Thank you Anastasia Pollack, I enjoyed visiting your lovely blog.
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--WHERE UK SCI-FI AND FANTASY AUTH...:
ROMANCE THAT'S 'OUT OF THIS WORLD' - My own and guest authors' books and anything I feel compelled to share!
Friday, 29 March 2019
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--
I'm thrilled to be featured here today!
Thank you Anastasia Pollack, I enjoyed visiting your lovely blog.
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--WHERE UK SCI-FI AND FANTASY AUTH...:
Thank you Anastasia Pollack, I enjoyed visiting your lovely blog.
Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers: BOOK CLUB FRIDAY--WHERE UK SCI-FI AND FANTASY AUTH...:
Thursday, 28 March 2019
Trailblazer - Spotlight and #Giveaway
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michelle Diener will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.He's on a mission . . .
She's running for her life . . .Read an Excerpt
And if they get off-planet alive, she'll have to trust he won't reveal her darkest secret.
Tally Riva is not what she seems, and even she's not happy about it. Infected, invaded, she's not quite sure how to describe it, but on a disastrous mission to a ghost ship, something burrowed its way into her body. Into her mind.
When her commander decides the best cure for what he thinks is Tally's trauma is to send her on the famous Veltos Trail, Tally goes without revealing what's really behind her mental anguish. Anything to be seen as normal again, anything to ignore what she's afraid is happening to her.
But Veltos isn't the safe place it seems. The chosen military personnel lucky enough to be offered the chance to walk the Trail are supposed to be the only people on Veltos. But Ben Guthrie, a captain in Arkhoran Special Forces, knows they're not. He and his team have been on Veltos for a month already, tracking suspicious enemy activity, and he's gone undercover on the Trail in search of a satellite his superiors are sure has been shot down.
When Ben's worst fears become reality, and they find themselves hunted by a cunning enemy through the thick forests of Veltos, Tally and Ben fight together to survive. And Tally has to decide if accepting the changes inside her will save them both, or be her doom.
TRAILBLAZER is part of the Verdant String series but can easily be read as a standalone novel. Other books in the series include Interference & Insurgency (Two Novellas of the Verdant String), and Breakaway and Breakeven.
It had occurred to her more than once that this ship was very much to her own proportions. That everything she'd found was built for hands like hers.
Could this be a lost Verdant String ship, from before the eight planets of the Verdant String had found each other? From those first centuries of space exploration?
Or even--her mind reeled at the implications--from another Verdant String planet, one they had yet to find?
Whatever it was, it was a major historical find.
She reached the halfway point across the walkway, and looked over the other side. It was more of the same, although there was also tanks that looked as if they'd once held liquid, now long dried up.
She shivered, her sense of isolation and insignificance seemed amplified in this massive space, and she moved a little faster as she headed for the other side of the walkway.
A door blocked her way. She stepped close to it, but it didn't open automatically. She looked around for a button or handle, but there was nothing except a screen attached to one side.
She hesitated, then touched it, and it flickered on, an outline of a hand showing in pale gray.
A hand exactly the shape of her own.
Cautiously, she pressed her palm against it, and with a gasp that startled her, the door slid to one side.
She stepped into the room, and knew immediately it was the bridge, the center of the ship.
She lifted the light, but there was nothing in here, just chairs and machines.
There was one light, throbbing a dull red rather than glowing, and she walked up to it. She couldn't understand the label written above it, but she accepted what she was going to do.
She pressed the button.
About the Author:
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and children. When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her at her website, or online at Twitter and Facebook.
Website: https://www.michellediener.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/michellediener
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/michelle.diener.author
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/michelle_diener/
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Trailblazer-Verdant-String-Michelle-Diener-ebook/dp/B07P6PJ51H
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! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation. http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join
Wednesday, 27 March 2019
Crossline - spotlight, Guest Post and review
Crossline By Russ Colchamiro
Genre: Science Fiction/ Space Opera
Age category: Adult
Blurb:
Perfect for fans of Firefly, Flashcience Gordon, Stargate, and Escape from New York...
Hotdog pilot Marcus Powell has been selected to test Taurus Enterprises' Crossline prototype craft and its newly developed warp thrusters, which, if successful, will revolutionize
space travel as we know it.
But during his jaunt across the stars, Powell is forced into a parallel universe -- including a parallel Earth -- where he finds himself at the center of an epic battle he may have been destined for all along.
Meanwhile, back home, reclusive oil tycoon and Taurus CEO Buddy Rheams Jr. -- who sent Powell on that very mission -- has a mysterious past and a secret agenda, one that could prevent Powell from ever making it back to his wife and little girl.
From author Russ Colchamiro, Crossline is a psychedelic, action-packed romp across time, space, and dimension that asks the question: once you cross the line, can you ever really go back?
You can find Crossline on Goodreads
You can buy Crossline here on Amazon
Excerpt
The warp engines were ready for the first of six return blasts it would take to get him back to Earth, when a blip came across the screen. Powell shifted toward the incoming message, but his short-range sensor interrupted him. Something in the Saturn rings. Video amplification revealed that among a cluster of particles was an odd-shaped fragment, with sharper, more reflective edges than he would expect. But he supposed that after debris crashed around over millions if not billions of years, who knew what was really out there? He looked again. Probably nothing of consequence. Just some lagging hallucination from the multiple warps.
As suspected. Just ice particles swirling around the planet. Billions of frozen blue ice particles floating in space that—
Powell focused his monitor on the third ring layer. Studying it more carefully, his sensors revealed that the particle cluster wasn’t in the Saturn ring, but among it. The fragment wasn’t ran- dom, a collection of dust, or some anomalous asteroid fragment.
It was another ship. Looking just like Crossline. And headed his way.
GUEST POST
I love alternate worlds and was intrigued to know how Russ came up with his 'parallel worlds' idea for this book. This is his reply:
When I first envisioned CROSSLINE in the late 1990s, it was going to be a comic book mini-series, although I eventually turned it into the novel.
My initial idea was a simple space adventure where a pilot is testing out new warp thrusters and, for reasons I won’t explain here, winds up getting forced through a wormhole. So the next natural question became… what’s on the other side?
From there the narrative quickly came together, where our hero Marcus Powell ends up on a parallel Earth, one that looks a lot like the one he’s from, but with significant differences. While there he ultimately finds himself caught between two distinct and contradicting ideas.
The more time he spends with these ‘other Earthers’ the more he sympathizes with their plight—they’re in a civil war of sorts—and feels compelled to help them, even though it puts his life in danger. Aiding their cause also physically takes him farther and farther from what he also wants—to get back home to his Earth, immediately, where he can be reunited with his wife and daughter.
What I found most compelling was a man caught between worlds, unsure in which one he truly belongs. Several other characters find themselves in similar situations, which made CROSSLINE all the more exciting to write.
Marcus Powell is the ‘hero’ of the story, but this Universe is rich in characters, most of whom get their own arcs, all challenged to decide what they believe in most, and what they’re willing to do in order preserve those beliefs, or, in some case, change their minds in radical ways.
I didn’t intentionally start out to write a parallel Universe novel, but that’s where the story wanted to go. I’m glad it took me there.
About the Author:
GUEST POST
I love alternate worlds and was intrigued to know how Russ came up with his 'parallel worlds' idea for this book. This is his reply:
When I first envisioned CROSSLINE in the late 1990s, it was going to be a comic book mini-series, although I eventually turned it into the novel.
My initial idea was a simple space adventure where a pilot is testing out new warp thrusters and, for reasons I won’t explain here, winds up getting forced through a wormhole. So the next natural question became… what’s on the other side?
From there the narrative quickly came together, where our hero Marcus Powell ends up on a parallel Earth, one that looks a lot like the one he’s from, but with significant differences. While there he ultimately finds himself caught between two distinct and contradicting ideas.
The more time he spends with these ‘other Earthers’ the more he sympathizes with their plight—they’re in a civil war of sorts—and feels compelled to help them, even though it puts his life in danger. Aiding their cause also physically takes him farther and farther from what he also wants—to get back home to his Earth, immediately, where he can be reunited with his wife and daughter.
What I found most compelling was a man caught between worlds, unsure in which one he truly belongs. Several other characters find themselves in similar situations, which made CROSSLINE all the more exciting to write.
Marcus Powell is the ‘hero’ of the story, but this Universe is rich in characters, most of whom get their own arcs, all challenged to decide what they believe in most, and what they’re willing to do in order preserve those beliefs, or, in some case, change their minds in radical ways.
I didn’t intentionally start out to write a parallel Universe novel, but that’s where the story wanted to go. I’m glad it took me there.
About the Author:
Russ Colchamiro is the author of the rollicking space adventure, Crossline, the zany SF/F backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers: The Definitive Edition, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, and is editor of the new SF anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, all with Crazy 8 Press.
Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, and crazy dog Simon, who may in fact be an alien himself. Russ has also contributed to several other anthologies, including Tales of the Crimson Keep, Pangaea, Altered States of the Union, Camelot 13, TV Gods 2, They Keep Killing Glenn, Camelot 13,
and Brave New Girls.
He is now working on the first novel in a new series featuring his hardboiled private eye Angela Hardwicke, and the first of three collaborative novella projects.
Russ is repped by The Zack Compnay.
For more on and Russ’s books, you can visit www.russcolchamiro.com, follow him on Twitter @AuthorDudeRuss, and ‘like’ his Facebook author page www.facebook.com/RussColchamiroAuthor.
You can find and contact Russ Colchamiro here:
- Website
- Goodreads
- Amazon
Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Crossline. These are the prizes you can win:
- one physical copy of Crossline by Russ Colchamiro (US Only)
- three e-copies of Crossline by Russ Colchamiro (INT)
For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a
Rafflecopter giveaway
Wednesday, 13 March 2019
"Try that again and I'll blow your head off..."#Book Hook' from Beloved Enemy - #MFRWHooks
Apologies for not posting last week, I was up to my ears in stardust (or something similar). It was Beloved Enemy's Birthday yesterday, so I thought I'd post another 'hook' from that. (It carries on the confrontation between the two main protagonists from last time.) I'm still eagerly awaiting the audio files which hopefully should be completed soon. Each book in the trilogy has a hero and heroine with there own 'happy ever after' but each story features some of the same characters and a link to the starship Destiny
(I may not be able to comment much tomorrow but I promise I'll try to visit all the 'BookHook blogs and comment on as many as I can in the next few days.)
Cat froze, trying to catch her breath, and clenching her fists in frustration. Damn, how could I have been so careless?
Kerry removed both her gun and his own from her belt, together with her knife, before releasing his stranglehold.
“Did you really think I would stand by and let you take my gun without trying to get it back?” He gave her a none-too-gentle shove between the shoulder blades, with what felt like the muzzle of one of the guns.
“Don’t let me stop you from carrying on with what you were doing.”
“Go to hell. Shoot me in the back if you must. I’ll be damned if I’ll be your slave.” As she spoke, she kicked back with all her force. Her heel connected with his shin, knocking him off balance. Whirling round, she made use of her momentary advantage to snatch back her gun and level it at his chest. “Try that again and I’ll blow your head off. Now give me back your firearm.”
His eyes glimmered and the blue ice turned to steel. “When hell freezes over. Do you think I’m just going to hand over my blaster and let you shoot me when I’m not looking?”
“We’ve had this conversation before. If I’d wanted to shoot you, I’d have done it straight away and saved myself the trouble of getting you back here.” She gave him a jab in the ribs with the barrel of her pistol by way of emphasis.
For a long moment, he held her with his gaze. She felt her skin tingle, and quivers of awareness chased themselves up and down her spine. Without speaking, and watching him like a predator watches its prey, she lowered her weapon as he laid his on the table between them.
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?
Amazon US:
http://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Enemy-Destiny-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B01BBCBYCS
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BBCBYCS
All three books in the Destiny Trilogy can be found on my Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B002BMBXH4
Please don't forget to visit the blogs below for more 'book hooks'.
Friday, 1 March 2019
Happy St David's Day
March the 1st is St David's Day in my homeland of Wales, where concerts or 'eisteddffods' are held and people party with lamb stew or 'cawl' and wear a daffodil or a leek.
The day marks the death of of St David in 589 AD.
He was born in Caerfai in Pembrokeshire, Wales .
A St David’s Day parade is held in Cardiff from midday and a concert is also held there, with the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales performing traditional songs.
Happy St David's Day Everyone!
Today I will be proudly wearing a daffodil, and putting up the Welsh Flag outside my house.
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus
To all my Welsh friends
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! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation. http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join
Wednesday, 27 February 2019
"Yes, I know who you are." #Book Hook' from Beloved Enemy - #MFRWHooks
I'm posting another excerpt from the third book in the Destiny Trilogy, the award winning 'Beloved Enemy', which will soon be joining the first two books Starquest and Children of the Mist as an audio book, as well as in eBook and paperback. Each book has a hero and heroine with there own 'happy ever after' but each story features some of the same characters and a link to
the starship Destiny
“The name suits you.” It did not sound like a compliment. “I am Kerry Marchant.”
“Yes, I know who you are.” She ignored his quizzical look. “As I said earlier, don’t get any ideas. This ‘cat’ has claws.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
She activated the small cleansing unit housed in an alcove set into the bulkhead and ran her hands through the antiseptic mist. “How’s the shoulder? D’you want
me to look at it?”
“No need. The regenerator seems to have done its job.” He unclipped his pack and withdrew a compressed black garment. “Is there somewhere I can clean up and change my tunic?”
“Help yourself. There’s a washroom back there,” she said, indicating a small door behind him. While he was occupied, she went to the storage unit and removed a metal container. Taking another vessel, she poured water from it into the first, and tipped the resulting reconstituted raw meat on a large plate she placed on the floor. Shifter stuck his nose in it and gulped it down in several mouthfuls, without pausing for breath, before drinking from the bowl of water she placed before him.
After a few minutes, Kerry reappeared, having replaced his ruined shirt. He regarded the chameleopard with an expression of curiosity on his face.
“Interesting animal. Where did you get him?”
“I found him on a small planet in the Andromeda system. He’d been bred for fighting. I don’t agree with keeping animals to kill each other, so I fought his owner for him. Fed properly and treated well he’s actually quite docile—unless he feels he has to protect me.”
Those cold eyes betrayed nothing, but he looked at her as if not sure whether to believe her.
“I suppose you’re hungry too. It’s only normal ship’s survival rations, but they’ll keep us going for a while.”
“Then that will have to do.”
Of all the ungrateful…She turned to the dispenser unit and, for a split second, dropped her guard. In the same instant, she felt an arm whip around her throat.
“Yes, I know who you are.” She ignored his quizzical look. “As I said earlier, don’t get any ideas. This ‘cat’ has claws.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
She activated the small cleansing unit housed in an alcove set into the bulkhead and ran her hands through the antiseptic mist. “How’s the shoulder? D’you want
me to look at it?”
“No need. The regenerator seems to have done its job.” He unclipped his pack and withdrew a compressed black garment. “Is there somewhere I can clean up and change my tunic?”
“Help yourself. There’s a washroom back there,” she said, indicating a small door behind him. While he was occupied, she went to the storage unit and removed a metal container. Taking another vessel, she poured water from it into the first, and tipped the resulting reconstituted raw meat on a large plate she placed on the floor. Shifter stuck his nose in it and gulped it down in several mouthfuls, without pausing for breath, before drinking from the bowl of water she placed before him.
After a few minutes, Kerry reappeared, having replaced his ruined shirt. He regarded the chameleopard with an expression of curiosity on his face.
“Interesting animal. Where did you get him?”
“I found him on a small planet in the Andromeda system. He’d been bred for fighting. I don’t agree with keeping animals to kill each other, so I fought his owner for him. Fed properly and treated well he’s actually quite docile—unless he feels he has to protect me.”
Those cold eyes betrayed nothing, but he looked at her as if not sure whether to believe her.
“I suppose you’re hungry too. It’s only normal ship’s survival rations, but they’ll keep us going for a while.”
“Then that will have to do.”
Of all the ungrateful…She turned to the dispenser unit and, for a split second, dropped her guard. In the same instant, she felt an arm whip around her throat.
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?
Amazon US:
http://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Enemy-Destiny-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B01BBCBYCS
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01BBCBYCS
All three books in the Destiny Trilogy can be found on my Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/l/B002BMBXH4
Please don't forget to visit the blogs below for more 'book hooks'.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)