Oct 24 2015

Does She Outrank Me? Snippet from WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM (“Titanic in space”)

From the Archive, updated a bit, from a happy day for me as an author:

Yesterday (VS NOTE: This occured in 2015) Nalini Singh (who is one of my very favorite authors in the whole world) told me she’d enjoyed Wreck of the Nebula Dream! I was walking on air about that, so here’s a quick excerpt from the book (also known as “Titanic in space…”). The idea of my favorite author reading my book is just….well, FUN.

I was always so sad about all the Third Class children who perished on the Titanic so when I wrote my novel I made sure to have two young children who do get saved and all the adult characters make every effort to be sure it happens. Bythe way, if you’re curious to find out what happened to the kids as grownup survivors Star Cruise Return Voyage deals with Gianna’s decision to take another interstellar trip aboard a sister ship to the one that was destroyed. (See details below)

The first speaker is Paolo, an eight year old Nick has rescued, along with his little sister, from a destroyed cabin, where their mother was killed in the wreck. Their father is MIA. They’re traveling with the rest of their small party in a gravlift inside the damaged ship:

“Why do you call me trooper?”

“Well, because the rest of us are taller than you and we outrank you, but you’re definitely one of the team, which makes you a trooper.” Nick reached out and ruffled the boy’s hair. “First class.”

“I like it.” Paolo glanced shyly at Nick as they continued to descend. “Gianna doesn’t outrank me, does she? She’s just a baby.”

Nick laughed. “No, you rank her by age; relax and watch your feet – don’t want to land wrong and twist an ankle.”

WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM

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?

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VS: The three books are also available as a box set!

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More Reviews:

5 Star Review from Mark at The Masquerade Crew:

“What a rush!

After a little bit of set up, this story won’t let you go. It’s got action, adventure, and a dash of romance. It pays homage to it’s Titanic origins without being cheesy or overdone. The characters are not only believable but different from one another—like real people—which is sometimes hard to achieve. ”

From BOOK REVIEWERS CLUB: 5 Stars!:

“… I’d read it again… it’s an adrenaline rush ride…It has action, adventure and tension. It’s also just a little bit of romance, and it has a satisfying ending. The writing is excellent and it’s easy to read.”

See the video of the entire review at their website or on Amazon

From HAVE YOU HEARD MY BOOK REVIEW – 5 Stars!:

“Thrilling scifi action will have you enjoying this take on the Titanic story. … The twist on the story makes the time honored tale fresh and delightful. I found the characters to be lovable and strong when it comes down to do or die. I can’t imagine another disaster like the Titanic happening, but I would hope there would be a “Nick” on every ship sailing. This is an easy read and you’ll be thinking about it for days after you read it. “

Oct 22 2015

SFR Audiobook Narrator Turns the Tables on Veronica Scott

The audiobook of Mission to Mahjundar is now available on Amazon, Audible.com and iTunes (sound sample below). Actor Michael Riffle and I’ve done a fun interview on the subject, over at USA Today Happily Ever After. This time, for the sake of variety, we’ve turned the tables and he interviewed me, asking questions about my science fiction world of the Sectors. We invite you to check out the interview!

Here’s the story for Mission to Mahjundar:

An attempted assassination left Princess Shalira blind as a child and, now that she’s of marriageable age, her prospects are not good because of her disability. She’s resigned herself to an arranged marriage rather than face life under the thumb of her cold stepmother. But then she meets Mike Varone, a Sectors Special Forces officer sent to Mahjundar by the intergalactic government to retrieve a ship lost in her planet’s mountains. After Mike saves Shalira from another assassination attempt, she arranges for him to escort her across the planet to her future husband. She’s already falling hard for the deadly offworlder and knows she should deny herself the temptation he represents, but taking Mike along to protect her is the only way she’ll live long enough to escape her ruthless stepmother.

Mike, for his part, resists his growing attraction to the princess; he has a mission on this planet and rescuing the vulnerable but brave princess isn’t it. No matter how much he wishes it could be.

But what should have been an easy trek through Mahjundar’s peaceful lands swiftly turns into an ambush with danger around every turn. Shalira’s marriage begins to seem less like an arranged union and more like yet another planned assassination. The more they work together to survive, the harder it becomes to stop themselves from falling in love. Caught in a race against time, can they escape the hostile forces hunting them and make it off the planet?

One question we didn’t have room for in the USA Today column:

Michael: While narrating Mission to Mahjundar, I noticed several places where there were hints of deep political intrigue, but the story couldn’t have easily followed it. Without giving too much away, can you tell us more about what was going on behind the scenes with the explosion that led to Michael and Shalira meeting? I smelled a hint of a rebellion or insurrection.

Veronica: Originally there was a lot more in the book about the growing resistance to the empress and her plans. Her attempts to install a new religion were part of the political upheaval. Captain Rojar played a much bigger part in the attempt to overthrow her, and I was setting him up for a possible sequel throughout the book when I first wrote the story. I’d even considered a sequel with Mike and Shalira returning to Mahjundar!

Sep 25 2015

To Wear Real Clothes Or Not, Asks Guest Author Liza O’Connor

Veronica: My guest today is science fiction romance author Liza O’Connor, talking about her novel Surviving Terranue. Take it away, Liza, and tell us more about the question you’ve posed in the blog post’s title…sounds highly intriguing!

Liza: Sounds risqué, but in Tamara’s case, it’s more a question of practicalities.

Tamara is no longer corporal. She’s part of a three bonded soul, but she’s no longer technically human. Her human body was murdered six years ago. While she can manipulate billions of molecules, she only creates what she needs to appear human. A great deal of her molecules has to be used to create lungs, a throat and a great deal more so she can speak.

So why are clothes an issue?

To be honest, weaved clothing is a royal pain to re-create in detail, all those lines of thread crisscrossing, gathers, zippers, stitching… It’s much easier to drape real clothes over her life-like body. But there are times where real clothing is a liability.

Such as when she goes hunting with Colton. Real clothes carry a scent that other animals can smell. Tamara hadn’t even realized this problem because she can’t smell. While her form has a nose, it doesn’t function. That is way beyond her understanding of biology, and frankly not worth the effort to learn since during the three deadly seasons, most of the colonists don’t bathe. The last thing she’d want to do is smell them. They are annoying enough scentless.

Normally, when outside, especially when other colonists are not about, she won’t wear real clothes. She often won’t even create a body. If she’s doing manual work that requires a physical form, she’ll create the appearance of clothes, but if you look close, you’ll realize the fabric has no weave or stitching or tears.

Clearly women would notice this oddity, so if she’s going to be anywhere around the ladies, she has to wear real clothes. And she’s very hard on real clothes, so Saran, one of her soul-bonds is always having to repair the two jumpersuits Tamara possesses.

And the more tears the two outfits get, the more Tamara has to wear them instead of creating an outfit from molecules since there is no way she is going to memorize and duplicate the hundreds of small tears and stains her real clothes have aquired.

Also, if it’s raining, she needs to wear real clothes, because otherwise, she’ll come in all dry, which would be weird.

If she plans to assist the men, she’ll leave the cave as a spirit then appear behind a large rock or tree, dressed for the day’s work. The men never notice her clothes have no weave patterns. Honestly, most of them want nothing to do with her. She is one bossy crew chief and has tossed a great deal of them to the ground for not obeying her commands.

The story for Surviving Terranue: Leading a colony of frightened people on a new world is rarely easy. The human colonists of Terranue have as their leader, Tamsarandem, the only Soul-bond of Three that has ever existed. Unfortunately, some perceive the innate kindness in the shaman’s choice of leaders as a weakness, thus, challenges begin. From the moment they arrive on the planet, self-survival instincts take hold among the colonists, putting the survival of the colony at risk.

To survive, they must act for the good of the colony rather themselves, even when their natural instincts tell them to do the opposite. First, they must befriend the dominant intelligent life form on the planet, long-haired blue cattle, only slightly smaller than the blue bull Tamsarandem brought with them. Second, they must find a way to survive three of the planet’s five seasons. Otherwise, they’ll be baked, frozen, and pummeled to death. Third, they must protect themselves from the giant bears, saber tooth lions, and T. rexes that roam their planet. But worst of all, deep within the planet, a seed of evil grows, waiting to devour every living creature on the surface.

Every day in their new paradise is a challenge to survive. Despite all the advantages the Gods have provided, success is neither easy nor certain, and people are rarely as good as they need to be.

Excerpt

Colton jumped a foot in the air when Tamara spoke directly behind him.

“At least now we know what the ship was shooting at. The captain probably didn’t like the T. rex being so close to the wagons.”

Her nonchalance upset him. “Dmitri drove the last wagon and would have been the most vulnerable.” Colton stared at her. “You do realize how vital you three are to this colony?”

She smiled.

“I ask, because I’m not sure you do. You take too many chances with your lives. The colony won’t last a week without Tamsarandem. So with all respect, I must ask why you didn’t stay on the rock.”

“You and I will travel often across these lands, so you need to know a truth that I do not wish to share with the others just yet. Thus, I require your oath of silence.”

“You have it,” he replied without hesitation.

“You do not need to worry for my safety. I cannot be harmed. I am here to protect you.”

Her words made no sense. “What do you mean you cannot be harmed?”

“This form you see is simply materialized ions.”

He scowled at such an absurd claim. Until she disappeared and reappeared five feet away. Colton narrowed his eyes and gripped his gun tighter. Dear Gods, was he losing his mind?

“You are frightened,” Tamara said.

He could hear the disappointment in her voice. “I’m pretty sure I’m suffering delusions since I know what you just did is impossible.”

She reappeared beside him. “I was once human, soul-bond to Saran, wife to Dmitri. I was murdered, and the bonds to both held me to them as a ghost. Once we joined into one, I became strong enough to create a corporal body that is warm to the touch. I can dress it in real clothes or create the illusion of clothes, as I have done today.

He reached out and touched her sleeve. “That’s the difference. Normally, I can smell the scent of soap from your clothes, but today you have no scent. And you leave no trail, but you are careless in your step. I kept wavering on whether you were an experienced hunter or not. When you failed to catch the scent of death, I concluded you weren’t a hunter.”

“You’re correct, but I can still help you, and I will keep you safe.”

“How? You don’t even have your gun anymore.”

She laughed, and instantly it reappeared in her hand. “It’s an illusion. I could easily kill most of the dangers on the planet, only…”

Her pause confused him. A great deal about her confused him. “Only what?”

“I am reluctant to do so because Saran is part of me, and she could not endure the taking of life. So I am here to keep you safe, while you do what is necessary to keep our people safe.”

“But you cannot be harmed?”

“Not even by the fifteen-foot grizzly at the edge of the woods.”

Buy Links:

Book 3: Surviving Terranue

Amazon

Book 2: Surviving Outbound

Amazon

Book 1: The Gods of Probabilities

Amazon

All books are free for KU subscribers

About The Author:

Liza is a multiple genre author of 16 novels. A Late Victorian Series, The Adventures of Xavier & Vic, plus a spinoff, A Right to Love, is an ongoing series. A Long Road to Love is a humorous Contemporary Disaster Romance series of five books. She has two single books. One is a humorous, bad boys contemporary novel with ghosts, called Ghost Lover, the other is Untamed & Unabashed, a spinoff from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Now, she’s rolling out her Science fiction series (with romance & humor) called The Multiverses. The first four books are slotted for last half of 2015. In addition she hopes, if she hasn’t dropped from exhaustion by then, to re-release a sometimes humorous/suspense thriller called Saving Casey

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT LIZA O’CONNOR Investigate these sites:

Liza’s Multiverse Blog

Liza’s Blog and Website Facebook Twitter

Aug 22 2015

No Rush Just Routine 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!)

From my new, best selling science fiction romance Star Cruise: Marooned. This is the last excerpt from the book I’ll be doing (but it’s only 99 cents, for another month LOL). I’m ready to share something else! I’ve jumped ahead, a lot has happened but basically Meg and Red have decided to lead the marooned passengers inland to a more isolated, presumably safer, facility they’ve located but had to wait out a storm first. So they’re still at the abandoned ranger station.

Meg woke at dawn and set out a buffet breakfast, Callina and Red assisting her. As the passengers ate, she said, “I’m going to get a head start on shutting down my robos. We’ll be leaving as soon as everyone’s done eating breakfast.”

“Do you need help?” Red was always attentive.

Callina crammed the remainder of her stale sandwich into her mouth, mumbling something about wanting to pitch in with the chores.

“Don’t rush, no need to choke on your food,” Meg said with a smile. “We’ve had enough emergencies for one trip. This is routine, done it a million times, but thanks for the offer of help, both of you.”

The enemy attacked just as Meg disappeared into the hallway to the kitchen.

The Story:

Meg Antille works long hours on the charter cruise ship Far Horizon so she can send credits home to her family. Working hard to earn a promotion to a better post (and better pay), Meg has no time for romance.

Former Special Forces soldier Red Thomsill only took the berth on the Far Horizon in hopes of getting to know Meg better, but so far she’s kept him at a polite distance. A scheduled stopover on the idyllic beach of a nature preserve planet may be his last chance to impress the girl.

But when one of the passengers is attacked by a wild animal it becomes clear that conditions on the lushly forested Dantaralon aren’t as advertised – the ranger station is deserted, the defensive perimeter is down…and then the Far Horizon’s shuttle abruptly leaves without any of them.

Marooned on the dangerous outback world, romance is the least of their concerns, and yet Meg and Red cannot help being drawn to each other once they see how well they work together. But can they survive long enough to see their romance through? Or will the wild alien planet defeat them, ending their romance and their lives before anything can really begin?

Buy Links: Amazon iBooks Kobo Barnes & Noble

Aug 16 2015

What About Him? Weekend Writing Warriors

From my new, best selling science fiction romance Star Cruise: Marooned.

I’ve skipped some things, including where their shuttle leaves without them. Red had to knock out the Primary guest to keep him from getting fried in the engine backwash.

“Can I get two volunteers to help us get Sharmali settled at the ranger station?” Meg asked.

“Well, don’t look at me,” Harelly said, as several of the other guests glanced in his direction. “I only play a doctor on the trideo shows – the sight of blood makes me ill.”

Callina and her husband, Peter, volunteered. As the other passengers slowly hiked through the sand to their pavilion by the lake, Meg, Red, and the volunteers headed for the ranger station on the far side of the landing pad.

“What about him?” asked Bettis, who Meg remembered was Finchon’s employee, a personal assistant or something. He and his wife filed past the groggy charter Primary, who was sitting now, holding his jaw.

“I’ll deal with him later,” Red said.

“He’s gonna sue you and your company for every credit,” the man predicted, excitement in his voice, “He’ll probably end up owning the whole cruise line before he’s done.”

I’l probably do one or two more excerpts from this book but then it’s going to be time to move on to something new…don’t want my fellow Warriors getting burned out on this book!

The Story:

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Aug 9 2015

This Is My Fault Weekend Writing Warriors

From my new, best selling science fiction romance Star Cruise: Marooned. I’ve skipped a little more byplay between Meg and the Primary guest. Now she’s working with Red to take care of Sharmali’s wound. Meg is speaking to Red:

“You said the barrier was off?”

“Must be. There was more than one of these things right in the shallows at the beach. We were lucky no one else got attacked. I got her out of the water as fast as I could so the blood wouldn’t attract other predators.” Red sat on his heels, frowning, holding an inject from the first aid kit, “This is only a generic – will it work on eel venom?”

“It’s all we’ve got on the shuttle so it’ll have to hold her until we get to the ship’s sick bay.” Meg eyed the wound with deep misgiving. “This is my fault – I should have known if the ranger station was closed, the barriers might be shut off, but I didn’t check.”

“Well, keep your voice down, the Primary is pissed off enough right now – don’t add fuel to his fire.”

(I had a couple more readers tell me this week that my book kept them up wayyyyy too late on a work night – mwahahahaha! Seriously, I love the feedback 🙂

The Story:

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Aug 2 2015

Argue Later Weekend Writing Warriors

From my new, best selling science fiction romance Star Cruise: Marooned. Last week I seem to have confused people a bit with the eels and Meg’s actions in the shuttle, so a more straightforward ten today. Meg, first aid kit in hand, has rushed to the beach. Red is dealing with Sharmali’s injury.

As Meg headed for the injured passenger, the Primary intercepted her.

“Miss Antille, I demand to know how something like this could happen.” Purple in the face, he waved a hand at Sharmali. “I paid top dollar, if not an exorbitant price, for a safe, enjoyable cruise for myself and my guests, and now the poor girl’s had her foot eaten!” He was so upset he was spitting.

“On behalf of the Line, I certainly apologize, sir. We do everything we can to ensure the safety of our guests under all circumstances, but if she swam beyond the sonic barrier—”

“She was standing in three inches of water right next to me,” Finchon said. “That monster could have just as easily gotten my foot.”

“The barrier’s off,” Red informed her, not glancing up from his task, “Can you argue with him later? I need your help.”

The Story:

Jul 26 2015

Bitten By an Alien Eel Weekend Writing Warriors

From my new, best selling science fiction romance Star Cruise: Marooned.

Last week the only other people on the beach suddenly took off, leaving their equipment behind on the planet. Skipping ahead, Meg goes to their own shuttle to talk to the officer in charge, Drewson, but he’s….busy with a passenger in the private cabin. He tells her to call the ship herself if she’s so worried. Meg is now on the flight deck, after getting cut off during her attempt to call their ship:

The panel indicated someone else had entered the shuttle. Callina’s voice came over the internal com, “Meg, are you here?”

She flipped the switch. “I’m in the cockpit – what do you need?”

“Mr. Thomsill sent me to get you and the medkit. Sharmali’s been bitten by some kind of eel thing and she’s bleeding really bad.”

“I’ll be right down.” Meg rose, staring at the now quiet com board. With mischievous amusement, she piped the ship-to-ship and general hailing frequencies directly to the luxury cabin, set at high volume. If the ship did call again, Drewson was going to know it.

UPDATE: I can see from the early comments that maybe a bit more explanation is in order – passenger Sharmali is a drama queen and the book begins with her making a huge fuss over something minor….and causing Meg a lot of irritation. Also, at this point Meg believes the sonic barriers are up at the beach and therefore the eels couldn’t possibly have been where the passengers are located. But even drama queens have real crises sometimes…Meg’s had a lot on her plate up to this point!. She’s human and not having the best day….

And as to her actions re Drewson, the previous weeks’ excerpts showed that he’d turned OFF the coms, which was never done, so he could have privacy with a female passenger for some off-limits activities, and gave Meg a very hard time about wanting to call the ship, which she isn’t supposed to do, being staff not flight crew…..I will accept the comment about her actions being a bit passive aggressive though. Gotta agree with that!

The Story:

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Jul 19 2015

No Talking to the Ship Weekend Writing Warriors

From my new, best selling science fiction romance Star Cruise: Marooned.

She swallowed hard and opened the link to their ship in stationary orbit above, “Hello, Far Horizon, shuttle calling—”

“Where the seven hells have you been? Where’s Drewson?” The voice she heard was so strained she could barely recognize the First Officer.

She drew breath to speak, but was cut off.

“Never mind, tell him everything’s—”

There was a funny sort of crackle from the link and then silence. She waited a few moments, then tried closing and reopening the connection. Nothing. Drewson had made it clear he would not appreciate her interrupting his private party twice, and anyway, right now there was no talking to the ship.

I have a shiny new book trailer from Circle of Seven Productions, which had an exclusive reveal on USA Today Happily Ever After last week. Here it is for your viewing pleasure:

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Jul 14 2015

Guest Author Lisa Medley Excerpt from Space Cowboys and Indians

It’s my pleasure to have Lisa Medley as my guest today, with an excerpt from her new SFR novel Space Cowboys and Aliens. I’m in the middle of reading this action-packed book, can’t tell you where I am exactly because that’d be spoilers. Take it away, Lisa:

The Story:

How can the chance of a lifetime go so horribly wrong?

Mining Engineer Cole Hudson signed up for NASA astronaut training, but after washing out short of getting his gold wings, he retreats to Alaska where he stakes out a gold claim. When billionaire entrepreneur Duncan Janson offers him an opportunity to join a mining team on an asteroid, Cole jumps at the chance.

But nothing is as it seems. Former NASA reject and rival classmate, Tessa Hernandez, is also a member of the team, and from the beginning of the mission test flight, things go wrong. They soon discover they’re not the only ones on the asteroid. As they try to escape, they are pulled through a wormhole and back to the early 1800s New Mexico desert where aliens and Apaches may be the least of their problems.

Chapter One

Alaskan gold mine, the Hudson Claim – the near future.

“Goddamn it, Hudson. The washplant is down again.”

Cole ground his molars together before he could unleash the torrent of swears coursing through his brain in reply. Of course the washplant was down. Again.

This claim would be the end of him.

“Show me,” Cole said.

His foreman, Todd Cargill, held up four shredded washplant screens with holes the size of bowling balls, useless now for the first step in screening for gold.

Cole squeezed his eyes shut and wondered for the eleven-millionth time this summer why the hell he’d come to Alaska.

Redemption, he reminded himself.

Wasn’t worth it.

“That was my last replacement screen. Be a week before the supply plane can bring us more,” Todd said. “No use running dirt until it’s fixed. This way, we’re only making mud.”

Most expensive mud he’d ever not made. A week in the bush with no work? He’d have to pay the crew, regardless, or he’d lose the whole lot of them. Hell, he still owed them from last month. They were running out of summer to mine, and they’d barely collected any gold so far.

“Shut it down. I’ll call in the order.”

“What do you want me to tell the guys?” Todd asked.

“Tell them—”

The chop, chop, chop of helicopter blades slowly pounded across the sky until the beast came into sight on the horizon. What the hell was a chopper doing out this far?

The copter landed on the flat several hundred feet from their dredge, stirring the dust up from the broken ground and tailings. Covering his face with his arm, Cole coughed into his elbow and waited for the cloud to settle. The copter blades whirled to a stop, and his small crew left their work detail to gather around him and see what was going on.

A white-haired man, maybe fifty, maybe older, emerged from the helicopter cabin, quickly followed by two men wearing sleek black suits, wrinkled from the tactical firearm harnesses strapped snugly across their chests. They were loaded for bear.

That wasn’t what concerned Cole. He knew he was in for trouble the second the guy’s thousand dollar cowboy boots hit the turf. The man swatted at the swirling dust on his white shirt and designer jeans then brushed his hands through his shoulder-length hair three or four times, shaking it out like the mane of a horse. He cranked up a smile as he made a beeline for Cole.

“Mr. Hudson?” the man asked.

“I’m Hudson.”

“You look exactly like your NASA application photo, Mr. Hudson. Haven’t changed a bit in the past five months. It was five months you were detained. Yes?”

Todd coughed loudly beside him. “Okay, I think we have things to do. Let’s go, boys.” Todd urged the crew back toward their office trailer.

Cole was going to have to give his foreman a raise. Right after he beat the dandy in front of him into a bloody pulp.

“Who exactly are you, and what the hell are you doing here? Surely you didn’t fly that deathtrap all the way out here just to insult me in front of my crew. Or did you? You with Montoya?”

The man appeared bewildered for a moment. “Oh my. Let me start over. I…this wasn’t the impression I intended to make. I’m afraid I started off badly. I’m simply so excited to find you. Out here.” He motioned toward the distant tundra. “It’s a very, very long way out here.” He flashed another smile at Cole and offered his hand. “Duncan Janson. You might know me from the airline ads?”

Cole stared at the man’s smooth, tanned hand. The guy had never worked a day of hard labor in his life if those hands told the right story—that much was obvious. He knew exactly who he was, now. Billionaire airline owner and profiteer. What he didn’t know was what he was doing on his little piece of Alaska.

“You answered the first question. Now answer the second,” Cole said, purposely not taking the offered hand.

Janson pulled his hand back then clapped them together, clearly proud of himself. “I’m here to offer you a job.”

“I have a job.”

“This would be quite a different job. Well, maybe not all that different. You’d still be mining, but you would also have a chance to partake in some of your other passions.”

Clouds slid past the sun, and a gust of wind stirred up a dirt devil near the copter, cooling the air noticeably.

“What is it you think you know about my passions, exactly?” Cole asked.

Janson twisted his expensive Rolex around his wrist nervously. “Was it not your passion for space that led to your gambling problem? Trying to raise enough money to continue in the program? Which led to your legal issues, which led to your detainment and now self-exile here in this godforsaken place? Isn’t your work here an effort to earn enough money to finance your first two passions? It’s a bit of a vicious circle, it seems.”

Cole could feel his blood pressure rising. This asshole was on his last nerve five minutes after meeting him and about one more sentence away from a shallow Alaskan grave.

“What if all of your skills could be utilized to fulfill each of those…passions? You’d be paid well. Very well.”

“Is this prospect legal?”

“Yes, but it’s not without risks. I want to hire you to do some mining for me.”

“Where? You have a claim in Alaska?”

“I’m afraid my claim is quite a bit farther away from here. Your gambling problem and detention might have gotten you booted out of NASA’s space program, but your personal problems are not a deterrent to me. Your other skills and expertise are exactly what are needed for my project.”

Skepticism scratched at the back of his mind, but Cole couldn’t deny he was intrigued. He hated Janson’s manner, but he could take his money. No problem. Hell, this job might be the financial boost he needed to finally make this claim profitable.

“How long is the job, and where is it?” Cole asked.

Janson smiled again, clearly certain he’d already sealed the deal. “I expect the job to take around six months. All expenses paid, of course. With an option to renew for a second mission after that, if you are so inclined. Your season here is winding down? Am I correct?”

Considering the ruined washplant screens? Yeah, winding down would be a kindness.

“You didn’t tell me where the job is,” Cole pressed.

“Ah, that’s the best part, Mr. Hudson. The job is on Amun. It’s an asteroid. I want you to mine it for me.”

Buy Links:

Series: Cosmic Cowboys Series, Episode 1

Amazon: $2.99 http://amzn.to/1QFLrOV

Kindle Unlimited: FREE http://amzn.to/1QFLrOV

About Lisa:

Lisa has always enjoyed reading about monsters in love and now she writes about them, because monsters need love too.
She adores beasties of all sorts, fictional as well as real, and has a farm full of them in her Southwest Missouri home, including: one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees, and a guinea pig.

She may or may not keep a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times, including a machete. Just. In. Case.