LOVE, LATTES, AND MUTANTS by Sandra Cox - Cover Reveal and Giveaway

I'm really excited to welcome my friend Sandra Cox to the Flight Deck today, and to reveal the gorgeous cover of her latest book
Be sure to enter the contest at the end of the post to win one of the beautiful prizes she is offering.

LOVE, LATTES, AND MUTANTS

Sandra Cox

Cover Reveal

Blurb: Finding love is hard, even when you aren’t a mutant.

Like most seventeen-year-olds, Piper Dunn wants to blend in with the crowd. Having a blowhole is a definite handicap. A product of a lab-engineered mother with dolphin DNA, Piper spends her school days hiding her brilliant ocean-colored eyes and sea siren voice behind baggy clothing and ugly glasses. When Tyler, the new boy in school, zeroes in on her, ignoring every other girl vying for his attention, no one, including Piper, understands why...

Then Piper is captured on one of her secret missions rescuing endangered sea creatures and ends up in the same test center where her mother was engineered. There she discovers she isn’t the only one of her kind. Joel is someone she doesn’t have to hide from, and she finds herself drawn to the dolph-boy who shares her secrets. Talking to him is almost as easy as escaping from the lab. Deciding which boy has captured her heart is another story...

Bio:

Multi-published author Sandra Cox writes YA Fantasy, Paranormal and Historical Romance, and Metaphysical Nonfiction. She lives in sunny North Carolina with her husband, a brood of critters and an occasional foster cat. Although shopping is high on the list, her greatest pleasure is sitting on her screened in porch, listening to the birds, sipping coffee and enjoying a good book. She's a vegetarian and a Muay Thai enthusiast.

Links:

EKensington: http://www.ekensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31643

$2.99 at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Lattes-Mutants-Sandra-Cox-ebook/dp/B00PP2ZXBE/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1420399004&sr=1-7&keywords=sandra+cox

$2.99 at Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-lattes-and-mutants-sandra-cox/1120791624?ean=9781616506063

$2.99 at Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/love-lattes-and-mutants

Blog: www.sandracox.blogspot.com

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/sandra_cox

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandraCox.Author

Giveaways:

First prize:

A Piper-approved necklace and $10 Starbuck Card

Second Prize:

A Piper-approved bracelet

Host Prize:

To enter:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/927e5e0011/

To enter for Hostess Only Giveaway:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/927e5e0012/

Hook by K R Thompson - Release Blitz

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – HOOK
 AUTHOR – K.R. Thompson
 GENRE – Fantasy/Fairy Tale/Adventure
PUBLICATION DATE – January 1, 2015 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) - 300 Pages/78,000 words

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Archie Jameson dreamed of adventure. Today, it found him. Caught in a chilly October storm, he ducked into a tavern, hoping to escape the rain. What he found, was a room teeming with pirates. Shanghaied by the most elderly of the lot, Archie awakens to discover that he is serving on a ship captained by the fiercest pirate ever to sail the seven seas--the man known as Blackbeard. Through a series of thrilling twists, Archie finds himself captain of another of Blackbeard's ships, the Jolig Roger. In an attempt to flee danger, his ship becomes lost beneath uncharted stars and arrives at a mysterious island. Determined to save both his crew and the woman he loves, Archie will make decisions that will forever seal his fate. For in Neverland, not all is as it seems.

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – AMAZON KINDLE UK – GOODREADS

EXCERPT

The breeze picked up and was bursting insistent, frigid puffs that threatened to dislodge his hat. Archie clamped one hand on top, squishing it down around his lean face as he resolutely lengthened his stride and marched on, determined to make it home before the storm set in. He'd almost made it to the corner, to the place where he normally made the left on N. Westburl, and then a right onto 43rd, followed by a various assortment of other long deviations that would get him safely home, when a large crack of thunder shook the air. He decided that just this once he might consider taking the most direct route, albeit dangerous, foreboding, and possibly life-threatening. 

He stopped right on the bend of the street, uncertain for a split moment, until the next jolting crack of thunder made up his mind for him. He headed straight along Market St that followed the length of the Thames River, hoping that the seedy individuals who lurked around the pier were as mindful of the storm as he and would not cause him trouble on this particular evening, for even though he was quick-witted and could talk himself out of most troubles, sailors tended to be a harder breed of people. They were a sharp and cunning lot, and Archie did not know if he could outsmart anyone else that day and didn't wish to press his luck. He made it past the pier, hesitating just long enough to glance at the small boats tied to the dock. There were obviously people about, and so far he had been lucky enough not to encounter any of them. But one final ground-shaking crack and the tinkling sound of bells changed it all. The clouds overhead clashed and he ran for the shelter of a nearby tavern, barely escaping the torrent of rain. Archie had never been in The Captain's Keg before.

He stopped just inside the door and let his eyes adjust to the dark, smoke-filled room. He realized that not only had he run into the very people he wished to avoid, but that he also had a new problem. These men weren't just sailors. He was ready to run back out and take his chances of drowning in the street, when he heard the same tinkling of bells from earlier. This time, it sounded like mocking laughter. Well. He might very well be losing his mind, but a coward he was not. He straightened to his full height—all six feet and four inches of it—and removed his crumpled hat with a flourish, tucking it under his arm. He walked proudly down the three steps that led into the heart of the tavern—to a bar, teeming with pirates. A couple of heads turned at his arrival and those who met his solemn, blue gaze were quick to drop their eyes back to their drinks. His spirits momentarily lifted, Archibald nodded to himself more than to anyone else in particular, a slight smile playing on his lips. He was holding his own. Still erring on the side of caution, he scanned the length of the bar, finding three open seats. Two were between rather burly, shifty-looking blokes with tattoos. The third seat, nearly on the end of the bar, sat betwixt an elderly gentleman with longish white sideburns, a round belly, and spectacles to match that sat precariously upon a rather bulbous nose. The gent on the other side was scrawny, his clothes in tatters, thin face in a scowl as he stared at a leaflet of paper before him. Even though he sat still, there was a nervous energy that pulsed off the small man. He gave Archibald the impression of a jittery, starving squirrel. 

Archibald decided his best chances lay between the old man and the squirrel and so he took his seat, nodding in a genial fashion to the old man, whose watery blue eyes barely gave him a passing glance. The squirrel didn't acknowledge his presence. "What'll it be, mate?" the barkeep asked. Archibald bit his lip to keep from laughing. Every drink in the tavern was the same yellowish liquid. Why the bald man standing behind the bar bothered to even ask such a mundane question was beyond him. Perhaps he was daydreaming again. He did do that a lot and at times it seemed real.

"'Tis all ale, is it not?"

 "Aye, but will it be single or double ye'll be havin'?" 

Archibald lifted a single finger and waited for his drink. "Ye'd have much better luck with rum, I should think," the old man said quietly as he stared down into his own glass, "The ale's watered down. Not fit for a fish to drink, it isn't."

 One dreg out of the glass, and Archibald was quite certain the gentleman was more than right. It tasted like something poured from an old boot. Not that he regularly drank from old boots, mind you. Thank heavens he hadn't ordered twice the amount of the vile stuff. Deciding it better not to even bother asking for the rum, which most definitely hidden beneath the counter and out of sight, he tossed a couple of coins down on the scarred wooden bar, and sat looking down into the remnants of his glass, listening to the patter of rain on the tin roof. A strange thought came suddenly. For a bar filled with pirates, it was most unusual. It was rather quiet, an odd comment here or there, but otherwise there was nothing but silence. Surely they weren't all sitting around listening to the rain. Archie couldn't figure it out. But he knew one thing, these people certainly weren't living up to his expectations of the loud, fearless persons he always thought pirates to be.

 The squirrel on his left shifted around on his stool, staring even harder at the parchment. Sweat popped out on a face that was now a color that reminded Archie of the paper in the print shop, a colorless, pasty white. Good for paper, not for squirrels. "Well?" a low, deep voice rolled out from a dark corner and broke the silence so suddenly that it startled Archie. "Give us the news then, Harper." Ah, well now. Things may get lively yet, Archie thought, casting a quick look to the corner from where the voice rumbled. It was too dark to see the man who sat against the wall, but Archibald got a good look at the pair of worn, dark leather boots propped up on the table, and the curling wisps of cigar smoke that floated up to the rafters

. "It says a r-roy, royy…" the squirrel named Harper stuttered, the paper shaking in his hands. "Ach! The man canna read it anymore than the rest o' us." A complaint hurtled from one of the tattooed blokes at the opposite end of the bar. As if he were getting more anxious, Harper tried again, his voice in a near squeak, "A royy-alll…" Archie spied the lettering, and against his better conscience, whispered just loud enough that Harper would hear, "A royal pardon is offered to those pirates who surrender on or before the fifth of September, this year of 1718." He waited as Harper relayed the message, then continued, "Being limited to crimes committed before the fifth of January. All other crimes committed after such date, will be considered for a death of hanging."

 Archie sensed the old man on the other side of him shuffle about, as if he were searching for something on the insides of his pockets, but Archie's attention was fixed on the squirrel he saved. Harper turned and gave him a toothless, yet thankful, smile and set to guzzling the contents of his glass as quickly as possible in an effort to calm his shaking nerves. "Well, that counts us out, lads," a dark chuckle came from the corner, "'No pardon for the likes o' us, I fear. We all be hanged." 

"Aye, but they must catch us first. I won't be finding me neck in a noose," a shout rang out, followed by the murmur of agreement from all the others as they lifted their glasses in salute. Feeling rather in-tune with the pirates, Archibald picked up his glass as well and toasted the luck of the now boisterous lot, draining the last contents of his glass. Some small part of his brain noted that while the ale was certainly vile before, it also became bitter the longer it sat. The bitterness left nearly as soon as he noticed it, having been replaced with a rather calming sensation. Pirates truly weren't a bad lot, he thought sleepily, just people like everyone else. They were only misunderstood. He turned to convince the elderly gentleman on his right of exactly that, when the darkness came and took over. The last thing he heard was the old man chuckle, singing softly, "Yo-ho, me mateys, yo-ho…"

***

"Careful now, lads, mind the poor lout's head, aye? He'll be having a dreadful headache come morning without any extra bumps ye'd be givin' him along the way." The voice was familiar—rather achingly so—though Archie couldn't quite seem to get his faculties in order to remember who the owner of the voice was. The few times he could open his eyes, nothing at all made sense. It all came and went in blurs with distorted figures he couldn't quite make out. The darkness came and went, so in the end, he figured it better to keep his eyes shut for the time being and try to concentrate on other things, foggy and confusing as they might seem. He thought he was being drug along the rough boards of the pier, and while that familiar voice seemed to care about the condition of his head, his legs and backside seemed to be another matter entirely of which the man cared not a whit as they bumped him along each splintering plank. Luckily, the drug slipped in his drink deadened the pain, and he only registered the faint, odd pricks and scrapes where the wood had its way with his flesh.

"He's got hair like black candles, he does," a crackling voice snickered by his head. "Aye, Smee, are we taking this poor soul aboard for his long locks? Did the Cap'n order you fetch him a wifey, then?" another voice chimed in, followed by raucous laughter, and a low retort from the man named Smee that Archibald couldn't make out. "A good bit heavier than he looks," the first voice by his head huffed, "Slow ye down a bit, Murph. I'm losin' my grip. Oh drat, there he goes!" And those were the last words Archibald ever heard on the shores of bonnie England as his head hit the pier and the darkness crept over him once again.

AUTHOR BIO

K.R. Thompson lives in southwest Virginia with her husband, son, three cats, and an indeterminable amount of chickens. An avid reader and firm believer in magic, she spends her nights either reading an adventure or writing one. She still watches for evidence of Bigfoot in the mud of Wolf Creek.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE / BLOG – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ - GOODREADS

This Release Blitz Was Organized & Hosted By

Heart of Steel - Release Day Spotlight and Review

Congratulations to Elizabeth Einspanier on the release today of HEART OF STEEL, a Science Fiction Romance. Elizabeth is giving away a $20 gift certificate to Steampunk Emporium. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

When reclusive cyborg Alistair Mechanus meets his captive, ER doctor Julia Parker, it is love at first sight--for him. While he eagerly drops his plans for World Conquest to woo her, ten years of solitude have left his social skills badly rusted. When his misguided act of kindness spirals out of control, however, Julia is forced to trust the mad genius with her life, and she discovers the vulnerable side under his armored plating. She has the skills he needs to unlock his forgotten past, but learning who he used to be may come at the cost of his remaining sanity.

MY REVIEW

Heart of Steel could be summarised as 'The Island of Dr Moreau meets 'Beauty and the Beast' except that this description seems a bit flippant for such an enjoyable story. Although I would class it as Science Fiction, and the description of medical and electronic procedures was written with confidence and an air of authenticity, there is also a 'Steampunk' feel, especially in the last chapter.

I was drawn into it from the start, and although I have to admit I initially felt a 'mad Scientist' called Dr Mechanus was a little like a 'comic strip' character, as the story progressed I realised there was far more to Alistair Mechanus than his desire for world domination.  It transpires that even this desire is actually more altruistic than manic. There are occasional references to Jules Verne and Star Trek and at times Julia seems to feel she's living in a dream world, and well she might, with a cybernetically enhanced and very jealous ex boyfriend on the rampage, various bio-electronic creatures and automatons, and  a charismatic, if seemingly deranged bionic genius who first takes her captive and then enlists her help.

Alistair Mechanus's deepening affection for Julia is touching, as is the gentle way he treats her, his thoughtful acts of courtesy seemingly at odds with his reclusive nature and macabre appearance. The story is fast moving and had me turning the pages, anxious to see whether Julia really could help him recover his memories of his past without sending him over the edge, while being reluctant for the story to finish.  I don't want to give too much away, sufficient to say that the end is satisfying and neatly ties up the loose ends.  I finished it, wanting more, which is not a bad thing. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a sweet romance spiced with plenty of action and intriguing Science Fiction elements.

Enjoy an excerpt:

She advanced cautiously, trying to get a look at the subject of his study in the next room. Before she could, however, the tall man in the hall with her spoke.

“Greetings, Julia,” he said in the baritone she’d heard from the speaker. She turned, and saw to her shock that a significant portion of the left half of his face, now revealed to her, was crafted of overlapping segments of unpolished metal, apparently riveted through the flesh and into the skull and jaw. His left eye was a mechanical lens that turned and focused in perfect coordination with its biological counterpart as he regarded her, its iris dilating as he offered her a welcoming smile. “I am, as you have probably guessed, Dr. Mechanus. I welcome you to my humble lair.” He sketched a bow to her, and she either heard or imagined the sound of countless motors whirring within him.

At first her thoughts were consumed by a single horrified thought—what the hell what the hell what the hell—repeated over and over again until her mind filled with what the hell from top to bottom and side to side. She felt light-headed, and braced herself against the edge of the observation window to avoid falling, but some persistently reasonable corner of her mind gently informed her that now simply was not a good time for her to faint or throw up.

Stay frosty, Julia, the voice advised her, in a familiar-sounding voice that Julia couldn’t immediately identify. Think of this like your first car crash in the ER. Sure, it looks horrible, but you can get through this. Just breathe. Get through this, and find out what’s happened to Jim. You’re okay.

PURCHASE ON AMAZON

About the Author:

Elizabeth Einspanier is the self-published author of the Weird Western novella Sheep’s Clothing and the upcoming S/F romance novel Heart of Steel. Her short stories have been published in Down in the Dirt and Dark Fire Fiction. She is a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild and an associate member of the Horror Writers of America. She lives in St. Louis, but frequently spends extended periods in worlds of her own creation.

Website: http://elizabetheinspanier.com
Blog: http://calliopeskiss.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeekGirlWriter
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+ElizabethEinspanier/
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/elizabetheinspanier

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Monarch - by Belle Whittington

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Monarch SERIES – Cicada Trilogy
AUTHOR – Belle Whittington
GENRE – Soft Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Romance, Action/Adventure, Aliens
PUBLICATION DATE – September 27, 2014 LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 494 Pages
COVER ARTIST – L B Whittington

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Blair Reynolds was born to rule. Worlds, that is. Destined to reign over an ancient intergalactic race, it may seem her fate is written in the stars. But she’s willing to risk it all for another chance to spend forever with her true love – even if it means traveling through time and space to the other side of the universe.

As far as Ash is concerned, Blair's happily-ever-after involves him, not the mere mortal with whom she seems so infatuated. She was bequeathed to him by her father, and Ash will go to any lengths to keep Blair and her true love apart.

And Ash isn’t the only one.

Deep in the jungles of Brazil, where tribal drums call to Blair and her true love, other forces carry out dangerous secret plans. However, Blair has secrets of her own … secrets so lethal she dares not even remember them. Secrets so painful they could ruin everything.

Because some secrets kill.

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON KINDLE CA – AMAZON KINDLE UK – AMAZON PAPERBACK – BARNES & NOBLES NOOK – BARNES & NOBLES PAPERBACK – SMASHWORDS – GOODREADS – SHELFARI

EXCERPT

I was no longer a bystander to this story. I was the story. Every secret interwoven through the tale I’m about to tell you belongs to me. And the summer I graduated from high school was the summer everything came together in a horrible clash of good versus evil.

Packing up and leaving my small, inconsequential, southeast Texas hometown meant leaving part of myself behind. I said goodbye to the human side of me when we piled into David’s truck and drove away from our home. And I waved farewell to any hope of ever returning as I watched our home slip into the shades of night.

Everything had been turned upside down, and deciding what was good and what was evil was like looking through sunglasses at night. It all washed together in a murky blend of darkness, shadows, and secrets.

My biggest secret of all was one for which I had no answer: which one was I – good or evil? I stuffed that secret deep behind my ribs and swallowed it down.

Some secrets are best kept in the darkness away from prying eyes and those who would seek to face them head-on. Some secrets kill.

AUTHOR BIO

Belle was raised in deep East Texas. She now resides somewhere north of Houston, Texas in a small inconsequential town with the smallest, most inconsequential name. There, in the shady reaches of the pines, elms, and oaks, she daydreams adventures and secrets she weaves throughout her stories. She’s the author of CICADA, FIREFLY, and MONARCH, a Young Adult/New Adult cross-over trilogy with excellent reviews. She studied literature and history at University of Houston where Beowulf, Shakespeare’s works, and the history of the Vikings were her favorite topics. Belle is positive her readers and fans are the best in the universe.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – GOOGLE+ - PINTEREST – TUMBLR – GOODREADS – AUTHORGRAPH - BLOG - WATTPAD

Here's a link to where proposals to have my books made to movies: CLICK HERE

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

Signed Copy of Monarch Monarch Jar - Head here to see what they look like Electric Hum CD by Kyler England Signed Book Bag Chocolates from the Chocolate Vault

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Belle adds "The fabulous musician, Kyler England, has given me permission to use her song "When the World Stops Spinning" as the official theme song for Monarch."

http://kylerengland.com/

This tour was organized and hosted by

Rescue Me by Catherine Mann - Blog Tour and Giveaway

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This is my stop during the book blitz for Rescue Me by Catherine Mann. I'm so pleased to be taking part as rescues are very close to my heart, and I have my own rescued dog.

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This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 2 till 8 February, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours. So far this series contains 2 books: Shelter Me (Second Chance Ranch #1) and Rescue Me (Second Chance Ranch #2) Rescue Me (Second Chance Ranch #2) By Catherine Mann Genre: Contemporary Romance Age category: Adult Release Date: February 3, 2015

Blurb: A rescued dog returns the favor in the latest Second Chance Romance from USA Today bestselling author of Shelter Me.

Detective AJ Parker left undercover work in Atlanta to join a small-town Tennessee police force, hoping for an easier workload and the solitude of his cabin. But the scars left by AJ’s previous work are more difficult to escape than he thought… Mary Hannah Gallo works with the Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue to train therapy dogs for traumatized patients. It isn’t easy, but her life is under control—until she meets the broodingly sensual AJ, who rattles her composure all the way to her toes. After an assignment confiscating dogs from a backyard breeder reveals a dangerous drug operation, AJ must work with sexy perfectionist Mary Hannah to train an abused rescue dog—a dog now named Holly. While Holly proves to these two very different people that opposites can, in fact, attract, she also knows more than a few explosive secrets that could heal—or divide—the entire town.

You can find Rescue Me on Goodreads You can buy Rescue Me here: - Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Kobo


 First book in the series: Shelter Me (Second Chance Ranch #1) By Catherine Mann Genre: Contemporary Romance Age category: Adult Release Date: August 5, 2014

Blurb: Nestled in the sunny fields of Tennessee lies the McDaniel family’s Second Chance Ranch Animal Rescue. Two new arrivals are on their way, but only one is the four-legged kind. Staff Sergeant Mike Kowalski wants only one thing after he gets home from Iraq: to sleep in a king-sized bed with clean sheets. But first, he has to hand off his fallen commander’s dog, Trooper, to his family without handing off his heart to Sierra… Sierra McDaniel needs a break. Her family life is crazy, and when she’s not mucking out kennels, she’s slogging through grad school. Sierra certainly doesn’t want another dog, especially one that reminds her of her father. And she definitely doesn’t want to see Mike with that charming smile of his… But Trooper has a mission of his own. Before too long Mike is moving to the ranch to lend a hand—and hoping for his own second chance with Sierra.

You can find Shelter Me on Goodreads You can buy Shelter Me here: - Amazon - Barnes & Noble - Kobo  

About the Author: USA Today bestseller Catherine Mann and RITA Award winner, Catherine writes contemporary romance for Berkley, Harlequin, Sourcebooks and Tule. With over sixty books in released in more than twenty countries, she has also celebrated six RITA finals, an RT Reviewer’s Award finalist, three Maggie Award of Excellence finals and a Bookseller’s Best win. A former theater school director and university instructor, she holds a Master’s degree in Theater from UNC-Greensboro and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts: Theater (with minors in both English and Education) from the College of Charleston. Catherine and her flyboy husband live on the Florida coast where they brought up their 4 children – and still have 5 four-legged, furry “children” (aka pets). Catherine is an active volunteer with her local Humane Society, serving on their Board of Directors, fostering over 200 puppies, ill dogs, and dogs with service/working potential. She recently checked off a major item on her “bucket list” by completing her Florida State Animal Rescue Coalition and starting her own rescue with three friends - The Sunshine State Animal Rescue.

Catherine enjoys hearing from her readers and can be found online daily. To receive an autographed bookmark, send a SASE to: P.O. Box 6065, Navarre, FL 32566 You can find and contact Catherine here: - Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads - Pinterest Catherine Mann has begun an animal rescue of her own with three friends - Sunshine State Animal Rescue in the Florida Panhandle. Here's their facebook page if you want more info. They rescue from high kill shelters and do traditional adoptions as well as help identify potential service dogs and search and rescue dogs at shelters. There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Rescue Me. This giveaway is US Only.These are the prizes you can win: - Two winners will get a $25 gift card to either Amazon or Barnes and Noble and an autographed copy of Shelter Me by Catherine Mann (US Only). For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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Happy Monday everyone.  It's been a long time since I posted any of my work.  I'm busy putting the finishing touches to my third book in my 'Starquest' series so I thought I'd share a creepy excerpt from the first one.

 

Do you like the creepy eyes above ?  I thought I'd use them to illustrate this excerpt from 'Starquest.'  The heroine is exploring underground passages on a strange planet, and has separated from her companion, Dahll: 

Excerpt

As I rounded a bend in the passage, deep in my own thoughts, but with my blaster poised ready for trouble, a distant blood-curdling screech shattered the silence. I shrank back against the wall, holding my blaster in both hands, expecting at any moment some gigantic creature to materialise and launch itself at me. After a few minutes, when nothing had appeared, I continued cautiously along the passage, blaster still at the ready. I had only gone a few hundred yards when the tunnel divided without warning, forking obliquely to the right. I hesitated a moment, before continuing straight ahead. As I progressed along it, the passage began to narrow, and to my concern, the light faded out. Also, I noticed the ground had become very uneven and boulder strewn. I decided to go back and try the other branch of the passage. Then it came again, that shrill, wailing cry. I braced myself for another of those unearthly cries, as I activated my communicator.

 "Dahll," I said, anxiously. "Are you all right?"

 Dahll's voice held a note of surprise. "Yes, of course. I haven't come across anything interesting so far. What about you?"

"You didn't hear it then?"

 "Hear what?" "There was a strange sort of animal cry just now. It seemed to come from somewhere ahead of me."

 Dahll's small holographic image hovering above my communicator seemed to stiffen and his voice registered concern. "I haven't heard anything this side. You may be in danger, I think. You'd better come back. I'll meet you in the cavern."

 "No, Dahll. If there is a creature of some sort in the passage, I might lead it to you if I came back now, and then we'd both be in danger." The image was too small for me to see Dahll's expression clearly in the dim light of my wrist flare. I could imagine it, though, in the brief pause that followed.

"It would be better to have two weapons against it, if it's dangerous."

 I thought for a moment and decided perhaps he was right after all. "All right," I said reluctantly. "I'll come back now. This particular passage doesn't look as if it leads anywhere anyhow."

 "Good," Dahll said, sounding relieved. "I'll wait for you in the cavern." I was about to retrace my steps when the creature shrieked again, this time sounding much closer. I wasn't sure of the direction because the rocky escarpments sent echoes reverberating in all directions. I flashed my wrist flare in front of me, straining my eyes in the semi-darkness, trying to see beyond the shadows. I moved forward a few metres. The surface was very uneven. I stumbled, and the ground gave way beneath my feet. I felt myself slipping and stifled a yell, dropping the blaster as dust and pebbles rained down on me. I slid down a steep slope and when I scrambled to my feet at the bottom was relieved to note that at least my wrist flare was still intact.

My descent had been brief, and I was shaken more than hurt. However, the walls of the declivity down which I had fallen were several metres above my head and looked none too safe to attempt to climb. I was about to contact Dahll to explain my predicament when I became aware of something moving behind me. I turned sharply, and came face to face with a huge, bear-like creature, with luminous green eyes that seemed more feline than ursine. As I looked around in desperation for my blaster, the beast raised a giant paw. I shrank back against the cold stone wall, realising I was completely at its mercy.  

What about you - have you ever had the scary experience of feeling someone or something was watching you in the dark?  What's your creepiest memory?   


 Available now: 'STARQUEST'  ~*~  'DANCING WITH FATE'  (One of the ‘Song of The Muses’ series
 'Freeread':'A BARGAIN WITH DEATH'  ~*~ 'CHILDREN OF THE MIST' (The sequel to Starquest)