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.

 

Only ten more sleeps...

 

Pets in Space© 6 is almost here! On 5^th October you'll receive your copy of the anthology if you pre-ordered, or you can buy your copy for immediate download! Eleven brand new stories from eleven writers of science fiction romance to brighten up your day.

You'll be treated to a veritable beastopia of familiar and unfamiliar critters, all doing their best to help their humans in pursuit of true love. Here's the line-up.

BEHR’S REBEL
Marastin Dow Book 2
by S.E. Smith
Chummy and Pi are cute and fluffy alien pets. They’re pretty sure they rescued Raia, the human woman they travel with, not the other way around. In any case, it’s going to take all three of them to rescue a Marastin Dow General who is slated for execution.

STAR CRUISE: TIME LOOP
Sectors Romance series
by Veronica Scott
Eyn, a three-eyed lizard, has a multi-layered shell, but likes to spend time with his owner, Raelyn. Good thing, too, since she’s reliving the same terrible day. If she can’t get out of the time loop, everyone on the interstellar cruise ship she’s on will die, including the man she’s falling in love with.

THE CYBORG WITH NO NAME
by Honey Phillips
A robot dog is Rose’s only companion in the Martian outback. He’s a quirky collection of mismatched parts, but he’s hers. Despite what her former employer thinks, the outcast scientist knows the robots she developed to help with the terraforming process are more than machines. Especially when a robot horse she created shows up at her doorstep and leads her to an injured cyborg ranger.

ESCAPE FROM NOVA NINE
A Central Galactic Concordance Novella
by Carol Van Natta
Griffins in space… They’re small, birdlike creatures that were genetically engineered to look like miniature griffins from mythology. Against all odds, they’re thriving in the harsh environment of a rogue asteroid mine. They could be the key to survival and escape for prisoners Julke and Zade.

TRADE SECRETS
The Department of Homeworld Security series
by Cassandra Chandler
When is a cat more than a cat? When he’s a space kitten, of course. The kitten has already adopted alien Xan, who’s only trying to keep his friends out of trouble. Earth at large isn’t ready to learn that aliens exist. Then the kitten decides that human Gwen, who’s stumbled across their secrets, would be the perfect pet…, er, mate for Xan.

SEE HOW THEY RUN
TriSystems: Smugglers
by JC Hay
Positive, Negative, and Monocle are three ordinary-looking lab mice who are inexplicably accustomed to low-gravity. When engineer Baker steals them, she discovers they’re more than they seem. She hopes so, because it could save the life of her coworker, who means so much more to Baker than she’s willing to admit.

SURI’S SURE THING
Kimura Sisters Series
by S.J. Pajonas
Finn is a gorgeous, goofy golden retriever with a heart the size of the galaxy. He is pair-bonded with workaholic Suri, who would rather be in space than deal with her complicated family life. Finn knows Suri would be happier if she’d only notice her best friend Eric, so they could stay together. Maybe a trip to space would help her see the light…

THE THUNDER EGG
Dryden Universe Series
by Greta van der Rol
Neyru is a… well, no one really knows. She looks sort of like a tiny, winged dinosaur, and she might be psychic. All vacationing professor Drew knows is she’s beautiful and clever, and growing fast. If only he can convince sexy freighter captain Afra to help him get the little alien foundling back where she belongs.

WORLDS OF FIRE: METAMORPHOSIS
by Deborah A. Bailey
In the Worlds of Fire, people with magical abilities sometimes have familiars, animal companions they can talk to. Gargoyle shifter Jaydon has a gold-bodied, black-winged bird named Delphy. Student Asira has never met a familiar, and isn’t sure what to think when Jaydon says the only reason he agreed to teach her is because Delphy recommended her.

STRANDED ON GRZBT
by Melisse Aires
Mimi and her companions are stuck in an alien spaceport, trying to find their way back home to Earth. Mimi befriends and feeds a tiny alien creature the size of a mouse, with three eyes, six paws, and a trunk. Her new pet returns the favor by helping her meet handsome alien Kyre, who might be their best chance for survival.

ESCAPING KORTH
Before The Fall series
by Kyndra Hatch
Agronomist Liana Walker is a casualty of the Human-Korth war. Held captive and interrogated as an enemy combatant, her only friend is Rainbow, an eight-legged spider-like creature with a crab-like shell and large, soft antennae. Plus twelve eyes that allow Rainbow to see the truth when Liana can’t. Such as, her interrogator is the same Korth male she grew up with, before the war separated them.

You'll finally be able to find out what my pet, Neyru, is – and where she comes from.

Once again, we’ll be donating 10% of the preorders and first month’s sales to Hero Dogs, the excellent charity that provides trained service dogs to disabled veterans and first-responders.

Why don't you pre-order your copy now? The book will be delivered to you on the 5th October. 

https://books2read.com/PISA6

Pre-order your copy of PETS IN SPACE 6

 

 

What exactly is a thunder egg?

 

My Pets in Space story, The Thunder Egg, started as an opening scene probably a year ago. I was doing the writer's equivalent of doodling, playing around with ideas. I started off with a female freighter captain walking back to her ship after making a delivery. She is regretting taking the short cut to the spaceport through the oldest, seediest section of Old Port as one of the frequent fogs descends. It's a haven for thugs and muggers and she's grateful for the pistol in her pocket. 

That looked promising, so I asked the Muse what happened next. "Ah," said the Muse, "As she walks, something hits her chest and clings, staring into her eyes."

And just like that, I had a snippet of a story.

But what hit her? What stared at her? I asked the Muse. "Let's see. It can fly. It isn't a bird or a bat. Something cute and alien."  

"But what is it?" I wailed. "Where does it come from?"

 The Muse wasn't happy. "Come on. Work it out for yourself. She's - I don't know - a cross between a Pern dragon and a pterodactyl." Then she flounced off for a Bex and a lie-down.

Both of those species hatch from eggs so after some deep and detailed navel-gazing I decided that little Neyru was hatched from an egg that looked an awful lot like a thunder egg.

Yes, thunder eggs are real. No, they're not fossilized, unhatched dinosaur eggs. But many of them have fascinating contents – if not quite so fascinating as Neyru. They are formed by volcanic activity, as described by Don, the owner of the Mt Hay gemstone tourist park, one of several places in Australia where thunder eggs can be found.

“Mt. Hay is the remains of an extinct ancient volcano, which was last active about 120 million years ago. When it was a rumbling volcano millions of gas bubbles were present in the molten rhyolite lava …. it is these gas ‘pockets’ that became thunder eggs. Thunder eggs or volcanic birthstones are the result of these “pockets” filling with siliceous liquids containing impurities and trace elements, which crystallize as they cool, and when cut in half, reveal many different colours and patterns.” 

A thunder egg my husband and I found at Mt Hay.

It's an interesting enough rock… but when you cut it open…

Neyru hatched from an egg that looked superficially like a thunder egg. Her protector, Professor Drew Torson, bought the rock during a visit to the famous markets at Laremenssa, which appear in several of my Dryden Universe stories. Drew was on his Sabbatical, touring some of the Empire's outer planets, and Neyru's egg attracted him because of certain iridescence in the stone. He was astonished when Neyru came out of a shell that looked like a rock. She wolfed down his steak dinner, too – clearly a committed carnivore. She's totally alien and Drew has no idea what she is or where she comes from.

The Thunder Egg is essentially a quest. Drew finds an artifact that turns out to be Neyru and he takes it upon himself to protect her and take her home. Wherever that may be. Just as well he bumps into freighter pilot Afra. He wouldn't be able to do it on his own.

Here's the blurb.

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 of the above without falling in love during their dangerous mission.

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?

Pets in Space 6 is available for pre-order, with delivery on 5th October. Costing US$4.99, the anthology includes stories from eleven authors. But don’t forget to buy your copy while you can. The book will be taken off sale in November.

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