May 11 2024

Memorable Moment Snippet: WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, A Rescue

Continuing on with my series of snippets from backlist books which were memorable scenes for me…there are more than one in each book of course!

When it comes to WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, my “Titanic in space” novel, there’s a scene where Nick and his friends are trying to rescue two children who are trapped in their cabin with tons of debris blocking their path to escape.

Years later I wrote STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE, book three in this series, to give the little girl some closure on her experiences as a grown woman on a sister ship.

The snippet:

Nick and Khevan managed to move some of the lightweight panels out of the way, only to be faced with a tangled pile of circuitry, luggage, clothes and, finally, when they dug far enough, the door to the bathroom, which had been blown inward and warped to block the entrance to the children’s room.

“Paolo, are you okay?” Mara called, as Nick and Khevan took a break to assess the best way to proceed.

“Yes.” There was a pause. “But Mommy’s not awake yet. Gianna’s frightened.”

“Well, she’s a very little girl,” Mara reminded the boy soothingly, exchanging glances with Nick and Khevan. “She’s lucky to have a big brother like you.”

“Did you – did you see my dad anywhere?”

Mara sighed. Taking a deep breath, she answered cheerfully, even while making a sad-faced grimace to Nick. “No, sweetheart, I didn’t find him, but I’ve got the next best thing out here – a Special Forces captain and a D’nvannae Brother. Exactly like in an adventure holo, you know? They came for you and Gianna.”

“And Mommy.” The boy’s voice wavered.

Hand to her mouth, Mara nodded. “Yes, they’re here to help your mother, too.”

Nick dusted off his hands and rolled his shoulders, wincing with pain from the earlier collision with his bed frame. “I’m going to crawl under and see if I can’t force the bedroom door to open wider. Then the kids can make their way to me or I’ll work my way back to where they are. Either way, I’ll get them out. Mara, take the first child, and head for the undamaged corridor area. Get beyond the blast door inlet, got it?” Nick made sure she acknowledged this critical safety instruction. “Don’t come back in here once you’ve gotten out. No matter what.”

Wrapping his hands in torn clothing from the mess on the cabin floor, Khevan got a firm grip on the edges of the warped bathroom door. Exerting maximum effort, the Brother was able to raise it enough for Nick to wriggle under, then worm his way through the partially open door of the second stateroom. He shoved his way into the darkness of the children’s bedroom, pushing the hand lamp in front of him, trying not to think about all the hundreds of tons of debris piled above him. Standing up as soon as he cleared the threshold, lamp in hand, Nick faced a tangled mess, hardly recognizable as a bedroom. The bulkhead flexed intermittently in an alarming fashion, accompanied by the shriek and groan of overstressed metal.

Not much time before the wall goes and we go with it. Sweeping the pale light over the room, he found the children huddled together against one overturned bed. “Hi, remember me? I’m Nick. I was on the shuttle with you guys a few days ago.”

“You took the knife away from the lady. And you rescued Gianna when she was drowning.” Paolo nodded in the gloom. He got up and pulled his sister forward, dragging her with one chubby hand clamped around her wrist. She eyed Nick dubiously, left thumb firmly planted in her mouth, the other hand clutching the big teddy bear.

“Okay, Paolo, you seem like a pretty level-headed trooper,” Nick said, squatting to be at eye level with the boy. “We need to get out of here as fast as possible. You see the outer wall there?”

Paolo nodded. “It’s going to break, isn’t it?”

Nick tried to be reassuring. “We’ll be long gone first. Now, can you help me get your sister –”

“Her name’s Gianna.” The boy pushed his sister closer to Nick.

“Help me get Gianna to crawl out through all the mess to my friends? We’ve made a tunnel for you. She’ll have to leave her toy, though.”

The girl hugged the bear tightly and shook her head, trying to retreat from her brother and Nick. “Won’t,” she informed Nick, taking her thumb out of her mouth briefly.

“Sweetheart, we have to go. It’s going to get pretty windy and cold in here soon.” Don’t scare her, if she retreats deeper into the wreckage, might not be able to retrieve her. With an effort, Nick kept his voice level and calm.

“Carry me.” She raised her arms to him, the bear dangling in one grubby hand.

“Sorry, I can’t, there isn’t room,” he said with a small laugh, reaching out to tousle her hair. “We have to crawl. It’s like a game but really important. Tell her, Paolo.”

“Captain, what’s going on? Did you find them?” Khevan yelled from the other side of the debris barrier. “We’re running out of time.”

Nick ignored him, focusing on the scared children. He kept his voice reasonable. “Okay, Gianna, I tell you what, you go first and then your brother will follow. The bear and I’ll bring up the rear.”

She regarded him solemnly with huge eyes. “Promise?”

“I promise.” Hurriedly he crossed his heart.

She thrust the bear at him. “He’s not a toy. His name is Huntington the Bear.”

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BOX SET (WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, STAR SURVIVOR AND STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE):

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May 4 2024

Memorable Moment Snippet: HOLIDAY FOR THE ALPHA

Time to change up the theme for these weekly snippets again so I’ve decided to share a memorable moment from each book. Not to say there isn’t more than one in each book! But as the author I do find there are certain scenes which stand out to me for various reasons, including the enjoyment I had writing them.

I went off on a tangent in the Badari Warriors novella HOLIDAY FOR THE ALPHA and decided a suitable recreational activity for the Alpha of the South Seas pack would be surfing extreme waves. I did a ton of research on the people here on Earth who ride the most gigantic waves, how the waves are created, what it feels like, why they do it – I watched a zillion surfing videos and read a couple of surfer autobiographies…it’s an astonishing sport and perfect for a Badari daredevil. There was one video which stuck in my mind, featuring a pod of seal lions surfing (on regular waves not the 90′ kind) and I thought how cool would it be for my Alpha to have that experience too?

Here’s the excerpt:

Daegan sat on his board and allowed several waves to pass. “All right, ocean, you proved your point,” he said. “All I ask is two more good runs today and then I’ll be on my way with thanks for your energy.”

There was of course no sign the huge, oblivious ocean had heard him but he felt better.

This time as he stood and began the ride, he was astounded to find himself flanked by a group of large sea mammals. Acting like more of an escort or an honor guard, they were plainly having the time of their lives, leaping from the wave, doing aerial somersaults and diving into the water to do it all again, while he and they were moving at an incredible rate of speed. Daegan was in awe and when the time came for him to dismount and get out of the way, he did so and sat on his board astonished.

The pod or group or whatever the term should be, circled him, swimming vigorously, noses in the air as if sniffing his scent, whiskers twitching, large brown eyes watching him in a friendly fashion. The beasts ranged in size from nine to fifteen feet long and he guessed the big bull who was obviously the Alpha must weigh several tons, although in the water he moved with incredible grace. Daegan and the aquatic Alpha eyed each other with respect but there was no dominance challenge. Daegan knew who was master of the waves and had no problem ceding the point to this creature.

Then as if in response to a signal he couldn’t hear, the entire group dove below the surface and were gone.

HOLIDAY FOR THE ALPHA: A BADARI WARRIORS NOVELLA (SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES)

Daegan, the Alpha of the South Seas pack, is under a lot of stress and a near disaster in the sanctuary valley pushes him to a breaking point. Flo, his ex-mercenary human mate, knows he needs rest and relaxation but what kind of a holiday can a Badari Warrior take? She thinks she’s found a solution extreme enough to satisfy even her intense mate if she can just get him to agree to step away from his duties for a few days. Will Daegan agree to the idea?

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Apr 27 2024

First Meeting Snippet: RETURN OF THE DANCER OF THE NILE PNR Romance in Ancient Egypt

Although this is a sequel to DANCER OF THE NILE, it can be read as a standalone. Nima the dancer and her husband General Kaminhotep have been separated by events and he’s been turned into a ghost by an evil queen working with a goddess from olden times. Nima takes quite the journey in the book to find her beloved and to rescue him, with help from various gods.

In this excerpt, Nima has finally made it into the city where Kamin is supposed to have died and he comes to find her in his ghostly form.

He passed through the closed door of her room easily with his newfound talents. He changed into his normal shape and stood drinking in the welcome sight of his beloved wife. She stirred restlessly on the bed and sat up.

“Kamin?” As she stared white faced at the empty room, one hand at her throat, it was obvious whatever had awakened her from her nap, she couldn’t actually see him. She put out a hand as if reaching for him and instinctively he moved closer, wishing to offer comfort. He longed to hold her in his arms, close to his heart and tell her everything was going to be all right.

He couldn’t find a way to speak to the living, not even Nima, but he took her hand and she recoiled from the cold sensation.

“You really are here, aren’t you?” Her question was a mere whisper and her eyes were wide, but not with fear.

For answer he used another of his new skills and pulled her cape, which she’d been using as a blanket, away from her and dropped it to the floor.

“But then you must be a ghost, which means you are dead,” she said, voice thick with unshed tears. “Renenutet said you were not dead, yet not alive either so I had hope.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder, hoping to offer comfort, and she brought her fingers up to rub the spot where his aura touched her.

“Kiss me,” she said, taking him by surprise. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

He leaned in.

The door slammed open, banging against the wall. “Stop!”

VS: Nima and Kamin are two of my favorite characters and I loved writing a sequel and more adventures for them. Their son is the main male character in my most recent Egyptian novel, DANGER ON THE NILE.

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RETURN OF DANCER OF THE NILE

The blurb: Nima, formerly a tavern dancer in the land of the Nile, has settled into the leisurely life of her dreams as the pampered, beloved wife to a high ranking general who’s also a member of Pharaoh’s court. She’s sworn never to dance for anyone else but Kamin, the man she loves. All is fine until one day news arrives that her husband has been killed in a chariot accident while on a trip to a remote city on Pharaoh’s behalf.

But as a reward for their previous service to Egypt against a dangerous enemy, the gods had promised Nima and Kamin they’d die at the same moment…so if she still lives, so must he.

Why is the ruler of the city lying to Pharaoh about Kamin’s death? What is the woman covering up? And where is Kamin?

Time for Nima the elegant lady to vanish from Thebes and Nima the skilled dancer to make her way in disguise to the far distant province and fight for Kamin’s life. She’ll have to deal with angry gods, black magic, an enemy prince and a deadly ghost along the way.

Nima is the only one who can rescue her beloved from the dark fate planned for him by Egypt’s enemies…

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Apr 20 2024

First Meeting Snippet: MAGIC OF THE NILE

Cover by Frauke of Croco Designs

Today I’m feeling in the mood for one of my ancient Egyptian paranormal novels so I’m offering up MAGIC OF THE NILE!

There are a few spoilers in this book for PRIESTESS OF THE NILE, but in general all the books in the series can be read as standalones.

Tyema is the High Priestess of the temple of Sobek in a rather remote province (nome). Sahure introduces himself in the snippet:

Happy to be alone, done with her responsibilities, Tyema sighed. Rubbing her forehead, she enjoyed the soft breeze on the cliff’s edge. Changing out of the ornate headdress, the elaborate wig, the jewelry and the elaborate ceremonial garments into a simple sheath before going to meet Hotepre had been a good idea. Now she could relax, with all the day’s tasks checked off. Stomach rumbling, Tyema knew her dinner would be set out in the privacy of her apartment, but for now she was content to stand high above the Nile, savoring the beauty of the sunset.

“Hello? Excuse me?”

Hearing a man’s voice where no one should be, startled her out of her reverie. She wasn’t afraid—no one would ever dare lay a hand on her again, not protected as she was by Sobek—but she was annoyed as she turned on her heel. Who in the Seven Hells would dare to trespass here?

“You’re too late for the evening ceremonies,” she said, barely polite. “The temple is closed.”

“I was afraid I’d missed the time.” As if his tardiness couldn’t possibly be an issue, the newcomer’s wide smile lit his cleancut face, accented by high cheekbones and a square jaw. He was a tall, broad-shouldered warrior, wearing a crisp white kilt, with leather straps crisscrossing an impressively muscled chest. The black and gold nemes headcloth framing his face denoted a high-ranking officer, as did the golden-handled flail tucked into his waistband. The man covered the last yards of the path in a few steps, joining her at the cliff’s edge, taking a quick view over the silvery Nile. “Beautiful. I can see why the crocodile god wanted a temple here.” Hand on the ornate golden falcon hilt of his sword, this unusual supplicant bowed. “I’m Sahure, captain in pharaoh’s army, nephew to the nomarch of this province.”

Tyema inclined her head with a smile. She was fond of the nomarch who ruled the Ibis Province for Pharaoh. Being his relative was a point in this newcomer’s favor. She saw no need to introduce herself, not wanting to listen to any petitions at this late hour, but her curiosity was piqued. “What brings you to the temple? The nome’s capital is a day’s ride away from here.”

“I’m visiting my uncle, combining business with pleasure, inspecting fortifications for Pharaoh and admiring some of the local wonders.” His appreciative glance at her was pure flattery.

She pointed at the golden falcon badge on the shoulder of his tunic, so rarely seen in this remote province. “You’re one of Pharaoh’s Own Guard?”

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He laughed. “I have that honor, yes. The Great One sent me to evaluate the Nile in this area, see if there might be potential for a port. Nowadays there’s so much river traffic, with the Hyksos menace repelled and the increase in prosperity Nat-re-Akhte has brought to the Black Lands in the last fifteen years, we could use another commerce hub.” Studying her with narrowed eyes, he said, “Why am I talking of civil engineering when you shiver in the twilight breeze? Don’t let me keep you here on the bluff while night falls.”

Rather than entering the grounds, Tyema took a different direction, walking along the path toward the main temple complex, good manners forcing him to accompany her. “Indeed, it’s chilly when the sun goes down and the wind rises,” she said, rubbing the goose bumps on her arms, most likely brought on by mention of the Hyksos rather than the weather.

But Sahure was already apologizing. “I’m sorry, perhaps I was insensitive to mention the enemy. Your village suffered a Hyksos raid during the worst of the times, didn’t it?”

She nodded. “Yes, long ago. What brings you to the temple today?”

“Other than sightseeing?” He laughed. “I wanted to meet the high priestess, tell her my plans, in case the god had any objection, any portion of the river he doesn’t want developed. And I might need her help in examining possible sites. This temple is a significant influence in the local area, I have to consider its needs in the new development.”

Tyema opened her mouth to speak. “I—”

He was intent on finishing his thought. “But as I’ve obviously missed my chance tonight, is there an inn in the town you’d recommend?”

VS: He’ll find out who she is eventually….but not this evening.

Sobek Author’s own collection

MAGIC OF THE NILE (GODS OF EGYPT)

She’s a priestess, he’s a proud warrior … is love enough to bridge their differences?

When the high priestess of an Egyptian temple falls in love with a captain of the royal guard, their bond is tested by the intrigue and peril of their duties to the gods and Pharaoh.

Tyema serves Sobek the Crocodile God as High Priestess of his Nile river temple. But despite her beauty, grace, and the power she wields, the shy priestess lives as a recluse in the remote temple grounds. For though Sobek rescued her from a childhood of abuse and neglect, and healed her crippled foot, her dark past haunts her still.

When Sahure, a dashing captain of Pharaoh’s guard, arrives to ask her help for Pharaoh, Tyema’s wounded heart blossoms. The captain is captivated as by her well … until Pharaoh orders him to the dangerous frontier, far from Tyema. He rides away, bound by duty and honor, leaving Tyema with even more secrets to bear.

Heart-broken, Tyema returns to her lonely life … until the Crocodile God reveals other plans for his priestess. For Pharaoh’s life is threatened with black magic, and only one who wields the power of a god can unmask the sorcerer. Tyema must brave court life, and somehow withstand the pressures of swirling gossip, intrigue and danger. And she must hurry, before ancient evils overcome all her efforts.

But when Sahure returns, is he there to help or to hinder? Will love lead them to common ground, and a future together … or will their differences tear them apart forever?

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Apr 13 2024

First Meeting Snippet: STAR CRUISE DREAM DANCER New #SciFi Romance

Here’s a snippet from my brand new release STAR CRUISE DREAM DANCER! The female main character Micki has gone to the planet to meet her billionaire partner for the celebrity show Interstellar Stars Dancing, which is going to take place on the cruise liner Nebula Zephyr. Micki works on the starship as a Comettes dancer. Josh has been on a business call and Micki has been looking around at his office decor while she waits.

The excerpt:

He terminated the call so abruptly Micki blinked. She tried to focus on the dreamy forestscape in front of her so it wouldn’t be obvious she’d been eavesdropping.

“Any time you’re done with your art appreciation tour of my office, we can get started, Ms. Allwell.” Josh’s voice was dry and when she turned to him, he was sitting with his fingers steepled, leaning back in his chair, completely at ease.

Micki took her time returning to the chair, although she was conscious of his gaze. Well, she was looking too so she couldn’t exactly complain. For a generational billionaire, Josh Benfield was built like a pro tisba player, all corded muscle and suppressed energy. His face was trideo star handsome although his expression right now was cold, and his hair was a thick shiny brown, longer than she would have expected. Micki had the urge to run her fingers through it and lectured herself sternly. The guy was definitely hot. And untouchable. He was a supernova and she was a tiny little Comette, finding her way through life as best she could. Taking her seat, she adopted a demure pose. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Benfield.”

“Josh. If we’re going to be dancing together for seven weeks, we’re not standing on formality. What do you have planned for us?”

She was amused but hardly surprised at his arrogance in assuming he’d survive every week’s elimination to make the finale. “Planned?”

“The contract I read was most specific regarding the fact the dancer in each celebrity team had the responsibility of choreographing the routines. I’m many things but a choreographer is way outside my scope.”

Nice of him to admit any shortcomings. “Actually, I haven’t given it much thought as yet,” she said.

Now Josh frowned and the expression was epic. “This may be nothing but a frothy trideo entertainment for the Sectors masses,” he said in a cold tone, “But if I’m involved, I intend to do my best. I’m disappointed to hear you taking it so lightly.”

“And of course you want your charity to win.” She waited to see what he’d say. Based on what she’d read in her research a Benfield could give his charity a hundred times what the show was going to contribute and never even miss the credits. Pocket change for them. And the Benfield Family Foundation sponsored a number of charities Sectors-wide anyway.

“Of course.” He matched her smile.

“Do you dance?” Micki asked.

“In my circles it’s required to learn the basic social dances at an early age. There are always balls and events at which one will be expected to participate.”

Rising, Micki gestured at him. “Well, get up.”

“I beg your pardon?”

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“I need to see what I have to work with.” Micki held her breath to see if he’d comply but after a moment Josh left his chair and came to join her, standing close enough that his no doubt expensive cologne, mixed with a subtle scent of his own, intoxicated her and his warmth set off a corresponding warmth deep inside her core. I’m in trouble now. Oh this was bad, very bad. The man was affecting her more than any male she’d ever encountered before. Struggling to maintain her outward composure, she tugged him closer, put his arm around her waist and raised her hand into the correct dance position for one of the ancient social dances he’d hopefully been made to learn.

Automatically he clasped her hand and as she began to hum a basic tune, he pulled her against him and stepped off into the first moves of the dance. “I didn’t think we were allowed to dance together until production officially began,” he said, staring at her with his intense brown eyes. “Are we breaking the rules already?”

She shrugged. “Bending them slightly, maybe. No one would ever mistake this for a rehearsal hall and we’re not dressed for doing choreo.”

He twirled her into a turn, Micki instinctively following his strong lead, and then a few steps later a back bend, pulling her into frame again so quickly she nearly stepped on his foot.

Micki realized they’d stopped moving, although they remained locked together in front of his desk. She pulled away and instantly he released her.

“What’s your verdict?” he asked with a grin, seating himself on the edge of the desk. “Do I meet your no doubt exacting standards?”

VS: Have you booked your Star Cruise yet?

STAR CRUISE DREAM DANCER

Micki Allwell is a Comettes dancer aboard the luxurious interstellar cruise liner Nebula Zephyr. She’s offered the opportunity to take part in a celebrity dance contest to be held on the ship but her partner is a billionaire without dance experience or much interest in the contest, which his powerful family has pressured him to enter for their own reasons. Josh Benfield has a galaxy of business deals going on every hour of the day, all over the Sectors. He has no time

for dancing but his professional partner is an intriguing woman who insists he take the competition seriously. He knows she has secrets and he’s intrigued. The intimacy of partnering in dance sparks a romance between the two of them but how long can it last? Will seven weeks of competition in close quarters aboard the ship be enough to make Micki and Josh permanent partners? Or will the stark differences in their lives and pasts lead to heartbreak? And who is going to take home the trophy? This 54K word novel is the latest in the Star Cruise series. Have you booked your Star Cruise yet?

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Apr 6 2024

First Meeting Snippet: From Golden Token SciFi Romance Short Story

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For my snippet today I’ve reached back to 2016 and a fun short story I wrote for an anthology. Here’s my note about the story:

Veronica’s Note: I was excited when Linnea Sinclair invited me to contribute a story to Dealer’s Choice, since I was going to be a co-host of her Interstellar Bar & Grille event at the 2016 RT Booklovers Convention. Who could refuse a chance to be in an anthology with one of the scifi romance greats? The story had to revolve around a casino and although I have a gaming establishment on the ‘A’ deck of the Nebula Zephyr from the STAR CRUISE series, the story that came to mind was a play on the Old West tropes. A gunslinger rides into town, gets involved with the local troubles despite his best intentions, and ends up defending the dance hall girl. Or in this case, the retired Special Forces operator heading home gets stranded on a remote space station, gets involved with the local miners’ troubles and…yup, there’s a dance hall girl!

2024: This is also the first time I mentioned the generational billionaire Kumisarc family and there’s a member of the family in my next book STAR CRUISE DREAM DANCER, which will be out this April.

The excerpt from GOLDEN TOKEN: Charlie has been forced to spend a few days on a space station waiting for his ride to show up. He’s rented a place to stay and was given a ‘gold’ coin besides.

The rental units were a level down from the terminal. As Charlie navigated his way there, his impression that this was a facility with marginal maintenance was reinforced. Dents and patches in the hull, a gravlift that was like swimming in glue, refuse gathered along the edges of corridors—Sectors Station 47 was not a happy place. Not as bad as some he’d been in over the years, but not anywhere he wanted to linger. The few people he passed had the same pasty, pinched look the desk clerk exhibited, intent on their own errands, virtually ignoring him.

He walked through the housing corridor, noting how many of the door indicators showed green for unoccupied. This place had fallen on hard times, judging by the vacancies. He found the number he’d been assigned and pulled the key from his pocket. The casino token came with it, rolling to the deck with a clink and wavering away. Charlie kept his hold on the kitbag and tried to get the archaic key strip to work. The loss of the flamboyant token wasn’t even a minor irritation to him right now, not worth chasing.

“See a penny, pick it up and all the day you’ll have good luck,” said a melodious voice from his left. “I think this must be yours, stranger?”

He half turned, finding himself facing a woman as tall as he was, dressed in the standard beige, one-piece Station uniform but wearing an incongruous pair of red stiletto heels. Her hair was lavender and aqua, massed curls bouncing as she walked toward him, token held in well-manicured fingers.

Automatically he extended his own hand. “Penny? Is that what it’s called?”

Green eyes sparkling, she laughed. “Who knows? My granny taught me the saying when I was a kid. Said it was an Old Terra proverb from before credits were invented. I like the rhythm.”

“You can keep it if you want,” he offered. “You found it.”

“Employees aren’t allowed to gamble or drink with those. For the paying customers only.” She dropped the coin onto his palm. Leaning closer, she said, “Basically it’s a scam to get you into the casino.”

“You work there?” A whiff of her exotic perfume made his head whirl. He made up his mind he was paying the place a visit. He ventured a safe guess. “Dealer? Which table?”

Laughing, she edged past him in the corridor. “Come and find out. I’ll be…on duty, in an hour.”

The view as she walked toward the gravlift was the most appealing thing he’d seen since arriving. He raised his voice. “I’m Charlie by the way.”

Not bothering to glance back, she waved one shapely hand. “Nice to meet you, new neighbor Charlie.”

VS: This short story plus a Star Cruise novella and two other Star Cruise short stories are available in this volume:

STAR CRUISE A NOVELLA: STOWAWAY with Star Cruise Rescue and Golden Token Short Stories.

In this volume I’ve gathered three stories set in the Sectors which have previously only been available in anthologies (which are no longer on sale), plus a bonus Sectors short holiday story that I originally wrote for my blog.

Star Cruise: Stowaway: A novella of 22K words, previously in the first Pets in Space™ anthology.

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.

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Mar 30 2024

First Meeting Snippet: STAR CRUISE MYSTERY DANCER

The new book I’m working on currently is STAR CRUISE DREAM DANCER and I’ve finally circled around to tell the story of Micki, who was a supporting character in STAR CRUISE MYSTERY DANCER. Since MYSTERY DANCER has been on my mind so much recently, here’s the first meeting in that book between the FMC Tassia Megg and the MMC Liam Austin. Tassia just survived a daylong audition process to join the dance troupe on board the Nebula Zephyr and Liam is the ship Security Officer handling the paperwork.

(I’m hoping to have STAR CRUISE DREAM DANCER out in late April.)

The excerpt:

Liam made quick work of the new employee processing. The girls were tired but excited and several attempted to flirt with him as he checked their travel papers, guild memberships and the like. He stayed politely distant, in professional mode. Most had worked a cruise liner before so they knew what he needed and supplied the information without prompting.

When Tassia came to sit in the chair across the table from him, she sat straight backed, outwardly serene and composed.

“Congratulations,” he said. “Tough process the Comettes management put you through today. I was pulling for you.”

“I’m very grateful for the opportunity.” She brought out the folder with her papers, which she retrieved from a ratty backpack across the room in a pile where all the other girls had stacked their bags.

He raised his eyebrows a bit. “Actual paper? Haven’t seen this in a long time.”

“It’s all in order and has the proper holo seal.” She tapped one finger on the spot. She watched him, her amazing blue-and-copper colored eyes wide. He had the feeling deep inside she was terrified, and he wished he could reassure her.

Liam examined the documents once and then a second time. On the surface they appeared fine. The Sectors allowed for identification to be presented in all forms as long as the required holos were present. Some star systems were less technically advanced than others. Others had religious reasons for presenting ID one way versus another. But all his well-honed instincts from years in the military and working security details told him these were fake papers, this woman was in a lot of trouble, and he probably had no business allowing her onto the Nebula Zephyr.

Now is not the time to react to this woman. But he was, despite his misgivings. He’d admired her pluck all day, dancing in that worn, threadbare garment in the midst of the peacock finery of the other professional dancers, not to mention her obvious gifts as a dancer. To buy himself time to think, he asked, “No guild card?”

“Is one required?”

He heard the slightest hint of a tremor in the question. “I believe you can acquire a card on the ship.” He raised his voice. “Director Cartajj? Question?”

Walking as gracefully as any of her decades-younger dancers, she came to where he and Tassia sat. “Yes?”

“Does she need a guild card?”

“I can issue you one,” Riall said, glancing at Tassia. “It’s not a problem. Since we have a private moment, I wanted to let you know I expect to upgrade you from alternate shortly, once you’ve learned our routines. We run two full casts, with three swing girls and, while I don’t experience much turnover, there is the occasional vacancy.” Lowering her voice and bending over the table, she said, “I believe there might be at least one girl leaving us at the next planetfall, going to be married, so I’m thinking ahead.”

“Thank you for taking a chance on me at all,” Tassia said.

“Your solo was magnificent, even if not in our style of dancing. Clearly, you’ve been well trained. I’ll have to consider where we might be able to use you as a featured performer eventually, assuming you can pick up enough of what we require for showmanship. Have you ever done antigrav aerial work?”

Tassia shook her head and the beautiful curtain of shining black hair moved like liquid silk over her shoulders, catching Liam’s attention again. “I have not, sorry to say, but I’m willing to learn, of course.”

Driven by an impulse he didn’t stop to question, Liam asked, “Are you allowed to do a salary advance, Madame?”

The director didn’t miss a beat. “Yes, of course. I’ll make sure the ship’s account shows a week advance. Now if there’s nothing else, I should be conferring with my staff about rehearsal plans. Will we be leaving soon, Liam?”

“Almost done.” He grinned and made a few entries in his data pad.

“Thank you again,” Tassia said as the director walked away. She bit her lip. “I—I am rather tapped out for credits, and I’ll probably have to buy new workout clothes on the ship.”

“No problem, just routine.” He was lying, but he didn’t want to embarrass her. She looked flat broke and starved to him. He assumed the director had seen the same picture since she agreed so rapidly to the unusual wage advance. Employees ate as many free meals as they wanted on the Nebula Zephyr, food available at all hours due to the many shifts running in different departments, so this Megg girl certainly wouldn’t go hungry, but he suspected she might need other things long before the first paycheck credit would have been issued.

Tassia lingered, surprising him. “Could I ask one more favor? Could I possibly travel to the ship with all of you now? I don’t have anything else to pack before I go and no one to say goodbye to. It’d be easier for me to take a shuttle now.”

Taken by surprise, he said, “There’s no rule against it. We do have room today. Sure, why not?” He rose, closing his datapad, and addressed the small group waiting for him. “All through. We can leave anytime you’re ready, ladies.”

“I’ll get my things,” Tassia said, “Please don’t leave without me.”

Is she the longlost princess or an imposter? Depositphotos

STAR CRUISE MYSTERY DANCER

First published in the Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 anthology…

Tassia Megg is a woman on the run after the death of her elderly guardian. She needs to get off the planet in a hurry when chance directs her to an open dance audition for the luxury cruise liner Nebula Zephyr’s resident troupe. One thing Tassia can do is dance.

Security Officer Liam Austin is suspicious of the newest performer to join the Comettes. She shows all the signs of being a woman on the run and seems to fit the Sectors-wide broadcast description of a missing thief, accused of stealing priceless artifacts. As he gets to know Tassia during the cruise, he starts to wonder if she’s something more – a long vanished princess in hiding from deadly political enemies of her family perhaps?

And what’s the story with the three eyed feline companion other crew members swear Tassia brought aboard the ship? Does the animal even exist?

As the ship approaches its next port of call, all the issues come to a boil and Liam must decide if he’ll step in to help Tassia or betray her. F’rrh the alien cat is the key to the mystery and Tassia’s fate.

A science fiction romance take on the Anastasia tale…

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Mar 16 2024

First Meeting Snippet: BREAKING THE ALIEN LOVE CURSE

Taking my snippet this week from my recently released novella BREAKING THE ALIEN LOVE CURSE. Amellia and Hagan have been co-workers with a more than casual interest in each other for a while but haven’t taken any action on the attraction. Hagan just got back from an assignment in the field.

The excerpt:

As if conjured from thin air by her thoughts, the man walked into the office, tall and commanding as always, headed for her desk.

Amellia sat up straighter and wished she’d worn her new tunic but at least she’d tried a cute hairstyle today. “Welcome back,” she said as he got closer. “I hope the mission went well?”

His smile was more of a grimace. “About as expected but it’s a pure pleasure to come back here and see you, Ms. Taneek.”

“I did give you permission to call me Amellia,” she said demurely.

“I brought you something.” As she stared, heart beating faster, he fumbled with unsealing one of the many pockets on his cargo pants and brought out a small wooden box, which he set on the counter in front of her workstation.

Wondering what he might have picked out for her, hoping she wouldn’t have to refuse the item, Amellia made quick work of opening the container and pulled out a tiny stone statue of a pombatt, which was an adorable fluffy local wild animal. She set it on her palm and moved the carving this way and that, admiring the skill with which the artist used the natural veins in the stone to highlight the body of the creature and suggest the patterns in its fur. There were flakes of glittery quartz in the shiny purple and white stone which caught the lights and sparkled.

“I love it,” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “It’ll go perfectly with my collection.” Doing a half spin with her chair, she gestured at the modest wooden curio cabinet on the wall behind her, where a dozen other small animal figurines were arranged, along with other keepsakes and her various awards. Amellia liked personalizing her official workspace to make the area feel more like home in the rather stark Sectors office architecture. “Thank you!”

“I noticed you collected these and when I saw the pombatt, I knew it was for you,” he said with a grin.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, although there was a warm flush of satisfaction and a bit of tingling at her core, knowing he’d been thinking of her.

Head tilted, he studied her briefly. “Oh yes, I think I did. I like your hair by the way.”

Amellia patted the flippant curl. “My cousin persuaded me to try a new stylist.”

He squared his shoulders and straightened his back. Socializing time was clearly over. The pleasant interlude was concluded as clearly as if he’d said so and yet again he hadn’t asked her out. “Was anything delivered for me while I was gone?”

THE BLURB:

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BREAKING THE ALIEN LOVE CURSE (THE SECTORS SF ROMANCE SERIES)

Amellia Taneek loved her job as the office manager for a group of Sectors agents from various organizations, all based out of her central location. She enjoyed the challenges of handling administrative details for them and the excitement of constantly meeting new offworlders. She was especially intrigued by Hagan Raljarr, seven feet of green, scaled, muscular SCIA agent, and more than a little curious about his tail. Hey, she was a healthy unmarried, unattached female and there was no rule against dating a co-worker.

But so far he’d shown confusing signs of reciprocating her interest.
Hagan was an honorable warrior and before he could pursue his definite interest in Amellia, who might even be his fated mate, he had to clear up one little detail – the engagement contract he’d been entered into as a child with a female from his own planet. They barely knew each other and she was highly ambitious. Surely in this modern day and age she’d be happy for him to sever the contract and set her free, right? Leaving him in the perfect position to begin courting the lovely human.

But the jilted fiancée sends a mysterious box across the galaxy to him and when he unwisely opens it, a powerful love curse is activated, striking both him and Amellia. They’ll die at dawn if the curse isn’t broken. With help from Amellia’s aunt, who is said to have magic powers, the pair set out on a desperate quest for three special ingredients needed to break the spell. Over the course of a very long night, will Hagan and Amellia find their way to a relationship, break the curse in time and survive? Is such a thing even possible?

This 23K word novella first appeared in the Supra Vellum Anthology, which is no longer available. No new material has been added.

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Feb 24 2024

First Meeting Snippet: TIMTUR The Teacher’s Alien Healer

TIMTUR is book 2.5 in the Badari Warriors award winning series and I was so happy this past week when one reader told me on Facebook this was her favorite. I always feel like Timtur and his mate Lily get overlooked but it’s partly my own fault because I had to backtrack to tell their story.

This is also one of the few books I’ve ever written where I literally reduced myself to tears while writing a scene. (Lily sits with a dying Badari Warrior – not Timtur and not a love interest – through a long night.) The scene pulled deeply on an event in my own past and really hit my emotions.

The excerpt – Lily and Timtur had a picnic planned, out in the woods of Sanctuary Valley:

“Dreaming again?” His voice, deep and full of good humor, came from behind and to the left.

Startled by the intrusion into her thoughts, she flinched involuntarily and turned to watch him walk toward her from the forest path. All the Badari were incredibly handsome men, built on a massive scale by the alien scientists who’d manipulated humanoid and animal DNA to create the race, but Timtur had an eye-catching athletic grace to his every movement, and a kind heart, which made him an effective healer. His rich mane of brown hair and his dark amber eyes that literally glowed when his emotions ran high were also appealing to Lily, of course.

Knowing she was probably blushing, not about to admit she had in fact been day dreaming of him, Lily smiled at Timtur, standing in front of her with a big grin. “I do get lost in thought sometimes.” How often those wistful musings were of him remained her secret.

“I’m sorry to be late.” He sat next to her and gathered her in for a hug and a gentle kiss on the cheek. “We’re working on a special project deep in the forest away from the human dwellings, and it took me longer than I expected to carry out my task today.”

“You’re here now, and the food is still edible, so everything is good. And we have the rest of the afternoon and the evening.” She brought the basket closer to cover her disappointment over the relatively chaste kiss, not at all what she craved from him, and opened the lid. “I hope you’ll like what I selected.”

Carefully, he put his massive hand over hers and pushed the container’s cover closed. “I was hoping we could talk, although the food is welcome. We can enjoy your selections later.”

Rolling her hand under his so she could clasp his fingers, Lily took a deep breath. “I do think it’s time we really talked, about us.” Now or never. Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, she asked, “Where do you see this going between us? Do we have a chance?”

“I never met anyone like you before,” he said. “You’re special to me—”

“But?” Wary, she tensed as if anticipating disappointment ahead.

“I’m very attracted to you. I can’t deny that. Thoughts of you distract me from my duties all too often, and I count the hours until we can spend time together again.” His brow was furrowed and his mouth turned down.

She nodded to encourage him, although the tension thrumming inside her like a taut wire remained. Timtur wasn’t talking like a man ready to take a relationship to the next level. “You know how much I care about you, so I don’t understand why we can’t be…more than friends.”

He shook his head, his mane of burnished brown hair shifting in the sunlight. Lily had a hard time resisting the urge to run her fingers through the strands and try to pull him close for a kiss. “It’s not simple for me, Lily. I have duties, responsibilities—”

“More than Aydarr?” Her older sister was mated to the pack’s leader, Aydarr. “He seems to juggle the demands on his time with being Jill’s mate perfectly fine.” Giving in to temptation, Lily cupped Timtur’s cheek. He leaned into the caress but when she moved forward a bit as if to kiss him, he straightened and ignored the overture. Biting her lip, she said, “I think the time’s come when we could explore what we do have, what we feel about each other, in more depth.”

“Become physically intimate?”

“Not just that, although I think we’d be good together.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “I—I need more. I need to know this is going somewhere and we have a future of some kind, beyond friendship. Frankly, I have a hard time thinking of you as just a friend, and it hurts to be afraid this is one sided on my part.”

Growing angry at his reticence or self-control or both, embarrassed at having spoken so frankly and revealing her vulnerability to him, she made as if to rise. “Maybe this picnic today wasn’t such a good idea.”

Timtur caught her and pulled her onto his lap. “In all our years of captivity under the Khagrish, we never had the chance to become friends with women, much less to consider relationships,” he said. “Because there were no women. This—you and me—is all new, and I’m trying to walk carefully, not to rush either of us. Not to make a mistake and ruin our friendship.”

Stung, she struggled against his embrace, and immediately he released her. Lily rose. “If you think a more serious understanding between you and me could be a mistake, then I don’t know what I’m even doing here.” She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, anger radiating through her nerves. “I thought I meant more to you.”

VS: And it goes downhill from there…

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TIMTUR: THE TEACHER’S ALIEN HEALER (BADARI WARRIORS): IN THE STARS ROMANCE

NOTE: Would be Book 2.5 if Amazon let me list a book with a decimal number at the time!

Far from her home in the human Sectors after the mass kidnapping, teacher Lily Garrison is making a niche for herself in the valley by running a school for the Badari young. Although she yearns for Timtur, the pack’s healer, another Badari male has his eye on her and won’t take no for an answer.

Timtur feels the weight and responsibility of being the pack’s only healer, constantly on call as the soldiers fight ferocious battles against the alien scientists and their troops. With scarcely a moment to himself, he’s drawn to the gentle Lily but worries he won’t be able to juggle his duties, his loyalty to the pack and a relationship with a human woman.

When Lily’s stalker takes direct action to kidnap her and steal her from the safety of the valley, she’s forced to reach deep inside to find the strength to battle for her life. Timtur realizes too late how foolish he’s been to resist the bond with his fated mate and leads the rescue effort.

Before this situation can be resolved both will have to put their lives on the line and decide what really matters in a dangerous world ruled by the enemy.

Although this is the fifth book released in the Badari Warriors scifi romance series, the story of Timtur and Lily is a standalone and actually comes immediately after book two’s events.

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Feb 17 2024

First Meeting: AYDARR and Jill The Badari Warriors Series Begins

For this week’s First Meeting snippet I’m revisiting the first time Jill and Aydarr met in the first book of the Badari Warriors series (entitled catchily: AYDARR). These two and this book are the foundation of the entire series and I’m so grateful to my readers for the success the Badari have found in the scifi romance community!

The excerpt – Jill has awakened on a strange planet, in her nightgown, in the rain. Trying to find shelter she’s fallen into a pit, inhabited by a hungry alien monster:

Jill shouted defiance in a combination of rage and fear, and threw the rock hard, striking one glowing eye in the center, shattering the facets. She dodged as the predator made a high pitched sound like an exploding generator and lunged toward where she’d been. As she scrambled in the slick muddy water at the bottom of the trap, she searched for another rock, finding only small ones. She gathered a handful of them as better than nothing and spun around as the half-blind animal tried to locate her.

With a hoarse yell, a man jumped into the pit from above and landed between her and the predator. He didn’t seem to have a weapon but, as the lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the scene in stark white light, Jill gaped. Were those talons? He glanced over his shoulder at her briefly as if to see how she was doing then made a dash at the animal, slashing its neck before dancing away.

Jill moved along the pit wall as the man and the beast fought. Mud dripped from the sloping side of the hole. Resting her palm on the damp dirt, she felt vibrations. There’s another one tunneling towards us. No matter how brave and strong this guy was, he couldn’t defeat two of the animals. Frantically, she searched for more rocks, trying to pry a likely candidate out of the wall with her fingernails. I have to help.

“Incoming! There’s another one about to pop out of the wall,” she yelled. Hefting the rock she’d dug from the muck, she took a few steps forward, waited for the right moment and threw the stone at the first beast’s remaining eye, striking a glancing blow on the brow ridge above the glowing orb. The warrior took advantage of the animal’s distraction to open more gaping wounds along its upper body with the lethal claws he bore.

VS: There’s a bit more of the fight in the pit and then she’s taken to safety. Here’s what happens next:

The one who’d jumped in to help her first came to her side, picking her up without a word and took off to the south at a dead run, the others following them.

“Nice shot with that rock, by the way,” her captor said.

“Who are you? And where are we going?” she yelled into his ear as she was jostled in his arms.

“My name is Aydarr, and we have to get undercover before the full night falls. You won’t be harmed, not by us anyway, I give you my word.” He redoubled his pace, moving impossibly fast over the uneven terrain and through the stands of trees.

Basic? How can these men be speaking Basic? She remembered the second warrior had addressed her in Basic when they were in the pit, but she’d been so scared and full of adrenaline she hadn’t registered the fact. Where in the fuck am I?

The way the men were running, something big and dangerous must be in the vicinity, perhaps even stalking their party, so she clung to her rescuer and resolved to get a few answers at the first opportunity. On her best day she couldn’t sprint as fast as they were going, even if her foot wasn’t cut, so she didn’t make any attempt to get away.

AYDARR (A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL): Sectors New Allies Series Book 1

The blurb:

Jill Garrison, a maintenance tech at the Sectors Amarcae 7 colony, goes to sleep one night as usual only to wake up in her nightgown stranded in the middle of a forest on an unknown world. There’s no time to think as she’s stalked by carnivorous predators and rescued by genetically engineered warriors calling themselves the Badari. Turns out they and she, along with her whole colony, are now prisoners of the Khagrish, a ruthless race of alien scientists. Working for enemies of the Sectors, the Khagrish have created the Badari to be super soldiers.

Aydarr, the Badari alpha, isn’t sure he can trust Jill but his attraction to her is undeniable. He impulsively claims her as his mate to prevent her death at the hands of the Khagrish.

Can he continue to protect her from the experiments already underway? Will his claiming her put his pack in jeopardy from their alien masters?

As Jill searches for a way to rescue her fellow humans and get them all to safety, she finds herself falling for Aydarr, despite the secrets he’s keeping. She has a few of her own.

The situation becomes dire when Aydarr and his pack are sent offplanet on a mission, leaving Jill unprotected, prey for the senior scientist. Can she escape the experiments he has in mind for her? Will she be able to thwart the Khagrish plans and liberate humans and Badari alike? How will she and Aydarr reunite?

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