Feb 18 2017

We Need To Talk 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 continuing on with my latest release, Star Survivor for another week or two. I’ll have a new release soon! (Blurb for Star Survivor below the excerpt.) Twilka and Khevan are on the run, trying to evade other assassins, since the Red Lady has a kill order out on Twilka. The couple are in a bad area of town, waiting for their friend Nick to arrive. I’m really running out of room to do excerpts from this book before we get to spoilers! My editor is behind on getting my next book back to me though…this snippet slightly edited from published version.

He held out one hand, “Sit with me? Please?”

“I don’t think me and you on the bed is a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“My damn body’s forgotten you broke my heart.” She rose to get the water bottle from her pack and brought it to him, “You should stay hydrated.”

He caught her wrist, his fingers circling her arm like a bracelet, “We need to talk and I don’t know how much time we have – the Brotherhood could find us before Nick arrives.”

She tugged, but he wasn’t going to let her go. Gracefully, she sank onto the edge of the bed, moving to sit cross-legged, facing him.

He released her and ran a hand over his face, “I didn’t abandon you on Temple Home, at least not willingly.”

The story:

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

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

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

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

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

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FUN NEWS: Star Cruise: Outbreak took third place in the Judge A Book By Its Cover (JABBIC) contest, which is judged by professional book sellers! Many thanks to my wonderful cover artist Fiona Jayde.

StarCruiseOutbreak-FJM_Mid_Res_1000x1500

Feb 11 2017

If I Could Call the Red Lady Weekend Writing Warriors

“I’ll be fine – if I could call upon the Red Lady, I’d have been healed already.”

“Right, she’s the answer to all your problems. Except when she’s not. Or when she tries to kill you. But you persist in running back.” The room featured only a bed and the bare essentials of a bathroom behind a sliding panel. After discarding the bloody towel in the bathroom, Twilka picked a spot further down the wall from where he lay on the bed, sat on the floor, and pulled out her AI, reviewing her designs to take her mind off the situation.

“Pretty,” he said a few minutes later, “With an edge. They all remind me of you.”

She whisked the designs out of view, into the file, and set the AI aside. “You’re a fashion critic now?”

So excited, got a great review for the book from Dear Author! SQUEE!

My new book is still with my editor so I’m not sure what I’ll excerpt next week. We’re going to start running into serious spoilers if I go too much further into Star Survivor. But we’ll see.

The story:

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

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

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

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Feb 4 2017

A Poisoned Blade? Weekend Writing Warriors

(If you’re here for the SFR Brigade Presents excerpt, please go HERE.)

Some fun awards news below the excerpt….

I’m continuing on with my latest release, Star Survivor for another week or two. I’ll have a new release soon! (Blurb for Star Survivor below the excerpt.) Twilka and Khevan are on the run, trying to evade other assassins, since the Red Lady has a kill order out on Twilka. The couple are in a bad area of town, waiting for their friend Nick to arrive. Khevan has been talking to another D’nvannae Brother while Twilka watches suspiciously from close by. The two men get into a knife fight, which Twilka breaks up, but Khevan is wounded. He says it’s a mere scratch. (Edited a bit from published version and some repunctuating):

He assessed the surrounding area, “We must go deeper into the slum, then obtain an automated rent-by-the-hour room and stay there for the night. I have fake ID we can use to secure the room.”

Arm in arm as if they were lovers, she and Khevan strolled through the trash-filled streets, rejecting the first few rent-a-room places before Twilka decided enough was enough and booked a chamber with his fake ID. The robo clerk delivered a card key and she led Khevan to the designated unit, breathing a deep sigh of relief as the door closed behind them and they were out of the public eye.

“Let me see your injury,” she said, as he sank onto the none too generous bed.

The slash looked dangerous to her, the edges red and puffy, “Do D’nvannae ever coat their blades with poison?” She asked the question over her shoulder as she went into the tiny bathroom to search for something to wash the wound with.

“A treachery against our code of honor – such an act would only be done at the Lady’s express command, and the Brother I met in the street wasn’t part of a compliance squad sent by her. I taught his class at the local temple in the afternoon before the kill order arrived, so he recognized me,” Khevan removed his shirt as she approached with cloths, “I think he overestimated his own abilities and hoped to earn renown by being the one to turn me in – a smarter move would have been to stay out of sight, call for assistance, and attempt to follow us.”

Star Survivor by Veronica Scott The story:

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

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

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

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And in other news, the SFR Galaxy Awards were announced this week (I’m squeeing because Star Cruise Outbreak got two awards and Hostage to the Stars got one, plus the Pets In Space anthology got two.)! Be sure to take a moment or two to check out all the listed books! Lots of great reads by excellent authors…

sfr-galay-award-2016

Jan 7 2017

Fight Won’t Last Long Weekend Writing Warriors

I’m continuing on with my latest release, Star Survivor. (Blurb below the excerpt.) I’ve jumped way ahead, to a point where Twilka and Khevan are on the run, trying to evade other assassins, since the Red Lady has a kill order out on Twilka. This snippet is the next day, after the conversation the two were having in last week’s excerpt. I’m trying not to give spoilers! The couple are on the run in a bad area of town, waiting for their friend Nick to arrive. Khevan has been talking to another D’nvannae Brother while Twilka watches suspiciously from close by. (Edited a bit from published version):

Khevan moved to walk away from his compatriot and the other man deployed a curved knife so smoothly the movement seemed like magic.

Khevan shoved the man’s blow aside with a sharp defensive parry and the opponents retreated a few feet from each other, faces set in grim lines, clearly about to duel in the street.

There were gasps and a few screams, and many of the more timid in the crowd surged to flee the immediate vicinity, temporarily knocking Twilka aside. Clawing her way to a new vantage point, she saw Khevan had his own knife out now and had clearly drawn blood. Another flurry of clashing knives and well-aimed kicks had her scared to death, clenched fist to mouth. She wanted desperately to find a way to help Khevan, but only an idiot got between two deadly men.

“Unusual sport, to see two of them fight,” said a man behind her, “Twenty credits on the younger Brother.”

“Fight won’t last long enough to know who wins,” said the bald man next to the first speaker, “Temple forces will be here any minute now, break it up, make them take the quarrel to a private place. Bad for the Red Lady’s reputation, her men fighting among themselves.”

“Over a woman,” the original would-be gambler explained, “Heard them talking before the knives came out.”

Star Survivor by Veronica Scott The blurb:

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

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

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

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Dec 31 2016

Is He Betraying Her? Weekend Writing Warriors

I don’t have a holiday story – sorry! So I’m continuing on with my latest release, Star Survivor. (Blurb below the excerpt.) I’ve jumped way ahead, to a point where Twilka and Khevan are on the run, trying to evade other assassins, since the Red Lady has a kill order out on Twilka. This snippet is the next day, after the conversation the two were having in last week’s excerpt. I’m trying not to give spoilers! The couple are on the run in a bad area of town, waiting for their friend Nick to arrive. (Edited a bit from published version):

She looked over her shoulder to see if Khevan was on his way to rejoin her yet and her nagging problems fled as she observed him standing fifty feet away, talking to another D’nvannae Brother. Adrenaline banished all traces of tiredness. Is he betraying me? The suspicion ran through her like a shock of ice water.

She couldn’t see Khevan’s face, but she didn’t like the smirk on the other Brother’s countenance. Trying to control her breathing, she was frozen for a moment, debating what to do. Should I get away from Khevan now? Wait for Nick on my own? This could all be a cruel trick on the part of the Red Lady, with Khevan fully on board to torment her for his goddess’s pleasure – a twisted mind game would be the Lady’s style.

Arguing with herself, panic lacing the edge of her nerves, she took a second glance at the two Brothers, now standing as if ready to fight each other. Clearly the discussion wasn’t going well.

Star Survivor by Veronica Scott The blurb:

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

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

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

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Happy New Year!

Dec 24 2016

Too Late for Apologies Weekend Writing Warriors

A very Merry Christmas to you if you celebrate the holiday and best wishes for an excellent, cozy winter day instead, if that’s more appropriate!

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 don’t have a holiday story – sorry! So I’m continuing on with my latest release, Star Survivor. (Blurb below the excerpt.) I’ve jumped way ahead, to a point where Twilka and Khevan are on the run, trying to evade other assassins, since the Red Lady has a kill order out on Twilka. The couple are hiding out in a dingy hotel in a bad area of town. (Edited a bit from published version):

“I’m sorry I got you into this,” he said.

“A little late for apologies,” Twilka glared at the sagging bed with distaste. “I’m supposed to be at a gala party in a glamorous dress designed by me, working the crowd, drinking expensive feelgoods, and drumming up new business by the shipload. Maybe flirting with cute trideo stars or investors and being photographed. Instead I’m in this dump, in stolen clothes I wouldn’t wear for a night crawling through dive bars, and I’m with you. Oh, and with a contract out on my head.” She squared her shoulders. “So, who are we going to get to help us? I can call my father, but I don’t think he has influence with the Red Lady – how many credits would it take to get her to back off?”

“At best, he could hire civilian bodyguards for you, maybe get you off the planet for now if he moved fast enough, but she’d find you eventually.”

The blurb:

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

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

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

iBooks Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble

Dec 17 2016

Quirk of Fate Weekend Writing Warriors

If you’re here for the SFRB Showcase & Giveaway, which by the way has a longer, new excerpt from Star Survivor, go HERE.

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’ve switched to my NEW RELEASE Star Survivor, which is the long awaited sequel to Wreck of the Nebula Dream. (Blurb below the excerpt.) Continuing on, I’ve skipped over Twilka’s conversation with her companions as she leaves the casino. Khevan has now insisted on escorting her to her cabin (edited a bit from published version):

“I’ll say this one more time, I don’t need your help and I don’t want you near me,” She moved as fast as she could toward her cabin, wanting this encounter with her past to be over.

But he stayed with her, adjusting his stride to hers, “We should take this quirk of fate bringing us together and talk.”

“Is that what you think this is, fate? I call it a nightmare and we have nothing to talk about. You left me, went running back to your flaming bitch Lady…” She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She was not doing this with him. She’d never give him another chance to destroy her.

“Twilka, it wasn’t as simple as it appeared when we first escaped the Nebula Dream.”

She faced him, noting his restored full face tattoo, the scarlet tariqna curling over his high cheekbones and strong brow, proclaiming his rank in the service of the Red Lady.

Star Survivor by Veronica Scott Author note: The tattoo was erased by the end of Wreck of the Nebula Dream, and I can’t say what happens to it in this new book without giving spoilers, so please don’t be upset that it isn’t on his face on the cover art!

The blurb:

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

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

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

iBooks Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble

Dec 10 2016

Cash Me Out 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’ve switched to my NEW RELEASE Star Survivor, which is the long awaited sequel to Wreck of the Nebula Dream. (Blurb below the excerpt.) Continuing on from where we left off last week (edited a bit from published version):

“The lady wins again,” said the dealer.

“Your lucky night,” Khevan said, inclining his head to her slightly.

Twilka grabbed the table rail with her free hand. Did he know who she was? Of course he did, but the bastard was pretending not to recognize her, “Available for contract, I see.”

“Technically true, but traveling to an outlying temple for a required ritual.” His handsome, tattooed face gave nothing away, “There would have to be an emergency for me to take a contract tonight.”

“Did you want to let the bet ride?” asked the croupier.

“No,” she said abruptly, “I don’t tempt fate too far any more. Cash me out.”

The blurb:

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

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

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

iBooks Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble

Nov 22 2016

Cover Reveal Star Survivor Sequel to Wreck of the Nebula Dream

UPDATE: Now that the 24 hour exclusivity window is finished, I’ve added the complete cover to this post too!

USA Today Happily Ever After is doing the exclusive cover reveal today for my latest scifi romance novel Star Survivor, which is the long awaited sequel to Wreck of the Nebula Dream! There’s also an exclusive excerpt to go with the cover reveal.

I’m not doing preorders – sorry! – as they can be so nerve wracking – but I expect the book to go live next week at all major ebook retailers and will send out a newsletter and announce it here and well, everywhere LOL.

A tease of the cover and the blurb below:

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

The long-awaited sequel to The Wreck of the Nebula Dream…

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

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

Available now – Buy Links:

iBooks Amazon Kobo Barnes & Noble MORE TO COME SOON!

Jan 31 2014

I’ll Be All Right 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!)

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.”

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 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

Veronica Scott

Science Fiction & Fantasy Romance Author

Tag Archives: Twilka

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Cover Reveal Star Survivor Sequel to Wreck of the Nebula Dream

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