Set in the same universe as my WRECK of the NEBULA DREAM. Andrianda (Andi) Markriss, a planetary representative for Loxton Galactic Trading, has been spending a lazy summer with her best friend in the highly exclusive summer compound of the planet Zulaire’s ruling nobility, networking. On a day when a number of strange  and disturbing things have already happened, Captain Tom Deverane, Sectors Special Forces, unexpectedly shows up with a troop of soldiers and demands she leave with him. Immediately.

Andi doesn’t take this very well….in fact, she refuses to go. Later in the evening, all hell has broken loose, as the captain predicted.
Trying to avoid spoilers here, after certain “events”, she and the soldiers are on the run. 

We’ve been through Tom’s near fatal illness, his recovery (but no spoilers about how that was accomplished)….(did teasers about their romantic encounter LOL)…lately, Andi was in imminent danger of death at the hands of the rebels…but we got past that…

Now a different kind of problem presents itself as Tom, Andi and Sgt. Wilson find an abandoned groundcar on the road…

Climbing out of the cargo hauler, the men walked back to the abandoned vehicle. Andi waited in the truck for a minute then slid out, not wanting to be left alone in the dark. I may never want to be alone anywhere ever again. As she approached them, standing by the abandoned car, Tom’s hand lamp illuminated the vehicle’s front panels, showing an intricate pattern of an urabu*, dancing in the midst of orange flames, overlaid on a gleaming red undercoat

Inhaling sharply, Andi gasped, “That’s Gul’s car.”

Eyebrows drawn together in a frown, Tom said. “You know the owner?”

I LOVE and appreciate your comments….

Go to http://sixsunday.com/ to find all the other great excerpts.

*like a gazelle, with three horns

Still sharing my SFR , no news as yet on the R&R, but fingers crossed! (And thanks for all the encouraging words – much appreciated!)

Set in the same universe as my WRECK of the NEBULA DREAM. Andrianda (Andi) Markriss, a planetary representative for Loxton Galactic Trading, has been spending a lazy summer with her best friend in the highly exclusive summer compound of the planet Zulaire’s ruling nobility, networking. On a day when a number of strange  and disturbing things have already happened, Captain Tom Deverane, Sectors Special Forces, unexpectedly shows up with a troop of soldiers and demands she leave with him. Immediately.

Andi doesn’t take this very well….in fact, she refuses to go. Later in the evening, all hell has broken loose, as the captain predicted.
Trying to avoid spoilers here, after certain “events”, she and the soldiers are on the run. 

We’ve been through Tom’s near fatal illness, his recovery (but no spoilers about how that was accomplished)….(did teasers about their romantic encounter LOL)…lately, Andi has been in imminent danger of death at the hands of the rebels…

Ignoring the fallen (Rebel Leader), dropping to his knees in the dust next to Andi, Tom cradled her in his arms.

Throat tight, all her muscles clenched, she was still in fight or flight mode, trembling violently, as he staunched her bleeding neck wound with the tail of his uniform shirt.

(The rebel leader) rolled over, moaning, and scrambled to his feet, staggering a few steps away.

Stepping around the vehicle, Sergeant Wilson cut (the leader) down with a short fusillade of blaster fire.

It’s over.  Reaction setting in, Andi sobbed, resting her head against Tom’s chest as he murmured, ”It’s all right now, I’ve got you.”

********************************************************************************************************************

Of course, Six Sentence Sunday fans, Andi and Tom still have to rejoin their party and make their way out from behind enemy lines to the safety of the capital so…I have quite a bit more action to share in the next few Sundays!

I LOVE and appreciate your comments….

Go to http://sixsunday.com/ to find all the other great excerpts.

My friend Patricia Preston, she of THE YARD SALE and LAID TO REST, tagged me last week for this “Next Big Thing” challenge, so here goes:

The Steps:

First: Answer the 10 questions below.

Then:  Spread the fun and tag 5 more awesome people to participate.

(It’s also nice to link back to the person who tagged you)

1.  What is the title of your  book / WIP?

WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM

2.    Where did the idea of this book come from?

Growing up, I was fascinated by the events surrounding the sinking of the Titanic (and this was wayyyy before the James Cameron movie), partly because my grandfather always said he had a relative on board –  a Second Class passenger who survived, which made me feel closer to the events. She even rescued a steerage baby! Now, as an adult having done some internet research, I’m not convinced she actually is related to us but her story had a profound influence on me as a child.

What do you do? Stay on board? Take a lifeboat? If you’ve waited too long and there are no more lifeboats, how do you try to survive?

Inevitably, given the family legend, some time ago I had the idea to write a novel loosely inspired by the events of Titanic . Since I have a science fiction kind of mind, I set the story in the far future, out among the stars, using a luxury space liner rather than an ocean going cruise ship.

3. What genre would your book fall under?

Science Fiction Adventure with romantic elements

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

For Nick, the hero, lately I’m thinking Guy Pearce (based on his performance in the movie Lockout) …and Maggie Grace would be a good Mara…but Hollywood excels at finding the right actors to play the roles, thank goodness!

5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

I like this one from a recent 4 Star Reader review of the book on Amazon: “Recommended if you like disaster movies, Titanic stories, and space opera with a little romance thrown in for heart. “

6. Is your book published or represented?

The book is available  from  Smashwords ,  Amazon for the kindle or as a trade paperback, and Barnes & Noble . It’s self published but I worked with a professional editor – you always need the fine eye of an editor!

7. How long did it take you to write it?

It’s hard to say any more, because the entire month of February 2012 was spent in the editing and revision process, to get the book out in March, before the 100^th anniversary of the Titanic sinking, so that’s what I remember! It typically takes me a couple of months to get the first draft of a book complete…followed by lots and lots of revising.

8. What other books in your genre would you compare it to?

It compares to disaster movies, actually, and to movies like “Fifth Element”! In various reviews, the book has also been compared to classic science fiction novels, which is always a high compliment to me.

9. Which authors inspired you to write this book?

Can I go a bit back in time and say Andre Norton and Anne McCaffrey?

10. Tell us anything else that might pique our interest in your book.

I have a pretty awesome video book trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oA3NpmxTZI

Thanks to Rachel Firasek for the exciting synopsis of the book, complete with a soundtrack!

The Five Awesome Fiction Authors I’m Tagging Include:

OK before I get to that, let me just say these memes are fun but can be a little like a chain letter, so they’re not to everyone’s taste to participate in…but please check out these authors, whether they “play” in this game or not:

Cathy Pegau

R. L. Naquin

Jodie Griffin

Carmen DeSousa

The Butterfly Memoirs

VS sez thanks for stopping by – who are your favorite science fiction authors these days? I’m always looking for new recommendations!

Still sharing my SFR , no news as yet on the R&R, but fingers crossed! (And thanks for all the encouraging words – much appreciated!)

Set in the same universe as my WRECK of the NEBULA DREAM. Andrianda (Andi) Markriss, a planetary representative for Loxton Galactic Trading, has been spending a lazy summer with her best friend in the highly exclusive summer compound of the planet Zulaire’s ruling nobility, networking. On a day when a number of strange  and disturbing things have already happened, Captain Tom Deverane, Sectors Special Forces, unexpectedly shows up with a troop of soldiers and demands she leave with him. Immediately.

Andi doesn’t take this very well….in fact, she refuses to go. Later in the evening, all hell has broken loose, as the captain predicted.
Trying to avoid spoilers here, after certain “events”, she and the soldiers are on the run. 

We’ve been through Tom’s near fatal illness, his recovery (but no spoilers about how that was accomplished)….(did teasers about their romantic encounter LOL)…

If you were here last week you know Andi was in imminent danger of death at the hands of the rebels and Tom had just arrived to try to save her but so far it isn’t going well…as the excerpt opens, the rebel leader (whose actual name is a spoiler) is heading for his vehicle, using Andi as a human shield.

Andi braced for action. The minute he started to open the door, she jerked backwards, taking  (the rebel leader) unaware, knocking him off balance, forcing him to let go of  her to save himself from falling. Tumbling to the hard packed dirt, she scrabbled to put distance between them.

Grabbing her ankle, (the leader) tried to drag her back. Rolling, she kicked at his face with her other foot, taking great satisfaction in the impact as she landed a glancing blow, enough to dislodge his clawlike grasp.

Tom launched himself at (the rebel leader).

I LOVE and appreciate your comments….

Go to http://sixsunday.com/ to find all the other great excerpts.

It’s my pleasure today to be interviewing Zoey Donovan (what a terrific name!) the heroine from R. L. Naquin’s newly released MONSTER IN MY CLOSET. R. L. will give away one copy of the book to a randomly selected commenter, plus I’ll add a $10.00 Amazon gift card for the winner! Be sure to comment to enter.

Here’s the story:

I stopped believing in monsters long ago. But I knew I wasn’t imagining things when I found one in my kitchen baking muffins. I’d seen him before: lurking in my closet, scaring the crap out of my five-year-old self. Turns out that was a misunderstanding, and now Maurice needs a place to stay. How could I say no?

After all, I’ve always been a magnet for the emotionally needy, and not just in my work as a wedding planner. Being able to sense the feelings of others can be a major pain. Don’t get me wrong, I like helping people—and non-people. But this ability has turned me into a gourmet feast for an incubus, a demon that feeds off emotional energy. Now, brides are dropping dead all over town, and my home has become a safe house for the supernatural. I must learn to focus my powers and defeat the demon before he snacks on another innocent woman and comes looking for the main course…

Welcome, Zoey! What was your life like growing up?

I had a regular childhood, like anyone else, I guess. Happy. Mom and Dad and I loved each other very much. We went to the zoo a lot, played board games, and I ran around in the woods and down at the beach by our house. Then Mom died. No. She left. Was kidnapped. No, wait, let me think…I don’t think I like this shade of pink on my nails. I’m going to change it to blue.

What? Oh, my childhood. It was just me and my dad. I took care of him, mostly. He always seemed so lost. He died when I was eighteen. I miss him.

Before the action in the book, what were your plans/hopes for the future?

The wedding planning business was picking up steam. I hoped maybe it would get so successful that we could move to a bigger office and hire some staff. That way Sara and I wouldn’t have to work so hard ourselves.

Meeting a nice guy would be nice, too.

What changed that?

Well, I met the nice guy, so that’s something. At least, I think I have. We’ll see. I’ve been burned before.

With all the stuff going on at my house now, I may not be able to put as much effort into building our business, though. I seem to have acquired a second job I hadn’t planned for. It makes it tough to schedule appointments and go to wedding shows to check out the competition when you’re stuck at home keeping a sick pigmy dragon from blowing up your garage.

How would you describe your personality?

Quirky? Personally, I think I’m pretty average and sensible, but that’s not what people tell me.

Do you have a motto or code you live by?

If everyone could feel the emotions of the people around them, they’d all be much kinder to each other.

What one thing would you take to a desert island?

A razor. Imagine, there you are all tan and fit from living off the land in the tropical sun, and your legs and armpits look like a jungle. Really ruins the fantasy.

Where would you go on vacation?

I love people, but feeling everything they’re feeling is not a good vacation. Someplace isolated. And warm. Give me that razor. That desert island you mentioned sounds really good.

What is your most distinguishing characteristic?

Probably my clothes. I tend to choose individual items and put them on without regard for the other things I’m already wearing. And usually there’s a hat of some kind. I think I look fabulous, but Sara doesn’t agree.

What is your major skill or talent?

I help people. That’s what I do. I usually know what to say to make things better.

What’s your favorite color? Favorite food?

I have to pick one? But there are so many—lime green, hot pink, lemon yellow, sky blue…I’m sorry. You can’t make me single one out. That’s too much pressure.

Anything Maurice just pulled out of the oven is my current favorite food. That closet monster could roll a dead squirrel into pastry dough, and it would taste like a piece of heaven.

If you had to pick another career, what would it be?

Party planner? No, I guess that’s not really much different from wedding planner. I know. I could run a bed and breakfast. That wouldn’t be too far off from what’s going on at my house right now.

What’s on your bucket list?

Get to know Riley better. Figure out what my mother was doing with all the supernatural creatures all those years ago. Find out what happened to her and why I can’t think about it for more than a minute before…I don’t really think fingernail polish and toenail polish have to match, do you? I’m going with the chartreuse on my toes this time.

Which actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie?

Emma Stone would be amazing. Is she busy? Do you think we could get her? If she’s busy, try Felicia Day. She would be so incredible.

Who are your closest friends?

Sara, of course. We’ve known each other since college. Maurice, definitely, though he needs to stop rearranging the clothes in my closet. Andrew is pretty awesome, and his fennec fox Milo is a little love. Molly’s a good listener. Not sure if all brownies are like that, or if it’s just her.

Who do you love?

All the people above, of course. Are you asking in the romantic sense? Love is too strong, then. I’m not ready to talk about that yet. I haven’t known Riley long enough. I love coffee. I love it very much.

What are your future plans?

I’ve got an appointment at three to meet a new client, so there’s that. Dates with Riley, maybe? How about surviving to next week? Yeah. That. I’m planning not to die. I’ll pencil it into my schedule right now.

VS sez we’d better let you get to the appointment! Thanks for dropping by today and good luck with surviving into next week LOL!

You can find the book here:

Carina Press  Amazon  Barnes & Noble

<= Here’s R. L. , by the way!

So, Readers, when you were little what kind of monsters did you envision living in the closet or under the bed? Personally, I wish I could have had Pixar’s Mike & Sully LOL! Please leave us a comment and enter the giveaway…

Still sharing my SFR , no news as yet on the R&R, status unknown but fingers crossed!

Set in the same universe as my recently published WRECK of the NEBULA DREAM. Andrianda (Andi) Markriss, a planetary representative for Loxton Galactic Trading, has been spending a lazy summer with her best friend in the highly exclusive summer compound of the planet Zulaire’s ruling nobility, networking. On a day when a number of strange  and disturbing things have already happened, Captain Tom Deverane, Sectors Special Forces, unexpectedly shows up with a troop of soldiers and demands she leave with him. Immediately.

Andi doesn’t take this very well….in fact, she refuses to go. Later in the evening, all hell has broken loose, as the captain predicted.
Trying to avoid spoilers here, after certain “events”, she and the soldiers are on the run. 

We’ve been through Tom’s near fatal illness, his recovery (but no spoilers about how that was accomplished)….(did teasers about their romantic encounter LOL)…

If you were here last week you know Andi was imminent danger of death at the hands of the rebels and Tom had just arrived to try to save her. The leader of the rebels is speaking:

“Throw down your weapon, captain, follow me as I walk with Miss Markriss to my vehicle, slow and easy. I’ll release her to you, and drive away unmolested, agreed?”(He) exerted a fraction more pressure on the knife, the edge digging into Andi’s skin painfully until warm blood trickled down her neck. “I’m not ready to be a martyr – I do my people and my cause no good if I sacri­fice my life for the pleasure of killing this worthless woman.”

Straightening out of his combat stance, Tom clicked the safety on his blaster and dropped it to the parched ground by his feet. Bouncing once, the weapon came to rest against a clump of stalks as he put his hands up.

I LOVE and appreciate your comments….

Go to http://sixsunday.com/ to find all the other great excerpts

We’re deep into the throes of taking apart our household and moving to three different places (it’s all good though, and will mean much less commuting for all of us – yay!)….

A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.
Benjamin Franklin

The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.
Maya Angelou

Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home.
Bill Cosby

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.
Robert Frost

Ten men waiting for me at the door? Send one of them home, I’m tired.
Mae West