D.N.A. by Alex Hurst #CoverReveal #ReleaseDay #Amazon #Contest

Welcome new fantasy/science fiction author (to me) Alex Hurst to Moonbeams over Atlanta! I was contacted by Alex regarding this illustrated, serial science fiction novella called D.N.A. and about futuristic world in which nanotech is the norm. An illustrated story about science fiction was not something I have review requests for normally. Intrigued, I read the blurb, liked the ideas, and that it’s short. So, I decided to review it, but it releases… today. 🙂 Two days notice for a review is a little tricky despite the fact that I do read fast. I offered to post a cover reveal and the author has provided a #giveaway of 10 Kindle codes (yes, 10)! Stay tuned for the review to post here in the near future.

Contest rules for the 10 Kindle codes are at the end of the post.

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DNABlurb: 

The story chronicles the adventures of Alta Williams, a woman of a future where genetics dictate quality of life and scientific discovery advances at an inconceivable rate. Alta is known to the media as the Human Doll, the first successful case of a full nanoCell organ transplant.

Alta appreciates the technology around her: without it, a chemical fire would have killed her in her early twenties. Though the fire destroyed her extracellular matrix, scientists from the medical behemoth nanoTech were able to replace her ruined skin with their patented nanoCell material, giving her a second lease on life.

However, with nanotechnology now advanced enough to alter the human genome, and a company determined to capitalize – and control – the endeavor, it is up to Alta to expose their plans.

And she’s not alone.

Helping her every step of the way is D.N.A., the Digital Nanocell Accelerator, a self-learning computer program charged with telling synthetic cells which tissue they should build. D.N.A. fuses with Alta’s fully-synthetic skin and convinces her to fight against those who would otherwise oppress society as she knows it.

Of course, it helps that D.N.A. can change the genetic makeup of Alta’s skin at will, gifting her with the characteristics of any living recorded in the Genome Project. With the world’s genetic code at her whim, Alta has the power to overcome anything…

…but at what cost to her humanity?

**Please note that this is a novella with illustrations, not a comic or full-length novel**

Buy Link: Amazon

Title: D.N.A.: Alta
Author: Alex Hurst, Illustrated: Kevin Nichols
Series: D.N.A. Book 1
Print Length: 24 pages (Novella)
Publisher: Bookmark Comics
Published Date: July 15, 2015
ASIN: B0101Y6Z9Y

Excerpt:

Alta’s hands couldn’t protect her face from the wild winds of the rooftop. The sharp, chilly gusts across the high-rise felt like tiny knives against her skin.

[Head to the eastern end of the building. The force of the winds will be blocked by the building’s mass.]

Talking about the risk of the wind didn’t make the prospect of sliding down the wall any more appealing, but she followed D.N.A.’s instructions. “There’s really no other option?”

Down below, Alta saw nothing but quiet streets. There were no police lights, no security vehicles. Of course, it was expected: nanoTech wouldn’t want the intruder caught publicly. There would be no telling what she’d heard; what she knew… should she be apprehended by law enforcement, a public

statement could follow. They needed to handle it internally. The thought made her shudder—how many times had nanoTech made a pest disappear in the past?

[I need you to focus, Alta. Uroplatus fimbriatus had reversed knuckles. That’s how they climbed walls.]

But I only have regular knuckles. What do you want me to do, break all of my fingers?

The length of silence that followed did nothing to ease Alta’s tension.

I was joking, D.

[Yes. Right.]

Did D.N.A. understand her fear? Did he recognize what he was asking of her? Maybe for him, her physical limitations were only an algorithm, her emotions an illogical outlier––for her, those very things were what made her human.

[I will adjust my program to be more responsive to emotional stimuli.]

Not particularly encouraging, D.

Shivering again, Alta clasped her arms across her breasts and looked over the edge of the eighty- story building. Vertigo settled deep in her gut and she jerked back, fighting the sensation that the whole building was lurching. I don’t know if I can do this, D.

Author Bio

fun_portrait

Alex Hurst writes primarily character-driven fantasy, in such sub-genres as urban, Gothic, uncanny, and regional fantasy. Sometimes, she dapples in science fiction, horror, and LGBT literature.

She was raised in the wilds of the south. Lightning storms and hurricanes created the playpens of her youth, and in the summers, she used to spend all of her time dodging horseflies in a golden river, catching fish and snakes with her bare hands, swinging from vines, and falling out of magnolia trees.

In the dawn of her adolescence, her family took her on a journey across the United States, from the white sands of Pensacola, FL, to the razor’s edge of the Hell’s Backbone in Utah. They finally landed in Marin, CA, where lotus eaters tried to make city folk out of them (but miserably failed.) She currently lives in Kyoto, Japan, working as a writer and dream-smith.

She also freelances as an editor for the Writers’ Anarchy anthology series, designs book interiors at Country Mouse Design, and admins on the Fiction Writers community on Facebook, assisting emerging writers.

Feel free to stay a while, leave a comment or send her an email. If you feel so inclined, you can also follow her on any of the links below.

 

Blog | Facebook | Google+ | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | LinkedIn | Flickr | DeviantArt | YouTube | StumbleUpon | B’ | RSS

10 Kindle/Amazon code Giveaway!

To Enter, comment on this post and the first 10 commentators will receive D.N.A for free via Amazon. If more than 10 unique commentators, then Moonbeams over Atlanta will use Random.org to pick the 10 winners. Contest ends 7/22/2015 11:59 PM EDT. Please provide email address with your comment where you would like to receive your prize, and the author will contact the winners directly.

 

@BitnBookPromote #BookTour: ‘Sia’ by @kia_crystal #Romance #Paranormal #Fantasy #Series

 

SIA

(Phantom Wolf, #2)

By Kia Carrington-Russell

Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Page Count: 234

(click cover for purchase link)

Eighteen years have now passed since the Phantom Wolf, Sia, faced her greatest challenge when she was forced to kill her lover, Kiba—the rightful heir to the throne. Sia murdered the dishonorable King Taleb for his transgressions before resting in peace among her Spirit Pack.



Saith and Keeley now rule over the Kingdom, endeavoring to restore peace and allegiance throughout the land. Their actions are clouded in secrecy so that their daughter—whom they named Sia—should remain protected and unaware. But what are they preparing for?



Sia, now almost eighteen years of age, must face her own journey to discover the mysteries her world has to offer. In order to uncover her true potential, Sia must confront her feelings for Trim. When her name is called, she sees him cringe as he remembers the love he once held for the Great Phantom Wolf before her.



Mistrust and lies decay the Kingdom’s solidarity. Sia’s curiosity is piqued by the fear that shadows all wolves: the threat of the humans. So what happens when she comes across one?

 

Buy from Amazon

PHANTOM WOLF

(Phantom Wolf, #1)


Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 191

Sia is a Phantom Wolf. Neither dead nor alive-and rotting from the inside-she is on the edge of her curse.



Once a Phantom Wolf has been created, they hunt their blood pack and slaughter all their loved ones. Except for Sia, who woke years after her death to find herself rampaging through the land on a lonely path. She continues to run from the rival pack that hunts her because she is a Phantom Wolf.



Attracted to a scent, Sia finds her old best friend, who is now a grown woman. Having once saved Keeley, Sia takes the role of protector yet again, despite Keeley’s involvement with the mysterious Alpha, Kiba, and his kin brother, Saith.



An ambush separates the pack and the four of them blindly fight the new warriors that attack them: desperately needing to find out where the attacks are coming from, as Sia has vowed to protect Keeley. But at what cost?



Now being chased, Sia finds herself conflicted by the mortal and spirit world while trying to protect her kin. Sia must confront her fears, as well as the human lover who killed her many years before. It is not only survival Sia contends with, but her own façade that must be broken so that she may find peace within herself once more.

 

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kia Carrington-Russell is a young author working on her first series: “The Three Immortal Blades”. Kia began writing at the age of fifteen in high school- finding that all her warped and strange dreams were giving her a fantastic new world- and since then she has never looked back.
Kia Carrington-Russell
Kia was born in a small town in Australia, moving around a lot at a young age until finding a stable town where she finished her schooling. Kia found herself enjoying and expressing herself through poetry, short stories and writing, photography, painting and drawing. All these mediums help Kia express the different world that she is so fond of.
In ‘Senior Art’ Kia focused on feminism and female empowerment; exposing through her work issues and concerns that many people would rather just “sweep under the rug”.
In one art installation, Kia made a bed out of Pokémon cards- the concept being that when she slept a new world would come to life and it was the only one she saw and constantly lived in.
Kia now focuses on her photography, writing and self-help blogs on her website: ‘Precious Living’.
Kia is now keenly working on “The Three Immortal Blades” and “Phantom Wolf” series knowing that these books must be shared with the world and that is what she aims to do now.
Kia writes in her Australian home, trying to focus at times on simply what is running through her head, as her cats either terrorize her legs as scratching posts or her puppy barks in her ear for play-time. And as she continues her series, they grow with her book.
Kia is strongly supported by her friends and family and thanks them dearly for being with her along the bumpy road and nothing would please her more than having your support as well.

Website: www.thethreeimmortalblades.com

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

 

@BitnBookPromote #BookTour: “Phantom Wolf” by @kia_crystal #Romance #Paranormal #Dark Fantasy

 

PHANTOM WOLF2 LIGHTPhantom Wolf by Kia Carrington-Russell

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Dark Fantasy, Action

Synopsis:

Phantom WolfSia is a Phantom Wolf. Neither dead nor alive—and rotting from the inside—she is on the edge of her curse. Once a Phantom Wolf has been created, they hunt their blood pack and slaughter all their loved ones. Except for Sia, who woke years after her death to find herself rampaging through the land on a lonely path. She continues to run from the rival pack that hunts her because she is a Phantom Wolf.

Attracted to a scent, Sia finds her old best friend, who is now a grown woman. Having once saved Keeley, Sia takes the role of protector yet again, despite Keeley’s involvement with the mysterious Alpha, Kiba, and his kin brother, Saith. An ambush separates the pack and the four of them blindly fight the new warriors that attack them: desperately needing to find out where the attacks are coming from, as Sia has vowed to protect Keeley. But at what cost? Now being chased, Sia finds herself conflicted by the mortal and spirit world while trying to protect her kin.

Sia must confront her fears, as well as the human lover who killed her many years before. It is not only survival Sia contends with, but her own façade that must be broken so that she may find peace within herself once more.

Book Links: Website | Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble

 

Character Bios:

Sia, Phantom Wolf, white hair but turns to silver in state of Phantom Wolf, her nails turn into claws and her canines stretch past over her lips. Pale skin as she is both of the living and dead. She can speak to her Spirit Pack and runs with them on a full moon. She is in the state of immortality until the human who her life is connected with dies. Sia had to watch as her once human lover slaughtered her pack in front of her very eyes, and then killed her as well. She is strong, unaccepting of others advice and willfully minded.

Keeley, Sia’s best friend from when they were cubs. Although not part of her pack, she was much considered as her kin. She is faint hearted and kind, but is terror of what happened those many years ago when Sia’s family was massacred and Sia protected her by giving handing herself over. She has long brown hair and blue eyes. And has a healing nature.

Kiba, is the eldest Prince to the kingdom. He is fair natured but very strong natured and to become a great Alpha. He is witty and taunts a lot of people, mostly Sia as she bite back so quickly. He has a very deep caring nature in which only Sia has ever seen. Others more so see him as a pillar and fantasy to one day be his mate. He has thick black fur and hair of the Royal bloodline and iridescent blue eyes.

Saith, is the younger brother of Kiba. Although having the same black fur and blue eyes of the Royal family he is smaller than Kiba in muscular frame and his hair is longer, to his shoulders. He has for some time now been deeply in love with Keeley and turns almost savage if one threatens her. He is very protective of her and his family, which can at times be surprising in comparison to his more quiet and compassionate nature.

Lady Momiko, is an old wolf who although many years have aged on her skin is still passionately youthful and witty. She has an ill sense of humor and often hits others on top of the head with her stick that she carries around in a scornful yet playful manner. She has the sight of Spirit Wolf and is able to see premonitions and speak with Spirit Pack.

Trim, is a young cub who reminds Sia much of her little brother who was slaughtered those many years ago. He is deeply infatuated by Sia and does many things to impress her, he is strong and has wondrous potential as a fighter with his determination and maturity for such a young age. He instantly takes to Sia, not frightened by her appearance of Phantom Wolf. Trim lost both his parents after birth and it was Lady Momiko who adopted him as a son, having premonition of his greatness one day. Although she has not yet told him of such a fate and has no intention too.

 

About the author:

Kia Carrington-Russell is a young author working on her first series: “The Three Immortal Blades”. Kia began writing at the age of fifteen in high school- finding that all her warped and strange dreams were giving her a fantastic new world- and since then she has never looked back.

Kia-Carrington-RussellKia was born in a small town in Australia, moving around a lot at a young age until finding a stable town where she finished her schooling. Kia found herself enjoying and expressing herself through poetry, short stories and writing, photography, painting and drawing. All these mediums help Kia express the different world that she is so fond of.

In ‘Senior Art’ Kia focused on feminism and female empowerment; exposing through her work issues and concerns that many people would rather just “sweep under the rug”. In one art installation, Kia made a bed out of Pokémon cards- the concept being that when she slept a new world would come to life and it was the only one she saw and constantly lived in. Kia now focuses on her photography, writing and self-help blogs on her website: ‘Precious Living’.

Kia is now keenly working on “The Three Immortal Blades” and “Phantom Wolf” series knowing that these books must be shared with the world and that is what she aims to do now. Kia writes in her Australian home, trying to focus at times on simply what is running through her head, as her cats either terrorize her legs as scratching posts or her puppy barks in her ear for play-time. And as she continues her series, they grow with her book.

Kia is strongly supported by her friends and family and thanks them dearly for being with her along the bumpy road and nothing would please her more than having your support as well.

Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram: kia_crystal

 

Book Trailer

 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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*CONTEST ALERT* Sensuous Promo’s Presents: Book Tour for Darkest Magic by Eva Lefoy

Welcome to Sensuous Promo’s Darkest Magic Tour.

Witches vs. Weres – who’s stronger?

Witches or weres – who would you pick to win in a battle? I’ve read enough Urban Fantasy that I’ve seen it done both ways. Sometimes the werewolf overpowers the witch and other times, the witch lays waste to the shifter. Both are equally convincing outcomes. In a battle to the death, who would you pick to win?

But maybe the question isn’t that simple. A single battle doesn’t always win the war and in the battle between good and evil – between good magic and bad magic – winning the battle just means you live to fight another day. Because if there’s anything fairy tales have shown us, it’s that the battle between good and evil takes many forms and is ongoing. A never-ending war that must be waged continually, else the world slides into darkness and mankind loses his light.

Didn’t that sound poetic? * grins *

In Darkest Flowers, my new Beyond Fairytales release from Decadent Publishing, the battle between good and evil is alive and well. Our hero is a beta wolf named Nik and he’s firmly on the good side. But his alpha’s mate, Petrina is secretly an evil witch. Nik must protect the pack from her, his alpha, and his love interest Caroline. He gets help from a good witch and her husband, a dwarf. Unbeknownst to Nik and Caroline, the good witch and the dwarf are protectors of the forest. They, like many fairy tale characters, are no strangers to the concept of good and evil. In the end, when the good side wins and the evil witch is run off, we know in our hearts that the victory is only temporary. Nik and his new mate must stay vigilant, lest the witches win the next round!

For more on Darkest Magic, see below.

Thanks for reading!

Eva

 

EXCERPT: The dwarf lectures Nik on good vs. evil

 

Nik towered over the dwarf, his arms crossed just under his chest.

“It’s not like that,” Otis said. “Evil never fully disappears. Even children know that much. What I’m telling you is true. One day, Petrina or another witch like her will rear her head and cause havoc.”

“How does that relate to me?” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Caroline emerge from the tree house heading their way. His heart galloped at the sight of her. Inside, his wolf cried for more mating time. Down, boy.

“The forest needs a protector and Estrella and I want to retire.” He dug the blue bag from within the folds of his velvet green jacket. Holding it out toward Nik, he continued. “Take this and use it. It will give you all the power you need to do the job.”

“You mean you want me to become a dwarf?”

Otis snorted. “Of course not. I was born a dwarf, you jackass.”

Caroline came to stand beside him and his nerves settled. Having her near meant he could relax a little and focus on the subject at hand. Sort of. Her fingertips grazed the skin on his shoulder and, embarrassingly, his cock started to harden. Having it right at Otis’s eye level might prove hazardous. He cleared his throat and thought about tofu. “Look, Otis, as beta of a full grown pack of wolves, I have a lot of responsibility already. Why would I want to take on more?”

Otis didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his question. Lifting his chin, he said his next words looking at Caroline, though they were clearly directed at Nik. “Because of her.”

Copyright © Eva Lefoy

Synopsis:

Nik Epperstein’s alpha lost his mate two years ago and took an evil witch as his new bride. Ever since then, Eli’s leadership has become violent, bordering on insane. When Eli attacks him, Nik’s healing powers mysteriously vanish. He can’t defend himself, nor protect the wolf he secretly loves. Only through the help of a foul-mouthed witch and an overly-dramatic dwarf will he save her – but their assistance comes at a price.

Caroline has tried for two years to lure Nik into her bed and can’t understand his hesitation.  After all, she senses their mating bond loud and clear. Then Nik disappears. She confronts her father who tells her Nik is dead, and she’s next on his chopping block.  Without Nik to protect her, she flees the pack and is kidnapped by a man half her size.

Reunited at last, the young wolves have one last chance to ignite their bond. But love must wait when battle looms. Eli and his wife attack, and aren’t above using dirty tricks to win. If Nik and Caroline survive the battle, the dwarf and his wife will require them to make a promise that will change their lives forever…

 

Author Bio and Contact:

Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate, tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty thoughts for the sake of future explorers.

Author Links: Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook Page | Pinterest

Purchase Links Decadent Publishing | ARe | AmazonAmazon UK

 

** CONTEST ALERT **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Chapter One from Space Love, a WIP

*cracks knuckles* *dusts off virtual desk* *looks around* *smiles*

Ok.  Since part of my New Year’s resolution was to actually post excerpts of my works in progress (affectionately called WIP in the writing world)–I have three– and maybe manage to finish one, I have written enough on one to post a couple of chapters or so. 😉  Maybe I’ll turn it into a blog-published story and see about wrapping it into a novel later. *shrug* Might get me to actually finish the darn thing if I post it here.  So, I will present the first Chapter of the novel, Space Love.   This Chapter, and the beginning poem I wrote for it, are also listed on Goodreads, but this is a newer version. The novel was actually started from the beginning and I mostly stuck with that.  I’m thinking of adding a prologue for the love interest of the MC explaining more of the “dreams”.  Let me know what you think and if you think that would be a good idea.  Also let me know if you think you would like to see this as a serial on my blog once a week or so.  This is a science fiction, paranormal, slightly angsty, and becoming more angsty the more times I work on it.  No sex, so safe for kids.  I have not worked on it in several months but will when I get my new iPad.  There are probably grammar errors.  I’m sure I need to rework the dream sequence, and probably misspellings.  It’s not edited so be warned…

 

Space Love

By Eloreen Moon

Chapter 1

2036 June 15, 0300, Julian Calendar

Near –Earth orbit, Space Station Cassiopeia

Ship UTASA Sydney

I snapped awake, panting.  Sweat dripped from my soaked hair and naked body. Shivering, I discovered I was tangled in my sheets and still in early morning.  Well, if I was on the planet anyway.  I slowly drew myself from the clinging sheets as I tried to slow my breathing.   I sat up facing the bathroom.  Looking at it and the slightly open track door with the light I had left on before going sleep, I remembered why I was awakened in the first place.

A Dream.  Really bad dream.  Yeah.  I remembered now.  Sort of.  Maybe.  Kind of.  Crap.  I didn’t want to remember.  I really, really didn’t want to remember.  But the dark night with the soft glow from the bathroom triggered the remembrance and my mind went back in time.  The same dream I’ve had all my life.

I’m running through green fields, so green it almost hurts my eyes.  I’m in tiger form with white and black strips, which is unusual in itself because my tiger sleeps within me. I know I’m dreaming because of this.  I feel the hunters coming.  I can taste their greed.  I can smell the lush field, an almost sweet honeysuckle smell, surrounded by a dense forest in the distance.  I don’t recognize the location, however beautiful it is.  I never have.  The grass feels good on my paws but that is a fleeting thought.  I’m running for my life and I have no idea why.  The fear eats at me.  I must run and continue to run as very bad things will happen should I stop.  I do not know the bad: It’s just a feeling. Horror fills me as I feel something breathing down my neck.  It’s getting closer. Closer. So close, that I feel as if it will consume me.  I must stay free.  I must.  It is an imperative that I am not caught.  I have no idea what will catch me but I cannot be caught, ever.

 

Something’s changed.  This time, it is slightly different.  Emotions are high and I almost feel someone else’s emotions.  I feel myself slip into the meditative state whereas I’m lucid dreaming, trying to control the dream to see something new.  With a slight distance, I feel the emotions and form of someone…different.  Almost, like, they are trying to tell me something.  I stretched for the tantalizing hint of a thread of emotion.  Fear, yes, but not for themselves.  Fear….for me?

As I slowly came to from the remembrance, I realized why I was startled awake.  The dream changed.  I’ve never had that happen before.  I briefly wondered why.  Shrug.  I’ll think about it later.  Right now, now that I’m awake, my bladder was making itself known.  I stood up, and walked to the bathroom.  Taking a deep breath, I walked up and the automatic door slid the rest of the way open at my approach.  I smirked a little as I thought about the hoops I had to go through to get that feature available.  As it slid open, I shakily walked to the toilet to relieve myself, washed my hands, and then threw some water on my face.  I looked up at the mirror.  My eyes were gold.  Not good, not good at all.  Shifting here would be a poor choice.  Not that I have ever shifted before but I knew the signs that my family told me to expect when it was time.  Time that seemed to be an unusually long time in coming.

“Casaen, you look like shit.”  My voice was harsh in the small room.  I hadn’t had much sleep lately.  The dreams were not helping.  Someone was trying to tell me something, I just knew it.  But I didn’t have a clue what was being said.  So much for me being a Dreamwalker.  You would think I would understand this kind of stuff.  But, Noooo.  I’ve been having dreams all my life and sometimes they were direct enough I could interpret.  And, sometimes not.  It was those nots that had me tied up in knots.

Great, I was making puns again.  Even in my own head.  Rolling my eyes, I sighed and looked at myself in the mirror.  The light on my face and hair was not especially harsh.  I never liked those halogen things and so went with anything that did full spectrum sunlight.  I had heard fluorescents were high demand back in the day, but I’ve never seen one.  They were outlawed when I was little in the latter part of the first decade of the 21st century.   I had a good face, I guessed.  My eyes were back to normal now.  They are brown-green eyes with a slight almond shape from some pan-Asian ancestor set in a slightly tanned face.  Wavy hair to just past my shoulders had multi-colored red, gold, brown, and some blond mingled together for a crown that covered my head.  Ok, maybe a lot of blond.  Alright, I’m mostly white blond with the rest accenting since I’m a White Bengal Tiger.  Well, I would be if I ever shifted.  Not that I really paid attention to my hair but people said it was cute.   And, it was probably too long for a guy.  Strong nose, high cheekbones, oval face, and an average forehead went with the rest of my features.  I had a long neck too.  I look almost like a girl.  I guess you would call me a twink in the old fashion vernacular.  Although that term referred to someone younger than I, I guessed as a body type, it would apply.   Five foot seven inches is not tall and with a muscular body that would be called lithe, I wasn’t in too bad of shape.  At least, that is what the ex-boyfriend told me.  At 30 standard years, I was not young by any stretch of the imagination.  Considering I just had a birthday last month, I started feeling my age.

With a wry smile, I looked at my face one more time and left the bathroom to my quarters.  Not much, but it’s my own.  With a brother and 3 sisters, you tend to find space anywhere you can.  Looking around the room, you have your basic gun-metal gray that all starships share.  I’ve not had time to decorate as I’ve only been on here only a few days.  My anti-gravity totes were stacked neatly against the far wall on the other side of the bed and next to the door to the kitchenette.  Wait, they don’t call it that here.  A food replicator?  I’ll have to ask Father.   Not that it wasn’t anything more than a cover over an alcove with a machine to synthesize food and drink.  Luckily, I had the version that would make whatever I needed without the chemical taste.   I waved my hand in front of the door sensor and it slid up into the top.  It never ceases to amaze me these new technologies.  Being someone on the far side of technology, I tend to be fairly grounded considering.

“Water with ice.”  I said to the room.

“Anything else, Mr Hagonsun?”  I startled a bit when the female voice of the Artificial Intelligence aboard the ship spoke.  Sandy, she was called.  She?  I wasn’t sure the protocol for referencing ship AI’s, let alone ships in general.  Heck, the closest I got to technology was my tablet computer and only then because I grew up with technology readily available.  Sure, I read Science Fiction being an avid reader.  You can’t get away from technology, or the reading, when everyone in my family worked there in some form or fashion.  I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.  You know that old adage? Truth is stranger than fiction?  Yeah, that’s the one.  Welcome to my world.

I never could get used to cutting-edge technology. My brain just went to mush when Dad start talking about his work on the creation of them.  Mom is an Astrogator; a space navigator if you will.  Mother and Father, Mom and Dad’s mates, also worked in space and technology.   Mother dealt with Rocketry and propulsion and Father dealt with nutrition and food replication.  Dad’s baby, AIs, were just emerging as viable ship cores when I was in my teens, thanks in a large part to Dad’s research and programming.  That was not too many years after the first learning AI was setup by the University of California named Wilson.  It was a big thing in my parent’s day and happened when I was a baby.  They told me about it when I told them I was leaving Earth for this trip.  Gods, was that a month ago?  Everything has happened so fast.  From the time the United Terra Aeronautics and Space Authority (UTASA) contacted me for this assignment some 3 months ago until now, I had been eating, sleeping, and breathing the training to go into deep space.

I guess I should have known I would end up on an extended mission in space.

“No Sandy.  Just the water.”  I said.  I still feel weird talking out loud to basically nothing and nobody in the room. 

Case, you ok?

I sighed.  I knew Cadmaen would contact me after the dream.  Since all of the Family could talk to each other with our telepathic link, talking was overrated.  I didn’t talk much unless there were humans around.  And with me being a Dreamwalker, I could send and receive emotions too.  I’m pretty sure Cade would wake up regardless considering we are littermates.  I was impressed that I could “hear” him this well though.  Hi bro. Yeah, I’m ok.  I guess.  I sent him my love, a little subdued since it was still “night” on the ship and I hadn’t fully awakened even with the dream and all.

Are you sure? Do you need me there?

NO!  You do NOT need to expend that much energy! I stood there, clutching my hands to fists and my heart thumping a mile a minute at the thought of Cade using his telekinesis ability to come up to the ship, or even the space station the ship was attached to.  That’s all I needed.  Explain a 500-lb white tiger randomly showing up in my room.  The Captain would surely want to know how that happened.  Considering she is human and does not know the extra traits our family has, I wasn’t in a hurry to enlighten her.  Not that humans don’t know, we just didn’t want our family’s heritage to be out there.  We have rather unique abilities that we don’t want to have to explain.  I’m ok, really. I’m getting water from the food replicator-thingy.  Um, what did Father call them again? And, how am I hearing you so well?  The short trips I took before for training gave me the impression that we couldn’t speak mind to mind while in orbit.

Cade snorted humorously. That was what Mom and Mother told you so you wouldn’t tax yourself while in training.  It’s never been tested as I think you are the first of our kind in space for any length of time but we think based on current psionic research that the distance doesn’t matter.  Thank you General Relativity and Albert Einstein. I suddenly had a mental picture of my brother smirking in his oh, so superior way.  Never mind that he was only 5 minutes older than I was and wasn’t superior, at all.

Our older sisters Cassandra, Crystal, and Carrie were from the litter of Mother and Father while Cade and I were the litter of Mom and Dad, officially anyway.  Since they were all mates, it didn’t really matter.  Human marriage laws have come a long way from the time when our parents were having us.  Gay, straight, lesbian, multiple partners: It didn’t matter anymore.  I know that the parental units breathed a lot easier these days as they don’t have to hide that part of their relationship.   Most humans we lived near thought we were incredibly fertile.  That’s true, just not the way they thought.  It’s because we are shifters and have litters make multiple births the norm.  We’ve kept a low profile since we didn’t want any one hunting us because we were different.  Story of our lives.  We are typically bisexual in general but some of us have a preference.  Cade and I are gay.  We just haven’t found our mates yet.  And with me in space, the likelihood of finding mine is slim and none and Slim left the solar system ages ago.  I wasn’t too worried about it since shifters tended to live longer than humans and I was only on this mission for 6 months.  I figured I had time to settle down.  Didn’t mean I wasn’t lonely though.  My last boyfriend was a year ago.

I sighed. Figures they would do that “for my own good.” I’m not 10 you know. I’m sure I wouldn’t have anyway.  Standing in the middle of training staring off to space while I talk to you probably would have been a poor choice.  I’m sorry I woke you though.  Are you ok?  You feel…a little strange…

Cade said quickly: I’m fine, really.

Why don’t I believe you?  I replied, concerned with a slight snort of my own.  He could never lie to me.  Nobody could.  It’s why I was probably here.

Crap, I could never get passed that lie-detector mind of yours. He did a mental shrug and started talking quickly. I have someone with me.  You know. In my bed.  Overnight and all.  Jeez.  Do I really have to spell it out?  My normally stand-up-and-take-charge brother was embarrassed, frustrated, horny, and…oh, damn.  My awakening him had become coitus interruptus.

I flopped on the bed.  Oh man, I’m really, really sorry.  I hadn’t expected the dream I had to change and it startled me badly.  Please apologize to your date…I assume it was a date and not your mate?

He answered: Yeah, it was only a date.  He’s human though so I had to send him off before I contacted you.  It would have been a little bit odd to explain to him that my brother miles over Earth caused me to freeze in the middle of getting off. Now he sounded annoyed.  Oh boy.  I’m going to be groveling for a bit on this one.

I’m really, really sorry? Really? I flashed him a mental smile with my dimple in place.  He always forgives me.  Well, usually forgives me.  This was no exception.

I know.  With a whoosh, I felt him send me his love, exasperation, and concern to me.  Pictured with it was someone identical to me but slightly beefier.  And – tapping his foot.  Typical Cade.  Cade continued, Are you sure you don’t need me up there?

I’m sure.  Go back to sleep Cade, I’ll be fine.  I’ve been up enough that I should be ok to go back to sleep before I start my day. Thank you, bro.  For being there.

Anytime, and I mean that literally. He sent me a wry smile, a little of his amusement seeping through, and a last parting request. Find someone, Case.  You need to get laid before taking off.  Your dreams were better when you are with someone, even when you were with what’s-his-name douche-bag-on-a-stick asshole.  You’ve been alone long enough.  At least find someone for the night.  I doubt you will find your mate in deep space but for one night, I would prefer that you slept without dreaming.

And he was gone.  A sense of a wave good-bye and the link closed.

“Well, that was entertaining.”  I said out loud sarcastically. 

“Sir?” Sandy queried.

“Never mind, I’m just talking to myself.  I do that a lot.”  With a snort, I rolled over and picked up my water, drank it down and left it on my utilitarian bed-side table.  I never did get an answer from Cade what Father called those new-fangled food replicators.  Sigh.  I’m going to have to unpack when I get back up and drifted off to sleep.  Thankfully, a dreamless one.

 

NaNoWriMo Musings and a Contest!

Sat down to home-made chili, a Mike’s hard lemonade (strawberry), and will finish beta reading a story tonight.  I hope.

I’ve noodled a couple of my stories off and on over the last month or so in between working full-time.  And now I start to see #nanowrimo preparation starting for some of my G+ friends.  Holy crap! When did November get here?

It’s a bittersweet time for me as I started writing almost a year ago.  So I wondered, what should I do to launch a year of writing?  On November 9th, 2012, I started writing a single story that had clamored in my head previously, and with the encouragement of other authors.  I now have that same story with several chapters, two short stories that are almost complete, and a few more that I have started notes on.  I would like to finish a novel, or several shorter stories, as a salute to persevering despite a layoff, teenagers, a new job, and getting older.  We will not discuss my age.  Consider me 29. 🙂

I would like to celebrate my year of writing by giving away a copy of the story, or stories, I finish next month and when it publishes (not if, when) and a $10 gift card to your favorite online eBook store (All Romance eBooks, Totally Bound [formerly Total-E-Bound], Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Bookstrand) to buy your next book.  I plan to update my progress on here Facebook, Google+, and Twitter.  I like talking to new people and hopefully, this will get me off the ground and running to finally get off my duff and get published.  Whether it will be with a publishing house, or I publish on my own, I don’t know.  But, that is the fun as I now have a goal.  My writings, so far, are in MM science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal romance genres.  Others might be in menage, contemporary and probably will expand to GBLT.  The sky is the limit.  So, if you like those, leave a comment here and at the end of November, I will randomly pick with an online random number generator.  Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you for your $10 GC and send you the final version of the story that I finish in November.  Be aware that my story may be awhile since I’m sure there will be several rounds of edits to finish, random distractions, and finding a way to publish it.  You have my permission to repost this contest and/or otherwise spread across the internet.  The more the merrier.  Please make sure to link to this specific post so that all comments can be counted.  I’m only going to count the ones made here.  🙂

Thank you for “listening” to me ramble and come help me celebrate.  Teasers to follow!

Eloreen

PIck people’s brain…

Ok. Started working on my royal fantasy short story again. Got a title: Elf Magic. And now need a name for the kingdoms: elf and human. Go for it.  Puns allowed. 🙂  Considering one of the MC is King Sire and the King of elves is named Elvan (for now), I think puns are encouraged.  🙂

Now, I posted this a couple of days ago on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  I got one response.  *sigh*

Maybe I’ll get a couple more….