Dec 9 2023

First Meeting: STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD A SciFi Rockstar Romance

I’ve decided to change up these weekly snippets and go through my backlist, sharing the first meeting between the two main characters in each book. It’s always fun for me to revisit the books and I hope it will be for you too! Or if you’ve never happened to read a certain book, maybe I can entice you into giving it a try.

VS: STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD was my first rockstar romance – I love to read them and it had finally occurred to me I could write one. I did all kinds of research, including watching several documentaries about rock singers’ tours, which was fun. The majority of the plot takes place on the Nebula Zephyr, my interstellar luxury cruise ship.

The excerpt:

The ship’s AI spoke in his ear. “All Security Officers, I have a situation in the casino observatory level.”

Grant hastened his pace. “I’m right there, responding now. What’s up?”

“There’s an unruly crowd gathering. Passenger Karissa Dawnstar was doing an autograph signing and apparently word has spread.”

“There’s no such event on the calendar for today.” Jake Dilon, head of the ship’s security detail spoke up on the private com.

He sure sounds pissed. Grant paused at the entrance to the casino. The crowd was huge and growing, jostling for position in the line to reach the observatory. The queue snaked between the gaming tables.

“Our passenger and her entourage are alarmed,” the AI said.

“Listen, there must be a couple hundred people here,” Grant said. “I’m going in the back way and extract the lady. Then the rest of you can do crowd control and disperse these fans. It’ll be easier to persuade them to leave when Karissa isn’t here anymore.”

“Go for it,” Jake said.

Grant backed out of the casino and ran to the nearest crew-only gravlift. Once inside the system he transferred to the small tube giving access to the observatory. Emerging from the concealed door at the far end, he found himself behind the singer and her entourage, who were backed against the bulkhead by a clamoring crowd, only a small table separating them from the fans. The singer herself was easy to identify, clad in a sparkling, short blue and green dress, lavender boots to the knees and her towering pink hair ornamented with silver braids. He shouldered his way through the crowd and touched her arm. Startled, she turned to him, her blue eyes wide with fear.

“Ship’s security, Miss Dawnstar, here to get you out.” Grant took her elbow in a firm grip and towed her sideways, away from her entourage.

A cry went up from the front row of fans. A stocky individual Grant recognized from the briefing earlier in the day as Karissa’s manager, glared at him. “What the seven hells do you think you’re doing, pal?”

“Removing this lady from a bad situation before anyone gets hurt,” Grant said. “You’ll be hearing from my boss later about this unauthorized event.”

“It’s fine, Ted,” Karissa said, keeping pace with Grant. “This is out of control, we’ve got kids here and someone might get trampled. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Surprised but relieved she was so sensible; Grant got them both into the gravlift and sealed the portal in the other man’s face.

“Do you mind letting go?” Karissa raised her eyebrows and glanced at his hand on her arm. “Unless I’m under arrest?”

“Sorry.” He released her and allowed himself to drift a little away from her in the silvery antigrav stream. “Someone’s going to be in trouble for this stunt, but not you, unless it was your idea.” He keyed his com to report in. “I’ve got Karissa and we’re on the move.”

“Good work. We’re clearing the casino now,” Jake answered. “A Level is congested, can you take her to my office on level 13 until the situation clears? Then you can escort her to her suite.”

“Will do.” Raising his voice from the nearly inaudible tones the AI utilized for private communications, he addressed his companion. “We’ll have to hang out in my boss’s office for a bit.”

“So I’m in detention?” Tilting her head, she smiled.

“No, of course not, Miss Dawnstar.” Very important passenger, keep the tone congenial. He might not relish this job but it was his employment for now and he couldn’t afford to blow it off over annoyance with a pop star. “This was for your safety and the safety of the other passengers.”

“Just Karissa,” she said. Hands on her hips as she floated in the gravlift, she raised her eyebrows. “And you are?”

“Sorry, Officer Grant Barton.” He reached out to shake the hand she offered and tried not to stare at her wildly decorated fingernails and the jewel-encrusted ring big as his palm. “Should have introduced myself earlier but I was concentrating on the extraction.”

Everything he said seemed to amuse her, as she chuckled now. “Like a dentist?”

“What? No, sorry, military terminology for removing personnel when it’s considered imperative they be immediately relocated out of a hostile environment and taken to a secure area.”

“My fans certainly aren’t hostile.” Her frown was epic, her arched eyebrows punctuating her displeasure. “Over-enthusiastic sometimes maybe.”

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STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD by Veronica Scott

This novella was previously released in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology. My scifi rockstar romance!

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

Nov 11 2023

First Meeting: STAR CRUISE STAR SONG SciFi Rockstar Romance

I’ve decided to change up these weekly snippets and go through my backlist, sharing the first meeting between the two main characters in each book. I’m going roughly in the order of first publication. It’s always fun for me to revisit the books and I hope it will be for you too! Or if you’ve never happened to read a certain book, maybe I can entice you into giving it a try.

STAR CRUISE ROCK STAR is my second in this “love boat of the stars” series with a galaxy-famous rock star as one of the main characters. I love rock star romances and it’s been fun to write my own, set in my scifi romance world.

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The excerpt – Addy is a new graduate from a highly regarded interstellar technical school, just joining the ship’s engineering crew. She’s on her way to the shuttle when:

Addy passed a robo kiosk selling feelgoods and snacks and gasped as a man stepped out from his position slightly behind the unit, grabbing her by the arm. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said, speaking quickly, right into her ear. “I mean you no harm. I need a favor. You’re on the crew?”

She stared at him, not quite ready to scream and make a fuss yet—Addy avoided becoming the center of all eyes whenever possible. He was tall and scruffy around the edges, and had a battered leather satchel and an oddly shaped instrument case waiting in the spot where he’d been lurking. Under the beard and brown hair caught back in a messy braid, he was handsome and his eyes were breathtakingly blue. She blinked, mesmerized because she’d never seen anyone with such gorgeous eyes.

He glanced past her to the crowd milling around close to the gates and clenched his jaw. “Listen, miss, I’m a passenger—I can show you my ticket if you like—but I need help getting on board without a lot of undue attention. If you’ll walk with me and pretend to be my girlfriend for ten minutes, get me inside the crew shuttle, I’ll buy you the best dinner available on board the Nebula Zephyr tomorrow night. Deal?”

“Oh,” she said, understanding dawning. Addy studied the noisy hubbub nearby. “All of them are waiting for you?” He didn’t look like a celebrity other than when it came to his beautiful eyes. Maybe he’s a famous criminal. Either way he’s a passenger and customer service is our line’s hallmark. The principle had been drummed into her during the online orientation holo class. As an engine room specialist she hadn’t expected to have anything to do with the passengers. Flustered, she said, “I guess that’d be okay but you probably should show me your boarding pass first. I can’t let a pirate or a mobster on board.” As if she’d recognize such a person but Addy consoled herself asking for a pass was an official act and if he couldn’t produce one, she’d terminate this interaction, gorgeous eyes or not.

With a frown, as if he hadn’t meant his offer to locate the pass, he pulled her further into the tiny bit of privacy the vending machine created and rummaged in his satchel while she waited. He flashed the pass at her with a resigned expression on his face.

“Ryder McRhodes,” she read. The name had absolutely no meaning to her but the pass seemed genuine and the holo stamp flickered authentically. “All right, come with me then. I can’t guarantee the shuttle pilot will let you on board but at least we can get past the people you want to avoid.”

He kissed her cheek exuberantly. “You’re an angel.” He grabbed the satchel and the instrument case, slinging it across his back and put his other arm around her waist, drawing her close. “I owe you.”

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They walked together as if they actually were a couple and Addy was acutely conscious of his muscular body close to hers. He smelled like clean fresh citrus, underlaid with a darker spice and the mere thought surprised Addy, who wasn’t used to thinking in such sensory terms. She liked the sensation of being pressed close to him and she loved not being alone. All of which was confusing. This person was a total stranger and he was taking liberties in the way he held her so shouldn’t she be outraged? Indignant?

But her body was having a completely different reaction and the unaccustomed feelings were distracting.

They’d walked past the bulk of the raucous crowd with no problem but one man split off and accosted them. “Are you Ryder McRhodes?” he asked her companion.

“Naw, man, although I’m flattered.” As he lied, the passenger laughed as if he was without a single care in the world. He hugged Addy closer and said, “Just trying to get back to my ship on time with my girl here, after a day sightseeing.” He lifted Addy’s badge, which was hanging on a lanyard around her neck and flashed it. “See? We’re crew.”

“Engineering,” she said with the conviction of truth. Although she was puzzled by the whole encounter, Addy smiled and kept walking as Ryder did and they went through the gate to the restricted crew only area with no problem. The man heaved a huge sigh.

“And we’re golden now,” he said. “I can’t thank you enough.”

VS: Maybe Addy has been keeping her nose in the technical manuals too long…but Ryder will open her eyes to a whole new world. And she will become his unlikely muse as he prepares for a comeback…

STAR CRUISE STAR SONG

Addy Tryndall is a fresh graduate from a highly respected engineering college in the Sectors, on her way to a plum job on the Nebula Zephyr cruise ship. She knows she’ll be on probation but she’s determined to succeed and nothing is going to distract her.

Ryder McRhodes is a has-been interstellar rock star, on his way to reunite with his fellow band members to see if the lightning of mega success will strike twice for them. He isn’t sure he wants to be in the spotlight again and he hasn’t been able to write music since the band broke up.

Addy has secrets. Ryder needs a muse to unblock the creative flow…could her tightly guarded past be the answer to his problem? When the two are thrown together in an attempt to avoid the interstellar paparazzi he’s intrigued. She’s wary.

And someone is sabotaging systems on the Nebula Zephyr. Addy unwittingly finds herself in the middle of the situation while juggling her increasing attraction to Ryder and her challenges on the new job. Can she trust him with her secret? Or will he break her heart?

The danger on board comes ever closer to Addy as the cruise continues…

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Dec 17 2022

He Needs Help 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!)

I’m now taking snippets from my newly released novel STAR CRUISE STAR SONG.

The snippet from close to the beginning of the book. Addy is at the spaceport on her way to join her new spaceship, the Nebula Zephyr cruise liner:

VS: I’m skipping next week due to the holiday but will be back with more snippets in January. Happy holidays!