SFR Brigade Showcase

Once a month the Science Fiction Romance Brigade authors showcase snippets from new work, WIPs, cover reveals or other fun things. 

This is the link to the other  participants.

It's been a good year for the third book in The Destiny Trilogy, 'Beloved Enemy'.
First it was sortlisted for the ROMNAs here in the UK, it finalled for the RONE Awards and I was notified today that the excerpt I submitted to the 'Best Banter' contest is also through to the final round. I'm so thrilled as I really enjoyed writing this series and it's great just to be 'in the running' so to speak in these contests.

You can see 'teaser' I made for Beloved Enemy in the sidebar on the right

EXCERPT

They reached the rock their adversaries had used as a shield. With her finger on the trigger button Cat swung round it, prepared to fire if anyone moved. Then she froze. The area was clear. Not the bodies she expected to find, no sign anyone had ever been there at all.

She looked at Kerry. “They were here. They can’t have just vanished.”

He shook his head. “Unless they can teleport—which has been proven to be impossible by mechanical means. It is just possible they may have psionic
capabilities.”

“No point in worrying about them now. Seems they’ve gone, however they did it.” Cat gave a long low whistle and one of the nearby boulders morphed into the tawny form of Shifter.

“What the hell is that?” As if acting on instinct, Kerry reached for his gun and then swore softly when his fingers failed to close upon it. His gaze flicked toward her. He cursed again and stared pointedly at his blaster thrust through her belt.

She ignored his stare and nodded toward the animal. “His name’s Shifter.

He’s…well, I call him a chameleopard, and I’d kill anyone who tried to shoot him.”

Kerry favoured her with a cold look. “Delightful pets you have.”

“It’s only one, and yes, he is quite cute actually. Are you going to be able to walk?”

“It was my chest that was injured, not my legs.”

She ignored his sarcastic tone. Gratitude obviously did not feature among his finer points.

BELOVED ENEMy 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?

Purchase the Destiny Trilogy individually (Each book is a 'standalone' or as a set from:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0711J641G

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 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 - WeWriWar - Children Of the Mist, Snippet 2

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! 

For the past few weeks I've been sharing excerpts from Starquest, the first of  Destiny Trilogy. Thank you so much, everyone who's been following and commenting.

Last week I introduced you to Niflheim the home planets of the two telepathic members of the Destiny's crew and where an important part of Starquest takes place. Niflheim is an Earth colony named after the Norse land of mist and cold. Many of the places and inhabitants are also named after characters and places in Norse legends. The descendants of the original settlers developed their powers of telepathy in order to communicate over vast areas having abandoned all technology. Parts of the planet are reasonably temperate and they have evolved a rural lifestyle and an economy based on the bartering of skills and produce.

This snippet carries on from last week's snippet which you can read HERE

The ice-cold mist swirled like a living creature, driven by the wind. Vidarh glanced behind him. The distant mountains were almost hidden, their summits mantled in thick cloud. Somewhere an icecat howled, its mournful cry echoing through the mountains and sending ghostly fingers racing up and down his spine. Ahead lay a dense forest, and beyond it, the place he  sought.

The trail through the trees led ever upward,
and the sure-footed pony snorted and panted with the exertion. The mist blotted out much of the light from Niflheim's two suns. Although a faint eerie glow from the red giant managed to filter through, it did nothing to make the journey easier or the path between the massive trunks clearer.

Two minds united against a common foe. Two hearts afraid to show their love:Long ago Tamarith fell in love with a man she can never have, and is convinced she will never love another. However, she cannot help but be intrigued by a handsome stranger whose psychic powers exceed even her own.

Vidarh seeks only to find his true purpose in life and to win the regard of his father, who eschews his son’s psychic abilities. Thrown together by a common threat to their planet, then torn apart by an evil greater than any they could have imagined, can Vidarh save the lovely Nifl woman who has captivated him, before it is too late?

Will Tamarith and Vidarh overcome the deadly enemy who threatens to destroy all they know and love? Will they find the happiness they both seek? Or are they fated to live their lives alone?

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

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

#WeekendWritingWarriors -Ten Sentence Sunday - An introduction to Earth Colony Niflheim

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! 

For the past few weeks I've been sharing excerpts from Starquest, the first of  Destiny Trilogy. Thank you to everyone who's been following and commenting. As I said last week, that was just the beginning of the adventure, although it looked like the end for Jess ... but I won't give any more away *evil cackle*!

Let me now introduce you to Niflheim the home planets of the two telepathic members of the Destiny's crew and where an important part of Starquest takes place. Niflheim is an Earth colony named after the Norse land of mist and cold. Many of the places and inhabitants are also named after characters and places in Norse legends. The descendants of the original settlers developed their powers of telepathy in order to communicate over vast areas having abandoned all technology. Parts of the planet are reasonably temperate and they have evolved a rural lifestyle and an economy based on the bartering of skills and produce.

Author Note: The planet Niflheim was inspired by the sight of the snow swirling like a pink mist over the Welsh Mountains, at sunset. I was writing Starquest at the time and an idea for a planet with pink  snow came into my mind, and the question - how would settlers on a sparsely populated planet communicate with no technology? And so the telepaths of Niflheim were born. Although only a few chapters of Starquest are set on Niflheim, some of the characters seemed to demand their own story, and so 'Children Of The Mist' became the second book in the Destiny Trilogy.  Although several of the characters in Starquest are also in this book it is a complete and separate story, and features Tamarith, a close friend of Jess.

Excerpt from first page:

The message from Gladsheim had been clear—Earth Colony Niflheim was in danger.

The rider shivered and drew his long coat more closely around him. His pony lowered its head against the wind, picking its way over the snow-covered plain. Vidarh knew he was not alone on this journey—he sensed the presence of others, all making their way to Gladsheim from various parts of the world.

Without warning, a mind connected with his, as sweet as the tinkle of tiny bells.

Greetings, Vidarh of the House of Ragnak, this is Tamarith of the House of Yarvi. I have been assigned to guide you to our fair city. You have come a long way to be with us, and we, the inhabitants of Gladsheim, thank you.

Relieved, he swiftly telepathed his response, Greetings Tamarith. I look forward to meeting you and the others soon.

The rest of your journey is not easy, she replied, but we will guide you. When you reach the other side of the mountain we will be waiting to take you to Gladsheim.

Two minds united against a common foe. Two hearts afraid to show their love:Long ago Tamarith fell in love with a man she can never have, and is convinced she will never love another. However, she cannot help but be intrigued by a handsome stranger whose psychic powers exceed even her own.

Vidarh seeks only to find his true purpose in life and to win the regard of his father, who eschews his son’s psychic abilities. Thrown together by a common threat to their planet, then torn apart by an evil greater than any they could have imagined, can Vidarh save the lovely Nifl woman who has captivated him, before it is too late?

Will Tamarith and Vidarh overcome the deadly enemy who threatens to destroy all they know and love? Will they find the happiness they both seek? Or are they fated to live their lives alone?

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

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

Serenngeti - Spotlight, Guest Post and #Giveaway

Serengeti

by
J.B. Rockwell

Genre:
SciFi Adventure

It was supposed to be an easy job: find the Dark Star Revolution Starships, destroy them, and go home. But a booby-trapped vessel decimates the Meridian Alliance fleet, leaving Serengeti—a Valkyrie class warship with a sentient AI brain—on her own; wrecked and abandoned in an empty expanse of space. 

On the edge of total failure, Serengeti thinks only of her crew. She herds the survivors into a lifeboat, intending to sling them into space. But the escape pod sticks in her belly, locking the cryogenically frozen crew inside. 

Then a scavenger ship arrives to pick Serengeti's bones clean.

Her engines dead, her guns long silenced, Serengeti and her last two robots must find a way to fight the scavengers off and save the crew trapped inside her.

**On
sale for .99 from Sept 4th- 9th**

Add
to Goodreads

Amazon
* Amazon
audio * Severed
Press * B&N
* Audible

Serengeti 2:

Dark and Stars

Fifty-three years Serengeti drifted, dreaming in the depths of space. Fifty-three years of patient waiting before her Valkyrie Sisters arrive to retrieve her from the dark. A bittersweet homecoming follows, the Fleet Serengeti once knew now in shambles, its admiral, Cerberus, gone missing, leaving Brutus in charge. Brutus who’s subsumed the Fleet, ignoring his duty to the Meridian Alliance to pursue a vendetta against the Dark Star Revolution.

The Valkyries have a plan to stop him—depose Brutus and restore the Fleet’s purpose—and that plan involves Serengeti. Depends on Serengeti turning her guns against her own.

Because the Fleet can no longer be trusted. With Brutus in charge, it’s just Serengeti and her Sisters, and whatever reinforcements they canfind.

A top-to-bottom refit restores Serengeti to service, and after a rushed reunion with Henricksen and her surviving crew, she takes off for the stars. For Faraday—a prison station—to stage a jailbreak, and free the hundreds of Meridian Alliance AIs wrongfully imprisoned in its Vault. From there to the Pandoran Cloud and a rendezvous with her Valkyrie Sisters. To retrieve a fleet of rebel ships stashed away inside.

One last battle, one last showdown with Brutus and his Dreadnoughts and it all ends. A civil war—one half of the Meridian Alliance Fleet

turned against the other, with the very future of the Meridian Alliance hanging in the balance.

Add
to Goodreads

Amazon
* Amazon
audio * Severed
Press * B&N
* Audible

Hecate

Prequel to Serengeti

Black Ops—the intelligence arm of the Meridian Alliance Fleet came calling with an offer Henricksen couldn’t refuse: a ship—an entire squadron of ships, actually—and crew to command. A chance to get back to the stars.

Too bad he didn’t ask more questions before accepting the assignment. Too bad no one told him just how dangerous this particular skunkworks project was.

They call the ship the RV-N: Reconnaissance Vessel - Non-combat, Raven for short. A stealth ship—fast, and maneuverable, and brutal as hell. On the surface, Henricksen's assignment seems simple: train his crew, run the RV-Ns through their paces, get the ships certified for mission operations and job done. But an accident in training reveals a fatal design flaw in the Raven, and when an undercover operative steals classified information from a Black Ops facility, the Fleet Brass cancels the tests completely, rushing the faulty ships and their half-trained crew into live operations. On a mission to recover the Fleet’s lost secrets.

Out of time and out of options, Henricksen has no choice but to launch his squadron. But a ghost from his past makes him question everything—the ships, their AI, the entirety of this mission, right down to the secrets he and his crew are supposed to recover.

Add
to Goodreads

Amazon
* Severed Press
* B&N

Audiobook
available 10-17-17

Website
* Twitter * Facebook
* Amazon
* Goodreads

J.B. Rockwell is a New Englander, which is important to note because it means she's (a) hard headed, (b) frequently stubborn, and (c) prone to fits of snarky sarcasticness. As a kid she subsisted on a steady diet of fairy tales, folklore, mythology augmented by generous helpings of science fiction and fantasy. As a quasi-adult she dreamed of being the next Indiana Jones and even pursued (and earned!) a degree in anthropology. Unfortunately, those dreams of being an archaeologist didn't quite work out. Through a series of twists and turns (involving cats, a marriage, and a SCUBA certification, amongst other things) she ended up working in IT for the U.S. Coast Guard and now writes the types of books she used to read. Not a bad ending for an Indiana Jones wannabe...

Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Popguns, Rayguns & Laser Rifles: How Much Tech is Too Much Tech?

By J.B. Rockwell

Alright, I can hear it already: all the tech is just the right tech, there is no such thing as too much tech!

Well, maybe. Actually, yes, for some, but not for others. Basically, this is the whole ‘hard’ versus ‘soft’ sci-fi argument that’s been raging since Moses parted the Red Sea and Zeus’ pappy slew all his brothers to become top Titan dog. More importantly, it’s an argument with no definitively correct answer but some very staunch (and sometimes militant) supporters on either side.

My stance? Both are good. Some want all the science, others want all the feels. The world deserves books that offer both.

My preference? Feels. All the damn time.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the tech too—it’s not sci-fi without some whiz-bang inventions thrown in, after all—but where I start to lose interest is when the tech takes over at the expense of a real story. Spend three pages describing how the ship’s engines work? Snoozarama. You lost me and I’m skipping ahead, looking for some action. But you also need to wow me a little and provide something unique and interesting in the sciency area to score maximum points on my sci-fi reader scale.

So, when it came to writing Serengeti, therein lay my challenge: how to write the ‘splosions and feels book I wanted but still introduce some nifty-neat tech ideas to keep the readers happy and engaged? Also, how to avoid overdoing it and just throwing out preposterous ideas that would make those same readers roll their eyes and snort like a skeptical pug.

In other words, not too much tech, but enough to have some fun, and make sure it was somewhat believable.

Somewhat. I like to give myself the liberty to stretch the bounds of creativity. 

So, what did I come up with? Well, weapons, of course. Serengeti is a warship, after all. Specifically, a concept called liquid laser (that was actually chemical and corrosive and not laser at all) and a coiled particle array that sliced and diced like the universe’s greatest ever Ginsu knife. And to complement those weapons, some defensive measures: an electronic camouflage package that made ships invisible to sensor arrays, and banks of photovoltaic plating to drink in the starlight and fuel the power cells in Serengeti’s belly.

See? Cool stuff. Well, I think it’s cool stuff. Not too much, and not too little, borrowed from existing tech or familiar tech ideas but with just enough uniqueness to give the story flavor. Or so I hope.

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

Last excerpt from Starquest - is this the end?

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

(Please don't hate me - things are not always as they seem, and this is actually just the beginning, there is a lot more of this book left, but I'll be starting on book 2 next week!)

Previously: Jess and Kerry have confessed their love to each other and Jess has persuaded the crew of the starship Destiny, to help her overcome the invaders of the planet Phidia.  

When they arrive on the planet, Jess saves Kerry' s life, taking the laser fire aimed at Kerry by the alien invader, Ayandos.

Fast forward a little -  Kerry kills Ayados, and with the battle raging all around him, kneels beside Jess.


(Punctuation edits from published version to comply with sentence count.)
STARQUEST - 10 Sentence Snippet:

A smear of blood glistened on her lips...a stain on perfection and evidence of his own negligence.

“Please...”

He should have prevented this, somehow, he should have prevented it! He ran his fingers through the mass of flame-colored hair, golden highlights gleaming in the Phidian sunshine. He buried his face in its softness and held her close to his heart, hoping that somehow his words might filter through to her subconscious mind, as her life slowly ebbed away. 

“Forgive me, Jess. I love you, I always will...always. I could never tell you how

much.” 

An instinctive sense of danger pierced his grief. He whirled and rolled over his shoulder, just in time to avoid the laser aimed at his back. The blaster he picked up from close to where Jess had fallen made short and bloody work of his would-be assassin, but it seemed even Jess’s last moments were to be denied him. He was compelled to leave her and concentrate on destroying the assailants who came at him from all sides. 

End Note: The Destiny's crew do defeat Ayandos's men, with the help of the Phidians themselves but as I said at the beginning - this is just the start !

Is this really the end for Jess?
How will Kerry cope without her?
Will the Phidians repay the crew for saving them from the invaders?

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

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

Novel Spotlight - The House With Old Furniture - and #Giveaway

As an exiled Welsh woman from mid west Wales, myself, I am delighted to leave the Flight Deck today and travel back to my homeland to celebrate Helen Lewis's great new release:

THE HOUSE WITH OLD FURNITURE

 BY HELEN LEWIS

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Release Date: 20 July 2017

Publisher: Honno Press

The ghosts of a century’s worth of secrets and betrayals are coming home to

Pengarrow…

Evie has lost her eldest son, Jesse, to gang violence. Leaving the house he grew up in is pulling apart the few strings left holding her heart together. Only the desire to be there for her younger boy, Finn, impels Evie to West Wales and the ancient house her husband is sure will heal their wounds.

Days later, Andrew is gone – rushing back to his ‘important’ job in government, abandoning his grieving wife and son. Finn finds solace in the horse his father buys by way of apology. As does his evasive and fearful new friend, Nye, the one who reminds him and Evie of Jesse… Evie loses herself in a dusty 19th century journal and glasses of homemade wine left by the mysterious housekeeper.

As Evie’s grasp on reality slides, Andrew’s parents ride to the rescue. It is clear that this is a house they know. They seem to think they own it, and begin making changes nobody wants, least of all Alys and her son, Nye, the terrified youth who looks so like Jesse.

BUY LINKS

http://www.honno.co.uk/dangos.php?ISBN=9781909983663

https://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Old-Furniture-Helen-Lewis/dp/1909983667/

https://www.amazon.com/House-Old-Furniture-Helen-Lewis/dp/1909983667

ABOUT HELEN LEWIS

Helen was born in 1967 in the New Forest. She spent her childhood dreaming of becoming a ballerina and doodling in the margin. She graduated from Southampton Faculty of Art and Design (so long ago now, that the place doesn’t even exist!) and worked as a professional Doodler of Margins (Graphic Designer) for twenty years. In 2006 She moved to Pembrokeshire with her family and lives in the middle of nowhere where she reads, writes, and runs.

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

Twitter:  @hedlew

Blog: http://www.helen-lewis.co.uk/blog

Website: www.helen-lewis.co.uk

GIVEAWAY

3 ebooks (open internationally)

3 paperbacks (Uk only)

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