Science Fiction Romance
I have passed 200 Twitter followers and 100 likes on my Facebook author page. To celebrate I’m giving away SOVRAN’S PAWN for FREE through this weekend on Smashwords! Just click on the book cover above and at the checkout, use the coupon code TB66M for your free copy!
What are you waiting for? The offer ends Sunday!
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
It was a trap – baited to perfection. The only question remaining was how the trap was sprung. She slowly circled the pedestal studying the problem from every angle. The blaster rested on a stand atop the pedestal. She glanced up at the light source. Was the trigger in the light beam or another pressure sensor in the pedestal itself? It went without saying that the weapon’s power cell had been removed. She had extras.
She glanced at her chrono once more. No more time for speculating. If she was going to make a move, she had to do it now. Never one to play it safe, Bo pulled a power cell from one of the pouches on her gunbelt and held it in her left hand. Flexing her right hand and fingers she reached for her sidearm. Taking one more deep breath, she released it in a rush. With lightning reflexes, she snatched the pistol from the pedestal and slammed the power cell into the base of the grip.
Immediately alarms went off and warning lights strobed and flared around her. The door swung shut with a loud clang.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
***
If you’re interested in more about:
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. Don’t worry. We aren’t going far. I’ve been hard at work on Book Two of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, tentatively titled THE WATCHTOWER. Still in the first draft stage it’s nearly ready for the endless revisions to begin. Here is your first look:
***
Bo Barron stepped lightly across the floortiles. Pressure sensors dotted the floor at random intervals. The key was not to set them off. Moving quickly and with the lithe grace honed by years of zero gee exercises, she slipped through the tangle of sensors unnoticed. Once she reached the fortified door at the far end of the room, she pulled a sequence changer from her pocket and held it close to the door lock.
The changer softly hummed and whined as it manipulated the data inside the locking mechanism. After an interminable moment, the display shifted from red to green and a dull click echoed loudly in the silent chamber.
She palmed the door open and stepped inside. Her amber eyes darted around. In the center of the chamber, on a pedestal and under a brilliant blue light sat the Capre X2S Mergent Arms blaster pistol that had been handed down from Barron to Barron for centuries.
It was too obvious.
She held her position. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the pedestal.
It was a trap.
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
***
If you’re interested in more about:
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Today’s snippet returns to SOVRAN’S PAWN. (Released last week and now available in e-book and Kindle on Amazon and Smashwords.) Tennova, under the guise of offering friendly advice, is warning Blade to leave Bo alone. I hope you enjoy it, and remember ~ Nothing is what it seems…
***
The bartender set three fresh drinks on the bar in front of Tennova. “If you like breathing and want to continue doing so, you’ll stay away from her. I’m only warning you once. If you’re smart,” Tennova winked and scooped up the drinks, “you’ll listen.”
Without waiting for Blade to comment, he backed away from the bar and slipped through the crowd towards his party. Blade watched him go before he picked up his glass once again.
The swiveling lights passed over him, reflecting off an oily prism of color floating on the yellow surface of his drink. He hesitated, then slowly lowered his glass back onto the bar top untasted. Smiling to himself, he slid the drink towards the bartender and pushed himself away from the bar.
Blade didn’t know how he had done it, but while Tennova had distracted him, someone had slipped something into his drink. Exactly what it was, Blade didn’t care to find out.
***
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!
***
If you’re interested in more about:
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday. On the surface, it’s a web ring of authors who post snippets of their work for comment. In reality, it’s a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.
Today’s snippet returns to SOVRAN’S PAWN. (Released yesterday and now available in e-book and Kindle on Amazon and Smashwords.) Begging your indulgence, it’s slightly longer than the usual snippets. I hope you enjoy it, and remember ~ Nothing is what it seems…
***
Lord Marin nodded and studied him with a speculative gleam in his blue eyes. A slow smile curved his lips. “I have an assignment for you, boy.”
“I don’t work for the IC anymore, my Lord.”
“You swore an oath, boy. You work for the IC as long as I say you do. Unless, of course, you’d like to face those desertion charges you seem so proud of.”
It was an empty threat. It had to be. Blade studied his face for some sign that he was bluffing. Finding nothing but a pleasant smile that indicated the Sovran didn’t care one way or another, Blade’s throat tightened.
“You wouldn’t send me to prison,” Blade said with more certainty than he felt. “You don’t want me in prison.”
Marin shook his head. “A wise man would hear me out before digging in his heels.”
Blade reluctantly nodded. “As you say, my Lord.” He clenched his jaw so tightly, he felt a muscle twitch in it.
“I want you to get close to her.”
Blade blinked twice, not certain he heard correctly. “Sir?”
“I want you to cultivate the Barron as an asset. Gain her trust. Get her loyalty.”
“If you want her loyalty, sir, all you have to do is pardon her. She just wants to go home to her people. She wants her honor back.”
“Yes, but I don’t want that. I want to know how important it is to Lord Scull that she dies in disgrace. Keep her openly as your mistress, but keep a professional distance. Never forget she’s only an asset and a potential threat to the stability of the Commonwealth.”
***
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!
***
If you’re interested in more about:
United by extortion, divided by duty, someone wants them both dead. They want each other. The catch is, nothing is what it seems…
Convicted of treason and sentenced to be executed, Bo Barron is the last person who should be infiltrating a Sub-socia weapons auction. But when her father is kidnapped and the ransom demand is the schematics to an experimental weapon, she has no choice but to go under cover with her uncle to get it.
Nobody counted on former-government-agent-turned-holofeature-hero Blade Devon’s infatuation with her. A botched assassination under the guise of a bar brawl leaves Bo blind and Blade wondering if there isn’t more to this job than he was led to believe.
Never able to resist playing the hero, Blade tends her injuries and delves deeper into the intrigue only to find this mission isn’t about a weapon at all. It’s about two Sovrans’ maneuvering for control, with Bo and Blade as their pawns.
All Bo and Blade have to do is figure out how to survive the game they didn’t know they were playing.
Gotta Name My Blog was fortunate enough today to score an interview with holofeature heart throb, Blade Devon, the charming rascal whose imaging pad heroics in Underneath Dead Star catapulted him to cult hero status virtually overnight. The technical challenges in getting this interview from the Commonwealth were legion. We’re still not sure how we made it happen and we’re not sure we could fold space enough to reproduce the results. As it was, the holographic image of Blade that accompanied the transcript of the interview was impossible for our computers to translate, so we had to rely on Yahoo! Avatars to come up with a rough approximation of the man himself. We think we captured his personality quite well, don’t you? The following is pretty much the entire interview, except for the off-topic bits where Blade kept hitting on our GNMB correspondent.
GNMB: Thank you for taking time out of your busy shooting schedule to talk with us today, Blade.
BD: Happy to be here.
GNMB: Now, you haven’t been making holofeatures for very long, have you?
BD: Nearly three years now. Seems much longer than that.
GNMB: Already you’re getting typecast into the action hero role. First playing Rube in Underneath Dead Star…
BD: My breakout role.
GNMB: …which is fast becoming a cult classic. Then you moved on to Dwarf Star Incident, and then Fire and Ice. In all three holofeatures you played a two-fisted action hero.
BD: The old adage is to play to your strengths and you’ll never go wrong.
GNMB: Your bio says that you’re a former Inner Circle Agent, but I find that hard to believe.
BD: Why is that so hard to believe?
GNMB: Why would the Inner Circle allow a former operative to take on such a high-profile career?
BD: I’m afraid you’ll have to ask the IC for the answer to that. I’m not authorized to speak for the organization.
GNMB: I did ask the IC and they confirmed that you did, in fact, join the Consular Guard at the age of sixteen and were trained in Search and Rescue, beyond that, they had nothing to say.
BD: Then I guess I was never actually an IC operative so they shouldn’t care one way or another how I choose to make a living, should they?
GNMB: Aren’t you concerned that you’ll be brought up on charges for falsifying your military service?
BD: I’m more concerned with hitting my marks, remembering my lines and not showing up on set blind drunk or hung over.
GNMB: So despite the fact you’re discounted as a glorified stunt man, you take your roles seriously?
BD: I leave the stunt work to my brother, Chase. That’s real work. On the types of holofeatures I’ve made, the stunt performers have the hardest jobs on the set. My brother puts in far longer hours than I do, and he’s the one risking death and injury just to get the most exciting shots. If the critics are going to dismiss me, they should do it for all the right reasons, saying that all I do is look pretty and make sure they get my good side. Calling me a glorified stunt man is actually a compliment.
GNMB: You got your start in holofeatures working for your brother as a stunt performer, didn’t you?
BD: Yes, when I left the IC… I mean, when Chase got tired of letting his freeloading little brother sit around on his sofa all day watching the holovid and drinking his liquor, he told me that either I drove in this one gag, or I looked for a new place to live. So not wanting to live on the street, I agreed. The producer thought I was pretty and next thing I knew, I was making holofeatures.
GNMB: It sounds like you don’t take your holofeature job any more seriously than you take the IC.
BD: Just because I treat everything with contempt doesn’t mean I don’t take anything seriously.
GNMB: Pintubo Racing has just announced that you’re one of their drivers for the upcoming racing circuit. Do you take that seriously?
BD: Of course I do. It’s what they pay me for. The contempt only comes out when there’s a proviso in my holofeature contract that won’t allow me to drive for Pintubo while working on a holofeature. Producers and investors tend to be reluctant to let their lead actors die in a fiery crash before they wrap shooting. They’re unreasonably touchy that way.
GNMB: How dare they?
BD: Well at least they’re honest enough to prefer that I die rather than be maimed or horribly disfigured. Death in that manner would make my last feature epic and legendary. There wouldn’t be any of this guano about being a glorified stunt man. The critics would sit around and point out the promise in my performance and the subtle genius of my portrayal. They’d speculate on how brilliant I would have been in a few more years. Retrospectives don’t have the same emotional impact if you’re merely disfigured.
GNMB: So what’s next for Blade Devon?
BD: I’m taking some time off to recharge before I start work on my next holofeature. Pintubo wants to enter me in next year’s Catarrh Endurance Rally. My brother is retiring from the Catarrh after his win last year and he’s already on board to be my crew chief. Other than that, I’m thinking of taking a cruise.
GNMB: Well, I hope you enjoy your cruise, Blade and best of luck in the Catarrh and on your next holofeature. Any hints on what we can expect from your next role?
BD: I’ve been told to get my singing voice into shape. It’s a musical, and my agent says there are no explosions in the entire script.
GNMB: Do you sing?
BD: No.
GNMB: That could be problematic.
Blade shrugged and flashed me his trademark lopsided grin. Once again, I was left to wonder whether he took anything seriously.
***
If you’d like to learn more about Blade Devon and the cruise he took, look for SOVRAN’S PAWN, Book One of THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES coming out April 20. Follow the links for a sneak peek.
Despite initial delays, the Friday release of SOVRAN’S PAWN is on schedule thanks to the herculean efforts of Laurel Kriegler.
The Big Damn Heroes Blog Tour is underway. On Monday, JC talked with TK Toppin in part one of a two-part interview and today she stops by Pauline Baird Jones’ blog to explain where heroes come from…at least in the mind of a writer. The origins of Bo Barron may surprise you!
Comment on the posts for your chance to win a free e-copy of SOVRAN’S PAWN! And remember… Nothing is what it seems…
It’s Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday time again! As you may recall, SFFS is a ring of authors who share some of their work each Saturday. Anyone is welcome. The idea is to feature a snippet of your work for others to enjoy.
This week’s snippet is a departure from SOVRAN’S PAWN. It’s a departure from THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES altogether. This week’s snippet comes to you from one of the lost novels of THE MERCENARY ADVENTURES OF BLADE DEVON. This snippet is from ARCANA DOUBLE CROSS. Blade and his merry band of mercenaries have undertaken the task of rescuing a damsel in distress from the Arcana Hotel and Casino, which is controlled by the Jannus Syndicate. In this scene, they’re starting to get into position.
***
“Get mobbed by women again?” Adin asked with a raised eyebrow. “Serves you right. You look like a pretty boy heart throb out of a holofeature.”
“I am a pretty boy heart throb out of a holofeature,” Blade replied with a wry grin. “What have you found out?”
Adin’s theatrically painted face was completely void of all natural expression. “She’s here. Somehow, I get the feeling that taking her out won’t be as easy as we had planned.”
“She wasn’t kidding about security,” Blade said, glancing around. “This is heavy even for the Jannus Syndicate. If we can’t be subtle let’s be memorable.”
***
Well, that’s the Saturday Snippet for this week! Please don’t forget to comment by clicking on either the blog title or the little quotation balloon in the upper right hand corner. Tell your friends. Stop back here next week for another!
If you want a little more of SOVRAN’S PAWN, BARRON’S LAST STAND, or to learn more about THE BLACK WING CHRONICLES, just click on the links.
Now posted, get your first look at the April 20 release, SOVRAN’S PAWN. The entire first chapter is live on my blog.
https://jccassels.wordpress.com/the-black-wing-chronicles/sovrans-pawn/
Gotta Name My Blog 