Feb 13 2026

Why I Wrote Star Cruise Lucky Charm + Excerpt

Ten years ago author Pauline Baird Jones and I had the idea to do a scifi romance anthology featuring pets as an integral element of the plot, like Lassie (who used to rescue her owner regularly), but in space.. We had a lot of fun with the Pets in Space concept for five years, hit the USA Today Best Sellers list, worked with many terrific authors, wrote our own stories…and then we handed it off to the wonderful Carol Van Natta.

This year being the tenth anniversary, she invited us back to write new stories

I always like to do a Star Cruise story for my contribution to these anthologies. (Not all the Star Cruise stories include a pet, however.) I already knew I wanted to write a pet inspired by the earthly pangolin, which I think are fascinating looking creatures but I did have to ponder what fresh angle I could bring to writing about my interstellar cruise liner the Nebula Zephyr. I never want to write the same story twice and there are fourteen voyages published already. I remembered I hadn’t ever really delved into the casino on board and once I had the setting my Female Main Character popped into my head, as well as how she’d acquire her new pet.

I was a floater at the May Company department store many years ago, when I was in college and although the retail experience is nothing like working on an interstellar cruise liner, I drew on the emotions I remember feeling at the time, especially the one about wanting to find a regular position and stay employed. I was actually a holiday floater twice and the second time I did get invited to stay on in a department I loved (and eventually I became the Department Manager but that’s a whole other story).

If I was going to be discussing the casino then the Main Male Character pretty much needed to be the casino manager. I did my research into the typical duties and problems of an earthly casino manager and I also read up on professional poker tournaments. My passengers of the future don’t play poker – they have their own cool, futuristic game going – but the principles and procedures of a tournament are kind of the same. And the manager deals with it all.

From there it was an easy jump to the luck aspects of the story, since gamblers are often extremely superstitious and Dahlia’s new pet has some mysterious capabilities.

And it’s always fun to be able to include the ongoing members of the crew as supporting characters. I love seeing my old friends again, even briefly and catching up on their current activities.

The excerpt – It’s Dahlia’s first time working as a waitress on the casino floor. The pre shift meeting she attended mentioned ‘whales’, who are gamblers who often wager huge sums. The staff was to watch for them and be extra attentive.:

She was at her next to the last stop on what she now thought of as her route, which was the big roulette table. As she understood it, roulette was a game of chance which originated on Old Terra itself. It was certainly popular here, with a constant crowd surrounding the table. Since her last stop here a new party had arrived, with a rather inebriated man at the center. He was flashily dressed, obviously rich and everyone in his group was focused on him. He’d been playing the wheel and from what Dahlia overheard, losing badly. She was offering her wares to one of the women in his orbit when suddenly the primary guest glanced over his shoulder and pointed at her.

“You! What’s your favorite color?” he said.

“Green,” she said instinctively, only belatedly realizing he meant on the roulette wheel. There was one space marked in green and she might not be a gambler but she knew the odds had to be astronomical against the ball landing in the space on any given spin.

The man stared at her and then gave a shout of laughter. “What the hell, why not? Put it all on the green.”

The croupier maintained her professional calm demeanor as the guest shoved a pile of chips out in front of him but Dahlia heard gasps from all sides of the table and the woman standing closest to him said something urgent in a low tone.

He shook his head and pushed her hand away from his arm. “Nope. If my luck is going to be out tonight I might as well find out now and we can go have dinner and catch a show instead of going to the private room. You know this is how I test the luck—I let the wheel tell me. And tonight I’m letting her tell me.” He winked at Dahlia who was aghast at the idea the guest was going to risk a presumably huge sum of credits on her casual comment.

“All bets in.” As the croupier sent the ball on its way around the wheel, circling lower and lower towards the numbered and colored slots, Dahlia was rooted to the spot, her job forgotten. She held her breath, terrified about what the outcome might be. Who the seven hells bets on the green?

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As if pushed by a stray breath of air, the ball dropped firmly into the green slot and took a triumphal turn as the wheel slowed and stopped. There was dead silence and then a cheer went up. The man left his chair, taking Dahlia in his arms and kissing her on the lips. “Baby, you’re something else. Lady Luck in disguise.” Fortunately he released her before she could even form a protest.

“Name’s Sutton, Moss Sutton and you’re not leaving my side tonight.”

The whale?

He took her tray from her, over her protest and handed it off to the nearest one of his hangers-on. Tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow, he said, “When Lady Luck calls a man’s gotta pay attention. You’re my lucky charm, baby.” He began walking toward the far edge of the gaming floor, where she knew from the map the elite private gaming rooms were located.

She stumbled in the unaccustomed high heels. “But I’m working—”

“Remington won’t care. Whatever Sutton wants, Sutton gets in this casino or any other,” he said confidently. Leaning his head closer to hers, he said, “I drop enough credits in these damn places to keep the lights on and the robos humming, honey. But tonight I’m winning it all back, thanks to you.”

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STAR CRUISE LUCKY CHARM:

Dahlia Vale is a floater on the interstellar cruise liner Nebula Zephyr. She fills in wherever she’s needed and loves the life. She hopes she can land a permanent spot on the crew roster and she and her alien rescue pet Petal can secure their home aboard the ship. Then one night she gets called to take a waitress position in the casino and a high society guest decides she’s his lucky charm after winning huge at the roulette wheel by betting on her casual suggestion. Life becomes a whirlwind for Dahlia and she’s not sure she likes the attention. Fortunately her pet gave her a special token of good luck that she carries all the time.

Casino Manager Mike Remington isn’t happy to have an unknown floater assigned to the casino on such a big night but he’s impressed with Dahlia despite himself. He wants to get to know her better which is a challenge since he’s the boss but maybe the way to her heart is to help find answers for her ailing pet. Amidst preparations for an upcoming gaming competition Mike finds time to spend with Dahlia. But he’s got everyone from the interstellar mob to the upper echelons of society on the ship to deal with.

When Dahlia is endangered thanks to her reputation as a so-called ‘luck puller’ for the avaricious gamblers engaged in the championship games, she needs her own lucky charm and Mike’s help to avoid disaster. Can their growing attraction survive the chaos?

Have you booked your Star Cruise yet? 14 other voyages to choose from!

Sep 5 2025

Pets in Space 10 Official Playlist & Cover Reveal for My Novella in the Collection

Just about one month until Pets in Space® 10 releases on October 7th! Pauline Baird Jones and I created this anthology ten years ago and had so much fun with it until we eventually handed it off to the wonderful Carol Van Natta. She invited us back this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary.

My story for this year’s anthology is STAR CRUISE LUCKY CHARM. For the cover, check below the book blurb. (Of course my cover won’t appear anywhere yet except in promo since it’s part of the anthology but I like having a cover – helps inspire me.)

I don’t write to music, nor so I assemble a playlist for my books but as a loyal PISA10 team member I did identify an appropriate song. Actually I identified two! In my head Lady GaGa’s ‘Poker Face’ is the song, since the story centers around the casino aboard my luxury space liner the Nebula Zephyr. But then when it came time to assemble the official playlist, it was specified the videos had to be safe for viewing at work and GaGa’s had a few risque moments. So I defaulted to an old Clint Black song “A Good Run of Bad Luck’ . Try to ignore all the scenes in the video from the old movie “Maverick,” which featured this song. The lyrics fit my story, but it has nothing to do with the Old West. Cards, Lady Luck and gambling – yes!

Here’s the playlist link for all the stories: Youtube

Here’s the blurb and universal preorder link for Pets in Space® 10, followed by the blurb for my specific story in the collection:

PETS IN SPACE® 10 by Various

Nine Interstellar Tales. Nine Unforgettable Romances. Nineteen Adorably Badass Pets.

In this tenth-anniversary edition of PETS IN SPACE®, you’ll find smart-mouthed birds, cyber armadillos, tiny dragons, and alien creatures who steal the show — and sometimes save it. Across distant planets, space stations, and magical realms, unlikely heroes and heroines are drawn together by danger, fate… and the meddling of their pet sidekicks. These stories blend swoon-worthy romance with thrilling sci-fi adventure in a way only PETS IN SPACE can deliver.

🐾 Don’t miss your chance to escape into the stars with nine sizzling sci-fi romances — each with a pet who will steal your heart and a hero or heroine who will make it race. Grab PETS IN SPACE 10 and get ready to binge beyond the stars!

Pets in Space authors are proud supporters of Hero Dogs, a charity that raises and trains service dogs for disabled veterans and first-responders. 10% of the initial sales go to this excellent nonprofit organization.

PREORDER LINK

Cover by Fiona Jayde

STAR CRUISE LUCKY CHARM (story included in the anthology) by Veronica Scott

Jun 21 2024

Guest Author Krista Luna On Writing Pets in Romances

VS Note: So pleased to have Krista here today to talk about writing pets in romance. I have a few books with pets myself and was a co-founder of the USA Today Best Selling Pets in Space™ anthology so it’s a topic dear to my heart. Plus I enjoy Krista’s books! I think her post is quite insightful…

KL: Writing Pets, with a Focus on Romance

I adore writing pets and animal friends, and every one of my books has them. They serve lots of different functions within the story, and I’ll highlight a few benefits before diving into one thing to keep in mind.

Pros to adding pets:

My heroines tend to be fish-out-of-water, needing to adapt to a new world. A pet adds an instant dose of affection and companionship and makes the situation less frightening. If the pet is alien or fantastical, warming up to the pet also helps the heroine start to accept this strange new world she finds herself in. If you have a talking pet, they can also explain a few basic things to her, all based on their level of understanding. Or take it a step further! The fully sentient dragon, Drake, gives the heroine flying lessons to help her learn her new witch powers. (Bound to the Orc Warlord)

Even if your characters remain in their home world, they might still be outsiders who need to gather a found family over the course of a series. Such outsiders often start out socially isolated and alone. A pet gives them an early source of love and belonging, which can add a softer note to what might otherwise be a sad origin story. It can also act as foreshadowing of the found family and acceptance to come.

The next way pets aid a story is they allow one character to see a hidden side of the other character. This is especially useful in romance. The hulking warrior hides behind a tree to watch the heroine, who’s his enemy. She’s playing with her cat, and he’s caught off guard by the beauty of her smile, which he’s never seen before. The sound of her laugh haunts him for days. (Possessed by the Alien King)

A specific use of this comes into play when you write grumpy/distant heroes who hide hearts of gold under a gruff exterior. Pets provide the heroine—and readers—with a glimpse of that heart early in the story. You can give him a literal “save the cat” moment. The huge warrior who cradles an orphaned wolf pup to his chest, promising to hunt for it? Instant “aww.” (Possessed by the Alien Prince)

Finally, pets offer a way to add moments of playfulness, humor, and fun. These can be used to offer some variance in tension and/or tone at different parts of a story. Have a tense meeting of rebels gathered in the back of the village pub? Are they talking around in circles unable to decide on a plan, for which they won’t get any new information for another chapter? You can make the pets dash in from outside, demanding attention and/or doing something cute that breaks the tension for the rest of the scene. That way, you can ramp it right back up in the next scene, but the reader got a little break that makes the new tension hit harder.

Something to consider:

If there’s one caveat to writing good pets, it’s to make them as fully realized as any side character. Animals have distinct personalities, even while those of the same species may share certain drives or traits.

They should also have character consistency. The talking dog who’s the ship’s first pet who gets jealous the second another pet arrives? He remains a bit jealous and grandstanding for the rest of the series as more pets get added to the found family. They’re his new friends, but he’s also quick to remind everyone that “he was there first” and to try to outdo the others via playful antics. This personality trait remains constant across all five books he’s in, and readers often remark on how much they enjoy it. (The Fated Mates of the Zaarn Series)

In summary:

I’ll leave you with one of the biggest reasons to add animal friends to stories: Readers adore them. For every book, I get multiple comments about my pets. Readers want a pet like the one I wrote, or a personality trait of the pet reminds them of one of theirs, etc. Pets offer readers emotional connections to your world and characters, adding a richness of feeling and an additional layer of complexity to your world building.

So what are you waiting for? Go write a pet.

In case you want any of this:

Author bio:

Krista Luna writes steamy scifi & fantasy romance featuring otherworldly warriors and the strong heroines they can’t live without. She loves combining sizzling romance with pulse-pounding adventure.

She wants to leave her readers breathlessly turning the page, eager to see what’s next as danger closes in, but love—and a kick-ass couple—ultimately conquers all.

When she’s not writing, you can find Krista reading or watching her latest scifi or fantasy favorite, all while eating chocolate. Because there’s always chocolate.

Amazon author page:

https://amazon.com/author/kristaluna

Website:

http://www.kristalunaauthor.com/

Links to all social media:

http://linktr.ee/kristalunaauthor

Krista’s Latest Book:

BOUND TO THE ORC RENEGADE (BRIDES OF THE MOON BLADE CLAN BOOK TWO)

Ooops! That orc I just knocked off his feet is my “married at first sight” husband.

If someone told me I’d land in a fantasy world and meet my seven-foot husband by literally knocking him off his feet, I’d have laughed it off as a joke. I’m tiny. But it turns out I’m a witch with hidden powers! I can move things with my mind!

Krivoth’s one of the first things I “move.” Ooops. But the gorgeous orc warrior doesn’t hold it against me. In fact, he’s thrilled I’m so powerful.

He also says I’m his. As in his bride, already goddess-matched and married.

But I know marriage is an empty promise, no matter how much Krivoth’s tempting touch makes my pulse flutter.

Enemies want me for my magic, and I need to learn my powers fast. The more my practice sessions throw me into the safety of Krivoth’s strong arms, the more I fall for him. But who’s going to protect my heart?

Bound to the Orc Renegade is a steamy fantasy monster romance featuring a grumpy orc warrior who falls fast and a sunshiny heroine eager to level up. Welcome to the Moon Blade Clan, where heart-melting romance, toe-curling steam, magic, and adventure combine into stories you’ll devour. AmazonKU

Jan 13 2023

Why I Wrote My Other #SciFi Rock Star Romance STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD

NOTE: Portions of this post are from the Archive and appeared on Pauline B. Jones’s blog a number of years ago.

I thought it would be fun today to talk about my first scifi rock star romance, STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD while STAR CRUISE STAR SONG, my second such story, is still a new release

I’d always wanted to write a rock star romance because I LOVE the genre (and now I have two to my name – whee!) but if I sit down to write anything, it inevitably becomes science fiction. So when the second Pets In Space anthology was being put together (back in 2017), I thought, here’s my chance to involve a rock star. Among my favorites are Nalini Singh’s Rock Kiss series, J T Geissinger, Liora Blake…plus movies such as “The Bodyguard” and “Beyond the Lights”. I had also read that there are cruises where bands are featured and do concerts and fan events during the cruise. So that part of the story worked fine if I set this story on board my interstellar luxury cruise liner, the Nebula Dream.

The next question was who would the hero be? I love to write Sectors Special Forces heroes, or recently retired service members from that branch, so I decided Grant would fall into that category, and be a security officer on the ship. In that job assignment, it was logical that he’d cross paths with a high profile passenger like a rock star. I adore the bodyguard romance trope so it was a fun challenge to write one of my own.

As far as a pet, I didn’t want to write another cat or catlike animal. I decided to go with a bird for STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD. (I did include a pet in STAR CRUISE STAR SONG, just for old times’ sake – an alien walking stick bug.) I was inspired by an actual parrot I met a long time ago, which had lived through the 1906 San Francisco earthquake (as a young bird) and had been passed down through two generations of family members to the present time. But a parrot didn’t feel right for the story I wanted to tell. One of my favorite Andre Norton science fiction books was The Beastmaster, with a military hero who had a team of telepathic animals, one of which was an African eagle. I thought what if I made my hero a Special Forces officer who’d inherited a special telepathic warbird on his own planet?

Then the analogy of a certain scene for my novella involving songbirds came to mind (no spoilers here) and I had my two pets and my title.

I’ve been asked if the Diva Plavalaguna in the movie “Fifth Element” was an influence and I have to say while I love that movie, my singer Karissa was not really inspired by the Diva. Although they both sing on a fantastic cruise ship! My character is more rooted in our modern day culture on Earth, with a variety of strong female singers from Adele to Katy Perry to Rhianna to Lizzo to Taylor Swift and Kelly Pickler to name only a few. I also watched a lot of backstage documentaries, including ones on boy bands and country music group tours, to get the feel for some of the scenes I had in mind.

And then of course I weave in the scifi elements I have to have.

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The excerpt:

When Karissa emerged from the room where she’d been getting ready,Grante was astounded. She looked as if she’d stepped straight from a trideo, her sexy costume elaborate and glittering in the lights, her multicolored hair caught up in coils by all manner of elaborate, bejeweled accessories. Even he could tell her shoes were works of art, with heels designed to resemble stacked planets, standing six inches high. She smiled, obviously enjoying his reaction. “Well?”

Pirouetting on those absurd heels, she laughed and held out her hand. “Escort me,” she said like a queen.

He did so, surrounded by her team, including the backup singers and the six dancers, all of whom joined Karissa when she reached the backstage area. Gently she let go of Grant’s arm and stepped away, gathering her team around her for a pep talk. He stayed alert, watching everyone else in the area, ready to challenge anyone acting suspicious.

The show was already going on at full volume. Karissa’s was the final set of the evening and when she ran onstage, her dancers bouncing and doing acrobatics around her, the roar was astounding. Grant stood in the wings, as close to the stage as he could, and watched the performance. Karissa strutted, she danced, she teased, she brought a child on stage for a brief chat, she sang full throated. The crowd loved it all. He had a hard time keeping his eye on the audience, watching for problems, because she was so riveting.

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“First time at a show?” asked an older woman standing next to him. “This is nothing compared to what she’ll do at the big concert on Calillia next week. There’ll be multiple costume changes and aerial components. And maybe some new songs, although she’s been quiet about that. She doesn’t want Ted getting the rights to any more of her stuff if she can help it. Things are really sour between them now.” She laughed self-consciously and held out her hand. “I’m Desdusan, by the way, her chief makeup artist. Chief busybody too. I try to look out for her as much as I can. Been with Karissa for nine years, ever since she hit the bigtime with ‘Twisted Comets’. She’ll probably sing that for the encore.”

“I hate to admit it but I’ve never heard her music before—it’s all new to me,” he said as they shook.

The woman did a double take. “Really? You’re probably the only person in the Sectors who hasn’t heard at least one Karissa song.”

“I have now,” he pointed out, annoyed to feel so defensive.

Amazon Apple Books Kobo B&N Google Play

Blurb for Star Cruise: Songbird:

Grant Barton, a Security Officer on the Nebula Zephyr, is less than thrilled with his current assignment to guard an Interstellar singing sensation while she’s on board the ship. It doesn’t help that he and his military war bird Valkyr are dealing with their recent separation from the Sectors Special Forces and uncertainty over their future, with their own planet in ruins.

Karissa Dawnstar is on top of the charts and seemingly has it all – talent, fame, fortune and devoted fans, but behind her brave smile and upbeat lyrics she hides an aching heart. When a publicity stunt goes wrong, Karissa finds herself in the arms of the security officer assigned to protect her – and discovers a mutual attraction she can’t ignore.

Trouble continues to plague the pair, driving a wedge between them and leaving Grant certain that Karissa is in more danger than she realizes, from overzealous fans and her own management. Grant is determined to protect Karissa whether she wants his help or not. Can he discover the truth behind what’s going on before he loses Karissa or is there someone else plotting to keep them apart – permanently?

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PETS IN SPACE 7 is still available by the way. I didn’t write a story for it this year but the author list is impressive and there are lots of fun scifi romance tales to be read!

Pets in Space is back and better than ever! Featuring 13 original, never-before-released stories from some of today’s bestselling science fiction romance authors, starring your favorite sci-fi pets. These furry, feathered, and slightly alien friends are always ready for a new adventure with their two-legged human and alien companions. From dogs to cats to sea creatures and unicorns, these romantic tales show that pets are more than just animals – they’re family.

This limited-edition anthology includes stories by some of the biggest names in science fiction romance. New York Times Bestseller S.E. Smith and USA Today Bestsellers R.J. Blain, Grace Goodwin, Skye MacKinnon, Carol Van Natta, Honey Phillips, Carysa Locke, S.J. Pajonas, JC Hay, and Kyndra Hatch, plus Leslie Chase, Winnie Winkle, and Candace Colt.

The Pets in Space 7 authors continue their vital support of Hero-Dogs.org, the non-profit charity that improves quality of life for veterans of the U.S. military and first-responders with disabilities.

★ Don’t miss out — grab this limited-edition anthology before it’s too late! ★

Exclusively in Pets in Space 7:
◆“Wynter and the Stone Dragon” by S.E. Smith: Love blossoms between a human king and an alien princess when a portal between their worlds opens.
◆“Life-Debt” by R.J. Blain: Hybrid human Viva and her pet fox have two rules: no names and no attachments. Why does the handsome man she rescued makes her want to break both?
◆“Marked Mate” by Grace Goodwin: An elite hunter pursues a dangerous criminal on an unsuspecting Earth, only to be distracted by a mysterious woman and her furry pet.
◆“Alien Abduction for Unicorns” by Skye MacKinnon: Unicorns are real, and alien Bruin is sexy as the stars. Can Scottish tour guide Tara forgive them for kidnapping her in the name of science?
◆“An Entanglement of Griffins” by Carol Van Natta: A space pirate and a pet sanctuary owner suspected of grand larceny get help from genetically-engineered griffins to recover the goods and find love.
◆“Cyborg Rider” by Honey Phillips: Can a bioengineered mole named Eglantine find a way to rescue the scientist and the cyborg who are depending on her?
◆“Healer Heart” by Carysa Locke: A telekinetic healer on a mission and a telepathic killer who is afraid to feel must trust an intelligent cat to help them save a group of children from death.
◆“Myra’s Big Mistake” by S. J. Pajonas: She’s burdened by a lifetime of disappointment. He’s been her secret admirer for years. Will a roll of the dice lead to a cosmic courtship?
◆“Desert Flame” by JC Hay: Dr. Cerridwen Lewis is prickly, foul mouthed, and quick to anger; in other words, she’s everything Captain Kal and his pet scythewing ever wanted.
◆“Death Angel” by Kyndra Hatch: How do you choose between your people and your mate? Especially when you’re a Korthan cyborg captain and your human mate unknowingly holds the key to lasting peace or unending war?
◆“Written in the Stars” by Leslie Chase: Megan isn’t looking for love, especially not from an alien mercenary just passing through. But love, and her winged cat Nebula, have other plans.
◆“Liquid Courage” by Winnie Winkle: Powerful sea witch Morgan is determined to save her beloved ocean creatures from thieving aliens. Tony offers to help, but he’s got secrets.
◆“Rhea’s Conundrum: A Witch in Space” by by Candace Colt: Eccentric witch Rhea only dreamed of the stars. So how did she and her snarky cat end up in a junk-picker spaceship with sexy alien captain C’tloc?

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Oct 10 2020

Why Is She Traveling Weekend Writing Warriors

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!)

May be edited a bit from published version.

Beginning the excerpts from STAR CRUISE: RETURN VOYAGE, my full length novel in the Pets In Space 5 anthology for 2020!

The excerpt, which continues on from last week and is the beginning of the story. I skipped ahead a bit and Trevor is now seated with the captain in the wardroom:

“What do you know about the wreck of the Nebula Dream?” Fleming asked, still watching the planets.

Pop quiz time I guess. “Worst passenger ship disaster in the history of the Sectors, thousands of lives lost, heroics by a Special Forces officer who happened to be aboard and saved hundreds. We had a module on it when I was in training, sir, mostly regarding the decisions made by the soldier. One of those ‘what would you do in his place’ type classes.”

“Nick Jameson,” Fleming said, supplying the name of the officer under discussion. “His decisions in what regard?”

“At each point, I guess. To stay on the ship, to use what is politely called classified means to contact rescue ships, and to fight the enemy when they boarded.” Remembering more details as he talked, Trevor added, “Guy was gutsy, smart and lucky. Oh and the cruise liner was way off course, in enemy territory. May I ask why the interest, sir?”

“We’re a sister ship, did you know that? Not the exact design but close, and of course we have different engines. No one uses the Yeatter unstable technology nowadays, not if the shipbuilders are sane.” Fleming sat upright. “What do you know about the survivors? The ones specifically who were with Jameson?”

Suspecting the discussion was getting closer to whatever point Fleming was driving at, Trevor shook his head. “Two women, a D’nvannae Brother, couple of kids…oh and a Mellurean Mind but I believe she died on board.”

“The main reason we’re in this system is to pick up a woman named Gianna Nadenoft,” Fleming said. “She was a very little girl when Nick Jameson saved her life on the Nebula Dream and she hasn’t flown in space since her father brought her home after the rescue.”

Trevor absorbed the information and asked the obvious question. “May I ask why she’s traveling now then, sir?”

VS: Well, that IS the question, right?

PETS IN SPACE® 5 ANTHOLOGY BLURB:

It’s time for an escape! Pets in Space® 5 is back for the fifth amazing year! Escape to new worlds with twelve of today’s top Science Fiction Romance authors. They have written 12 original, never-before-released stories filled with action, adventure, suspense, humor, and romance that will take you out of this world. The giving doesn’t stop there. For the fifth year, Pets in Space® will be donating a portion of the first month proceeds to Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that supports our veterans and First Responders. If you are ready to forget the world around you and make a difference while you are having fun, grab your copy before it’s gone!

STAR CRUISE RETURN VOYAGE blurb: Gianna Nadenoft is a reclusive survivor of one of the worst interstellar cruise ship disasters in the history of the Sectors. Now a renowned artist, she hasn’t left her home planet in decades, not since returning there after the wreck as a traumatized three-year-old. With her service animal at her side, she’s going to attempt to travel across the star systems to attend her brother’s wedding and reunite with her fellow survivors.

Trevor Hanson is a security officer aboard the cruise liner Nebula Zephyr with his own traumatic past as a former Special Forces soldier and prisoner of war. He’s assigned to provide personal protection to Gianna during her time aboard the ship but soon finds his interest turning from professional to romantic.

Onboard the Nebula Zephyr, powerful enemies are watching Gianna and making plans to seize this rare opportunity to gain access to her and the secrets they believe she’s still keeping about the wreck. Can Trevor overcome his personal demons and rise to the occasion to save Gianna from the danger waiting on his ship, or will she slip through his fingers and suffer a terrible fate deferred from her last disastrous voyage?

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The award winning first book, known as “Titanic in space…” and the first sequel about Twilka and Khevan, are also available at all major ebook sellers…

WRECK: Amazon Barnes & Noble Apple Books Google Play Kobo

STAR SURVIVOR: Apple Books Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Google Play

Oct 9 2020

Pets In Space 5 Author Leslie Chase Talks Holographic Cat Inspiration

VS: I was thrilled to have Leslie Chase as a Pets in Space^® 5 author this year because I really enjoyed her scifi romance novel Auric (Crashland Colony Romance Book 1) when it came out in 2019 and thought her holographic pets were an ideal addition to an anthology about unusual animals. Fortunately she made time in her writing calender to join us! She’s visiting the blog today to share a little more about ‘Glitch’, her pet for the anthology:

Leslie: I’m very excited to be part of the Pets in Space^® 5 anthology; this is my first year as a contributing author, but I’ve enjoyed the previous anthologies. Not just the stories, but the fact that it raises money for hero-dogs.org – a wonderful charity I’m proud to support.

That, and I get to work with a wonderful group of authors and have fun writing a story about a cute and lovely pet 😊

It’s the pets that make these anthologies, I think. And I do love writing about them: in my Crashland Saga, every human has a holographic pet, so all the stories feature at least one. My Salvaged Hearts series feature Munchkin, the rescued ship’s cat. The chance to write for an anthology of stories featuring pets was a wonderful opportunity.

Glitch popped into my head as soon as I started thinking about writing a Pets in Space^® story. A hologram cat with static for eyes and a tendency to get in trouble, I loved him straight away. Which made writing a story around him easier than usual! It’s set on Crashland, like a lot of my recent books – a planet on which humans crashed along with the alien pirates attacking them. Glitch would be the companion hologram of the human heroine, helping her with her work… and her romance.

Glitch is a bit different from the other holograms, though. He’s damaged, hence his name, and sometimes appears or disappears, or fades into static. Molly, his human, loves him despite his imperfections, and no matter what other people think of Glitch, she’s not going to replace him.

Which is how he’s on hand when Molly meets her alien mate, and how he steps in to help when love at first sight doesn’t go a smoothly as people expect.

PETS IN SPACE® 5 ANTHOLOGY BLURB:

GLITCH (Crashland Colony Romance Series)

She swore she’d never forgive the alien pirates who stranded her. But that was before she met Karnac.

Famous last words….

I made a promise to myself never to forget what the alien Prytheen stole from me. When one of them tells me that we’re fated mates, it doesn’t change anything. Nothing could make me change my mind! Not the fact he gets along with Glitch, my holographic cat. Not the fact that he has a killer body and a smoldering gaze that leaves me short of breath. I won’t let my guard down.

Karnac is an alien pirate. Unfortunately, he is also the second part of the technical staff at the Crashland Colony broadcast station. I patch the human stuff, he takes care of the Prytheen tech. My promise to keep everything professional between us goes south when Glitch spots disaster heading straight for the colony.

It is amazing how a life or death situation can change your perspective. Maybe having a crude, arrogant, domineering Prytheen pirate of my own wouldn’t be such a bad idea?

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Oct 8 2020

Pets in Space 5 Authors Talk #SciFi Romance Story Sparks

VS Note: This post first appeared on the AMAZING STORIES MAGAZINE blog…

For the fifth year in a row we’re having fun in the science fiction romance world with the Pets In Space® 5 anthology, in which my co-founder Pauline B. Jones and I invite other authors to take that story prompt and run with it. I often explain the concept as being something like “Lassie in space”, where the pet in question can be any kind of animal or creature but needs to be integral to the plot. We donate part of the proceeds to Hero-Dogs, Inc., which provides service animals to veterans and forst responders in need. Since we first started the project in 2016, thanks to our readers, we’ve been able to donate over $15,000 to the nonprofit organization.

I asked my fellow authors to share a little about what inspired their story for this year’s anthology, as well as giving us a peek at their To Be Read List and what they’ll be up to next, now that the anthology has been released. My answers are included below as well.

Here’s the blurb for the anthology itself: It’s time for an escape! Pets in Space® 5 is back for the fifth amazing year! Escape to new worlds with twelve of today’s top Science Fiction Romance authors. They have written 12 original, never-before-released stories filled with action, adventure, suspense, humor, and romance that will take you out of this world. The giving doesn’t stop there. For the fifth year, Pets in Space® will be donating a portion of the first month proceeds to Hero-Dogs, Inc., a non-profit charity that supports our veterans and First Responders. If you are ready to forget the world around you and make a difference while you are having fun, grab your copy before it’s gone!

New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author S. E. Smith, The King’s Quest (Dragon Lords of Valdier Series Short Story):

A playful trick leads to love for a Goddess, but will the King she falls in love with accept her for who she really is?

Story inspiration: I love stories that capture my heart and my imagination. My PiSA5 story definitely does both. This story can be read as a stand-alone, but it does fit into a larger universe—my Dragon Lords of Valdier. The story is about Tamblin, King of the Kingdom of Glitter. Tamblin rules over a beautiful world on a remote moon where his species and others like him are no larger than a doll. Don’t be fool by their diminutive size, though. They have a huge heart and a fierce spirit. This spirit comes alive in The King’s Quest. The moon is under threat again as off-world traders, wanting to capitalize on the small creatures that live and thrive there, hope to make a fortune on the furry rodents that are considered a special treat to the Dragons of Valdier.

I’ve always loved the stories of Thumbelina, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, Gulliver’s Travels, and the Borrowers. When I first wrote about the characters in Ambushing Ariel: Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 4, I was so impressed by their strength. I ended up writing Tia’s story which is now an animated film, and always knew that I would write Tamblin’s story. This is a story with heart, compassion, friendship, adventure, and the special magical power of an emotion called love.

Be prepared for some laughs, some tears, and to cheer on the amazing people who live on a small moon in a galaxy far, far away.

Next for her: I’m excited to finally be writing The Dark Prince’s Prize: Curizan Warrior Book 2. This story has been a long time coming but is turning out amazing. There is nothing sweeter than when a story takes me by surprise—and gives me characters I love to love and love to hate. LOL. This one has plenty of both! After The Dark Prince’s Price, readers have requested Jarmen’s Jane Doe from my Lords of Kassis series and then Rorrak’s Revenge: Zion Warriors Book 3. This is a powerful line up of stories and I’m excited to share them with readers.

On her TBR List: As usually, my TBR list is a mixture of fun and self-improvement. I have a few Peggy Henderson, Pauline Baird Jones, Veronica Scott, and Carol Van Natta stories in my Library that are screaming for me to stop everything and read! On top of that, I have several self-help/improvement books to help me grow as a person and keep my mind here on Earth for a bit. I love getting lost in another world, don’t you?

Michelle Diener, Dark Ambitions (A Class Five Novella):

When a planetary exploration trip takes a dangerous turn, a human woman and her powerful AI friend will need all their skills to come to the rescue.

Story inspiration: I have been thinking of going back to the main characters in my novel Dark Horse for a while, and so it was the first thing that came to mind while planning my Pets in Space® novella. It was a lot of fun to revisit the characters, but I’ve written it in a way I hope readers who haven’t read Dark Horse can still enjoy it. I’m guessing readers who are huge fans of the series will love to have a peek into Rose, Sazo and Dav’s lives again.

Next for her: I am currently busy writing a novella for a fantasy romance anthology, Warlords, Witches & Wolves: A Fantasy Realms Anthology. I wrote fantasy before I wrote science fiction romance, and it has been hugely enjoyable to go back to another beloved genre for me.

On her TBR List: I often pre-order autobuy authors’ books well in advance and then sort of forget about them, and I’m thrilled the latest in Faith Hunter’s Soulwood Series, Spells for the Dead, is now waiting for me on my Kindle as soon as I’ve made my current deadline

USA Today Best Selling Author Veronica Scott, Star Cruise: Return Voyage (The Sectors SF Romance Series):

She survived the worst interstellar shipping disaster in history as a child but can she survive the RETURN VOYAGE as an adult?

Pet sketch by ADRIAN

Story inspiration: I like to make my PISA story into my annual entry in my STAR CRUISE series as well, located on the interstellar luxury liner Nebula Zephyr. I enjoy revisiting some of my characters from previous STAR CRUISE stories and I feel the concept of a huge cruise ship gives me plenty of latitude for telling a variety of stories. I actually started with the concept of a service animal, based in part on the appearance of an afghan hound, but made more alien of course. My next challenge was what would bring such a sizable animal onto the ship as a pet? In early 2020 there had been so many true stories about people bringing odd animals onto airplanes as service animals and I read about someone who had a miniature horse they wanted to travel with! Since I visualize Verlaine as being about the size of a very small horse that seemed perfect to me. So he became a genuine service animal of the far future.

But who would need such an animal to support them on a trip on a big luxury liner?

Enter Gianna Nadenoft, who survived the wreck of the interstellar cruise liner Nebula Dream in my very first published scifi romance novel. She was a (precocious) child of three at the time of the events in Wreck of the Nebula Dream so I felt it was a safe assumption she’d have had post-traumatic stress symptoms of various kinds and might have needed a service animal to help her cope with life after the wreck. And the story spun itself out for me from there.

Next for her: I’m working on Jamokan, the next novel in my award winning Badari Warriors series about genetically engineered soldiers of the far future. After that I plan to write book two in my Colony series.

On her TBR List: Looking forward to The Ippos King from Grace Draven, the next book in the Bioluminescence series by Auryn Hadley, Apokalypsis Book Five by Kate Morris, The Solstice Kings by Kim Fielding, Under a Winter Sky including a Jeffe Kennedy story, Spenser by Tasha Black (well really all the upcoming releases in the Intergalactic Dating Agency series by authors like Cara Bristol, Lea Kirk, Susan Grant and more)…

USA Today Best Selling Author Pauline B. Jones, General’s Holiday (Project Enterprise Series):

A lady, a frog, and the General that wanted to be Picard…

Story inspiration: For me, the story always starts with a pet, what kind of person is likely to own that pet, then I try to find the one person in my Project Enterprise universe who will be the most annoyed or flummoxed by that pet. It was pretty easy to figure out the pet, the heroine and the hero, but picking a general who is leading the expedition? That made it truly hard. But even general’s need holidays…

Next for her: I am currently at work on my ninth Project Enterprise book. I’m a little amazed about that. It was only ever meant to be one book.

On her TBR List: I have been waiting for the last book in Lindsay Buroker’s Star Kingdom series, Layers of Force. I kind of cleaned up my TBR this year, but I always looking for books by SE Smith, Carol Van Natta, Veronica Scott, Michelle Diener, and Martha Wells (MurderBot!)—to name just a few!

USA Today Best Selling Author Laurie A Green, Juggernaut (The Inherited Stars Series):

A security commander must decide if she can trust a mysterious stranger and his bioengineered StarDog when the secret underground site she protects is threatened.

Story inspiration: When I signed on to pen a new story for Pets in Space® 5, I wasn’t even sure if I’d be writing another StarDog story or one involving a completely different pet. I started brainstorming on plot and character ideas, and what began to unfold in my head was not the usual science fiction romance story set on a star ship or a space station, but in an ancient underground lava tube! Juggernaut soon became that story—the one that would deliver a huge twist in my Inherited Stars universe that I’d been planning to unveil in a later book. The secrets buried in that ancient cave turn out to be galaxy-shaking and it ultimately requires a StarDog to unravel the mystery.

Next for her: I plan to have two or more books in my series published yet in 2020, and then take a step back into history to explore the Legend of Katrina, which has been mentioned often in the unfolding of the Inherited Stars saga.

Her TBR List: I have several books I’m eager to read because of enthusiastic referrals, but Susan Grant’s Hawk: Sky Mates (think Top Gun with space aliens) will be out in October and Auryn Hadley’s

Bioluminescent (The Mimics Book 1) are two at the top of the stack. Well, and all of the Pets in Space® 5 stories, of course! I also hope to soon read The Fringe Series Omnibus (books 1-5) by Rachel Aukes and Star Trek: Picard – The Last Best Hope, which is supposed to be a prequel to the ‘Star Trek: Picard’ CBS All Access series.

USA Today Best Selling Author Carol Van Natta, Galactic Search and Rescue (Galactic Concordance Series):

Rescuers Taz and Rylando can’t let their forbidden attraction get in the way of saving lives. When a planetary disaster turns deadly, can they save an entire town… and each other?

Story inspiration: My story in Pets in Space® 5 is Galactic Search and Rescue, a novella in my Central Galactic Concordance space opera universe. The story’s inspiration came from three sources that my muse pulled together into a fast-paced adventure plot with romance. Plus pets, of course!

First, I read an article about the amazing giant pouched rats that are trained to seek out and help humans disarm landmines. These rats are very appropriately named “Hero Rats.” I even included one in my story. Second, news footage of the rescuers in several major disasters riveted me to the screen. Whether it’s wildfires, earthquakes, or devastating explosions, first-responders are there to help. The bravery of these folks is staggering and humbling. Third, Pets in Space® supports the Hero-Dogs.org charity, which trains and places service dogs with disabled veterans and first-responders. The team of trained rescue animals in Galactic Search and Rescue is my tribute to service animals everywhere, from the conventional to the decidedly unusual. I think partnering with animals makes us better humans.

Next for her: I’ll be deep in the editing cave with the next novel in my space opera series, Spark Transform. It’s book 5 in the big damn story arc that’s going on. It’s the same universe as Galactic Search and Rescue. After that, I’ll be working on the next book in my paranormal romance series, plus a super-secret project that ought to keep me off the streets and out of the socially-distanced karaoke bars for a while.

On her TBR List: My not-secret, not-at-all-guilty pleasures are paranormal romance, science fiction romance, and space opera. Convenient, considering that’s also what I write. My jam is multicultural characters who find love and destiny in hidden worlds or the stars.

USA Today Best Selling Author Regine Abel, Reaper (Xian Warrior Series):

With time running out, a woman accepts her fate only to find hope in the genetically engineered warrior created by her captors.

Story inspiration: After wrapping up the overarching story in my Xian Warriors series, many fans asked for the stories of a few of the other Warriors and especially for a HEA for Stran. Stran is a Creckel, a warrior beast that resembles a pangolin with a dragon head. He was my pet in PISA 4, and he makes recurring appearances throughout the Xian Warriors series. In the final book, Varnog, we learned the locations of multiple secret bases where terrible experiments had been performed on innocent victims. It only mentioned that the Xian Warriors would go check out those bases to rescue any possible survivors. I had not planned on actually writing books about those rescues. But I realized doing so in this instance would give me the opportunity to address both of those requests. On top of writing Reaper’s story, I loved the idea of Doom and Stran reuniting once more for another Pets in Space® anthology. Except this time, we also meet the badass Brees, a modified Creckel with a bit of sass.

Next for her: I have finally taken a dive into the world of audiobooks. In fact, Doom, my PISA 4 story, will be the first audiobook I’ll be releasing in November. I’m also starting to look at possibly dabbling insome Italian translations of my books, but that still in early exploration. In the short-term, my goal is to wrap up my Veredian Chronicles series with the final book Defying Fate so that I can launch into the Titans spin-off series, where the children as young adults face their destiny.

On her TBR List: It’s ridiculously long. But my top priority is the entire Venys Needs Men series by the fabulous Amanda Milo, Tiffany Roberts, Poppy Rhys and Naomi Lucas.

USA Today Best Selling Author Alexis Glynn Latner, Pastfinders (Star Ways Series):

A woman’s psychic gift might be the catalyst needed to save the life of the man she loves—in an ancient archaeological site that contains a stupendous discovery.

Story inspiration: What sparked my story in PISA 5 isn’t obvious in hindsight. I definitely wanted to write a PISA story with a trauma service animal. But some elements of the story have existed in my imagination for a long time. Mercury’s psychic gift to change the laws of probability around her and so change her luck, and that of her friends and enemies—her psychalchemy—was in my idea notes from twenty years ago. Even then, she was one of a team of xenoarchaeologists studying alien ruins. Her love interest was supposed to be somebody else. He’ll be a good hero when his time comes but he’ll have to find another heroine. Mercury is taken!

My hero Haze is completely original to Pastfinders. He had to have a reason to be at the ancient archaeological site, so it became an official visit in his capacity as a biologist with the planetary government. He also had to have PTSD that crashes down on him. Haze evolved from there. And Rusty, the alien trauma service creature, evolved to be what Haze needed.

What put everyone and everything together was the title. It’s what the xenoarchaeologists call themselves after their starship, Pastfinder. On the barren planet Tellus, under ancient alien ruins, there is a buried, eroded past to be discovered. Haze has his own buried past—the trauma that left him with PTSD and in dire need of a sympathetic service animal. The planet itself has a lost geological history that the colonists want to recreate, by making a long-dry river flow anew. How could these lost and found pasts intersect? I think that was the real spark of the story.

Next for her: Next up for me is the final revision of the second book in my Starways series. In the first book, Witherspin, the Pastfinders’ leader Svetlana Tai surprised me by demanding some stage time. In the second book, Starmaze, she and her merry crew of archaeologist-adventurers turn out to play a major (and swashbuckling!) role.

Her TBR List: In the next weeks, I’ll be reading something, but I don’t know what. During the first COVID shut-down, I worked my way through a stack of unread Library books. Then I started investigating the books in my Kindle that I haven’t read. I’m still at it!

USA Today Best Selling Author J. C. Hay, Mittens Not Included (TriSystems: Smugglers Series):

Three little kittens have lost their way…

Story inspiration: I’ve been itching (because I’m allergic, see?) to introduce cats to the TriSystems for a while now, and knew that my smugglers would be the best place to bring these very rare, very expensive little creatures into the world. Rare and expensive, I hear you ask? Yes—Because every bit of weight was needed for human cargo as the colonists fled earth, Cats (and Dogs) came only as genetic stock, rather than as living animals. Because of the expense of reconstituting from DNA, Cats and Dogs are the companions of the extremely wealthy. Somehow it seems appropriate that creatures who were once worshipped as divine should be cherished and a treasure in their own right. As for what inspired the story specifically, I had only to look at my heroine. Someone brilliant and sensitive deserved the most good-hearted member of the Sentinel’s crew, and that meant the quiet, reclusive ship’s medic, Layth.

Next for him: I have several irons in the fire at the moment. People who’ve finished Mittens Not Included should expect to see more of the enigmatic Mr. Pierce, and more TriSystem Racing in the future. But I’ve also been trying my hand at something completely different—I’m going to keep those details under my hat at the moment, but rest assured, it’s still Sci-Fi, and it’s still Romance. I wouldn’t stray too far afield.

On his TBR List: I’ve been re-reading Cassandra Chandler’s Homeworld Security books, and ripping through Bec McMasters’s London Steampunk books as well. I just started The Mech Who Loved Me, and am enjoying it tremendously.

USA Today Best Selling Author Kyndra Hatch, Finding Mogha (Before the Fall Series):

A human’s effort to save a sentient being takes her straight into the path of a Korthan warrior.

Story inspiration: The California poppies inspired much of the world-building for the paradise world Dani and her companions crash on in Finding Mogha. They were so numerous this year and I spend a lot of time watching and photographing them. And clearly crashes on other worlds are a thing for me, as all three stories I’ve written in The Fall universe (Before The Fall series and After The Fall series) have involved some sort of shipwreck on an alien planet, lol.

Next for her: I’m looking ahead in the Before The Fall and After The Fall series universe. What all started with After The Fall in Pets In Space® 3 has turned into an expanded cosmos. It’s very exciting!

On her TBR List: Anything by Honey Phillips and Tiffany Roberts is on my TBR list these days. That is some inspirational alien romance writing right there, especially if you like your aliens to be very ‘alien!’

USA Today Best Selling Author Cassandra Chandler, Rate of Return (The Department of Homeworld Security Series):

Falling for an Earthling sends an alien and his adorable, six-legged pet in a tailspin.

Story inspiration: The universe of The Department of Homeworld Security is huge. Even after thirteenbooks, we’ve barely scratched the surface of everything that’s been building in my mind. I want to share more of all that with my readers. When I sat down to write my story for the Pets in Space® 5 anthology, I started thinking about the villain. I decided to make him be from a particular group of sentients that are causing problems for The Department of Homeworld Security and their allies. The more I learned about him, though, the more I realized he wasn’t this story’s villain…he was the hero! Serac is definitely the most complicated character in the series, and I loved learning more about him and seeing his struggles and triumphs. I also had so much fun learning about his people and their secrets and gifts. Rate of Return taught me even more about this universe, and I can’t wait to share it!

Next for her: I’ll be branching out even more in this universe, with several spin-off series in the works, starting with a deeper look at the Cygnians. Before I get to that, I’ve promised readers the third novel in my dark Sci-fi/Urban Fantasy Romance Blades of Janus series, which I hope to have out this year!

On her TBR List: My TBR list is always growing! I’ve been saving Varnog, the latest book in Regine Abel’s Xian Warriors series and plan to read that next, and I’m having a lot of fun reading Annette Marie’s The Guild Codex Spellbound Series.

Leslie Chase, Glitch (Crashland Colony Series):

An alien pirate and a human find love in the shadow of disaster.

Story inspiration: A lot of my books have pets in them, and in the Crashland Colony Romances, every human amongst the crashed colonists has a holographic companion animal. So when I got the chance to write a story for PISA5 I knew instantly that it would be a Crashland story, exploring those holographic pets. For a while now, I wanted to see what would happen if one got damaged, and that was the inspiration for Glitch, a hologram cat that doesn’t quite work right, but whose human still loves and cherishes him.That was the story seed, and everything grew from there. So I guess I was inspired by all those people who care for their pets even if they aren’t perfect, and look after the animals others reject. Wonderful people, all of them .

Next for her: I’m finishing up another Crashland book right now, the fifth novel in that setting. It ought to be out by the end of October, with any luck. After that I’ll move onto book three in my Salvaged Hearts series, or possibly a Christmas novella. I’ll have to see if the seasonal spirits grabbed me!

On her TBR List: So many books! I read fast, but not fast enough to keep up! Right now I’m looking forward to burying myself in Her Alien Captor by Zara Zenia and Juno Wells, and I’m also keen to read Soul Keeper by Tegan Maher.

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Feb 21 2020

Pets In Space 5 Announcement

Pauline B. Jones and I are thrilled to share that we will be doing a fifth annual Pets In Space® anthology this year! More details to come of course but this is our opening announcement.

I expect to write a STAR CRUISE story again this year, set on my interstellar cruise liner, the Nebula Zephyr, with the crew returning for a new adventure…but I’m still pondering the specific plot.

I’m excited about our list of authors as always – some who have been with us since PISA®1, a few who have joined more recently, several who stepped away for a volume or two and are now back with us, and two brand new-to-PISA® names, Michelle Diener and Leslie Chase. (Who are of course well known in the scifi romance genre!) It’s a great mix, I believe, and will provide many hours of exciting scifi romance reading.

And of course I’m thrilled we can do more for our chosen charity, Hero Dogs!

Oct 5 2018

Carol Van Natta Talks CATS OF WAR Pets In Space 3

Veronica: Always fun to talk scifi with USA Today Best Selling Author Carol Van Natta!

Carol: We writers of the stories for Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 are a wildly inventive lot. All the stories have romances, of course, because it is a science fiction romance anthology, but they also have some very unusual pets. They play a pivotal role in causing trouble, bringing the lovers together, and/or saving the day.

In my story, CATS OF WAR, the pets are two top-secret, genetically-engineered creatures named Novo and Boz. (For more about the ethics-challenged pet-trade industry that created them, see Pet Trade, my novella from last year’s anthology.) They are mostly feline, but with enhancements, such as wings, opposable thumbs (they can operate the can opener!), and camouflage coloring. Oh, and they’re telepathic. My own home cats insist that all space opera is better with cats, and for this story, I have to agree. See the excerpt below for the human heroine’s first introduction to the cats of war.

I asked the other authors in Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 to tell you about their story’s pets (don’t worry—no spoilers).

S.E. Smith: HEART OF THE CAT – Cinnamon and Spice are white Bengal tigers that were recovered from an illegal exotic animal trader. They are extremely protective of their mistress, which complicates things for my amorous hero.
Anna Hackett: DESERT HUNTER – Fiend is an alien canine of unknown origin. He’s big, scruffy and protective with a barbed tail to watch out for. He’s also hiding some dark secrets…
Ruby Lionsdrake: QUASHI — That’s the name of the species and the real start of the story. There are dozens of them in the adventure, but only Roberta gets named and does more than trill in a cage. These are like old Star Trek tribbles except they have legs, antennae, and blue fur. Favorite food? Apple slices. (BTW, Roberta is concerned that everybody else’s critter is a predator.)
Veronica Scott: STAR CRUISE MYSTERY DANCER: The pet is F’rrh, resembling a Siamese cat but with three eyes. F’rrh is a jenfellini, an alien spirit similar to a genie who doesn’t grant wishes but will occasionally utter a prophecy.
Pauline Baird Jones: OPERATION ARK: Tiger is a caticorn – he has a small horse body, but his head is a cat’s with a small, single horn in the center of his forehead. He has secrets and plays a key role in resolving a crisis in my story.
Alexis Glynn Latner: STARWAY – Strelka, nicknamed Star, is delicately built little dog with thick white fur. She’s a Wendisan Chivvier, the only dog breed native to the interstellar city called Wendis. Chivviers are bred to be very good at finding missing people and misplaced things.
E.D. Walker: THE BAJO CATS OF ANTEROS XII – I have two bajo kittens in my story. They’re brightly coloring (like a Lisa Frank illustration come to life), and they also secrete a psychotropic substance from their fur that causes some…uh, complications in my story.
Tiffany Roberts: HUNTER OF THE TIDE – Ikaros is a prixxir, a land and sea creature. They’re scale covered predators with sharp claws and teeth, very territorial, and are usually in packs. He’s fiercely protective of those he has bonded with and loves, who he has claimed as ‘his pack’, and will place himself in danger to defend them…despite being a pup. Prixxir are intelligent and can read body language and emotions, allowing Ikaros to be the perfect companion.
JC Hay: SHADOW OF THE PAST – JJ is an Umbra Wolf pup. Umbra Wolves are rendered mostly invisible when not in polarized light, and develop an empathic bond with the SpecOps soldiers they’re paired with. The wolfbond benefits both Ranger and Wolf, but carries a risk as the death of one can destroy the other as well.
Kyndra Hatch: AFTER THE FALL – H’tch and K’mi are moghas, which form a one-time bond with a Korthan biped. H’tch already has his alpha master companion, but K’mi is still waiting for one when the story starts. If it were possible to get a cross between a wolf and a fox of Earth, that’s what they generally look like, except that they have long antennae sticking up from the tips of their ears with feather-like tufts on the ends. They also have retractable fingers in their front paws that help them grab and climb.

Here’s the excerpt I promised you from CATS OF WAR. Ferra, the human main character, is in a prison of sorts, working off a restitution debt. When she discovers two creatures in the pouring rain, she feels compelled to smuggle them into her cell, despite the risks. Now that they and she are temporarily safe, she discovers what she has rescued.

Carol’s pets, Artist Nyssa Juneau

THE EXCERPT: She closed up the lab, returned the gravcart, and walked back to her cell. She closed and locked the door behind her, just like any other evening.

The bed looked inviting, but first, she had to look after the cats. She could feel their presence in her mind, even if she couldn’t see them. She used the wallcomp to turn up the lights and darken her only window.

The female oozed out from under the bed, followed by the male.

Now that she saw them in better light, she didn’t know what she was looking at. Wide, cat-like heads and ears, with narrower muzzles, and nose flaps. Mottled dark fur with a faint rosette pattern, and folded, bat-style wings with fine downy fur. No orange stripe on the female’s wing, so that must have been a trick of the light. Their front paws had sharp-looking claws and opposable toes. Their tails were long and ovoid.

We are cats. That was the female.

We were made for war, thought the male.

Food? asked the female.

Ferra didn’t know what to do with cats designed for war, since the Central Galactic Concordance government had kept the peace across the galaxy for the last two centuries, but she could do something about food.

She reached up to the top shelf of her closet to retrieve the mealpack she’d stashed there two days ago. She triggered the heater and put it on a narrow counter that served as the cell’s desk and table to warm.

She sat on the bed and pulled off her clammy shoes and tossed them onto the drying mat by the door. “Do you have names?”

The female’s tale twitched. Yes.

Ferra laughed. The cat was just like some AIs Ferra had known, unhelpfully literal and disdainful of imprecise questions. Ferra tried again, this time forming the words in her mind and projecting them to the female cat. What is your name?

My call sign is Novo Seventeen Alpha.

I am Bozlurian Four Delta, volunteered the male.

“I’ll just call you Novo and Boz, if you don’t mind.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Read more in CATS OF WAR, one of eleven new, original stories in
Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3

10% of the first month’s profits goes to Hero-Dogs.org

Story blurb for CATS OF WAR:

A repair technician must convince a disgraced military sub-captain to help her save two special cats before trouble engulfs them all.

Military Subcaptain Kedron Tauceti counts the days until he can leave the rare metals factory and his current duty station as the liaison to the Criminal Restitution and Indenture Obligation system. The post was protection—and punishment—for exposing a theft ring in his previous assignment. He’s more than ready to get his career back on track on a new base halfway across the galaxy, even if it means leaving behind the one person who makes him want to stay. Not that he’s told her, because technically, he’s her warden.

Former financial specialist and current indenturee Ferra Barray, hiding from her past, only has three months to go on her restitution sentence. She’s lucked into a tech repair job, and If she keeps her head down, she’ll be free to figure out her future. Unfortunately, the local boss behind every illegal scheme in the facility wants her to steal for him, and she’s running out of excuses. And now the heroically handsome Tauceti, who she hoped could help, is transferring out.

Everything changes when Ferra discovers two genetically modified cats. Saving them takes incredible risks. She doesn’t know what she’ll do if she can’t convince Tauceti to take them with him and keep them until she’s free to come for them.

When trouble erupts at the factory, it might just be the cats who save them. Find out what happens in this exciting stand-alone novella from Carol Van Natta’s award-winning Central Galactic Concordance space opera series.

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Anthology Blurb for Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3

Pets in Space is back! Join us as we unveil eleven original, never-before-published action-filled romances that will heat your blood and warm your heart! New York Times, USA Today and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, Anna Hackett, Ruby Lionsdrake, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Carol Van Natta, Tiffany Roberts, Alexis Glynn Latner, E D Walker, JC Hay, and Kyndra Hatch combine their love for Science Fiction Romance and pets to bring readers sexy, action-packed romances while helping our favorite charity.

Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space™ authors have donated over $4,400 in the past two years to help place specially trained dogs with disabled U.S. veterans and first responders.

Open your hearts and grab your limited release copy of Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 today!

Website: https://www.petsinspaceantho.com/

Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/4Dl6XA

Direct links:

KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/embrace-the-passion-pets-in-space-3

iBOOKS: https://itunes.apple.com/mt/book/embrace-the-passion-pets-in-space-3/id1414010304?mt=11

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/S_E_Smith_Embrace_the_Passion_Pets_in_Space_3?id=JghkDwAAQBAJ

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/embrace-the-passion-se-smith/1129099896?ean=2940155751496

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FNXKQJZ

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07FNXKQJZ

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FNXKQJZ

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07FNXKQJZ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40237564-embrace-the-passion

About the Author:

USA TODAY bestselling science fiction and fantasy author Carol Van Natta shares her Fort Collins, Colorado home with a resident mad scientist and various cats, all of whom would love to travel to the stars.

Sep 29 2018

Accept the Reality Weekend Writing Warriors

Switching to excerpts from STAR CRUISE: MYSTERY DANCER, my novel in the upcoming Embrace the Passion: Pets in Space 3 anthology! The story has a definite ‘Anastasia’ vibe…

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

The excerpt:

“The old world is gone—when will you accept the reality?” Massaging her temples as she and her companion revisited this familiar argument, Tassia couldn’t whip up much energy for the conversation, “There will never be a chance for me to become a high priestess of Normeia, much less to sit on the Fire Throne and show how I can make the magic flames dance at my command. We need to deal with what is, not what you wish would happen. The Ruatsar system doesn’t even belong to our family any more.”

“As long as you live, the bloodline lives,” Xandrina was stubborn.

Tassia bit her lip and went to get the stew before it grew stone cold, “Here, Madame, you must have something to eat.”

Xandrina waved away the bowl impatiently with one claw-like hand, “Show me what you learned today.”

“Are you crying? Madame, what’s wrong – are you in pain?”

“Our roads part now,” the elderly woman said, sniffing, “I read the cards three times while you were at class – death approaches, for myself certainly, for us both if you don’t leave now, tonight.”

Hand shaking, Tassia set her half eaten food aside, “The Ruatsar New Regime agents found us again?”

STAR CRUISE: MYSTERY DANCER blurb: Tassia Megg is a woman on the run after the death of her elderly guardian. Her search to get off the planet in a hurry comes when chance directs her to an open dance audition for the luxury cruise liner Nebula Zephyr’s resident troupe. If there is one thing Tassia can do, it 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. Life is about to get very interesting aboard the Nebula Zephyr as Liam tries to uncover the truth. Could F’rrh, the peculiar alien cat he has been hearing about, be the key to the mystery and Tassia’s fate?

Anthology Blurb:

Pets in Space™ is back! Join us as we unveil eleven original, never-before-published action-filled romances that will heat your blood and warm your heart! New York Times, USA Today and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, Anna Hackett, Ruby Lionsdrake, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Carol Van Natta, Tiffany Roberts, Alexis Glynn Latner, E D Walker, JC Hay, and Kyndra Hatch combine their love for Science Fiction Romance and pets to bring readers sexy, action-packed romances while helping our favorite charity. Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space™ authors have donated over $4,400 in the past two years to help place specially trained dogs with veterans. Open your hearts and grab your limited release copy of Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space™ 3 today!

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