Nov 16 2019

Bad Dreams Continue Weekend Writing Warriors

Taking excerpts from STAR CRUISE IDOL’S CURSE, my novel in the USA Today Best Selling Pets In Space® 4 anthology. Today is the last one because then I’ll be switching to my new release DAEGAN, the 11th book in the Badari Warriors scifi world.

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!)

Punctuation may be wonky to comply with our guidelines here. May be edited a bit from published version.

The excerpt – Juli took a special assigment to pick up an item on the last planet the Nebula Zephyr visited, at the request of her shipping line. This will fulfill a deceased passenger’s dying wish. Last week we were in a nightmare with Juli, caused by the cursed rock, and Steve also had a nightmare and came to check on her. They’re in her cabin:

“You have a call from Aunt Dian,” Maeve [the Ship’s Artificial Intelligence] said, “She also tried calling Officer Aureli’s cabin.”

Feeling as if she was a kid caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to, Juli exchanged glances with Steve and smothered a chuckle. His expression mirrored hers.

“Go ahead and connect,” Juli said, reaching for her robe and hastily putting it on.

Dian’s sleepy face filled the vidscreen. Without makeup, at this hour of the night, she was still quite sprightly. Charrli was cradled in her arms. Dian gazed past Juli and nodded to Steve, “I had a nightmare,” she said, “Charrli woke me up out of it – you two were in danger. I think he wanted me to come to your cabins and check on you in person once I was fully awake but we compromised on using the com instead.”

End of the WWW snippet. Here’s the rest of the scene:

“We each had nightmares too,” Juli said, blushing. “Steve came to check on me.”

“I had to see for myself, make sure she was all right.” His voice was firm, unembarrassed.

Juli envied him his composure because she was embarrassed all out of proportion to the situation. They were consenting adults, why did it matter what Dian might be thinking? And besides, she was the one who’d been matchmaking for them all this time. “I believe I saw the rock earlier in the evening, at the concert,” Juli said a little desperately. “We were just discussing whether the incident might have been the trigger for my dream.”

“Well it doesn’t explain mine.” Dian was testy. “Or why Charrli was upset, which I assure you he was. Your rock seems narrowly focused on the three of us and my dog.”

Veronica Scott - Charrli

The blurb: An unusual bequest….

Juli Shaeffer, the Nebula Zephyr’s cruise director, receives a mysterious bequest from the estate of a longtime passenger – a lump of rock taken from a reef on the planet Tahumaroa. Legend states anyone who steals from the ocean gods will be cursed. The passenger’s will requests the rock be returned to the beach so his heirs won’t be affected by the bad luck he believed he’d incurred. Juli doesn’t believe in superstitions and she agrees to carry out this small favor on the ship’s next stop at the planet in question.

Until the rock disappears from her office…

When the rock disappears and reappears in various locations around the ship, and seems connected to a steadily escalating series of mishaps, Juli turns to Third Officer Steve Aureli as the only one she feels she can trust. Along with Steve and his elderly Aunt Dian – a passenger aboard the Nebula Zephyr for this cruise – she investigates the strange series of malfunctions plaguing the interstellar luxury liner. Steve and Juli enlist his Aunt Dian’s dog, Charrli, a retired Sectors Z Corps canine, to help them track the missing rock as it moves about the ship.

Juli and Steve must find the rock, hang onto it and transport it to the planet’s surface, before the alien idol’s curse turns deadly. The attraction between the two of them grows as the threat to Juli becomes more and more focused. Can she carry out her task while he keeps her safe from the alien curse? Will the capricious alien idol bring them good fortune…or disaster?

Pets In Space® Anthology Blurb:

For a limited time only! Pets in Space® 4 is proud to present 13 amazing, original new stories! Join the adventures as today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors take you on a journey to another world. Pets in Space® proudly supports Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that provides service animals to veterans and first responders in need. Join New York Times, USA TODAY and Award-winning Bestselling authors S.E. Smith, Anna Hackett, Tiffany Roberts, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Donna McDonald, Regine Abel, Alexis Glynn Latner, JC Hay, E.D. Walker, Kyndra Hatch, and Cassandra Chandler for another exciting Pets in Space® anthology. Get the stories before they are gone!

Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space® authors have donated over $7,100 in the past three years to help place specially trained dogs with veterans and first responders.

Amazon Apple Books Kobo Nook Google

_The rock is complicated CANVA

New release: DAEGAN: A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL

Ex-Special Forces soldier and mercenary Flo Michetti is bored with her assignment as a pilot for the genetically engineered Badari pack in their fight against the evil Khagrish scientists. She jumps at the chance to take a dangerous undercover mission. She infiltrates a group of human prisoners on their way to a secret lab in the southern ocean, where the Badari believe many more of their own kind have been created and are being experimented on. Once Flo has located the lab, found the Alpha among the Badari there and sent a report back, the plan will be to attack and rescue all the prisoners.

Arriving at the island Flo learns the true nature of the horrific experiment for which the humans have been brought to this remote location. Time will be perilously short to escape before it’s too late for all of them. She has to locate the Alpha of this captive southern pack, who conceals his identity to escape death at the hands of the Khagrish, and get him to join with her and her allies.

Daegan feels an instant attraction to Flo when the Badari and the humans are forced together by the Khagrish scientists, but there are mysteries and questions surrounding her. Before he reveals himself as the incognito Alpha she’s seeking, he wants answers to allay his doubts. He also wants Flo in his bed…but can he risk his heart to claim her as his mate?

Complicating the situation is a dangerous rival for Daegan’s position as Alpha, an oncoming hurricane and Flo’s resistance to abandoning her life as a soldier of fortune…as the Khagrish scientists prepare to initiate the experiment, the clock is ticking for humans and Badari alike.

Amazon Apple Books Kobo Nook and GooglePlay Coming Soon

Nov 9 2019

This Is Not Happening Weekend Writing Warriors

Taking excerpts from STAR CRUISE IDOL’S CURSE, my novel in the USA Today Best Selling Pets In Space® 4 anthology.

November 11th, Veteran’s Day, is the last day to buy the anthology and have part of the royalties go to support the work of Hero Dogs, INC.

Punctuation may be wonky to comply with our guidelines here. May be edited a bit from published version.

A thin sliver of light appeared around the edge of the door to the core. Juli screamed and shot to her feet, Charrli clutched in her arms. This can’t be happening, this is not happening…

Steve was shaking her, calling her name.

Unable to process a coherent thought, let alone speech, she stared at him and then at their location.

Her cabin. Not the engineering deck.

“Where—where’s Charrli?” she asked in a voice she didn’t recognize as her own.

“With Dian, I assume,” Steve sat on the bed next to her and gathered her into his arms. He was dressed in a Ship tee shirt and a pair of utility pants, and was barefoot.

That’s ten sentences… here’s the rest of the snippet:

“I was having a bad dream about you being in trouble and in the dream Charrli kept trying to drag me somewhere to rescue you and finally he nipped me and I woke up.” He ran one hand through his disheveled hair. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you and I came over here from my cabin but when I knocked there was no answer. Then Maeve [the Ship’s AI] said she heard you crying and screaming and I persuaded her to let me in. I’m sorry, I know it’s a huge breach of privacy—you can file charges and I won’t contest them.”

“No, I’m glad she let you in.”

The blurb: An unusual bequest….

Until the rock disappears from her office…

Pets In Space® Anthology Blurb:

Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space® authors have donated over $7,100 in the past three years to help place specially trained dogs with veterans and first responders. 10% of all pre-orders and the first month’s royalties of Pets in Space® 4 will again go to Hero-Dogs.org. Open your hearts and grab your limited release copy of Pets in Space® 4 today so together we can continue to assist this worthy charity!

Buy links:

Amazon Apple Books Kobo Nook Google

Nov 2 2019

How Did We Get Here Weekend Writing Warriors

Taking excerpts from STAR CRUISE IDOL’S CURSE, my novel in the USA Today Best Selling Pets In Space® 4 anthology.

Punctuation may be wonky to comply with our guidelines here. May be edited a bit from published version.

The excerpt – Juli took a special assigment to pick up an item on the last planet the Nebula Zephyr visited, at the request of her shipping line. This will fulfill a deceased passenger’s dying wish. I’ve jumped wayyy ahead to a more dramatic moment. SPOILER: Yes, it’s a nightmare, but based on an actual scary incident with the rock earlier in the day:

Juli was trapped in the entrance chamber to the number four engine core. Charrli was at her feet, barking and whining and jumping at the controls as if he wanted to open the door. But when she searched for a way to escape, there were no handles to unseal the exit door to let her and the dog retreat into the engineering deck. The indicators on the opposite bulkhead indicated the cycle for opening the door was well underway.

She was in her nightgown of all things, certainly not in a safety suit, and the coruscating lights and energy of the core were reflecting into the small antechamber through the one observation window. The instant the heavy portal swung open would be her last moment of life.

She took one horrified look through the window and saw the black rock sitting right next to the engine nacelle, bathed in the unearthly lights of the energy flow.

With a scream, Juli retreated, nearly falling over Charrli as she did so.

Pivoting on her heel, she pounded on the panel blocking her only route to safety, screaming for help. She jumped up and down in front of the vidcam, waving her arms and begging someone to pay attention and come rescue her.

(That’s 10 sentences, here’s the rest of the snippet…)

Furiously brushing away tears, Juli wedged herself into the corner of two massive walls, as if she might be safer there when in truth nowhere was safe once the access to the core opened. Charrli came over, licked her face and clambered into her lap, where he sat shivering in fear.

“How the seven hells did we get here?” Juli asked, running one hand over the silky softness of his ears. “The damn rock must have brought us both here but why? What did we ever do to it? My only motive was to get it home where it belongs.”

Charrli barked once.

The blurb: An unusual bequest….

Until the rock disappears from her office…

Pets In Space® Anthology Blurb:

Buy links:

Amazon Apple Books Kobo Nook Google

Oct 19 2019

Whose Souvenir Weekend Writing Warriors

Big news – PETS IN SPACE® 4 hit the USA Today Best Sellers list last week!

Taking excerpts from STAR CRUISE IDOL’S CURSE, my novel in the anthology.

Punctuation may be wonky to comply with our guidelines here. May be edited a bit from published version.

The excerpt – Juli has gone to a lawyer’s office on the planet to pick up an item at the request of her shipping line. This will fulfill a deceased passenger’s dying wish. I’ve skipped ahead. Juli takes the rock and heads back to the spaceport but her borrowed groundcar unaccuntably breaks down. Third Officer Steve Aureli and his aunt pass by and rescue her. We meet Charrli, the alien dog, who Steve refers to as a ‘chow hound’:

“What an inelegant way to describe my champion purebred miniature Deskaza dog,” Despite her offended protest, his elderly relative didn’t sound too offended, “I’ll have you know they’re a rare breed.” She snapped her fingers again and the doglike creature made one final attempt to open Juli’s purse before obeying his mistress’s command and returning to the front seat with a sniff. “I apologize for Charrli,” Dian said, cuddling him close so all Juli could see were the tips of his triangular ears and his intense brown eyes peering at her over his owner’s shoulder, “Although I must say you and he are obviously going to be great friends while we’re on your ship.”

“There’s nothing in my purse attractive to a dog,” Juli said. She reached in with both hands and fished out the scarf-wrapped box holding the rock, “Maybe he likes the smell of the straw in this old basket?”

Veronica Scott - Charrli Charrli wiggled his hindquarters, escaping his mistress’s hold and crouched beside Dian on the seat, growling. His ears flared out wide and Juli tried not to laugh because he really was adorable despite his best efforts to act menacing.

“What is that?” Steve asked, eyes wide as he took in the dilapidated, colorful container, “A souvenir?”

“Someone’s souvenir, not mine,” With a chuckle she put the package away again, “And not from this planet. It was a passenger’s good luck charm, I gather, until it started bringing him bad luck, or so the story goes – the Line’s been asked to return the thing to Tahumaroa Two and I’m the stuckee.”

“Why doesn’t the owner take it himself?” Steve navigated through the traffic effortlessly but of course he was the Nebula Zephyr’s chief pilot and a former military fighter jockey so even rush hour on an alien planet didn’t faze him.

“He’s dead.”

The blurb: An unusual bequest….

Until the rock disappears from her office…

Pets In Space® Anthology Blurb:

Buy links:

Amazon Apple Books Kobo Nook Google

Sep 27 2019

Meet My STAR CRUISE IDOL’S CURSE Pet

In just about two week’s the fourth edition of the scifi romance anthology PETS IN SPACE® goes live (on my birthday no less, October 8th!). Co-founded by yours truly and my author friend Pauline B. Jones, this limited edition collection of all-new, great stories supports Hero-Dogs, INC., which provides service dogs to veterans and first responders in need. More details below.

Each author in the collection writes a scifi romance story also involving a pet of some kind. This year, my pet is a canine named Charrli, who helps the main characters track down a dangerous alien idol roaming the interstellar cruise liner Nebula Zephyr. He’s a veteran from the Sectors Special Forces Z corps of telepathic animals and their human handlers.

(And there’s a free reader magnet available until October 7th which includes a mini short story from me with some of these characters but alas, not Charrli. A woman with butterfly hair though… https://www.petsinspaceantho.com/sampler/ )

Here’s the blurb for my story, which is a 42K word novel:

An unusual bequest….

Until the rock disappears from her office…

An excerpt from the book where Juli and Charrli make a discovery on the ship’s beach deck during a big party:

Juli was traversing the beach venue when Charrli scampered up to her, barking. She craned her head, searching the crowd for Dian but didn’t see her. “Are you lost?” she asked the dog.

Charrli ran a few steps, danced in a circle and yipped as if to demand she follow him.

“I don’t know what you want,” she said. “I can’t play right now—I’m working.”

The dog bounded to her side and carefully clamped his teeth on her hand, taking care not to break the skin as she stooped over to pet him. He growled.

Fearing perhaps Dian was ill, or in some kind of trouble, Juli looked around wildly for Steve, even as Charrli tugged harder. Deciding she could call for help on the senior officer channel if there was a problem but would feel silly if all the dog wanted was to play, Juli said, “All right, I’m coming. Show me the way.”

Charrli released her hand and bolted along the beach as if time was of the essence. Juli pursued him as fast as she could although he got a bit ahead of her. He was barking excitedly and circling an object in the sand as she quickened her pace.

And came to a dead halt, shocked at what lay in front of her.