Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

This scene comes from a Bo Barron short story that I am working on. Bo is in a hotel room, waiting… we’ll be here for the next few rounds, so settle in…Bo has.

***

If she didn’t know better, she’d swear the hotel room was some kind of spatial anomaly that dilated time. In the fading daylight, Bo Barron checked her chrono again. It felt like years had passed since she broke in. The truth was, she’d barely been there an hour.

Outside on the street below a wailing siren grew louder. Abandoning her anxious pacing, Bo sidled up to the window and brushed the musty curtain aside. She peered down at the traffic several stories below. Her hand hovered over the grip of the antique blaster strapped to her thigh in its custom, low-slung, quick draw rig. A local law enforcement cruiser sped past the building without slowing.  Letting out a relieved sigh, Bo let the curtain fall back into place and she stepped away from the window.

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by.

If you’re interested in reading more about Bo, you can pick up your ebook copies of SOVRAN’S PAWN and HERO’S END for Nook and Kindle at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

This scene comes from HERO’S END which released this week and is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!! Get your copy today!

What would a story about a holofeature hero be without a trip down the red carpet on the night of a premiere? With attempts on Blade’s life, an IC security detail, and a high profile holofeature premiere, Bo risks exposure to watch his back. Seeing him against the backdrop of celebrity gives her a new perspective on him.

***

No man had the right to be that good looking.

He switched on the charm full-bore and unleashed it on everyone around him.

Holocams flashed in rapid succession, blinding her.

“Blade!”

“Blade! Look over here!”

“Blade! Who’s your friend?”

Bo ducked her head in an effort to escape the attention. She tried to take a step back, but Blade’s firm grip on her hand held her in place.

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. I won’t be participating in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday next week, but I hope to see you again when I get back!

In the mean time, if you’re interested in reading ALL of HERO’S END, you can pick up your ebook copy for Nook and Kindle at Barnes & Noble or Amazon, or you can order a limited edition, autographed paperback copy here.

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

This scene comes from HERO’S END which releases this week!!

Surveillance is never easy, especially when you’re alone and cold.

***

Bo reached into the bag on the passenger seat and pulled out a scanner. With fingers made clumsy and numb from the cold, she turned it over in her hand and switched it on, keying it for the right frequency. The display flashed as it booted up, then cleared and settled into a pattern. Bo set the scanner on the dashboard and settled in to wait.

The minute sensor she’d hidden in the grip of her Capre sprang to life and began transmitting data. Flexing her fingers, Bo cupped her hands and blew into them, then rubbed them together. She had to keep the blood flowing. This was the hard part, especially when she was uncomfortable. She had to wait patiently for Rex to move.

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by.

If you’re interested in reading ALL of HERO’S END, you can pick up your ebook copy for Nook and Kindle Wednesday at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, or you can order a limited edition, autographed paperback copy here.

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

Because of the prompt “shades,” we’re doing something a little different this week. I use the word in HERO’S END, due to be released on September 12. This snippet comes from a scene near the end of the book as Blade, coming back from getting takeout, doesn’t put out his cigarette before getting onto the lift.

***

Despite the Delian herbs of the cigarette dampening his senses, he felt apprehension and fear radiating off the other occupants of the lift capsule. His gaze flicked over the scrawny little humanoid male, whose throat spasmed convulsively as he swallowed. The plump Joy Babe at his side eyed him with a mixture of trepidation and contempt.

He’d been getting that reaction ever since he left the apartment.

Unshaven, tousled hair, dark sun shades and a well-worn hovercycle jacket, he looked like a street tough.

After having screaming strangers throwing themselves at him for the past few years, open fear and avoidance were a welcome change of pace.

“Y-you’re not supposed to smoke in the lift,” the Joy Babe stammered.

Gaining some sort of twisted amusement from the situation, Blade drew deeply on the cigarette and plucked it from his mouth. He slowly blew out the smoke, watching their reaction.

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

And we’re picking up where we left off last week with the opening lines of HERO’S END, due to be released on September 12. Inner Circle Agent Larianne Varo is receiving her orders from General Gad Rameus, the head of the First Sector Inner Circle.

***

“Agent Varo, what I’m about to tell you is to go no further than this room,” he said, without preamble.

Larianne nodded. “Of course.”

That was always the story. No one ever called Predators to clandestine meetings to give them intel that could be broadcast on the Commonwealth News Service. Fewer still ever bothered with the standard greetings and pleasantries.

“An agent has gone rogue,” he said. He tossed a portfolio on a table to the side of the door. “We have to handle this carefully. He’s become a threat to the security of the Commonwealth and to Lord Marin.”

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

And we’re picking up where we left off last week with the opening lines of HERO’S END. Last week, Larianne Varo was running late for an appointment on Chiron Station.

***

Damn the Artelian freighter that had to bump the docking ring just as her transport was coming in! No one had been able to disembark from either vessel until the airlock seals and hull integrity could be certified safe. Damn bureaucracy! Nothing to be done about that now. She’d just have to deal with the censure when she got to the pleasure suite.

You could rent a pleasure suite on a space station by the hour and rest assured no one would eavesdrop, either electronically or otherwise. Sure, there were some that specialized in such, but Scarlett’s on Chiron Station wasn’t one of them. If it were, it would lose its license. The owners of Scarlett’s prided themselves on their discretion. That was one reason it was so popular with the swells.

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

Just because…here are the opening lines of HERO’S END.

***

Larianne Varo strode briskly down the wide promenade on the spacer’s level. Ignoring the admiring looks and lewd propositions thrown her way, she slipped through the crowd, careful not to touch anyone as she passed. Taller than most females, her height gave her an advantage in a crowd. A quick head turn and her chin-length black hair brushed her jaw. Still no sign of anyone following her. Her pace slowed as the battered flashing sign advertising Scarlett’s Pleasure Suites came into view just over the heads of the crowd. She glanced down at the chrono on her wrist.

Early is on time. On time is late. She was very late.

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!

 

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

It’s great to be back after several weeks away. At long last HERO’S END is finally finished and waiting on the deft hands of my editor Laurel Kriegler to beat it into submission. Since I’ve been on vacation and still basking in the post holiday glow as well as the novel completion high, I thought I’d change things up a little this week with a trip to Kah Lahtrec, that exotic paradise Blade likes to call home. This time, Bo is the one in need of a safe place to recuperate from injury, so Blade takes her to his sanctuary. His friends are so pleased to meet her that they throw a little party for them.

***

The warm, night breeze gently swept across the wide terrace overlooking the gardens. Lights flickered in the trees and hovered in the air over the crowd like so many starbugs. Lush, beautiful flowers, their colors surprisingly vivid in the dim light, spilled over onto the cream-colored stones of the terrace, filling the air with exquisite fragrance. Tables, draped in richly colored and elegantly textured fabrics ringed the area, around the dance floor. The treasures of the Lahtrecki people dominated the décor and delighted the guests, the prominent, the wise, and the influential of Kah Lahtrec. Live musicians played lighthearted, airy tunes as optimistic and energetic as the people who listened and danced.

Despite her initial misgivings, Bo was thoroughly enjoying herself.  With a sigh of contentment, she snuggled deeper into Blade’s chest as they swayed together in time with the music.

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

Last week we met Inner Circle agent Ian Kendall who was called in to investigate the hovercycle accident that put Blade on a med ship orbiting a backwater planet. Kendall has given orders that Bo (in her guise as Marissa, Blade’s Joy Babe Companion) cannot visit Blade. When Bo sought him out to confront him on it, he was waiting for her and has led her into an exam room where he sealed the door shut.

***

She lifted her eyebrow expectantly. When he didn’t reply, she took a few tentative steps around the table, but halted when he didn’t move.

Bo glanced towards the sealed door. Her chances of getting through it before he caught her were nil. On her person, she had two compact throwing knives, one stinger and a pair of stiletto heels she could use as a weapon in a pinch. He outweighed her by a factor of two, was likely armed to the teeth and probably ate sparring partners for breakfast. The direct approach wouldn’t get her anywhere. That only left her wits.

She was screwed.

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!

Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. Snippets of ten sentences or less are yours for the reading!

Last week we met Inner Circle agent Ian Kendall who was called in to investigate the hovercycle accident that put Blade on a med ship orbiting a backwater planet. Kendall has given orders that Bo (in her guise as Marissa, Blade’s Joy Babe Companion) cannot visit Blade. When Bo sought him out to confront him on it, he was waiting for her and has led her into an exam room where he sealed the door shut.

***

The air crackled between them with unspoken tension. There was more to it. He was only waiting for her to respond, to make a mistake, before he went for the kill. The two of them stared at each other patiently waiting. It was like trying to navigate a plasma storm with a damaged sensor array. One miscalculation and she’d fry.

Bo trailed her fingertips along the edge of the exam table. “You think I had something to do with it.”

He nodded. “The thought occurred to me.”

***

That’s the snippet for the week. Thank you for stopping by. Please take the time to visit the other wonderful authors taking part in Science Fiction/Fantasy Saturday!