Surely We’re Safe Here? ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE SFR Brigade Presents

THE SFRB Presents(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by other Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. A fun way to sample new books!)

From my SFR Galaxy Award winning novel, loosely inspired by the Sepoy incident in 1857 but set SFR Galaxy Awardon another planet in the far future….

In the last two weeks I gave you the opening of the book and then as Andi has returned from the wedding of the Planetary High Lord’s daughter to her host’s summer home, she found a squad of Sectors Special Forces soldiers waiting. The officer in charge claimed they’d come to rescue her and needed to leave at once. Unconvinced, she argued. Their conversation continued and Andi is finally convinced. She’s speaking as the excerpt begins. (Some editing from the published version has occurred, to fit the word limit):

            “I’ll go back to the capital with you in the morning.”

            “In the—” He glared at her, eyebrows drawing together in an impressive frown, forehead wrinkles deepening even more. “Have you been listening, Miss Markriss? This planet is in a precarious state. We can’t wait for your convenience. We need to leave tonight. The sooner the better.”

           “I don’t think we can leave tonight, Captain, no matter what you want.”

            The door handle moved under her hand. Startled, she released it, falling back a pace or two. When the door opened, Iraku stood there, condescending as ever, face contorted in a sneer, lips pursed in disapproval. Hands on their curved belt knives, two of the armed household guards stood a few steps away. Startled by their hostile expressions, Andi retreated a step.

             Addressing her but staring at Deverane, Iraku asked, “Is there a problem, miss? Lady Tonkiln wishes to speak with you regarding the presentation at tonight’s ceremony.”

            Andi shook her head. “No problem, I’ll be right there.” She turned to Deverane, holding out one hand, palm up. “Better ask your sergeant what’s wrong with the APC’s engine.”

            “What are you talking about?” Deverane strode to her side.

            “He told me there was an engine problem. The corporal said it was going to take all night to fix. Listen, assuming your men can’t repair the APC tonight, I’ll go to the reception, do my duty for Loxton, and leave with you in the morning. No problem.”

            What Deverane would have said next, Andi didn’t wait to hear. After all, the Tonkilns had a small army of Naranti servants and household guards. Every Obati household in the summer colony did. The well-trained security force ought to be enough protection from any hotheaded Shenti warriors bent on making mischief.

 Rolling her shoulders as she walked down the hall, she took a deep, calming breath. We can’t leave now anyway, so I might as well stick with protocol. Nothing’s likely to happen tonight, not here in the middle of the Obati stronghold.

Escape-from-Zulaire2HighResAndi Markriss hasn’t exactly enjoyed being the houseguest of the planetary high-lord, but her company sent her to represent them at a political wedding. When hotshot Sectors Special Forces Captain Tom Deverane barges in on the night of the biggest social event of the summer, Andi isn’t about to offend her high-ranking host on Deverane’s say-so—no matter how sexy he is, or how much he believes they need to leave now.

Deverane was thinking about how to spend his retirement bonus when HQ assigned him one last mission: rescue a civilian woman stranded on a planet on the verge of civil war. Someone has pulled some serious strings to get her plucked out of the hot zone. Deverane’s never met anyone so hard-headed—or so appealing. Suddenly his mission to protect this one woman has become more than just mere orders.

That mission proves more dangerous than he expected when rebel fighters attack the village and raze it to the ground. Deverane escapes with Andi, and on their hazardous journey through the wilderness, Andi finds herself fighting her uncomfortable attraction to the gallant and courageous captain. But Deverane’s not the type to settle down, and running for one’s life doesn’t leave much time to explore a romance.

Then Andi is captured by the rebel fighters, but Deverane has discovered that Zulaire’s so-called civil war is part of a terrifying alien race’s attempt to subjugate the entire Sector. If he pushes on to the capitol Andi will die. Deverane must decide whether to save the woman he loves, or sacrifice her to save Zulaire.

Available on AMAZON for kindle and as POD paperback   Nook  Kobo All Romance eBooks   and iTunes      Smashwords  Xin Xii

How Did She Get Talked Into Doing This? ESCAPE FROM ZULAIRE SFRB Presents

SFR Galaxy AwardI’m very pleased and thrilled to announce that Escape From Zulaire is a 2014 SFR Galaxy Award Winner! (Complete info on the awards here.) So I thought I’d do some excerpts from the novel for the next few weeks…

(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by other Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. A fun way to sample new books!)

THE SFRB PresentsHere are the first 200 or so words from the book (story synopsis below the excerpt):

This is the most absurd thing I’ve ever done as Assistant Planetary Agent for Loxton Galactic Trading – standing in as a bridesmaid in a borrowed puce dress because some other girl failed to show up.  Andi Markriss sighed, feeling the garment binding too tight across her chest. I didn’t mind representing the company as a guest, but this is way outside the line of duty.

Early afternoon on Zulaire was too warm for an outdoor ceremony but the Planetary High Lord’s spoiled daughter Lysanda didn’t care to be ready any earlier in the day. Her guests’ comfort wasn’t a consideration.

An inch at a time, Andi shifted from her assigned spot into the shade cast by the towering stone pillars. How did I get talked into this? Oh yes, Lysanda wept and her mother made vague threats about her husband reviewing our shipping contracts. As the musicians played, Andi turned, watching Lysanda pace toward the dais in time to the music, smiling for her groom-to-be.

 The local priest took a deep breath and launched into a lengthy blessing, invoking the deity and relating the history of the planet’s three Clans – Obati, Shenti and Naranti. Andi chanted along with him, under her breath. Overlords, Second Class and Neutrals, as her boss had told her when she arrived on Zulaire six years ago. Easy to keep them straight that way, he’d said, but don’t ever slip and use the nicknames out loud.

The Story:

Escape-from-Zulaire2HighResAndi Markriss hasn’t exactly enjoyed being the houseguest of the planetary high-lord, but her company sent her to represent them at a political wedding. When hotshot Sectors Special Forces Captain Tom Deverane barges in on the night of the biggest social event of the summer, Andi isn’t about to offend her high-ranking host on Deverane’s say-so—no matter how sexy he is, or how much he believes they need to leave now.

Deverane was thinking about how to spend his retirement bonus when HQ assigned him one last mission: rescue a civilian woman stranded on a planet on the verge of civil war. Someone has pulled some serious strings to get her plucked out of the hot zone. Deverane’s never met anyone so hard-headed—or so appealing. Suddenly his mission to protect this one woman has become more than just mere orders.

That mission proves more dangerous than he expected when rebel fighters attack the village and raze it to the ground. Deverane escapes with Andi, and on their hazardous journey through the wilderness, Andi finds herself fighting her uncomfortable attraction to the gallant and courageous captain. But Deverane’s not the type to settle down, and running for one’s life doesn’t leave much time to explore a romance.

Then Andi is captured by the rebel fighters, but Deverane has discovered that Zulaire’s so-called civil war is part of a terrifying alien race’s attempt to subjugate the entire Sector. If he pushes on to the capitol Andi will die. Deverane must decide whether to save the woman he loves, or sacrifice her to save Zulaire.

I’ll Be All Right WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM SFR Brigade Presents

THE SFRB Presents(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by other Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. A fun way to sample new books!)

Here’s the next excerpt from  WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM, which I was really pleased to see on the Rabid Readers Reads Best Of List for 2013.

The small party of survivors has discovered some really bad things about events surrounding the wreck. They’ve been to the Hold to collect Nick’s blasters and an important piece of gear which he just used to try calling for a rescue ship. The technology is only issued to members of the Sectors Special Forces (which he happens to be) for specific missions. He managed to contact two ships close enough to attempt a rescue. One was a mysterious freighter. This snippet follows directly after the last one I shared on January 3rd. Nick has to destroy the secret technology he used to call for help.

Until he finished the destruction of the transmitter, he couldn’t give in to the weariness now settling like a physical weight on his entire body. I have to rest.  “So, if you don’t mind, let me do my sworn duty and blast this piece of top-secret technology into smoldering fragments, okay?”

Mara walked away a few steps, giving him a clear shot. “You’re the expert here, do whatever you have to do – blast away,” she invited with a wave.

“Don’t blow any new holes in the ship, okay?” Twilka muttered loudly enough to be heard.

Nick chose to ignore the Socialite’s comment. Teasing or serious, she could get annoying.

The next second, the fastlink transmitter was no more. The deck glowed cherry red where his blaster beam had struck.

Holstering his weapon, Nick staggered to the nearest bench, where he sank down next to Lady Damais, who moved her tiny feet aside obligingly. Putting his head in his hands, he realized his whole body was shaking.

Rubbing his back, Mara said, “You have to rest now, right? You warned us before you transmitted, a couple of hours sleep. And I’m guessing there’s some kind of inject you’re prob­ably supposed to have, if we only had a field medkit. You were asking for adrenephix.”

Struggling to stay awake, Nick nodded and answered her through gritted teeth, trying to damp the tremors in his muscles. “Yes to both questions. But I’ll be all right. Let me nap here for a half an hour or so.”

Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedHere’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 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 and Award Winning 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

Can we Communicate? WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM SFR Brigade Presents

(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by other Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. A fun way to sample new books!)

THE SFRB PresentsHere’s the next excerpt from  my 2013 Laurel Wreath Award and SFR Galaxy Award winning WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM.  The small party of survivors has discovered some really bad things about events surrounding the wreck. After a perilous trip to the ship’s hold to retrieve some critical items, they’re now (somewhere else) and getting ready to try a call for help.  (Working hard to avoid giving spoilers here!)  Lady Damais is an elderly member of a very advanced race who hasn’t managed to leave the Nebula Dream on a lifeboat either. Nick had met her earlier in the cruise, prior to the disaster.

…Nick prepared to carry out his attempt at communication.

Kneeling, he set the box on the deck. As soon as he locked its small grav clamps in place, a cone shape morphed silently up from the center of the black square. Nick discovered he had an interested audience. Even the Lady Damais and the children were staring at him now.

Compelled to say something, since they were all apparently transfixed by what he was doing, Nick cleared his throat. “Okay, in just a minute I’ll activate this and hook myself in. I gotta tell you, using fastlink with only a field generator screws a guy’s nervous system up pretty badly.”

“Then don’t use it,” Mara voiced her anxiety, eyes narrowed, lips compressed in a thin line. “We’ll find anoth­er way.”

Nick shook his head. “There is no other way. Not even the Lady Damais, with all her powers, can broadcast a specific evac call across the Sectors. Am I right?”

Her face serene as always, the elderly woman nodded. “You’re right, Nicholas. Even my people have our limits. I could perhaps share a sense of my own danger, of imminent peril, but nothing to solve our problem here. By the time they inves­tigated to determine where I was, it would be far too late.”

Eyes wide, Twilka was staring at Lady Damais, mouth in an O of astonishment. “You weren’t with us on the bridge. How do you know how much trouble we’re in?”

VS sez: Lady Damais knows a lot of things…..

ant nebula

Here’s the story:

Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedTraveling 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 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

Quick Learner? WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM SFR Brigade Presents

THE SFRB Presents(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by other Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. A fun way to sample new books!)

December 6th =>Breaking News Flash, if I may: was just notified that WRECK has received Second Place in the 2013 Laurel Wreath Awards, in its category!

Here’s the next excerpt from  my 2013 SFR Galaxy Award winning WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM.  The small party of survivors has discovered some really bad things about events surrounding the wreck  and are now  in the cargo hold, searching for something they need for their escape attempt. (Trying very hard to avoid giving spoilers here!)  I’ve skipped ahead a bit, but this scene is still in the hold.

Nick opened his pack, literally throwing his spare uniforms and few personal possessions onto the deck, coming up with his blasters. Cradling one awkwardly in the crook of his arm, he buckled the belt and holster on.

“What will you do with the spare?”   Khevan worked to extract his weapons from the bag they’d been stowed in, next to Nick’s.

Nick considered for a minute. “Thinking I’ll give it to Mara.”

“She has a level head,” was Khevan’s approving assessment. “I believe she’d use it effectively.”

“Use what effectively?” Mara rejoined them. “Oh, the blaster?” Reaching out, she took the weapon from Nick, expertly checking it over, noting the charge level, flicking the safety off. She hefted it, taking a bead on a particularly garish tote bag across the hold. In a blur of motion, she fired a quick, low-level shot right through the center of the bag.

Mouth hanging open, Nick gaped at her. “Fast learner?”

“Loxton agents take training on the civilian version of this.” She chuckled at his expression. “Didn’t you know? We’re licensed to carry concealed weapons all the way up to the civilian Mark Fifteen. This kicks harder, but it’s basically the same, yes?”

“More charges, single shot or full automatic capabilities,” Nick answered. “So, okay, you get the spare blaster.” He peered the length of the bonded stores aisle. “Where’s Twilka?”

“Oh, she’s not leaving without her jewelry, or so she insists. “

***************************************************************************************************

VS sez: But the blasters, handy as they may be, aren’t the main thing Nick’s been searching for in his gear. Too spoiler-y to say what he’s really hunting.

Mara works for Loxton Galactic Trading which does business throughout the Sectors.

Here’s the story:

Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedTraveling 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 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

Jealous Much? WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM SFR Brigade Presents

THE SFRB Presents(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by other Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. A fun way to sample new books!)

Here’s the next excerpt from  my 2013 SFR Galaxy Award winning WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM.  The small party of survivors has discovered some really bad things about events surrounding the wreck  and are now  in the cargo hold, searching for something they need for their escape attempt. (Trying very hard to avoid giving spoilers here!) We’re in the hero, Nick Jameson’s POV. He looks up from his labors to find Mara staring at him. I’ve done a bit of editing:

He paused, wiping his own brow. The air isn’t circulating any too efficiently here on Level Ten. “What?”

“I wish we’d had dinner,” she answered simply.

“But you had another date that evening.”

“No, a previous engagement.” She corrected him crisply. “It was a business dinner. I was fact-finding a deal, discussing the possibility of Loxton doing some work for a major manufacturing company in Sector Fourteen. A working dinner with their vice presidents of logistics and manufacturing.”

“A business dinner wearing a strapless blue dress?” Nick said, before he could stop himself.

She sighed, tapping her toe on the deck. “Jealous, much? No, it was a business dinner, Nick. In one of the Dream’s conference rooms, not my cabin or theirs. We had the basics of the contract worked out, in fact.” Biting her lip, she rolled her eyes. “Why am I explaining this to you?”

“I’m not sure.” He stood for a moment, staring at her until she turned her head, making a show of sifting through more debris. Where is this conversation going? I know where I’d take it if we weren’t on a dying ship, trying to save our skins. Why couldn’t I have met her in another time and place?

He thought maybe she blushed. She laughed again, but somewhat ruefully. “I left the working documents and all my equipment in my cabin on Level Two. Shut the door and walked away. Not important in the grand scale of things tonight.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear someone in this group has their priorities straight,” Nick said. “Unlike Twilka and her jewelry box hunt.” 

hubble wavy

Here’s the story:

Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedTraveling 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 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

Will Twilka Refuse? WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM SFR Brigade Presents

THE SFRB Presents(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by other Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. A fun way to sample new books!)

Here’s the next excerpt from  my 2013 SFR Galaxy Award winning WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM.  The small party of survivors has discovered some really bad things about events surrounding the wreck  and are now on their way to another part of the ship. (Trying very hard to avoid giving spoilers here!) Twilka refuses to enter the crew gravlift. Khevan is a D’nvannae Brother (sort of ninja/bodyguard/assassin/servant of alien goddess).

“I’m scared of heights. I’m scared of grav lifts. I’m scared to stay here. Staying here by myself scares me less than going into the grav lift,” Twilka said to Khevan, the only other person remaining in the corridor. He was watching her gravely.

“Do you trust me?” he asked in his deep, calm voice.

“Well, of course,” she answered. “You’re a D’nvannae. Why do you think I wanted to contract so badly? Change your mind? The offer still stands, you know.”

He shook his head but extended one hand to her. “Come with us. Your destiny lies with us on this ship.”

“Truly? Did your Red Lady say so?” Twilka acted enchanted by the idea. Stiff and bruised, she worked her way to her feet awkwardly.

He didn’t answer but drew her close, staring into her eyes. “We’ll take the descent together, and I won’t let you go until we’re safely standing on the hold deck. Agreed?”

It was as if he hypnotized her. A minute later the couple, entwined so closely they could have been enjoying a romantic encounter, floated past Nick. Reflexively, he checked to be sure the children weren’t watching this too closely. Of course they were. 

WitchesBroomNebula

Here’s the story:

Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedTraveling 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 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

Nick Delivers Bad News WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM SFR Brigade Presents

THE SFRB Presents(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by other Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. A fun way to sample new books!)

Here’s the next excerpt from  my 2013 SFR Galaxy Award winning WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM. The small party of depserate survivors has reached…a temporarily safe place but then our hero Nick has to break the news to his companions that things really can get worse on a drifting hulk of a spaceliner.  Mara has been keeping Nick company while he did some investigating. Now he’s ready to share the news with her and the others.  (A bit of editing may have occurred to fit the word limits.)

Nick beckoned to Khevan and Twilka. Gianna was asleep in Paolo’s lap, clutching her teddy bear, snoring softly. Her face was flushed. Nick hoped she wasn’t coming down with something. Things were tricky enough already without a sick child on his hands.

            “We’ll be right out there if you need us, okay, trooper?” Nick said softly to Paolo, who looked as if he never planned to close his eyes again. Kid is definitely running on nervous energy. “We’ll leave the door open. I promise, we’re not going anywhere on this ship without you and your sister. Officer’s word of honor.”

            Satisfied by Paolo’s silent, small nod, he walked to the center of the (other room), the other adults trailing after him, an apprehensive audience.

            Over his shoulder, he said, “I have bad news. It’s probably the worst thing you’ve ever heard. And then we’ll get to my personal nightmare, come true on this damn ship.” He stopped and faced them. “Which do you want first?”

            “Could you kind of lead up to the last part gradually?” Twilka requested. “I think I’m scared of your nightmares, soldier. One tranq didn’t do much good for my nerves. And there aren’t anymore tranqs in the medkit, which is the first piece of bad news, in my opinion, even before you start broadcasting!”

            Nick chuckled.

            Then he straightened, his tone growing even more flat and matter of fact, as if he was briefing a Special Forces squad prior to a mission. “All right, here’s the deal….”

m42-580x437

Oh my, out of words for today’s excerpt LOL!

Here’s the story:

Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedTraveling 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 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

Twilka Offers Terms SFR Brigade Presents WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM

THE SFRB Presents(The link is here to find this week’s excerpts from novels or WIP written by Science Fiction Romance Brigade group members. Left it out by accident last week – felt really bad about that!)

The next excerpt from  my 2013 SFR Galaxy Award winning WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM but then we start to get into spoiler territory, so not too many more weeks on this one….I’ve skipped ahead again. The party of survivors is on their way to the bridge, having rescued another  passenger in a tight jam. Readers, meet Twilka. People seem to love her or hate her. Here’s how Nick regards her and her normal set of companions, the “Inner Sector Socialites – the kind who were to be found at any high-visibility, publicity-laden event. They travel in flocks, with no purpose other than to be of the moment. Their world was so far removed from the grit and danger of his reality, he could hardly comprehend it. ”

I’ve edited a bit to fit the word count requirements:

  “How in the Seven Hells did you end up in the hands of those thugs, anyway?” Nick said.

            “We were going to party in Fippi’s cabin.” Twilka’s voice was tired, all ’Lite affectations abandoned for now. “Only I was on an incredibly hot run with the dice, cleaning up big, you know? So I stayed when the others left. Can’t walk away from hot dice, you know? Bad luck for days after. But then something happened to the ship and I – I guess I got knocked out.”  She glanced at the children, sitting wide-eyed in their plush chairs, taking in every word she was saying. Swallowing hard, Twilka visibly, and no doubt uncharacteristically, edited whatever she had planned to explain next.

          “Don’t stress yourself by recalling the details,” Khevan said firmly.

            As if registering for the first time who and what he actually was, Twilka stared at Khevan, raising her hand to stroke the scarlet tattoo curling on his cheekbone. “You’re a D’nvannae Brother!”

            “Yes.” Khevan captured her hand and lifted it away from his face.

            “Hey, I want to offer contract terms.” Her voice gained animation and energy. She didn’t even notice the tranq inject he gave her. “Get me out of here alive. I can pay, whatever the going rate is. You can do it – I know you can. The D’nvannae can do anything.” She worked to remove the intricate collar of golden chains and charms dangling around her neck and upper body. “Here, this has to be worth enough.”

            “Now wait a minute.” Mara’s voice was sharp with annoyance. She frowned. “He’s with us.”

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Here’s the story:

Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedTraveling 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 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

A Dangerous Game SFR Brigade Presents WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM

THE SFRB PresentsI’ll keep going a bit more with excerpts from WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM but then we start to get into spoiler territory, so not too many more weeks on this one….I’ve skipped ahead a bit. Nick, Khevan and Mara have managed to shift enough wreckage in the family’s cabin out of the way to allow him to climb through and reach the trapped children. Now he’s trying to convince the kids to trust him, before the bulkheads give way. Paolo is eight and his sister is three.

“Okay, Paolo, you seem like a pretty level-headed trooper,” Nick said, squatting to be at eye level with the boy. “We need to get out of here as fast as possible. You see the outer wall there?”

Paolo nodded. “It’s going to break, isn’t it?”

Nick tried to be reassuring. “We’ll be long gone first. Now, can you help me get your sister –”

“Her name’s Gianna.” The boy pushed his sister closer to Nick.

“Help me get Gianna to crawl out through all the mess to my friends? We’ve made a tunnel for you. She’ll have to leave her toy, though.”

The girl hugged the bear tightly and shook her head, trying to retreat from her brother and Nick. “Won’t,” she informed Nick, taking her thumb out of her mouth briefly.

“Sweetheart, we have to go. It’s going to get pretty windy and cold in here soon.” Don’t scare her, if she retreats deeper into the wreckage, might not be able to retrieve her. With an effort, Nick kept his voice level and calm.

“Carry me.” She raised her arms to him, the bear dangling in one grubby hand.

“Sorry, I can’t, there isn’t room,” he said with a small laugh, reaching out to tousle her hair. “We have to crawl. It’s like a game but really important. Tell her, Paolo.”

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Here’s the story:

Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Wreck-of-the-Nebula-DreamFinalMedJameson 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 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