Weekend Writing Warriors - #SundaySnippet - Beloved Enemy, The Destiny Trilogy Book 3 - Cat-landing!

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warrior and 8 Sentence Sunday, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to read and write! We've got a variety of genres and talented writers just waiting for you to come sample their work.

Writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet on Sunday each week. Be sure to visit the other writers - they're listed below:

Weekend Writing Warriors for Eight Sentence Sunday

Snippet Sunday Facebook Group

If you'd to share your own 8-10 sentence snippet, whether published or not, follow the link and sign up. It's a great community to be a part of! 



 Thanks so much to everyone who has been following this series, and left comments xx

This week I'm going to start sharing  snippets from the third book in the  Destiny Trilogy 'Beloved Enemy' (Each book is a 'standalone' novel)

"Hold tight, Shifter, this is going to be bumpy.”

The small vehicle careened down the incline, ploughing a deep trough and throwing up a cloud of dirt and sand.

Eventually it plunged through the tangled branches of a group of slender trees and bushes at the bottom, and shuddered to a halt. For a moment, sandy soil and a blur of green and brown severed leaves and twigs on the external scanner obscured the view. Cat Kincaid ground her teeth and activated a control.

A gust of recycled air blew away the offending sand and foliage, and the screen before her displayed the surrounding terrain. A bleak, undulating landscape, punctuated by clumps of scrubby trees and bushes, like the ones she’d crashed into, stretched into the distance. A small forest bordered most of the far side of a steep slope behind her. She grabbed her emergency pack, and slung it over her shoulder, before swiping the airlock control. Let’s hope the computer was right about the atmosphere and pressure on this planet being compatible with human requirements.

BLURB
Cat Kincaid is obsessed with killing the man she believes is responsible for the torture and death of her sister, but when she eventually catches up with him, survival becomes a greater priority than revenge.

Kerry Marchant, haunted by memories, regret, and self-blame, shields himself from the pain of the past by committing himself totally to the starship, Destiny, of which he is part owner. However, the beautiful, red-haired woman who reminds him of his lost love, and who he suspects is working for a corrupt regime, represents a possible threat not only to the ship, but to his heart.

Marooned on an inhospitable planet, they need to work together to stay alive, fighting not only unknown assailants, but their growing attraction. But how can they learn to trust each other when he has vowed never to get close to a woman again, and she made a solemn pledge to destroy him?

My publisher, The Wild Rose Press is having a Thanksgiving sale - all E-books, are 40% off, and each volume of The Destiny Trilogy is now only $2.99  until Monday. Grab yourself a bargain or two or three from hundreds of great books on offer.

https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/138_hywela-lyn 

(While you're there, have a look at all the great books by the wonderful Wild Rose Press Authors, and maybe download my 'Free Read' fantasy short story, A Bargain With Death.)

THE DESTINY TRILOGY

Purchase all three books (or just one, they stand alone, while sharing some of the same characters)  

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Snippet Sunday: Starquest - Time to get things out in the open!

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warrior and 8 Sentence Sunday, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to read and write! We've got a variety of genres and talented writers just waiting for you to come sample their work.

Writers share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet on Sunday each week. Be sure to visit the other writers - they're listed Below:

Weekend Writing Warriors for Eight Sentence Sunday

Snippet Sunday Facebook Group

If you'd to share your own 8-10 sentence snippet, whether published or not, follow the link and sign up. It's a great community to be a part of! 

I'm currently sharing snippets from Starquest, the first book in the SF Romance series,  The Destiny Trilogy.
Thanks so much to everyone who's commented to date. (I was away at the RNA conference last week so had to miss a week but I'll try to catch up on last week's posts if I can. I decided to put in an additional snippet this week, so here we go -

Summary of snippets so far:

Having been rescued from her sabotaged starship by the crew of the Destiny, Jess has persuaded them to help her save the inhabitants of the planet Phidia from a cruel invader by the name of Ayandos. Kerry Marchant, the ship's second in command, has had to revise his initial mistrust of her. He is also somewhat stunned on learning that far from being the deceitful character he'd thought her, she is not only on a mission to save a planet, but is in fact an interstellar missionary - and he's finding it hard to deny that he is becoming rather more than attracted to her!

Punctuation slightly Edited from published version to keep within sentence count.

In this excerpt Jess attempts to ease the awkwardness between herself and Kerry.

They could not go on like this until they reached Phidia.

 “Look, I know you and I haven’t exactly hit it off. I can understand why you didn’t trust me, but now you know my reasons for not being honest with you in the first place, can we at least attempt to get along? Can’t we try to...just...be friends?” 

“Oh, no, Jess. I doubt if you and I could ever just be friends.”

So he would not even give her that. She was about to make a sharp retort, when she saw the expression in his eyes, the way he looked at her, and realised with a feeling of shocked disbelief, what he was implying.

He closed the space between them, placing a hand on her arm, and, taken by surprise, she dropped her guard, trembling at his touch. His blue eyes searched hers, as if determined to see the truth she tried to hide from him...and she knew he would find it, for she could conceal nothing from him now. She closed her eyes, conscious that it was already too late. Very gently, he stroked her face with the back of his fingers, before placing his hands on her shoulders, drawing her even closer to him. 

“You said I needed no one and nothing except myself,” he went on slowly, taking both her hands in his. “I thought it was true, but you were wrong, Jess, although I did not realise it until now.” 

BLURB: When Jestine Darnell is rescued from her sabotaged starship by the crew of the Destiny her only objective is to complete her mission and keep her promise to save a world from slavery. Love is the last thing on her mind. However, she has not counted on losing her heart to Kerry Marchant the ship’s second in command, who makes his distrust of her painfully obvious, despite the chemistry between them. The completion of her mission has consequences that neither of them could have foreseen.

Enter Dahll Tarron, who becomes involved in a long and dangerous quest to find the Destiny. Fates become intertwined, perils shared, culminating in the realization that sometimes love may be so close that there is a danger it will not be recognized until it is too late…

Purchase all three books (or just one)  at https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B01MRY3XXT

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

Diane Burton's Mission To Earth - background and #contest

It's always a pleasure to welcome a fellow SF romance writer to the Flight Deck. I've just read this book and can thoroughly recommend it as an entertaining and realistic vision of what life for future pioneers, about to embark on a voyage to colonise a new planet might be like.  It's not only a great read, but food for thought as well. I think we should all be concerned about global warming and the way we have treated our planet.

I asked Diane to  give us some background about how she came to write 'Mission to New Earth'.  Enjoy her post, and the excerpt from the book - and don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter contest at the bottom of the page.  

Background to Mission to New Earth:

I’ve often wondered what it would take for space exploration to move faster. Blame it on Star Wars and Star Trek. Those movies assumed we would go into space. That we would explore not just our solar system but beyond.

Although many people do not believe in global warming, I think it’s coming, along with over population plus the results of all the awful things we’re doing Mission To New Earth.

not just to the earth but to the air and water around us. I worry about what we’re leaving our children and grandchildren. Perhaps we’ll all pitch in and do more than our part to prevent the catastrophes that play a part in my science fiction novella,

Like most writers, I begin with a thought and then ask “what if…” This story was originally a short story I wrote for a holiday anthology on The Roses of Prose blog, titled “Christmas in Space” that I more than tripled in word count.

I’ve been fascinated by the Mars One project, a commercial venture to put people on Mars. I found the concept of starting off on a one-way trip to discover a new world intriguing, if not a little scary. I loved the characters in that short story so much that I had to find out more about them and their journey. What would motivate people to leave everything and everyone behind to set off on a one-way trip? All six of my characters have their reasons, and their secrets. The question is whether they’ll find a new home in time.

Mission To New Earth: a novella

By Diane Burton

Genre: science fiction romance

Release date: August 31, 2016

Length: 88 pages (25k words)

Amazon ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ ARe ~ Smashwords ~ Barnes & Noble

Blurb:

Would you go on a one-way trip to explore a new planet? Would you do it to save humankind?

Earth’s overpopulation and dwindling resources force the United Earth Space Agency to expedite exploration of new planets for a possible new home. When new crises ensue—a giant tsunami and the threat of nuclear winter—the timeline changes. Eight years of training crammed into four. Sara Grenard and her team prepare for launch, but are they ready for the one-way trip? Will the Goldilocks planet prove just right for Earth’s inhabitants? Before time runs out.

Excerpt:

As we followed, Marsh strode across the corridor to the left. The only private place down there was a lavatory. Not my favorite destination for a team meeting. But beggars couldn’t be choosers, as my mom used to say.

“We screwed up again,” Marsh announced as soon as the five of us joined him. His voice echoed off the hard surfaces. “In RT, it could kill us.”

“You and your damn RT,” Tom spat out. “Why can’t you just say real time like a normal person?”

Marsh shot him a look, one I’d hate directed at me.

Military background evident, he stood in the middle of the area near the showers, his feet wide apart, hands clasped behind his back. The others were more casual. Bill held up a white-tiled wall across from the showers. Ana and Gloria sat on a fake wood bench. Meanwhile, I crossed my arms and leaned against a sink. I tried to look casual even though my nerves were strung tight. We had to be ready for the launch. Earth was dependent on us.

All of my team, except Tom and Marsh, wore hang-dog expressions. At forty, Tom was the oldest on the team and a damn fine pilot. His red face and mutinous expression as he confronted Marsh belied his usually even-keeled manner.

“You’re exaggerating, Rayburn.” That was more than angry. Tom was defiant. “You always exaggerate. Worst case scenario? Is that all you think about?”

I’d never seen Tom so worked up. Gloria walked over to him and rubbed his shoulder. Usually in stressful times, her gentle caress calmed him down. Not now.

When he shrugged off her hand, I caught the hurt in her eyes.

“C’mon, Bill. Back me up on this.”

Bill held out his hands in a don’t-get-me-involved gesture. He was our engineer, both formal and practical. He could fix anything from wonky engines to food replicators.

Tom turned to me. “Sara?”

I knew that was coming. I tried to let my team work things out by themselves. Soon we’d be living in close confines, not just on the ship but on our Goldilocks planet. If we couldn’t live in harmony during training, we would be in deep trouble once we reached our final destination. We’d be in even worse trouble if we couldn’t work out our differences here. Marsh was right to pick the only place that wasn’t monitored. We absolutely didn’t want the directors to think we weren’t a well-functioning team.

They could pull us and put in the Shadow Team. Our replacements.

“Okay, guys, what did I miss?” With a forced grin, I raised my right hand. “I swear I wasn’t dreaming about a day at the beach during the sim.”

About the Author:

Diane Burton combines her love of mystery, adventure, science fiction and romance into writing romantic fiction. Besides the science fiction romance Switched and Outer Rim series, she is the author of One Red Shoe, a romantic suspense, and the Alex O’Hara PI mystery series. She is also a contributor to two anthologies: Portals, Volume 2 and How I Met My Husband. Diane and her husband live in West Michigan. They have two children and three grandchildren.

For more info and excerpts from her books, visit Diane’s website: http://www.dianeburton.com

Blog: http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/dmburton72

Facebook:  http://facebook.com/dianeburtonauthor

Goodreads: Diane Burton Author  

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dmburton72/

Amazon author page: http://amzn.com/e/B00683MH5E

Sign up for Diane’s newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bdHtYf

GIVEAWAY

Diane offers a chance to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card. Answer the following question in the comments then check the Rafflecopter for more chances to win.

Would you go on a one-way trip to a new planet?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you Diane, it was really interesting reading about you and your book!
Hywela Lyn










For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join Every new subscriber will get a FREEdownload of my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' (If this doesn't arrive within two days just email me at hywelalyn@btinternet.com)

Today is the day!

BELOVED ENEMY is released today from the Wild Rose Press

THE WILD ROSE PRESS

It is available in both paperback and Ebook and if you go to the Wild Rose Press site at the above link, the EBook is available at Half Price at the moment!

This is the blurb:

Cat Kincaid is obsessed with killing the man she believes is responsible for the torture and death of her sister, but when she eventually catches up with him, survival becomes a greater priority than revenge.

Kerry Marchant, haunted by memories, regret, and self-blame, shields himself from the pain of the past by committing himself totally to the starship, Destiny, of which he is part owner. However, the beautiful, red-haired woman who reminds him of his lost love, and who he suspects is working for a corrupt regime, represents a possible threat not only to the ship, but to his heart.

Marooned on an inhospitable planet, they need to work together to stay alive, fighting not only unknown assailants, but their growing attraction. But how can they learn to trust each other when he has vowed never to get close to a woman again, and she made a solemn pledge to destroy him?

And here are some teasers from Cat and Kerry

We're also celebrating with a fun 'out of this world' party at

THE AUTHOR ROAST AND TOAST

AND

you're all invited to a Facebook party tomorrow night

https://www.facebook.com/events/1737929976436667/

and finally, today is the last day of my Blog Tour with MY FAMILY'S HEART.

If you get a moment, I'd love you to visit some of the blogs taking part

ROOM WITH BOOKS

JUDE OUVRARD

WE READ WITH A GLASS OF WINE

RACH - HERE IS WHAT I READ

THE INDI BOOK FAIRY

ADDICTION TO READING

MY BOYFRIEND HEAVEN

SWEETS BOOKS

BOOKS AND WARPAINT

NICOLE'S BOOK MUSINGS

SHERYL BROWNE

HERE'S WHAT I READ

T & Ls BOOK REVIEWS 

RAMBLINGS FROM SEKS

BELLA'S BLOG

MY FAMILY'S HEART

TEATIME AND BOOKS

SSLY (REVIEW)

TRACI HADEN

DANIELLE'S DOMAIN

QUEEN OF ALL SHE READS (REVIEW)

MAGIC OF BOOK PROMOTIONS

MYTHICAL BOOKS

GIRL WITH A PEN (REVIEW)

MUFFY WILSON

ESKIE MAMA READS

MARY RICKSEN

J C CLARKE

LOUISA'S LOUISIANA HOME

DEAL SHARING AUNT

THE ITSY BITSY BOOK BITS

The Astronaut's Princess Spotlight and Giveaway

The Astronaut’s Princess
Cosmic Cowboys Series
Episode 2
Lisa Medley

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Publisher: Big Cedar

Date of Publication:  02/16/16

ASIN: B01AKHG5KG

Number of pages: 111
Word Count: 33K

Cover Artist: Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs

Book Description:

Astronauts, Aliens, and Apaches? What could possibly go wrong?

Working for a billionaire space entrepreneur has its perks:  a nice paycheck, free room and board, and all the space flight hours a guy could want. But everything has a price.  Astronaut Noah Wright has survived an alien attack, time travel and a wormhole, but the Apache princess he brought back through time may be the death of him.

Ela, only daughter of Chief Itza-Chu of the Mescalero Apaches, finds herself out of place and out of time. Everything she knows of her early 1800’s life has vanished. Her savior and protector, Noah, is kind, but he’s not her family and certainly not Apache. Her only wish is to get home, but returning through the wormhole that brought her to the future threatens more than her past, causing her to have to rediscover what home really is.

Amazon Purchase Link

Excerpt
Chapter One
SpaceXport Base Antigravity Bay, New Mexico – the near future.

“Use the grab bars, Carlton. You’ll never make it to the cargo bay without using the grab bars,” Noah Wright instructed through the intercom to a struggling member of his astronaut training class.
These folks were engineers and scientists, yet the very basic, common sense tasks were somehow the most difficult for them to grasp.

“Stop spinning, Ramirez. What are you? A trapeze performer?” Noah turned the dial on the antigravity control panel. “Prepare for gravity. That’s it for today.”

The class of five settled ungracefully to the ground.

Rookies.

This team tested what remained of his patience. The only saving grace was the first crew was already working on the hotel pod construction. This group? These guys wouldn’t have lasted two months in the NASA program. Noah pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the headache pounding behind his eyes to go away.

Not my circus. Not my monkeys.

Except they were.

The door behind him opened, and Noah closed his eyes tighter, not turning. “Captain? You have a call from sick bay. It’s Ela,” the intern said.

Of course it’s Ela.
Ever since they’d returned through the wormhole with the Apache princess, his literal and metaphorical headaches had begun. Technically, she wasn’t his responsibility. His morality insisted otherwise. He’d been at her bedside for weeks after their return, nursing her back to health. She had begun to recover quickly from a severe case of measles after the first round of vaccines. Considering the shape she’d been in when they’d arrived home, she wouldn’t have made it another week in her time. Hell, she wouldn’t have made it in his time, forty years ago. They even had a vaccine for cancer now. Medicine had come a long way. Physically, she’d recovered. But mentally? Emotionally?
Apparently being dragged more than two hundred fifty years into the future from her 1800s New Mexico home and tribe was going to take longer to adjust to.

Hell, he got it. He did. When they’d landed in the desert and into the past, he’d been overwhelmed and confused. He was currently one of three people on Earth who understood her predicament, but that didn’t make her any more cooperative.

You could take the princess away from the Apaches, but you couldn’t take the Apache out of the princess.

“Captain?” the intern repeated.

“I heard you. I’ll be there in a minute.” The door clicked closed behind him, and Noah took a deep breath. He waited for the training class to clear the hallway before he made his way out. Conversation was the last thing he wanted at the moment. Well, maybe second to the last. Making the long trek to the sick bay for an earful of Apache was currently topping that list.

So far she’d lived up to his every expectation of the title of princess.
Curt. Rude. Demanding.

And 90 percent of the time, he didn’t understand a word she said.

Noah wound his way through the complex, past the construction bay where his transport shuttle was currently being filled with supplies and construction equipment. The ground crew walked with clipboards, doing their final flight checks of the supply-laden transport. Cole and Tessa were already aboard the first of the launched hotel pods, now anchored to and floating near the Moon, readying it for his arrival.

Their employer and benefactor, Duncan Janson, had carried on without them the six months they’d been assumed lost in space after their asteroid mining debacle. And when they’d returned with an alien ship shelled with platinum and a fuel hopper full of asteroid samples? The boon had provided the financial boost Janson needed to launch the next phase of his plan for space tourism.
“Captain,” a voice called from behind him.

Noah spun around abruptly. “What now?” he bit out.

The look on the intern’s face tweaked at Noah’s conscience, but he didn’t apologize. The kid was on his last nerve.

“Never mind. I’ll take care of it.” The intern slunk away, avoiding further eye contact.
Good plan.

The overhead page requesting his presence in the sick bay nearly pushed him over the edge. For a second, he considered walking out of the building, getting into the Bombardier, and driving across the desert until the blasted thing stopped.

Instead, he lowered his head and pounded across the campus to the sick bay.
To his Apache princess.


About the Author:

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.

Website: http://lisa-medley.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lisamedleyauthor

Twitter https://twitter.com/lisamedley

Newsletter http://eepurl.com/9Zhcz

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7824406.Lisa_Medley

Google + https://plus.google.com/u/1/+LisaMedley/posts


Tour giveaway

One $10 Amazon Gift Card

1. 
   

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saven Deception - spotlight and reveiw of Siobahn Davis's latest YA SF Romance

This is my stop during the book blitz for Saven: Deception (The Saven Series #1) by Siobhan Davis. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 15 till 28 December, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

Saven: Deception (The Saven Series #1)
By Siobhan Davis
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: December 15, 2015

Blurb:
I’ve fallen hard for an alien, but he’s harboring secrets.
Massive secrets that threaten the very essence of humanity.
How can I give him my heart when his race plans on taking my future?

Sadie Owens has been slowly dying inside. Bit by bit, piece by piece, day by day. Trapped in a life she hates, she relies on only one person—herself.

Despised by her family and betrayed by an unscrupulous government, Sadie dreams of a different life. When she is chosen to participate in the government’s new social experiment, she is ecstatic at the prospect of spending six months in Thalassic City, the shiny new city under the sea.

Immediately drawn to Logan Chandler, Sadie is captivated by the beautiful boy with the ocean-blue eyes. Logan seems to embody everything that has been forbidden, but he isn’t all he appears to be.

Confused over Logan’s true intentions and concerned when best friend Jenna starts transforming in front of her eyes, Sadie partners with newcomer Jarod in a bid to uncover the government’s real agenda. The truth is more shocking than anything she could ever have imagined.

When Sadie finally understands why the Saven walk among us, will it be too late to save her heart and the human race?

You can find Saven: Deception on Goodreads

You can buy Saven: Deception here:
- Amazon USA
- Amazon UK
- Amazon Canada
- Amazon Australia

About the Author:
I write young adult science fiction fantasy romance books, and I’m the author of the Amazon bestselling True Calling series. The first book in my new Saven series will be released in December 2015.

A self-professed teenager forever—at least when it comes to books, music, and films, I am totally addicted to teen fiction and superhero/blockbuster movies. I love baking, shoes, bags, makeup, anti-wrinkle cream, anything pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Robert Pattinson (definitely Team Edward).

Before pursuing a full-time writing career, I forged a successful corporate career in Human Resources over the last twenty years.

I live in the Garden County of Ireland with my husband and two sons.

You can find and contact Siobhan here:
- Website
- Blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Google +
- Goodreads
- Amazon  
- Newsletter

Sample chapters, quotes, reviews and book excerpts are all available to download from the authors website

There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Saven: Deception. Below are the prizes the author is giving away:
- a 10$ amazon gift card
- 3 e-copies of Saven Deception by Siobhan Davis

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I absolutely loved this book.  I really enjoyed the 'True Calling' Series but if anything, I enjoyed Saven: Deception even more. I found Sadie an easy character to identify with and relate to, and Logan Chandler is the kind of dark, hunky hero every girl dreams of.  Each of the characters is very skilfully drawn and as usual with Siobhan Davis's books, there are a lot of twists and turns to the plot,  twists that cause the reader to wonder exactly who can really be trusted, and whether Sadie has jumped out of the proverbial frying pan into a fire of deception and intrigue. This makes for a real page turner and I found it very hard to put the book down. The supporting characters are all very different and each individual is as real and credible as Sadie and Logan. The world building, as with 'True Calling' is well executed and believable, and the detail and description makes it easy to visualize Thalassic City, the 'city under the sea'.

I can thoroughly recommend this book, as one which many adults will enjoy as much as the age range for which it is primarily written.  My only criticism is that it ended in a way that made me long for the next 'episode'.  I can't wait for the next book in this series!

The above review is my own, personal opinion. A free book was provided and accepted for an honest and impartial review, but not in an effort to control the outcome of the review. No compensation has been paid or accepted for any reviews on this site, favorable or otherwise.

Cover Reveal and Giveaway for Saven Deception by Siobahn Davis

Today is the cover reveal for Saven: Deception (The Saven Series #1) by Siobhan Davis. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

Saven: Deception (The Saven Series #1)
By Siobhan Davis
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: December 15, 2015

Blurb:
I’ve fallen hard for an alien.
But he’s harboring secrets.
Massive ones that threaten the very essence of humanity.
How can I give him my heart when his race plan on taking my future?

Sadie Owens has been slowly dying inside. Bit by bit, piece by piece, day by day. Trapped in a life she hates, she relies on only one person: Herself.

Despised by her family, and betrayed by an unscrupulous government, Sadie dreams of a different life. When she is chosen to participate in the government’s new social experiment, she is ecstatic at the prospect of spending six months in Thalassic City, the shiny new city under the sea.

Immediately drawn to Logan Chandler, Sadie is captivated by the beautiful boy with the ocean-blue eyes. Logan seems to embody everything that has been forbidden, but he isn’t all he appears to be.

When Sadie finally learns the truth about why the Saven walk among us, will it be too late to save her heart and the human race?

You can find Saven: Deception on Goodreads

You can pre-order Saven: Deception here:
- Amazon USA
- Amazon UK
- Amazon Canada
- Amazon Australia

Excerpt:
Please note that this book is currently undergoing professional editing so this is an unedited sample. The final published version will be slightly different.

The stench of stale sweat, unwashed skin, and rancid body odor assaults my nostrils and I gag. The temp in the carriage must be pushing ninety degrees and a steady line of sweat coasts down my spine, gluing my shirt to my back. A craving to crawl out of my skin hits me like a bullet to the chest.

 It’s not a new sentiment. It’s an urge I feel at least once every hour.

A potent desire to be anyone but myself.

 To live any life but this one.

Heat rolls off the large body pressed into me from behind and the man grunts loudly. The desire to shed my skin accelerates and I shudder uncontrollably. Everywhere I look I’m confronted by a sea of grimy, male chests in dirty, sweat encrusted work wear. Being short sucks almost all of the time, but being stuck in the middle of an overcrowded, bursting-at-the-seams subway carriage, during one of the hottest heatwaves New York has ever known, sucks butt on a stratospheric level, and has me cursing the genes that stalled my growth at five feet one.

 Claustrophobia swoops in, surrounding me in an anxiety-laced cloud, and I know I’ve reaching my tipping point.

I can’t bear this a second longer.
With my lungs screaming for air, I push my way forward, shuddering as I squeeze past more disgusting, heaving forms. I fling myself out onto the platform in the nick of time. The train eases out of the station as my legs make a break for freedom. Bounding up the stairs two at a time, I thrust my tiny frame forward, propelling my legs as fast as they can go. My entire being strains for release.

About the Author:
Siobhan Davis is the author of YA science fiction romance series True Calling.
A self-diagnosed ‘teenager forever’—at least when it comes to books, music and movies; Siobhan is totally addicted to teen fiction and superhero/blockbuster movies. Siobhan loves baking, crime novels, shoes, bags, make-up, anti-wrinkle cream, anything pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Robert Pattinson (definitely Team Edward).
Siobhan has forged a successful corporate career, in Human Resources, over the last twenty years.
Siobhan resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Contact Siobhan at: www.siobhandavis.com

You can find and contact Siobhan here:
- Website
- Blog
- Facebook
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Sample chapters, quotes, reviews and book excerpts are all available to download from the authors website

There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of Saven: Deception. You can win a 10$ Amazon Gift Card. For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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Win a copy of Starquest

As you know I'm super excited about the latest in the trilogy 'Beloved' Enemy', but the first book 'Starquest' was the 'book of my heart' and the one that started it all. And now you can win your very own copy, if you haven't already read it - just go to this link and enter the simple Rafflecopter contest courtesy of Love, Lust and Lipstick Stains - you'll need to scroll down a bit:  ENTER CONTEST

You only have until Thursday night to enter!

To whet your appetite, here's a brief excerpt from one of the early chapters:

"Jess, we need to talk."
"I...I thought we had."
"There's something you've not told me. I sensed you were holding something back just now." Kerry's voice was soft, almost persuasive.
She turned to face him, although she avoided meeting his eyes. "There's nothing. I'm not hiding any dark secrets from you, if that's what you mean.
You needn't worry about the ship any more."
"I'm not. But there is something troubling you."
"Even if there were, why should you care?" she asked, a sharp edge to her voice that she hadn't intended. "You've made it fairly clear you don't like me very much. I'll try and keep out of your way, until we reach Phidia." She turned away again, so he would not see the colour she felt once more rushing to her face.
"That won't be necessary. And...it's not that I...dislike you." He hesitated.
She frowned. Kerry Marchant did not normally appear to have difficulty in finding the right words, but for once he seemed to be struggling.

Traitor by Jody Wallace - Book Two In the Maelstrom series - Book Tour and Giveaway

 
Traitor
Maelstrom Chronicles

Book Two
Jody Wallace
Release Date: July 28, 2015
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Publisher: Entangled

Book Description:
 
Captain Nikolas EstherVorn is a traitor. Or so it was decreed after Niko disobeyed protocol while
trying to save Earth from other dimensional creatures. Stuck in a prison cell, the last thing he
needs is to be in close proximity to sexy-as-sin Dr. Sarah CallenJoseph. Not with him
damn near ready to break out just to get to her. Niko's desire isn't quite his own…and Sarah can prove it. He—along with the other soldiers on the disastrous mission—were drugged with some kind of toxin. Niko has no clue how the drug got into his body or why, but Sarah suspects there’s a link between the toxin and the fertility crisis of Shipborn humans.

To investigate is forbidden. But as lust becomes something deeper, binding them together in a way neither expected, Niko and Sarah must battle time—and their superiors—to uncover the secret that could save humanity...or destroy it.

About the Author:
Jody Wallace grew up in the South in a very rural area. She went to school a long time and
ended up with a Master's Degree in Creative Writing. Her resume includes college English
instructor, technical documents editor, market analyst, web designer, and general all around
pain in the butt. She currently lives in Tennessee with her family: one husband, two
kids, two cats. One of her many alter egos is “The Grammar Wench,” which should give you
an indication of her character. She is a terrible packrat and likes to amass vintage clothing,
books, Asian-inspired kitchenware, gnomes, yarn, and other items that threaten to force her
family out of the house. She also likes cats. A lot.

Jody publishes the Maelstrom Chronicles with Entangled Publishing, an Earthbased
science fiction romance series. You can find other science fiction, paranormal, and contemporary romances by Jody at www.jodywallace.com, including her horrible science fiction romance spoofs, The Adventures of Mari Shu, which make fun of the Maelstrom Chronicles, among other science fiction concepts and stories.

Website: http://www.jodywallace.com
Blog: http://blog.jodywallace.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodywallace
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JodyWallaceAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/jodywallace
Newsletter: https://madmimi.com/signups/104974/join

Tour Giveaway
A pair of handmade crocheted UFO earrings US Only
$35 gift card to Amazon open internationally



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Another five star review for 'Starquest'

I just found this lovely review for Starquest, by the same reviewer who was kind enough to review the next book in the series 'Children Of The Mist. Reviews are so important to an author, and it's worth all the hard work when someone is kind enough to say they enjoyed one's story. a review like this truly makes my day and I want to thank everyone who takes the time to review any of my books - and those of my fellow authors too, it means the world to us.


"This was a well-written science fiction novel with a healthy dose of romance. There were twists that I didn't see coming and that I really liked which would make this a superior book in any genre. I thought the world building was excellent; each new planet had very definite characteristics, scenery, animal and plant life, and customs that clearly differentiated it from others in space. The main character, Jess, is a pilot on a mission to save a planet that was conquered by a militant race and enlists the aid of another spaceship to help her. It is when that mission is accomplished that things go awry and Jess sets off on another mission to find her lover with the aid of another pilot Dahll.
In some ways this book reminded me of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series which I love. I would heartily recommend this book. I already have the next one in the series, Children of the Mist, on my reader and can't wait to read it."

Mainer Amazon US

Thank you so much for your lovely review, Mainer, I'm so glad you enjoyed 'Starquest' and really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review.

Dark Horse Book Blast and Review

DARK HORSE

by Michelle Diener

Some secrets carry the weight of the world.

Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she's made a powerful ally--a fellow prisoner with whom she's formed a strong bond. Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.

Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.

She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.

In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.

Excerpt 

Her jump surprised them as much as their jump surprised her, she guessed, from the way they reacted to the sight of her suddenly crouched on the roof of her little spaceship.

With a hand signal and a barked command, the big guy whoʼd been standing in the middle, the one sheʼd exchanged a look with earlier, had them all letting the cords on their fancy automatic grappling hooks winch them back to the top again, weapons trained on the gryak. He stayed behind, though, eyes never leaving the gryak, and walked carefully to her ship.

He was going to climb up to her.

The gryak had stopped when sheʼd jumped, and gone very watchful when the soldiers had dropped into its cave, but now it prowled up and down in front of her craft, confused and distressed.

The black helmet and then the enormous shoulders of the Grih whoʼd stayed below with her rose up, her rescuer easily pulling himself onto the roof with her.

They stared at each other again, not that Rose could see much of his face through the helmet, and she mentally called up the Grih sheʼd learned over the last eight weeks.

“Iʼm Rose McKenzie. Pleased to meet you.” Grih informal greetings required her to touch her nose to his left cheek, and he to hers, but they were on more of a formal footing, she was guessing, and his helmet was in the way anyway, so she extended her hands palms facing each other, waiting for him to either cover hers or let her cover his. She couldnʼt remember who should do what, right at that minute.

There was a moment of silence, and then the thin, gray-tinted glass on his helmet retracted, and she looked directly into startled pale blue eyes with a dark outer-rim of navy blue. “You speak Grih.”

“Iʼve been studying it.” She looked at him, and tears pricked her eyes.

Sazo had said the Grih were as close to being like her as it got in this part of the universe. But sheʼd thought heʼd been talking in general terms. Bi-pedal, with two eyes, a nose and a mouth. That was the most sheʼd hoped for.

She even thought it didnʼt matter. She would be happy to be alive, and wouldnʼt care if she looked completely different to the people who would hopefully take her in.

Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.

Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings, or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.

http://www.michellediener.com/

http://www.magicalmusings.com/

http://twitter.com/michellediener

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+MichelleDiener/posts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-Diener/196593580366013

 BUY Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Horse-Michelle-Diener-ebook/dp/B00Z9R1W9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434370128&sr=8-1&

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-horse-michelle-diener/1122089042?ean=2940152186161

I was intrigued by the Blurb and it drew me in and want to read the story - and I'm so glad I did.  This was one of those books that had me hooked from the start and turning the pages, not wanting to put it down. 

It has a freshness and originality not easy to achieve in Science Fiction these days, and the romance was lightly handled and added to the enjoyment of the story. Although there was enough intrigue and adventure, as well as SF elements to carry the story without it, the romance was a definite bonus. It was also interesting to read the cultural differences between Earth and the Grih.

I liked the main characters very much and found them easy to identify with.  Rose is feisty and sweet at the same time.  The story hints that she has endured what appears to be very invasive investigative procedures at the hands of the Tecran and has the scars to prove it, but her resilience and strength have enabled her to survive, and, with the help of an 'artificial intelligence', the enigmatic and sentient 'Sazo', engineers his and her own  escape from the Class 5 battleship that has been their prison.

Dav is kind and gentle, a little too kind and gentle for a starship captain, perhaps, but he does have an inner strength and I liked the way his romance with Rose developed.  

Her relationship with Sazo adds another dimension to the story.  At times he can seem quite sinister, and at others almost innocent. He has seemingly unlimited power but, having only recently achieved awareness and freedom, is like a wayward adolescent, who needs someone like Rose to guide him and teach him a respect for life. I liked the way she compares her relationship with him to that of Watson and Holmes, with herself taking the role of Watson.  

The plot and characters are well developed and there is some excellent world building.  I think this book would appeal to general Science Fiction readers as well as romance readers, and there is enough action and intrigue to satisfy anyone who enjoys a good adventure which is as thought provoking as it is entertaining.

I was given an ARC if this book in return for an honest and unbiased review. No compensation has been paid or accepted for any reviews on this site, favorable or otherwise

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