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!