curl up together in Katrina’s bed.

 

Katrina and Zoey in 2019

When we ended up with Maura’s young daughter, CaSandra, later that year through pure serendipity, she became Zoey’s playmate. (And CaSandra, or Cassie, became yet another StarDog namesake when I wrote my final StarDog story for Pets in Space, Juggernaut.)

Katrina - 2019

Katrina surprised us. She didn’t pass that year. In fact, she was with us for three more birthdays, three more Christmases and three more summers. We threw her a big Sweet Sixteen birthday party in August of 2021.

Then 2022 rolled around. Katrina was now approaching 17 years old, the equivalent of almost 120 human years. She was mostly blind, though she could still see a little, mostly deaf, though she had some hearing, and was on a diet of soft food and some gentle pain meds to help with the discomforts of old age. As the months went by, she gradually lost strength in her back legs and when we took her outside, she mainly turned in circles, walking around and around for hours in her doggy dementia.

We discussed if it was time to put her to rest – and also had that coldly suggested by people who saw nothing but a worthless, old dog – but decided that no, she was far from worthless to us, and as long as she wasn’t in pain or mental distress we would take care of her. She knew she was home, she knew her friends were with her, and she still loved to be picked up and cuddled and petted. We could feel her old body relax and see her eyes close in contentment whenever she was in our arms. But I have to admit, we cried a lot because we knew her time was coming.

Last Monday morning, July 11th, she began to yelp. It was clear she was in distress. We called our vet and upped her pain meds to triple the usual dose. The relief it gave her didn’t last long. By the next morning, we knew it was time—the time we dreaded -- and made that final call to the vet. We let Zoey and the other dogs say goodbye, and Zoey stayed with her a long time, giving her lots of kisses. When the vet came, we were with her every moment, petting and talking to her, telling her what a great dog and writing buddy she’d been—our original StarDog--until her final breath. She went peacefully and quietly, which was what we had always prayed for.

We buried her near our garden, curled up on her little pink “princess” donut bed, with a long goodbye note from each of us in the box with her, and a bouquet of red, white and blue flowers on top of her grave. And now we’re learning to deal with the empty bed, and the quiet nights where she no longer rouses us to take her outside or to untangle her from a piece of furniture where she’s gotten stuck. Zoey still looks for her in her bed, and then raises those big, sad eyes to us, as if to say, “Where did she go?” Sometimes Zoey curls up in Katrina’s bed to sleep, like she once did as a tiny pup. It’s going to take time for her to accept Katrina is gone. As it will for all of us.

A relative commented that “You gave her a great life and now you have great memories.” That’s true, though this soon after her loss those memories can be a blessing and a curse. Ultimately though, they’ll be that part of her that lives on with us. Always.

We love you and miss you so much, little StarDog.

Final Reminder! Pets in Space 5 is Leaving Us!

*tick tick tick tick*

I don't want to panic anyone, but it's almost THAT TIME! 

It's been another fantastic run with Pets in Space, this year with volume number 5. 

This year's collection earned several #1 spots on Amazon as well as other vendors, and garnered over 380 reviews, the vast majority 5 STARS!

But after today, February 28th, it's gone forever...

   and will never be offered again!

So here's a huge thanks to all the wonderful Pets in Space readers and fans who keep coming back year-after-year to support Hero Dogs with their purchases while enjoying a ton of great reading!

So one last time...

12 great Science Fiction Romance stories

12 different award-winning and bestselling authors

12 different SFR series

ONE DAY to grab it before it goes * POOF * into the shadow universe forevah! 

Grab a bit of SFR history for the price of a cup of coffee before it's gone!

Available at most vendors here: Pets in Space Antho

(P.S. CaSandra the StarDog of Juggernaut bids you all a fond farewell!)

SpyDog Excerpt from Pets in Space® 4 (plus Reminders)

Today, I have an excerpt from SpyDog, my Inherited Stars Series story in the USA TODAY Bestselling Pets in Space® 4 collection.

Scene Set-Up:
Rigel, a Network deep cover agent--along his bio-engineered partner, a SpyDog named Maura--has crossed paths with someone he believed to be a legend, a warrior-class female Rathskian. Her knowledge of the Network runs deep, much too deep for a member of the enemy alliance. She claims to be a friendly, but Rigel decides his best course of action is to reach his transport and turn her over to Network superiors. But first he has to get her there.

She may turn out to be more of a challenge than he's anticipating.

Excerpt:
They still had a long trek ahead of them, and this woman had already learned crucial information about him and Maura. If she got away from him now, it could be very bad. True, she’d been nothing but cooperative, but he still had to be wary of the potential for ambush. His SpyDog exposing a covert capability to this Rathskian had certainly upped the stakes. Reaching the safety of a Network ship and securing her onboard was crucial. He just hoped the ship had a prisoner retention cell to reduce the risk of her sabotaging his mission.

“Walk ahead of me,” Rigel directed. “A Rathskian and a Carduwan might make suspicious bedfellows.”

Sona gave him a quick glance, one eyebrow arched in surprise—or was it scorn?

“As it should be,” she retorted, and strode ahead.

“Stay with her,” Rigel told his invisible partner then realized she was no longer at his side. Dust puffs rose where the StarDog scampered along in step with their captive. It wasn’t the first time she’d anticipated a command, but now it ramped up his annoyance a full notch or two.

“Make a right here,” Rigel instructed.

Having her walk ahead made watching her easier but calling out each turn or new direction in their path was attracting attention. They’d already snagged a few puzzled looks from passersby and he didn’t need the added scrutiny. Thankfully, there weren’t that many people moving about in the midday heat. Rigel lengthened his strides to close ground between himself and the Rathski.

“Take the left fork.”

“Get any closer and you can just whisper in my ear,” she said, without looking back.

Nonplussed, Rigel eased off a stride. Was she trying to provoke him? Rigel shook it off. He had to stay sharp and avoid letting his mind wander down paths that might lead to distraction.

__________________________

Hope you enjoyed this snippet from my story.

Reminder: Time Is Running Out!

Okay, this is where I beg a little. Oh readers, hear my humble plea.

Pets in Space® 4 has had a phenomenal run so far, but our window to donate to Hero Dogs is closing fast and we (the team behind the anthology) really want our donation this year to be the best ever in the four years we've contributed to this organization.

The donation period closes at midnight on November 11th, Veterans Day, so there's still a few days to help this wonderful charity!

Please, please help us help Hero Dogs!

For $5.99 -- about the price of a cup of coffee -- you can help a veteran or first responder have a lasting impact on their life through a trained service dog donated free of charge by this wonderful organization. We'll be donating 10% of our royalties through November 11th to assist Hero Dogs...

But the donation window ends at midnight on November 11th--Veterans' Day.

If you haven't already purchased a copy of Pets in Space® 4, would you please consider it now?

Click here to see all available vendors and scroll down to read the story blurbs

What's in it for you?

How about some great science fiction romance reading adventures--a collection that's going to last far longer and bring more enjoyment than that single cup of coffee! This volume features 13 stories by best selling and award-winning authors. It made the USA TODAY Bestsellers list the week of release and has received over 60 rave reviews on Amazon--about 94% of them five or four stars as of this writing!

And this volume is substantial--the size of nearly FIVE full-length novels--with complete, standalone stories connected to popular ongoing series.

SpyDog (excerpt above) is my contribution to the collection and it's a story in my Inherited Stars Series. I invite you to check out this pivotal (but standalone) episode in Pets in Space® 4. SpyDog is the story of Rigel Blackline, a Network agent, and Sona, a female warrior-class Rathskian as they both seek to complete crucial missions that will be monumental to the future of the known galaxy--but whose separate goals just might put them at odds. And of course being part of Pets in Space®, it involves an unique creature--a highly-trained, keenly-intelligent, and sometimes defiant StarDog upgrade known as a SpyDog. Her name is Maura and she's Rigel's partner.

Check out these Pets in Space® 4 endorsements from reviewers:

"I love these Sci-fi pet stories!" - 5 stars

"Awesome anthology" - 5 stars

"Well-written, interesting and varied" - 5 stars

"Loved all the stories, each one is so very different but wonderful in their own way." - 5 stars

"This will not disappoint." - 5 stars

~~ and even one with a special mention of SpyDog ~~

"Full of fun stories with interesting pets...SpyDog. So far this is my favorite." - 5 stars

Also, the latest book in my series, StarDog, just released on October 21st and is currently at a special introductory price of only .99 cents, but this special introductory price will end November 11th.


StarDog Goes Off Sale Next Monday

If you'd like a peek into my SFR universe, grab your copy before next Tuesday to get it at .99 cents.

Here's more about it:

Available on Amazon

Navigator Taro Shall's captain assigns him an unexpected mission–find a way to eradicate deadly vipers that have infested starship Calypso. He never expects to find the solution to his problem in the hands of Adini, a charming street vendor. But the bio-engineered StarDog he acquires turns out to be a galactic hot potato, and both Taro and Adini are soon fugitives on the run.

Adini Kemm can't deny her fascination for the honor-bound navigator, though his past and her present seem to null any chance at a shared future. Until her father's capture as a spy catapults both her and Taro into a desperate bid to save him...and straight into the clutches of a brewing insurrection.

As Taro's bond with Adini grows, so does their jeopardy. Determined not to draw Calypso or his captain into the fray, Taro must rely on his wits to keep both Adini and his secrets safe from the renegade leader who takes them prisoner.

___________________

Based on a short story in the very popular Pets in Space® 1 anthology, winner of two 2016 SFR Galaxy Awards and named by LibraryJournal.com as one of the “Best Books of 2016.”

StarDog has returned as a standalone story in The Inherited Stars Series at double the length–with expanded scenes, new chapters and a new epilogue. It's also a companion story to SpyDog (except above). Click below to buy the ebook for .99 cents:

Amazon

Thanks for stopping by Spacefreighters Lounge today. Have a great week!

Two Years in the Making: StarDog is a New Release!

StarDog, my latest release, was the first story in my Inherited Stars series that introduced the wascawy little dog/cat/weasel/mongoose bio-constructs who were created to be companion animals, ship's mascots...and sometimes...spies. (Like in the current companion story in USA TODAY bestseller Pets in Space® 4, SpyDog.)

Let me kick this off with a snippet from the start of the story and the incident that sparked an adventure for this star navigator:

_______________________________________________

“Freeze.”

When Captain Dava Jordon used that bone-chilling tone, no one asked questions.

Taro Shall, ship’s navigator, didn’t even blink as she stalked toward his navcon, weapon drawn and eyes locked on her target. Thankfully, whatever that target was, it wasn’t him. She was aiming toward the deck in the general vicinity of his feet.

She squeezed off two blasts of her laze-pistol.

Taro jumped back as the searing heat penetrated through his deck boots.

Just below his station, something long, tan, and patterned in singe marks writhed on the floor. “What the Hades, Skipper?”

Captain Jordon took two cautious steps forward and leaned down to examine the victim, sweeping back her long black hair with one hand. “Take a look.”

Taro gripped the armrest of his flight couch and went to one knee, craning his neck to get a better look at the thing on the floor. When he finally registered the shape and scales, he sucked in his breath. “Snake?”

The captain screwed up her face in disgust. “Must’ve picked it up back on Dartis. It’s a sand viper.”

“Viper?” Taro pushed to his feet and backed off a step.

“Yeah. A very deadly one. If one of these little terrors sinks his fangs into you, you’ll drop before you can spit out a curse.”

Taro swallowed the ball of ice rising in his throat. “Guess I’m damn lucky you saw it.”

“Sensed it,” she clarified. “I was plugged into Calypso. The flight deck motion sensors picked it up.” She nodded to the black drive helmet now perched on a cradle at her command console.

Taro exhaled, his pulse still in the process of deceleration. “Glad you never miss.”

“Well, it’s not the end of our problems.” She straightened, holstering her weapon.

“That’s a hatchling. Maybe a couple days old. It’s been five days since we left Dartis.

That means there’s a mother and several dozen siblings slithering around Calypso.”

“Damn. We’ve got trouble.”

“Exactly.” Captain Jordon scrubbed a hand over her face. “Looks like we’re grounded until we find a fix. Before Doc Emboratyr gets word of our little issue, we need to hire an exterminator. A good one.” She pinned him with a look. “We, of course, means you. Best get to it. We’re losing daylight.”

Taro snagged his jacket from the back of his flight couch. “Aye, Boss, I’m on it.”

With one last glance at the charbroiled little carcass, he strode to the lift.

“Better watch where you step on your way out. Could be more of them anywhere,” the captain called after him.

Taro gave her a casual salute and did a quick check of the floor as the lift rotated to descend from Calypso’s upper flight deck to the main level below. He warily scanned the corridor before venturing off.

The wall com clicked on as he headed down the curved passage toward the airlock. Captain Jordan’s voice filled the corridor. “If you see Pareen out there, tell him to stay away from Calypso until I shoot him an all-clear on his recall. I’m not going to drop the quarantine flags. Don’t want to scare off our client.”

“You got it, Skipper,” Taro answered as he reached Calypso’s main airlock and activated the controls to extend the ramp.

“And watch out for Palies. I want no trouble with the Ithians.”

“No messing with the Alliance. Check that.”

Outside the ship, Carduwa’s warm, herbal-scented air ruffled Taro’s hair and danced along the pavement in gentle eddies. A friendly sun lit the heavy greenery of tall trees and dense shrubbery just beyond the spaceport grounds. This planet was nothing like the bone-dry dustbowl of Dartis where they’d last made port. Thank the Island Spirits for that much.

Taro made his way to the nearest street just off the spaceport exit and glanced down an endless row of brightly colored vendor tents. Where to start?

He ducked his head into the entrance of the first two pavilions with a questioning, “Exterminator?” The answer on both counts was a brisk shake of a keeper’s head. Somewhere around vendor twelve, he got a lead.

“No exterminator, but you wanna see Dini Kemm. Red and yellow striper. Tiharra Lane. Three streets west.”

Taro plucked a citrus drink tube from the vendor’s laboring chiller, tossing the elderly man five replas. “Many thanks.”

_______________________________________________

The book trailer also provides the exciting tone of this adventure:

It's taken me a couple of years to get this one where I wanted it to be, expanding scenes, adding chapters, and writing a whole new epilogue.

This standalone book is nearly twice the length of the original, which gave me the opportunity to delve a little deeper into the mystery surrounding the Calypso and her captain, to better establish a new character who also has a role in SpyDog, and to give more insights into the relationship of the leading couple.

Readers loved the original story and the HEA, but a few were a little distraught that Taro had been left in such a quandary. The new epilogue addresses this and takes the relationship between Taro and Adini just a little further into the future.

I think you're gonna love it!

________________________________________

StarDog Blurb

Navigator Taro Shall's captain assigns him an unexpected mission–find a way to eradicate deadly vipers that have infested starship Calypso. He never expects to find the solution to his problem in the hands of Adini, a charming street vendor. But the bio-engineered StarDog he acquires turns out to be a galactic hot potato, and both Taro and Adini are soon fugitives on the run.

Adini Kemm can't deny her fascination for the honor-bound navigator, though his past and her present seem to null any chance at a shared future. Until her father's capture as a spy catapults both her and Taro into a desperate bid to save him...and straight into the clutches of a brewing insurrection.

As Taro's bond with Adini grows, so does their jeopardy. Determined not to draw Calypso or his captain into the fray, Taro must rely on his wits to keep both Adini and his secrets safe from the renegade leader who takes them prisoner. 

________________________________________

StarDog will be on sale for only .99 cents until November 11th, Veteran's Day. 

Get it here!

Follow me on BookBub to get news of future releases.

You all have a Happy Halloween and a wonderful week!

A New Adventure Begins #WIP #AmWriting

I'm trying something I've never done before, and that's to write a story that runs concurrently with a novel I've already published.

Well, it seemed like a great idea at the time.

And yeah, I think it's still a great idea. It's just proving to be a bit more of a challenge than I imagined. It also required re-reading portions of my novel Inherit the Stars, for context, as well as figuring out timelines and defining a chain-of-events that wasn't all that key to the original story, but became majorly important when looking at things from the vantage point of two new characters and their role in the overall series.

An entire adventure is now taking root from this one small passage in the novel.

[Scene set-up: Captain Drea Mennelsohn and the Specter crew are making a desperate jump from Calos spaceport on Banna to evade enemy agents. Edited for length and content.]

The G-forces tugged at Sair before the dampener neutralized them. Then all sense of motion ceased, but from the thunder of the drive he knew the ship was rocketing toward space. The pana-screen brightened and a three-hundred-sixty degree view of Banna, her fiery sun, and countless stars surrounded him. His gaze followed the screen around the complete arc. The two Bannan moons, one pocked with dull gray craters and the other rich with greens and blues, rolled across the screen to his left. Distant nebulas and galaxies flared against the velvet darkness of deep space. Tiny points of color moved against the blackness. Alliance ships.

Jaeo elbowed his arm. "Watch your monitor, not the view."

"The coyotes and the Wisdom have been vaporized," Drea announced, and in a private aside to Sair, "They had to be destroyed to safeguard the technology."

The Wisdom?" Sair questioned.

"My ship," Jaeo responded through gritted teeth.

____________________

The set-up for my new story is contained in those last three sentences. The destruction of Wisdom on the surface of Banna, and the series of events this triggers for two characters on the planet below.

StarDog, the story in the original Pets in Space anthology, took place about six months (moons) earlier and illustrated that Wisdom was no ordinary vessel, and its destruction was sure to cause havoc for the Network.

So far in the series, only StarDog has scenes that take place aboard the actual ship.

This is hero Taro Shall's first encounter with Wisdom when he escorts Adini Kemm to the vessel, so you can have a glimpse of the vessel in her heyday.

[Edited for length]

Two haras later, after checking in at Flight Authority, Taro helped Adini locate the ship captained by Gant, slotted in bay 1552 South.

After making a mostly wordless trek across the expansive spaceport, they found the vessel in her assigned hangar—an immaculate silver craft with a flame-in-pyramid symbol emblazoned on her hull that identified her LaGuardian registry. She might’ve passed as an upper-end passenger liner if not for the fact that she bristled with an array of weaponry.

“Expensive looking craft,” Taro muttered.

“Mennelsohn design,” Adini responded under her breath.

Taro gave a low whistle. Vessels blueprinted by Zaviar Mennelsohn weren’t easy to come by. Gant had to be quite wealthy. And that level of wealth wasn’t always gained via legitimate means.

***

Wisdom’s interior was even more intimidating than her outward appearance. She was a larger vessel than Calypso, with four decks of cleanly gridded corridors and cabins, a contrast to the rounded Manta configuration of Captain Jordan’s ship. Every aspect was polished and orderly. All of Gant’s crew were professionally outfitted in crisp black and gray uniforms and branded service hats.

Wisdom had the look and feel of a military flagship. Except LaGuardia wasn’t supposed to have a military. The planet had been stripped of its fleet two centuries ago, along with its Universal Peacekeeper status, when the Ithians had wrested control. 

_____________________

This new work-in-progress has given me the chance to delve into whole new facets of the Network vs. Alliance struggle, and to explore two new characters--I'm sorry, StarDog makes three!--in this tale of intrigue and adventure.

Coming in October 2019.

Have a great week.

Big News! #booknews #amwriting

Today I can *finally* announce something that's been in the works for several weeks, and I've been chomping at the bit to tell you the news!

Pets in Space® 4 is coming October 8, 2019!

And I'm one of the authors in this year's collection!

I'm really excited to be back in a Pets in Space® collection for 2019, especially after sitting out 2018. I already had a story idea in my head for a third StarDog installment, this one entitled SpyDog. This novella was going to happen with or without Pets in Space, but I'm much happier about it being part of the collection, as with the previous two stories StarDog and Courting Disaster. I'll talk a little more about the story below.

This time, 13 leading science fiction romance authors have banded together to bring you new and original stories from their popular series. Here's the complete line-up of authors (which, by the way, like the original PISA will simply be called "Pets in Space® 4," with no extended title this time!)

Pets in Space® 4 promises to be another great reading adventure and will once again support the wonderful Hero-Dogs.org organization! Once again, 10% of all pre-orders and first month's royalties will go to support this wonderful organization that raises and places support dogs with US veterans. Watch for more announcements between now and the release date.

Meanwhile, you're invited to join the Facebook Readers' Group for fun, updates and insiders' info: Pets in Space Readers Group on Facebook

And be sure to sign up for the Pets in Space® Newsletter, too!
  13 leading science fiction romance authors have banded together to bring you new

and original stories from their popular series

Inherit the Stars Celebrates its Four Year Anniversary!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
INHERIT THE STARS!

It's really a little bit hard to believe that the anniversary of my debut novel being published happened last Friday! 

Inherit the Stars was 'born' on my birthday in 2015.

Where or where do the years go?

Inherit the Stars was a 2011 RWA Golden Heart finalist (under working title P2PC), and after being published it won the Carolyn Readers Choice Award, was given a coveted A+ rating by Reading Reality review site, and was named one of the best books of 2015 by LibraryJournal.com.

Inherit the Stars was, of course, the anchor novel from which all the StarDog stories sprang, and SpyDog will be no different. In fact, the events in SpyDog will happen at the same time as some of those in Inherit the Stars, so you'll get a very different perspective of the same timeline.

Although the stories were created to be read in any order, here is the time chronology of the four books:

StarDog - six moons (months) before the beginning of Inherit the Stars.
Inherit the Stars - anchor novel, events leading up to Operation Reset.
SpyDog - concurrent with Inherit the Stars and Operation Reset.
Courting Disaster - three calendars (years) after Inherit the Stars.

My mission for 2019 is to have all of the above titles published, plus a holiday story prequel to Inherit the Stars tentatively titled The Crucible. 

And possibly even the full length novel, The Outer Planets, which stands alone in its own timeline of the Inherited Stars Universe, but establishes important elements for the future Draxian Trilogy.

The next novel in the series, Inherit the Vengeance will take place seven calendars (years) after Operation Reset, and four after Courting Disaster. As the title probably suggests, the remnants of the Ithian Alliance did not go softly into the night and now they're out for the ultimate revenge. The book will feature many returning characters, along with a couple of new faces.

It's going to be a very busy year!

I may have even more big news coming next Monday (or...soon).

Have a great week!