Oct 3 2016

Guest Author Susan Grant Talks Foxbat the Soul Kitty and PETS IN SPACE

Veronica: NY Times Best Selling and RITA Award winning Susan Grant is one of those author names you always hear mentioned in the science fiction romance world, usually on a “Best of…” list. Many people began their enjoyment of SFR with one of her novels! When my friend, author Pauline B. Jones and I decided to put together the Pets In Space anthology, Susan was one of the first people we wanted to invite. As you’ll read in her blog post, Susan is a veteran and a pet lover, as well as a pilot and and an SFR author and….well, read for yourself!

Susan Grant:

I have always loved dogs and cats. But for someone who wanted pet dogs or cats so badly, the path to having some of my own was a strangely long and rocky road.

“Doggie” was one of my first words. “Kitty” soon followed. As soon as I could string together a sentence, I asked for a pet of my own. My mom gave me a toy dog on a leash. It had batteries that allowed it to bark and bounce, just like a real living, breathing, warm and cuddly puppy. Hmmm… Does this face look convinced to you?

me-toddler-toy-dog Next came a stray cat named Alice. I was around 7 years old. I set out food and water for her every day and gave her all the love a kitty could want. But she wasn’t allowed in the house. I had allergies, and my allergist told my parents that if I got a cat, I would die. Or, at least this was the reason they gave me. Not wanting to die, I accepted this, and loved Alice with all my heart until she disappreared one day after about a year. My mom told me that a band of hippies stole her and drove off with her in their car. (Or, in my imagination, a baby blue VW bus) However, I recently learned, some four decades after the fact, that Mom actually dropped Alice off at the pound. I hope from there Alice found her forever home, hippies or no.

I’m nothing if not persistent. And so I didn’t give up asking to have a dog or cat. I was allowed to have fish and even, incredibly, a parakeet named Pepper that I loved to pieces, but it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I was finally permitted my first mammal—a bunny. Elsie lived in a pen in the backyard. The neighbor’s dog ate her within the year. We built a better pen, and this time I got two bunnies, easier, now that the mammal-barrier at home had been broken. Or, maybe, my parents just felt bad for me. Either way, I lovingly raised Peter and Elsie 2 until I left home to attend college at the US Air Force Academy.

Four more years, no pets. Because—wait for it—pets were not allowed. But then, I graduated! As a newly commissioned second lieutenant about to start USAF pilot training, I dropped my moving boxes in my rental house in Del Rio, Texas, and wasted no time getting to the local pet shop, where a basket of kittens from a nearby ranch had just been dropped off. That’s when my soul kitty came into my life. I named her Foxbat after the infamous Russian MiG-25 fighter jet. It was, after all, in the middle of the Cold War. How better to neutralize a threat than by making it seem cute and cuddly? Here she is, not much bigger than my car keys:

baby-foxbat-on-bed Foxbat was so little when I brought her home that she slept in my slipper. I had a few sniffles at first, but they passed, and I proved my childhood allergist wrong—cat ownership did not in fact kill me. Foxbat attended all the pilot parties at our house, was partial to Cheetos, and was known to lick the mouths of empty beer bottles, and stayed up until all hours; she made many a military move to new duty stations, and then some.

foxbat-on-sofa-with-flight-jacket

me-in-front-of-t-38-2 Foxbat was no ordinary cat. I might have had to wait my entire life for her, but she was worth every moment. She used up every one of her nine lives, surviving even a rattlesnake bite, somehow making it home before she collapsed, miraculously making it to the vet before she stopped breathing. She bounced back better than ever, and went on to live nineteen adventurous years, until a devastating disease called FIV took her down. (There is a vaccination for FIV now, but there wasn’t then.)

Since Foxbat, many other pets have padded into my life and snuggled into my heart. My home has contained as many as seven dogs and cats at a time. But I still miss Foxbat. She will was and will always be my soul kitty.

me-in-t-43-cockpit A good pet is behind the smile of many a military veteran:

This is why supporting Hero Dogs via my new anthology Pets in Space means so much

When I wrote Stray, my novella in Pets in Space, I tried to capture the essence of the unique and powerful human-pet bond. In this excerpt, Lt. Lukas Frank has just received bad news about his fiancée, Captain Carlynn Riga. Even a tough Marine needs the support of a good dog.

Excerpt:

Bang-Bang waited by the doors, holding a sitting position where Lukas had left him during the briefing. The white tip of the dog’s tail batted against the floor, slowing as his yellowish, old-soul eyes zeroed in on the turmoil inside Lukas that the station’s staff could not see.

Lukas halted, his breath stuttering. The only other living thing capable of breaching his defenses and rendering him so transparent was Carlynn. Her eyes, the color of black coffee, had brought him to his knees more than once, turned him inside out, and showed him what love looked like when viewed in someone’s gaze.

He bent down on one knee, and Bang-Bang’s paw hooked over his forearm. “She’s missing.” He managed to get the words out. Inconceivable words. It seemed surreal that he might never see Carlynn again. Might never hold her…

The softest of sorrowful, high-pitched whines exited Bang-Bang’s throat, and Lukas almost lost it. He pressed his cheek to Bang-Bang’s. Kindred spirits. Their bond had been there from the moment they crashed into each other on the streets of Barésh, the filthy, overpopulated domed mining world around which Bezos Station orbited.

BANG BANG—two loud booms diverted his attention that night on patrol about a year ago. He had swung his weapon around, sweeping for threats, his heart racing way too fast, before he backed off and let out a shaky breath. Not Glenn-Musk. Not the attack. Not dozens of bodies tumbling into the vacuum of space, Lukas helpless to save them. No, the double bang was only a backfire from one of the rattletrap mining vehicles the Baréshtis drove. Then a street dog flew out from under a parked vehicle, headed right for him, two freakishly intelligent eyes broadcasting sheer terror. Lukas opened his hands like a pair of catcher’s mitts and caught him. The way the dog pressed close, trusting that Lukas would protect him even as his skinny body shivered and revealed his panic, got to him. Yeah, got to him good. A brush of coarse whiskers, a wet nose, and that was that. They were a team from then on.

The Blurb for “Stray”:

Interplanetary Marine Lt. Lukas Frank has a lot in common with a street dog named Bang-Bang; they both started off as scrappy orphans fighting to survive—and beat the odds. Things change when Bang-Bang leads Lukas to starpilot Capt. Carlynn Riga. The tough war hero learns what it means to surrender — his heart. Lukas’s struggles with PTSD threaten to tear the three of them apart, but nothing threatens them more than when Carlynn goes missing on a mission. Can a scarred marine and his unlikely canine partner find Carlynn and bring her home, or will he lose everything he’s finally found worth fighting for?

The Blurb for Pets In Space:

Even an alien needs a pet…

Join the adventure as nine pet loving sci-fi romance authors take you out of this world and pull you into their action-packed stories filled with suspense, laughter, and romance. The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they work side by side to help stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth to finding a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?

New York Times, USA TODAY, Award Winning, and Best selling authors have eight original, never-released stories and one expanded story giving readers nine amazing adventures that will capture your imagination and help a worthy charity. Come join us as we take you on nine amazing adventures that will change the way you look at your pet!

10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

The book releases October 11th! Pre-order links:

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pets-in-space/id1160010182…

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-petsinspace-212756…

GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/…/…/details/S_E_Smith_Pets_in_Space…

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/pets-in-space

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pets-in-space-p…/1124712730…

Oct 1 2016

What Does The Cat Know? 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 very excited about my new story Star Cruise: Stowaway, which is releasing in the PETS IN SPACE anthology on October 11th. So now we’re switching gears to excerpts from this new story!

The excerpt is from the beginning, when Cargo Master Owen Embersson knocks off work for the day and leaves his tiny office on the Nebula Zephyr.

Stepping onto the echoing deck, he called for Moby. She spent most of her evenings hunting vermin lurking among the monstrous crates and containers, but she usually passed the first part of the night in his cabin, eating the incredibly expensive cat food he had the ship’s AI keep in stock. Not much else to spend his salary on. “Come on, cat, I want my dinner even if you don’t,” he said to the elegant vision in white fur who trotted from the murky recesses of the deck. How she stayed clean when she spent her days prowling the cargo deck, he’d never know.

Purring, she came to his steel-tipped work shoes but evaded his effort to pick her up, moving just out of range the way felines did, as if cats could teleport. Moby scampered toward the towering stacks of cargo then turned. Seeing he’d failed to chase her, she sat, tail twitching, head tilted, eyeing him.

“What‘s the matter with you? I’m not in the mood to throw cat toys and retrieve them right now.”

The blurb for Star Cruise: Stowaway:

Cargo Master Owen Embersson is shocked when the Nebula Zephyr’s ship’s cat and her alien sidekick, Midorri, alert him to the presence of a stowaway. He has no idea of the dangerous complications to come – nor does he anticipate falling hard for the woman whose life he now holds in his hands. Life aboard the Nebula Zephyr has just become more interesting – and deadly.

PETS_In_Space_cover_art The blurb for the PETS IN SPACE anthology:

Even an alien needs a pet…

Pre Order Links Live Now:

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/pets-in-space/id1160010182…

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-petsinspace-212756…

GogglePlay: https://play.google.com/…/…/details/S_E_Smith_Pets_in_Space…

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/pets-in-space

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pets-in-space-p…/1124712730…

Apr 23 2016

The Outbreak Begins Weekend Writing Warriors

Sorry about the snafu last week with my post not coming up as scheduled. Thanks for the comments I did receive! Here’s the link to it: since that was the last snippet from LADY OF THE STAR WIND until the book releases in May. Then we’ll revisit it! (Moderators, please excuse me on this!) I WILL make the rounds today and comment, promise. Was on a plane last Sunday, coming back from the RT Booklovers Convention.

Here’s the first snippet from STAR CRUISE: OUTBREAK, which released this month:

The portal to the corridor burst open, and Mr. Enzell struggled into the lobby, half carrying his wife and surrounded by their white-faced children. Syl was sobbing in great gasps, and the boys’ faces were set in expressions of terror. The oldest had a blood-soaked wad of cloth pressed to his nose. Mrs. Enzell’s head lolled, and she looked as if she was crying tears of blood. Clint immediately moved to support the woman on the other side, calling for Emily as he did so.

“Seven hells, here we go.” Emily was right behind them as the men helped Mrs. Enzell to an exam room and onto the bed.

“Trynna started bleeding a few minutes ago, Doctor,” Mr. Enzell said as medical personnel hurried to get their new patient hooked up to monitors. “She said she was dizzy and then—then her eyes—she was—the tears were blood. And next thing I knew, my son’s nose was bleeding – what’s going on?”

The story:

She saved countless soldiers in the wars … but does she have the weapons to fight an outbreak?

Dr. Emily Shane, veteran of the Sector Wars, is known as “The Angel of Fantalar” for her bravery under fire as a medic. However, the doctor has her own war wounds–severe PTSD and guilt over those she failed to save.

Persuaded to fill a seemingly frivolous berth as ship’s doctor on the huge and luxurious interstellar cruise liner Nebula Zephyr, she finds the job brings unexpected perks–a luxe beach deck with water imported from Tahumaroa II, and Security Officer Jake Dilon, a fellow veteran who heats her up like a tropical sun.

However, Emily soon learns she and Jake didn’t leave all peril behind in the war. A mysterious ailment aboard the Zephyr begins to claim victim after victim … and they must race against time and space to find the cause and a cure! Trapped on a ship no spaceport will allow to dock, their efforts are complicated by a temperamental princess and a terrorist–one who won’t hesitate to take down any being in the way of his target. If anyone’s left when the disease is through with them…

Buy Links: Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble Apple iBooks

Here was one of my favorite moments from the RT convention. This charming gentleman, Vikkas Bhardwaj, is the cover model for my October release, as it happens!

Jul 28 2014

Guest Author Pippa Jay Talks TETHERED and SFR

Veronica: I’m very excited today to have author Pippa Jay as my guest, discussing her latest science fiction romance novel TETHERED. Pip and I are both members of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade and we share a love for all things sci fi. Take it away, Pip!

Pippa:

From the age of eight, when a certain Tatooine farmboy captured my imagination (and my heart), I’ve considered myself a SciFi author. I wrote my own version of Star Wars, a series of scifi stories linked by a bloodline spanning several decades inspired by Anne McCaffrey’s writing, some Doctor Who shorts (what would now be called fan fiction, I guess), and finally a Doctor Who novella that was my first ever completed work (rejected, but the fact that I finished was kudos enough for me at age eighteen).

Then I didn’t really write anything again until 2009, when I completed my second novel, Keir. It wasn’t until attempting to get what became my debut novel published that I discovered what I was writing was actually a little known genre called science fiction romance. And having found what felt like home, I had no intention of leaving. I love heavy tech SF and reading up on technology, but I try not to put too much into my writing. I won’t spend pages on technical details for how my characters throw themselves through space or the genetics of an alien species for fear it might slow things down too much. I do have psi talents such as telepathy and telekinesis (though these abilities are mostly alien in nature rather than magical). One of my even WIPs has intelligent griffins in it, though that’s not what they call themselves. As I began writing fantasy before I got hooked on SciFi, I guess it’s inevitable that there are still elements of my old genre seeping in.

But Tethered started out with the working title of Succubi. So how did I get from SF to writing a being that sits very firmly in the UF/paranormal category? Well…

I’d been chatting to a couple of friends on Twitter about how elves and dragons had cornered more than their fair share of the mythological representation in books. I was looking for some story ideas, and wondering about taking a lesser known mythical being and putting a SF twist on it. And so Succubi in Spaaaaace began.

Succubi was only the working title though, and a rough summary of my heroine’s ability. Because I am (or was – I’ve written paranormal since) a SF author at heart. And she certainly wasn’t a Daughter of Lilith type succubus. No. Tyree was a genetically engineered clone, and an assassin. She could alter her molecular density to either crush an opponent, or become incorporeal to ghost down corridors faster than a human could run, or walk through walls. Her method of assassination…well. ‘Succubus’ should give you a clue. As Tyree says herself, at least her victims die in ecstasy. 😛

While her abilities might appear more magical/paranormal, they have a scientific basis. Her people—the Inc-Su (taken from incubus and succubus—have genetically ‘perfected’ themselves over the centuries since they divided from humanity. Now living in seclusion from the rest of the human race, they regard themselves as superior, but their limited numbers put them at greater risk, so they still rely on their human neighbours. And as Tyree discovers, she needs a certain human more than she thought, even with her succubus abilities.

Tethered was a lot of fun to write, and I hope it will be fun to read. In the meantime, I’m going to carry on mixing those paranormal and fantasy elements into my SFR, and probably write some more PNR too.

Here’s the blurb for TETHERED:

She can kill with a kiss. But can assassin Tyree also heal one man’s grief, and bring peace to a galaxy threatened by war?

For Tyree of the Su, being an assassin isn’t simply something she was trained for. It’s the sole reason for her existence. A genetically enhanced clone—one of many in Refuge—she’s about to learn her secluded lifestyle, and that of all her kind, is under threat by a race capable of neutralizing their special talents to leave them defenseless.

For Zander D’joren, being a diplomat has not only cost him his appearance, but also the love of his life. Scarred, grieving, he must nonetheless continue in his role as co-delegate to the fearsome Tier-vane or risk a conflict that could only end one way.

Now both of them need to keep each other alive and maintain a perilous deception long enough to renegotiate the treaty with the Tier-vane, or throw their people into a war that could wipe out Terrans and Inc-Su alike. But there’s more at stake than humanity, whether true or modified. Can the love growing between them save them both? Or merely hasten their destruction?

Buy links:

Breathless Press – (and for the whole of August, Breathless Press is offering 50% off to celebrate their 5^th birthday!)

Smashwords Bookstrand All Romance ebooks Amazon US Amazon UK

Add it to your Goodreads TBR here – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22085149-tethered

Sign up to Pippa’s no-spam newsletter to get updated on the latest releases, giveaways and special offers. Exclusive snippets and stories coming soon! http://pippajay.blogspot.co.uk/p/newsletter-signup.html

A little more about Pippa herself:

After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.

(Veronica: I happen to know there are some “chooks” and walking stick insects in the Jay household as well!)

Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include a YA science fiction novel—Gethyon—published through BURST (Champagne Books), three self-published short stories (Terms & Conditions Apply, The Bones of the Sea, and Reboot), and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology—Tales from the SFR Brigade. She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3^rd place), and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2^nd place).

You can stalk her at her website http://pippajay.co.uk, or at her blog http://pippajay.blogspot.co.uk, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.

Other Blogs & Social Media:

Adventures in Scifi – http://www.pippajay.blogspot.co.uk

Spacefreighters Lounge – http://www.spacefreighters.blogspot.com

Romancing the Genres – http://www.romancingthegenres.blogspot.co.uk/

SFR Brigade – http://www.sfrcontests.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/pippajaygreen

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5054558.Pippa_Jay

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pippa-Jay-Adventures-in-Scifi/114058821953752

Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/pippajaygreen/

Google+ – https://plus.google.com/u/0/101080630877126516448/posts

Wattpad – http://www.wattpad.com/user/PippaJay

Amazon page – http://www.amazon.com/Pippa-Jay/e/B0080QVWEE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1406376408&sr=8-1

Oct 18 2013

A Rescue Attempt SFR Brigade Presents WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM

(The link is here to find other excerpts from novels or WIP written by Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members.)

I thought I’d keep going a bit longer with excerpts from my 2013 SFR Galaxy Award winning novel WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, which is a loose retelling of the Titanic sinking, set in the far future on a spaceliner. Nick Jameson, Sector Special Forces operator, has been awakened in the middle of the night, thrown from his bed by some violent maneuver of the SMT Nebula Dream, which now seems badly damaged. Crew members are nowhere to be seen. He’s gotten a lifeboat loaded with passengers…but he’s had something else on his mind….Mara Lyrae is a woman he met earlier on the cruise and is more than slightly interested in.

Here’s the 200 word excerpt and the story blurb is below the picture:

“Help! I need help – there are people trapped in a cabin on the next level.”

Mara!

Hoping he was right, Nick craned to see who it was. Sure enough, to his great relief, Mara Lyrae came running up to the ring of volunteers at the LB portal. He’d been prepared to search the entire ship for her if necessary, but now here she was.

Sensibly dressed but disheveled, her hair loose around her shoulders, Mara worked her way through the rapidly thinning crowd, gaze locking onto him. “Please, I need someone to come to Level Two.” His men let her through the cordon and she grabbed at Nick’s arm. “I’m so glad you’re still aboard. It’s the family who was on the shuttle with us? I can hear the children crying in their cabin, but I can’t get the door to open far enough to get in. The boy says his mother is trapped under something.” Mara bit her lip, shoving her hair away from her face. “And they can’t get out of the back bedroom, or won’t try.”

After hearing about trapped children, Nick knew he’d stay on board as long as it took to free them. But first, she needs to be safe. “Tell me exactly where on the Second Level and I’ll go. You get in this LB.” Nick reached out to take her by the arm, intending to guide her through the portal.

“No,” She took a hasty step away from Nick, shaking her head vehemently. “I promised that little boy I’d come for them myself, as soon as I found their father, or someone. If you’re going to help me with this, then we have to hurry.”

Here’s the story:

Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he’ll gamble at the casino, take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.

All his plans vaporize when the ship suffers a wreck of Titanic proportions. Captain and crew abandon ship, leaving the 8000 passengers stranded without enough lifeboats and drifting unarmed in enemy territory. Aided by Mara, Nick must find a way off the doomed ship for himself and several other innocent people before deadly enemy forces reach them or the ship’s malfunctioning engines finish ticking down to self destruction.

But can Nick conquer the demons from his past that tell him he’ll fail these innocent people just as he failed to save his Special Forces team? Will he outpace his own doubts to win this vital race against time?

This Best Selling Science Fiction Adventure is Available from Smashwords , Amazon Barnes & Noble All Romance eBooks and iTunes Also available from Amazon as trade paperback here

Audiobook, narrated by Actor Michael Riffle – Available Now at Amazon and iTunes