Weekend Writing Warriors June 1

Another excerpt from my WIP  High Haven, a fantasy romance in the series, The Faun Realms

“Purifiers,” Ash said in a low voice. He handed her the spyglass, and she looked down at Mallow’s cabin.

Two buns and four fauns dressed in the white and orange uniforms of the Purification Force milled about Mallow's cabin. 

“Not actual Purifiers,” she whispered. “Purifiers always travel in thirds, one faun, one bun, one centaur. There are no centaurs with this group.”
“That most likely makes them worse than Purifiers. No rule of law of any sort.”

  Read more WEWRWA Snippets!   http://www.wewriwa.com/

Scifi Fantasy Saturday June 1

From  HIGH HAVEN

 Ash wasn’t even out of breath. Bluette gave him a sour look. He pulled on a small branch and a ladder made of rope tumbled down from the top of the giant oak.

“Your bower is up there?”

“Yes.” He raised his eyebrows and looked at the ladder.

“I can’t climb that-- I’m bun. Long feet!” She thumped a foot for emphasis.

“I’ll be right behind you. 

You can find more fantasy and scifi snippets: 

                                                          http://scififansat.blogspot.com/

Sneak Peek Sunday May 26

My excerpt for Sneak Peek Sunday this week is from my next Diaspora Worlds Book, Starwoman's Sanctuary, a scifi romance, coming this summer. 

You can enjoy other Sneak Peeks here!

Skyleen eschewed a floater, deciding a walk would be good for her. So much had happened in such a short time she felt like she was teetering on a cliff’s edge, where she could take a  foolish plunge into dangerous waters. How could she have been so irresponsible? She was never wild where men were concerned. The middle of an escape was no time to start an affair--or whatever that explosion of passion was called. She had responsibilities, and they did not involve handsome, dark haired planetary royalty. Except for his knowledge of flying the ship, of course.

She paused and took a deep breath before she entered the bridge. The interlude with Kyler was too much in her thinking.  He was at work, his hands sliding lightly over a com board. His hands were amazing…

 Not now! But she was very much aware they were alone on the bridge, with the small captain’s retreat just steps away.

Kyler turned to her and she swore his eyes twinkled when he looked at her. Her heart thudded even faster as he smiled.“Everything all right on Deck  Two?”

“Yes, everything is proceeding in an orderly manner. The families have chosen state rooms and the children are enjoying the play park. We moved all the food and set up  childcare and cooking schedules with volunteers. Tomorrow the Sisters and I will resume some course work for the school children since we brought the school com with us.” She felt hot and knew she was rambling.

 “Good. Very efficient.” Kyler tapped on the com. “About the feathered man. I was able to find a recording of his ship. It’s not like anything I’ve seen before.”

 

Weekend Warrior Writing, High Haven

 This is my first *Weekend Writing Warriors*  entry! My snippet comes from a high fantasy romance, High Haven  (none of the characters are all human!). Follow the link to other great snippets!

There was still a bit of dim light left by the setting sun. Two males stepped out of the shadow of the woods.

    They were fauns of a type Bluette didn’t even know existed. Instead of curved horns and rough goat legs they had branched antlers, like a deer, and long smooth brown legs, their shoulders broad under leather tunics. Both had beautifully formed faces with high cheek bones and square jaws, discernible even from the distance.

    “Ho, Mallow,” one called across the meadow, while the other greeted Mallow's fierce sow with strokes and ear scratches.

    “Ash and Linden! What brings you here?”

SFFS SATURDAY SNIPPET May 11

 So glad to be getting back to a normal schedule! I've missed SciFi Fantasy Saturday.
You can read more intriguing snippets *HERE*

“Do you think he is for real?” Rosleen asked after Kyler left.

“One way to find out.” They went to the Sanctuary office where they had an expensive Terran Solarus  com and Skyleen filed through security graphics until she found a good face shot of Kyler. Then she set up an inquiry about Kyler on New Prague data. It didn’t  take  long until a stream of data arrived, pictures of Kyler in high dress and others  of him on military campaigns. One at a banquet with his Mother, Judith, Protectorate of New Prague.

Royalty.

“He’s real.”

Sneak Peek Sunday-- ALIEN BLOOD

 

                 “Where is it?”

“It is on the far edge of sector seven, near the Big Empty.”

Gema wasn't familiar with the sector arrangement of the PureGen system.  “It must be very far    away. My family came to Toph from a world in the Terran Alliance.”

“New Prague has Toph and Selene connections. It was settled by mining conglomerates from the PureGen worlds. New Prague also does manufacturing which would be difficult on the PureGen worlds, since the metals would have to be transported.”

His world sounded worse and worse.

                “These planets for the Game are all out on the Rim.  They found these all in a group, when I was young. Had to test them for safety. The Survivor Show was granted rights to broadcast from the new planets as a way to showcase them for future colonization. It will be expensive to get a colonization packet to come here.” Gema knew she would never live here. Even if she amassed tons of credit, they would be colonized by PureGens. She would have to look elsewhere for a homeland.

Read more Sneak Peek Sunday Snippets *HERE*!

Post #501 On Breaks and Diaspora Worlds

I was looking through old posts on this blog--first post was in June of 2008. Since then I've had more books published, went through two small publisher's bizarro doors, met lots of fine and supportive writers.

 My kids have grown up, graduated high school and are busy with young adult lives.

 I lost a brother-in-law who was my sister's high school boyfriend and part of our lives for years. We lost our Golden Retriever, Champ and our old cat Patches, who would come and comfort children when they cried. Lost both of Tim's sisters, way too young.

We went though the financial crisis of losing 1/3 of our 401k and me getting laid off, unable to find a full time job with benefits for two years.

We got our little dog Baxter from my niece, and he has brought lots of smiles.

 I had a knee replaced and regained some mobility, hubby's diabetic feet continued to worsen until he was forced to retire. I found a better job, full time, but the extra hours did impact my writing time. I republished all those books set free from bizarro publishers and made actual pay-the-bills money for the first time as a writer.

Right now, this past month and next month, are the first 'break' I've taken from writing since 2004. There were times when I wasn't publishing or submitting, times when I had projects in lengthy wait for acceptance or edits, but I was always working on something. This is the first real FULL STOP.

Big Poison Inspration 

I am thinking about writing. Two projects on my mind a lot, Starwoman's Sanctuary, where I decided I need to flesh out some of the secondary characters--I had a vague since of 'not done yet' that is now becoming more clear--, and Big Poison Station , the last of the Brothers of New Prague books.

Big Poison...the heroine will look pretty ugly at first. And there will be an intelligent animal. This book takes place on the planet of New Prague and is several years after the other books in chronology. Her Cyborg Awakes is first in chronology, Starwoman's Sanctuary immediately follows, and Alien Blood takes places on a distant planet during both those books.

Some other books I have planned in the Diaspora Worlds will take place in the gap between Starwoman's Sanctuary/ Alien Blood and ... Lorl and Rivier's story, Dooley and Lirielle's Cirque Du Cyborg, Prisma's story, Arla Call and Krishal's story.  That should keep me busy!  

What a  long strange trip...