WeWriWar:Starquest - things hot up between Kerry and Jess!

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 excerpts from Starquest, the first of the Destiny Trilogy

This excerpt continues from last weeks' post

Kerry has come to Jess's cabin on board the starship Destiny, having discerned that she is worried about something, and despite the previous coolness between them is keen to clear the air. Finally the emotions they have been trying to keep from each other rise to the surface.

Creative punctuation editing from published version to keep within sentence limitation.

“It seems,” she said, her voice unsteady, “we’ve both been guilty of trying to hide our true feelings—”

“Then...perhaps we’d better make a fresh start." He wrapped his arms around her and she clung to him, finally surrendering to the strange, sweet emotion she had tried to deny. He kissed her, a lingering kiss that sent shock waves through her body, awakening the feelings she had tried to conceal for so long and her lips responded to his with a fierceness that surprised them both.

Several minutes later, with obvious reluctance, he released her, his eyes still not leaving hers. “I only came to make sure you were all right, I should leave now, I have heard of the strictness of the Sisterhood -- I do not wish to risk compromising any sacred vows or beliefs—”

She smiled, touched by his consideration in giving her the chance to back away, while she still could. “I’m a missionary, Kerry, not a nun, the Sisterhood only condemns casual liaisons, not genuine relationships.” She lowered her eyes, “I...I’ve never been in love before, not...not like this, but I know nothing that feels this way could be wrong.” She slipped into his arms once more. He pressed her body close to his, and kissed her again, with a tenderness she would not have imagined him capable of a short while before, and she wondered how she could ever have thought him cold.

STARQUEST (The Destiny Trilogy, Vol. 1)

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, they stand alone, while sharing some of the same characters)  at https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B01MRY3XXT

8 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

Luna - SF Spotlight and Giveaway

I'm very pleased to welcome Garon Whithed to the Flight Deck today, with his book:

Luna

by
Garon Whited

Genre:
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian

"It's the end of the world, and I have the best seat in the house." 

Armageddon has arrived. It's not as bad as we thought. 

The world is in trouble. 

Correction.

The world is ending and soon. The last days are coming and humanity is unable to stop it. Naturally, humanity has a backup plan.

Now, how can we make things better?

Luna is Garon Whited's science fiction and fantasy story of one man surviving the end of the world despite it's many obvious obstacles and his attempt to save some of humanity.

From the very first line, "Luna" grabs the reader. Where most books start with a world in trouble and ride the story on in to the Last Days, "Luna" starts with the ultimate end of the world

and flies forward into the future.

The end of the world has never been quite so entertaining. Crushing
despair, soaring hope, and the stubborn determination of humanity all come together in a story told by a man in the middle of it all.


Welcome to the Moon, the new home of humanity

Goodreads
* Amazon

Garon Whited was supposedly born in either 1969 or 1970; the original birth certificate is suspiciously unavailable and other records do not agree. 

After spending some years in college playing with computers, he finally joined a radical group of jellyfish herding nomads. Having fought zombie dolphins, quasi-corporeal spirits, and brain-sucking mole rats, he is uniquely qualified to write fantastic fiction. His subsequent attempts at professional salsa repairman and ley line salesman met with similar success. He claims to live in Texarkana, on Earth, but people have been known to disagree.

*Website
* Facebook
* Twitter * Amazon
* Goodreads

Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

RNA Conference

It's hard to believe that just a week ago I was at the  R N A Conference at Harper Adams University, Shropshire.

It was a packed weekend with talks and workshops that were both enlightening, interesting and entertaining.
I  attended some great talks, among them Janet Gover’ talking about how to manipulate pictures, which I have to admit is something I enjoy playing about with myself!  Then there was a fascinating talk given by Christina Cortenay and Anna Belfrage, who discussed time slip versus time travel. Then there was the panel on how to please (or not to annoy) your editor/publisher...
and I could go on, there was just so much information out there at this conference!

We had a wonderful gala dinner on Saturday evening and wine flowed freely and the food was delicious.

My books in great company on tbe bookstall!

 This was my first RNA conference and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I learnt a lot, including what to do and what not to do on social media, and how to use graphics etc, etc. I met some old friends and some whom I had only met on-line before. Altogether a fantastic weekend!







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

Escape to Africa for just 99c

 It's a pleasure to welcome six fantastic authors to the Flight Deck today, with a collection of great stories ranging from Time Travel to Romantic Suspense,  Historical to Contemporary.

All for oly 99 cents - what are you waiting for, this looks like an absolutely sizzling bargain!

Escape to Africa Anthology ~ 6 stories by 6 Authors for ONLY 99 cents!

Take a trip to fascinating, breathtaking, beautiful Africa, without ever leaving your home! These stories will send you on a journey filled with danger, love, and excitement. Travel from Casablanca to Morocco, across the plains of the Serengeti, to the ruins of Carthage, from the desert of Algeria, to the shores of Tripoli. Six international romance authors share spellbinding love stories told across time.

Dangerous Liaison - Historical Romance by Denyse Bridger

In late 1942, Casablanca, liaisons can be deadly, especially those that involve intelligence the Germans are willing to kill for...

A Pirate’s Lady – Time Travel Romance - Lynn Crain

Amanda Hoskip, a Time Travel Bureau agent, is intent on discovering who is tampering with time. But when she’s captured, she must pretend to be the wife of fellow agent and rescuer, Trevor Haines, which seems impossible because he thinks she’s failed her mission.

Dying to Love You - Contemporary Romance with Paranormal Elements by Alicia Dean 

To avoid purgatory, unloving and unlovable Autumn Baines is sent to the Serengeti where she must perform a selfless deed and find someone to fall in love with her. What she didn't count on was falling in love herself, or that her selfless deed could save a life, but sentence Autumn to eternal damnation.

Treasured Times - Romantic Suspense - Gemma Juliana

Nerissa Noir is a woman with many secrets. Leon Rizzo intends to figure them out, without revealing his own. From the shops of the exotic souk in Tunis to the ancient ruins of Carthage and beyond, deadly mysteries must be solved before time unravels… can they trust each other?

The Ravine of the Wild Woman - Historical Romance by Marie Laval

Algeria, North Africa, 1865.

Lenora Sharp is Azerwal's perfect woman. Brave, determined and unconventional, she is also related to the man who stole his name, his childhood and his identity - the very man and he has vowed to destroy, even if it takes him all the way to hell. Will love get in the way of revenge, or will Azerwal lose his soul before he loses his heart?

An Object of Desire - Romantic Suspense by Jenny Twist

Two students on holiday in Morocco discover that two sinister looking characters are following them. They meet an attractive man who offers to take them to their next destination.  All seems well until one of the girls disappears.

Purchase here: Amazon

Find excerpts and more here:

World Romance Authors

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

WITHOLD virtual book tour and Giveaway

Withhold, Mosaic Chronicles Book Nine
by Andrea Pearson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Fantasy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

In the ultimate battle between good and evil, Nicole is in a race to stop Keitus before he achieves his plans. If he succeeds, he will crush everyone who has opposed him and enslave Earth and countless other planets. Unfortunately, he is only minutes away from his goal.

With so much at stake, Nicole and her friends must approach Helen, a volatile and dangerous spirit who will probably destroy them regardless of whether she gives them what they want. And the chances of her helping them are slim.

Fast-paced and epic magical fights, exciting plot twists, and non-stop action and adventure await. So sit down, buckle up, and hold on for the explosive, much-anticipated conclusion to the award-winning and bestselling Mosaic Chronicles.


AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Andrea Pearson is an avid reader and outdoor enthusiast who plays several instruments, not including the banjo, and loves putting together musical arrangements. Her favorite sports are basketball and football, though several knee surgeries and incurably awful coordination prevent her from playing them.

Andrea graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor of science degree in Communications Disorders. She is the author of many full-length novels (the Kilenya Series and Mosaic Chronicles) and several novellas. Writing is the chocolate of her life - it is, in fact, the only thing she ever craves. Being with her family and close friends is where she's happiest, and she loves thunderstorms, the ocean, hiking, public speaking, painting, and traveling.

Website: http://www.andreapearsonbooks.com
Blog: http://www.andreapearsonbooks.blogspot.com
Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/andreapearsonauthor
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/authorandrea
Twitter: http://twitter.com/andreapearson2
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1909134.Andrea_Pearson
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/andreapearson/
Amazon profile: https://www.amazon.com/Andrea-Pearson/e/B005CF5NQ4/

Newsletter signup bonus (receive two books free (Discern and Praxis) when joining Andrea's Readers Group): andreapearsonbooks.com/myfreebooks.html

Direct newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/cI-KmT

The author is offering a download bonus to readers who download WITHHOLD the day of the book blitz. The bonus includes the first two books in the series, free books by other authors, illustrations, maps, and more.

Purchase links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072BFQ1QX
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/withhold-andrea-pearson/1126315776?ean=2940154151310
iBooks: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/withhold/id1232166482?mt=11
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/withhold
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35074867

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Download bonuses:

Forward proof of download (a confirmation email or a screenshot) to withholdbonuses@gmail.com to receive the following:

Discern and Praxis (first two books in the series), Hope(less) and (Mis)fortune by Melissa Haag, other titles by other authors, bachelor of science degree from Katon University, coloring pages, word search, fantasy illustration by Andrea's husband (James E. Curwen, professional illustrator), maps illustrated by Andrea and her husband, etc.

Information on pricing:

Withhold will be $0.99 through the pre-order period, and until the end of release day, July 18. On July 19, it'll rise in price to $1.99. On July 21, it'll rise in price to $2.99. On July 22, it'll go to full price ($3.99).

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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