Brass Band 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.

Excerpts from my newly released novel COLONY ON FIRE.

The snippet – Saffia and Micah and one of her nurses have flown the mobile clinic up to Northern Station, the remote, very small village. Last week a bet was made whether there’d be a parade. Roann is the nurse. Continuing on…:

There was a knock on the cockpit door and Roann stuck her head in. “Hey, you guys, sorry to interrupt and all but there’s kind of a brass band waiting outside.”

“What?” Saffia straightened in shock and Micah stepped out of the way as she surged to her feet. Activating the outer vids she saw her nurse wasn’t kidding. A group was waiting on the edge of the landing pad and there did indeed seem to be a small band.

“Told you.” Micah was gracious enough in victory not to laugh as he stood aside for her to pass on the way out into the main cabin. “Face it, you’re a big deal, doc.”

Normally she wasn’t vain about her appearance but Saffia wished she could take a moment to at least fix her hair a bit but she’d already kept the good people of Northern Station waiting long enough. Mortified, she triggered the portal and Gretchen’s ramp slid out as the panel moved efficiently aside. There was a cheer as she stepped onto the ground and the band struck up a slightly wavering rendition of a fanfare. With annoyance she was aware of Micah stifling his amusement behind her, whether he was taking delight in being right about the scale of her welcome or the dubious musicality of the band she had no idea.

Roann came behind him. “Whoa, the town is sure pulling out all the stops for us, doctor.”

VS: But is there an actual parade??? Tune in next week…

COLONY ON FIRE: HAVEN COLONY BOOK TWO

When she came to Haven Two Dr. Saffia Mandell expected to grimly do her five years of medical service as the colony’s only doctor, work off her medical school debt and leave. Then she’d fallen in love, handled an epidemic and become an accepted member of the community. Now, in her second year, she faces new challenges as the tinder dry planet heads into a fire season and a mysterious food allergy threatens the local restaurant’s reputation.

Chief Ranger Micah Navonn of the Calinurra never expected to fall in love with a human woman but Saffia was a special person who captured his heart and now means everything to him. Not all of his people are as enthusiastic about the situation and his efforts to handle the politics are getting complicated. Add to that an infestation by insects from another world, causing portions of the forest to die off and his plate is full.

When the jet stream shifts course and the fires rage, will the colonists and the Calinurra set aside their differences? With Saffia’s life hanging in the balance, can Micah arrive in time to save her and the colonists in jeopardy?
Life on Haven Two never lets up.

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The Drums Were Her Heartbeat Weekend Writing Warriors

Warriors logo revisedHere’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!)

Apologies in advance but I’ll be slow getting to comment on other posts this week…helping out with my new grandbaby – YAY!!!

I’m continuing on with my latest release, Star Survivor for the last week. The book is on sale if you want to know how things turn out LOL!

Next week will be from something else…

(Blurb for Star Survivor below the excerpt.) Edited a bit from published version, mostly for punctuation. Twilka and Khevan are on the run, trying to evade other assassins, since the Red Lady has a kill order out on Twilka. The couple are in a bad area of town, waiting for their friend Nick to arrive. Khevan’s last line, last week, was  “I didn’t abandon you on Temple Home, at least not willingly.”

Tilting her head, Twilka raised both eyebrows, “Seemed like it to me. Did I ever see you again, did you send word, say goodbye?”

“I couldn’t,” Leaning his head against the wall, he closed his eyes, “What do you remember of our final evening?”

“Drums. There we were in the White Lady’s temple across the great square and your Red Lady had her people pounding the drums, for a ritual, you said. The sound echoed—it was eerie. The percussion symphony gave me a migraine, but you were restless, pacing, agitated. I went to bed and you left the room. And I never saw you again until the other night on the Nebula Zephyr.”

“The drums were her heartbeat.”

Star Survivor by Veronica ScottThe story:

The survivors of a terrible wreck meet again—but this time only one can survive.

They survived an iconic spaceship wreck together. She never expected to see him again … especially not armed to kill her.

Twilka Zabour is an interstellar celebrity. She built on her notoriety as a carefree Socialite who survived the terrible wreck of the Nebula Dream, and launched a successful design house. But now the man who gave meaning to her life, then left her, is back–this time for the worst of reasons. Will he kill her … or help her survive?

D’nvannae Brother Khevan survived the Nebula Dream in the company of a lovely, warm woman, only to be pulled away from her, back into his solitary life in the service of the Red Lady.  Now Twilka’s within his reach again–for all the wrong reasons. Khevan will do everything within his power to discover why Twilka has been targeted for assassination, and to save her.

But Khevan is not Twilka’s only pursuer. Will allies Nick and Mara Jameson arrive in time to aid the couple, or will Khevan and Twilka’s ingenuity be all that stands between them and death?

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Interview with The Audiobook Narrator ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE

Escape-from-Zulaire2HighResOver at the USA Today Happily Ever After blog, my current  SciFi Encounters column is about making HEAscience fiction romance audiobooks. I’m talking to actor Michael Riffle and actress Mary Fegreus, the stars of Escape From Zulaire, my newest book to be made into the audio format. The’re discussing how they prepared to bring the book to life and how it was to work together, including on the steamier scenes!

I’ve interviewed Michael before on this blog, when he narrated my Wreck of the Nebula Dream in 2013. I thought it might be fun to pull a few tidbits from the Archives, regarding things he shared with us then, about himself and that novel.

Excerpted From the  March 2013 Archives:

Did you have a favorite scene in Wreck of the Nebula Dream? A scene that was especially challenging?
I think the most challenging scene was (SPOILERS!) in chapter seven when [Character X] didn’t survive.  I have a really close relationship with my mother, and when the Character thought Nick was her son at the end I visualized my mother saying that and I actually had to stop recording for a few minutes because I got choked up.  The dangers of making the work too personal, I guess!
VS: I remember when you were doing the recording you’d tweeted that Chapter made you a bit sad. I’m touched that the scene had such an effect.

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I really enjoyed the way you brought each of the characters to life – not only Nick the hero but also wide variety of people he was trying to save from the wrecked ship. What goes on in your mind as you create each unique voice?
I think the biggest influence on what I try to do with my voice comes from your description of the characters.  Not just how their voice is described, but how they hold themselves, what sort of personality do they have, how they are feeling during the whole process.  I try to equate each character to someone I know, or a character I’ve seen in a movie or television, something to ground it in reality.  I might be a little selfish by giving my own voice to Nick.  It’s hard to NOT want to be the modest, able-bodied hero who gets the girl.
VS: I had a number of auditions submitted for the book and I have to say I knew you were Nick from the first word you said! It was amazing to “hear” my character and I was in no doubt who I HAD to have narrate the book LOL.

1284217_33761472Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedI came up with some unusual words and names, given that Wreck of the Nebula Dream was a science fiction novel. Was there anything or anyone you wished you could rename? (I promise it won’t hurt my feelings LOL)
Hahaha, I was so worried about mispronouncing things.  I said D’nvannae wrong so many times when I started this.  I think if I could change anything I’d change Mellure, and only because I had a terrible habit of adding a Y to it for no good reason.  My mouth always wanted to say Meh-lyoor.
VS: And even though we did some advance discussion about pronunciation, we never discussed the name of the alien pirate race, Shemdylann. You say it differently than I heard it in my head when I wrote the book but the first time I heard how you said it, I knew you had it right, not me!
MR: Haha, and I changed my mind about it halfway through the chapter and had to go back and rerecord a big section.

What was the best piece of advice you ever received?
My mom said to me (on more occasions than she should probably have had to) “You only truly fail if you don’t try.”  It’s a lesson I have a hard time learning, but it’s damn good advice.

A few quickfire questions:

Can’t live without: Technology – I’m a nerd to the bone.
Would love to work with: Nathan Fillion VS sez: Wouldn’t we all 🙂
Show I can’t miss: I’ve got Netflix, HuluPlus, and Crackle.  I binge watch whole seasons of anything.
Best dinner I ever ate: Went outside of my price range to Cube on La Brea.  Good lord. Delicious.

Nick drinks interstellar brandy and ice planet vodka (not in the same glass) – what’s your favorite drink?
I learned this one at the Irish Village in Brighton, Mass.
1 part Powers Irish Whiskey, 1 lemon wedge with cloves, 1 barspoon full of raw sugar, splash of Sandeman port
muddle in glass
add 4 parts boiling water
You have yourself a Hot Whiskey (or Hot Toddy) – Cures all ills, improves ailing throats, and is basically magical.

Buy Links for the audiobooks:

WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM    Amazon       Audible.com

ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE        Amazon     Audible.com