Friday 15 February 2013

SFFSat - Feb 16



Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFSat) is a place where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and also shoot the breeze a little. And before I get ahead of myself, thanks and appreciation as always to those who stop by and leave fantastic comments.

Today, I'm going to share a snippet from a new WIP, a short story spun off from the full-length (completed but undergoing tweaks) Bengaria's War. This short is titled, Bengaria's Promise, and follows the life of the main protag, Ryn Bengaria. Some of you may remember her as I shared a few snippets from BW already.

Ryn is now Ambassador (quite a step down from being Queen, but she wanted it so). While en route to the main planet to oversee an Alliance Treaty, she is intercepted by the relative of an old adversary, who wants her dead. Meanwhile, in this scene, Ryn and her bodyguard, Aiya, are forced to land on a derelict docking platform. Aiya, ever the suspicious Nezu (the name for the feared Nezu Colonists - long story) suspects their shuttle captain of underhanded deeds...

            Aiya leaned closer. “How well do you know of this Captain Garrak?”

Ryn drew her mouth into a line. “He was approved by Captain Amis. I trust Amis with my life.”
“Anyone’s loyalty can be bought.” Aiya leaned back and directed her glare into the cockpit.
The shuttle made a sharp jerk, bringing a gasp from Ryn. She gripped the armrest and gritted her teeth. She hated space travel.

If you are interested in participating in next weeks SFFSat, just click HERE, and follow the rules. Sign up is open every Wednesday - and if you're on Twitter, use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Cover Reveal - ODD MEN OUT


Today, I'm participating in a cover reveal blog hop. Published through Dog Star Books, is Matt Betts' ODD MEN OUT, which I've had the opportunity to read a couple of short snippets from. I, for one, will definitely be first in line to buy come July this year when it is being released.

So, check it out...a snappy cover designed by artist, Bradley Sharp.



ODD MEN OUT is a Steampunk/Alternate History.
Here's what this book is about:
The Civil War went on far longer than anyone expected, prompting the North and South to call a truce to fight their common enemy: The Chewers – dead men come to life to attack the living. As a result, a peacekeeping force called the Office of Military Operations is created to watch over the tenuous peace.

Cyrus Joseph Spencer didn’t fight in the war and couldn’t care less about the United Nations of America that resulted from it. His main concern is making money and protecting his crew from all manner of danger. To escape a horrible tragedy, Cyrus and one of his wards, Lucinda, board a U.N. dirigible for safety. They quickly discover their situation has not improved as the U.N. team is chasing a group of rogue soldiers in hopes of stopping them from obtaining a terrible weapon.

They also have to contend with a larger threat - Drago del Vapore – a giant lizard attacking the West Coast and wreaking havoc on everything it encounters. As the two sides face off against each other and the huge beast, Cyrus feels more and more like an Odd Man Out and finds it harder and harder to stay out of the fight.


Click HERE to find out more about Matt Betts.

Friday 8 February 2013

SFFSat - Feb 09



Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFSat) is a place where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and also shoot the breeze a little. And before I get ahead of myself, thanks and appreciation as always to those who stop by and leave fantastic comments.

I'm still celebrating the nomination of The Eternal Knot for Best Book of 2012, so here's another snippet from it. By the way, voting is still ON for it! (Closes February 14th).


So click the button to cast your vote (for The Eternal Knot, of course!) If that doesn't work, click HERE.

The Eternal Knot is the final book in The Lancaster Trilogyavailable from Burst Books (Champagne Book Group), or on Amazon.

In this scene, we have another of my favourite characters, Adam, Josie's brother-in-law who just happens to be a prisoner within the Citadel walls, but they like to call it exiled. He's also quite dangerous. Josie likes to visit him since he has a canny way of sorting things out and allowing her to see the bigger picture. Here we have Josie discussing a woman who has returned to the Citadel, who just happens to be an old flame of her husband.

            "More or less," she replied sullenly. "And stupid dinner parties with stupid dinner guests who irk every last bone in your body."

          "Growing weary of being the President's wife already?" Adam grinned with mischief. "Who is it this time?"
          "Elena Greco," Josie muttered with distaste.
          Shocked, Adam leaned forward with interest. "She's allowed back in—what is she doing back?"
"Irking every last bone in my body," Josie glared at him. "Haven't you been listening?"

If you are interested in participating in next weeks SFFSat, just click HERE, and follow the rules. Sign up is open every Wednesday - and if you're on Twitter, use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

Friday 1 February 2013

SFFSat - Feb 2



Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday (SFFSat) is a place where a bunch of us post snippets from our written works and also shoot the breeze a little. And before I get ahead of myself, thanks and appreciation as always to those who stop by and leave fantastic comments.

Today, to celebrate the nomination of The Eternal Knot for Best Book of 2012, I thought I'd share a snippet from it. By the way, voting is ON for it!

So click the button to cast your vote (for The Eternal Knot, of course!)

The Eternal Knot is the final book in The Lancaster Trilogy, available from Burst Books (Champagne Book Group), or on Amazon.

In this, we have one of my favourite characters, Loeb, with our girl Josie. They have 'crash-landed' in Brazil, in a small country village not far from Natal city on the very east coast of the country.
Unfortunately, they find themselves in a spot of trouble. 

            So much for waiting...
          The moment I hung up from John, we were ambushed.
          They came out of nowhere and surrounded us looking like the very shrubs and tall grasses that grew around the area. For all I knew, they could've been there the whole time.
On impulse, I lashed out, whirling around to backhand one, kicking out to another for a gut kick. Loeb was right; the jacket tied around my waist hindered my movements like a full-length skirt complete with old-fashioned hoops. The only effective thing I managed to do, was kick up a lot of dust.

Before long, Loeb was in an immovable chokehold. He had the good sense to go limp and placid. Unfortunately, I continued to do the opposite.


If you are interested in participating in next weeks SFFSat, just click HERE, and follow the rules. Sign up is open every Wednesday - and if you're on Twitter, use the #SFFSat hashtag.

Cheers!

VOTE FOR ME!



The link for voting has gone LIVE! So click on over to Long and Short Reviews, scroll down to THE ETERNAL KNOT, and click the button, then click the VOTE tab.

Thanks in advance for your vote. It is much appreciated!

Cheers!