Here’s the link to the Weekend Writing Warriors central page, so you can visit all the participants sharing excerpts today…a fun way to sample new books and find new authors! (Also welcome to the Sunday Snippet visitors!)
I’m very excited about my new story Star Cruise: Stowaway, which is releasing in the PETS IN SPACE anthology on October 11th. So now we’re switching gears to excerpts from this new story!
The excerpt is from the beginning, when Cargo Master Owen Embersson knocks off work for the day and leaves his tiny office on the Nebula Zephyr.
Stepping onto the echoing deck, he called for Moby. She spent most of her evenings hunting vermin lurking among the monstrous crates and containers, but she usually passed the first part of the night in his cabin, eating the incredibly expensive cat food he had the ship’s AI keep in stock. Not much else to spend his salary on. “Come on, cat, I want my dinner even if you don’t,” he said to the elegant vision in white fur who trotted from the murky recesses of the deck. How she stayed clean when she spent her days prowling the cargo deck, he’d never know.
Purring, she came to his steel-tipped work shoes but evaded his effort to pick her up, moving just out of range the way felines did, as if cats could teleport. Moby scampered toward the towering stacks of cargo then turned. Seeing he’d failed to chase her, she sat, tail twitching, head tilted, eyeing him.
“What‘s the matter with you? I’m not in the mood to throw cat toys and retrieve them right now.”
The blurb for Star Cruise: Stowaway:
Cargo Master Owen Embersson is shocked when the Nebula Zephyr’s ship’s cat and her alien sidekick, Midorri, alert him to the presence of a stowaway. He has no idea of the dangerous complications to come – nor does he anticipate falling hard for the woman whose life he now holds in his hands. Life aboard the Nebula Zephyr has just become more interesting – and deadly.
The blurb for the PETS IN SPACE anthology:
Even an alien needs a pet…
Join the adventure as nine pet loving sci-fi romance authors take you out of this world and pull you into their action-packed stories filled with suspense, laughter, and romance. The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they work side by side to help stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth to finding a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?
New York Times, USA TODAY, Award Winning, and Best selling authors have eight original, never-released stories and one expanded story giving readers nine amazing adventures that will capture your imagination and help a worthy charity. Come join us as we take you on nine amazing adventures that will change the way you look at your pet!
10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.
Pre Order Links Live Now:
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pets-in-space/id1160010182…
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-petsinspace-212756…
GogglePlay: https://play.google.com/…/…/details/S_E_Smith_Pets_in_Space…
That cat knows something is up. Owen had better listen to her.
Animals always seem to know when something is up. Like how my dog gets upset before a thunderstorm. Such an intriguing snippet! I’m looking forward to reading this anthology! 🙂
Mmm, better go see what the kitty has found.
I love cats — and they do know when something’s up. I had a cat named Stormy who jumped out of my late husband’s recliner right before an mini-earthquake hit. And when he passed away, she passed away six months later — I think she missed him.
My first (irreverent) thought: with a name like Moby, this pet should be a whale. Or maybe this white cat is very fat? That would work too. (Told you my thought was irreverent!)
I’m glad he buys the incredibly expensive cat food for her, and not the cheap stuff, especially when she is hunting vermin for him. I agree with Ed. Moby is not a flattering name for a glamorous white female cat, unless there is a special reason for it.
The cat seems to have sniffed something out. Great snippet
I loved all the characters in Stowaway. Great story!
I just did a character interview with Owen last week and here’s what he said about the cat’s name: “She’s pure white, so I named her Moby, after Moby Dick the whale in that old book from Earth. Not that I’ve read it, too long and antiquated. I figured she’d enjoy eating a whale and she was going into the ocean of space. I don’t know, seemed good at the time.”
The interview is here: http://herebemagic.blogspot.com/2016/09/what-pet-should-big-tough-spacer-own.html?spref=tw
I have an 18-pound solid white cat named Marcello. Not fat just large, like an NBA player. If we’d known he was going to get so big, Moby would’ve been a good name for him. I like Owen’s reasons for choosing it though. Loved the snippet!
It’s fun writing and reading about animal characters.
The cat could be onto something…
Oh she definitely is!
Listen to the cat. Fun excerpt. Tweeted.
You always move on to a wonderful adventure, one after the other and this one captures my attention. Health improving day by day. Hugs. Charmaine
What fun, another pet story! This is going to be a fantastic anthology! Sounds like Moby is going to “rat out” more than rats. LOL Can’t wait to read this.
This has the makings of a very fun story. Hope her human is smart enough to follow her!
Great description of how a cat always seems to teleport away from a hand. LOL We had a semi-feral around here that did that. Moby obviously wants to show him something, though. Something more important than breakfast, even!
Cats don’t do anything they don’t want to. Moby sounds great!
Lovely interaction between the man and his cat.
Uh oh, what did the cat find?? And is it wrong that I wound up singing the title of this post to the tune of “What does the fox say?” 🙂
Oh, a teleporting cat, great space-description while being about right for a kitty. Love it! Also, he better pay attention to the feline…they are intuitive and then some!
Oh, cats. They always know how to delay you right when you don’t want to be delayed. Love how he spoils her!
I bet this cat has something important to show him.
Cats are smart…wonder if this cat knows something is going on.
What does the cat know? I’m intrigued. Congrats on your upcoming release!
You describe the cat SO well! Amazing how she can keep that white coat of fur so clean. 😀 Looking forward to more!
I absolutely love the blurb to this collection. And the cat in the snippet reminds me of my own cat. She’s always taking a step back when I try to pick her up. LOL
Intriguing snippet … wonder what the cat knows.
He may not be in the mood to play, but I think Moby is trying to tell him something.
It seems like the cat wants to be followed.
As a cat “co-habitator” I really wa able to relate to this humorous snippet.