Edward Hoornaert's Blog, page 41

Would you have said yes? #mfrwhooks

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In the near future, a duplicate of Vancouver Island has appeared off Washington State, inhabited by Kwadrans — Native Americans from a scientifically advanced alternate Earth.  Matt Verhailey has engaged the help of Kwadran Duchess Opsie Beaverpaw in finding his niece, who has fled her abusive lover to Kwadra’s forbidden underground cities with her seven-month-old daughter.

Last week, the search party was ambushed when Larry set off his implant’s pheromones, causing a flurry of unexpected desire between Bligh, a young woman, and the rest of search party. Today’s snippet continues from there.

Bligh gusted out a sigh. “Larry, pheromones are supposed to be used by mutual consent only, you jerk. Mr. Verhailey, this is a major breach of decency, and I bow to beg your forgiveness.”

She matched actions to her words, bending so deeply that her hair trailed the ground. If the duchess hadn’t held his arm in a bear hug, he would’ve taken the girl’s hand to pull her up. But if he touched her nubile young flesh, ripe for loving, would he have been able to stop at standing her up?

[image error]“I forgive you,” he said.

Bligh straightened and rounded on Larry. “Try anything like that on me again and you can give up on having children.”

“I have a pocket knife if you need to borrow one,” Pete said. “Nice and sharp. A bit rusty, maybe.”

“Thank you, Pierre Andre.” She ran a fingertip from his elbow to his wrist. “May I kiss you to show my gratitude?”

They both smirked at Larry. When Pete kissed her, she responded enthusiastically.

Opsie chuckled and looked up at Matt. He met her gaze.

“Is that how it’s done down here?” he asked. “You ask permission before kissing?”

“Isn’t that how it’s done in America?”

“All too often, no.” For a third time, he cleared his throat. “Uh, my niece?”

“Aw. I though you were going to ask for a kiss.”

His mouth twitched into a that sent a sizzle through her arms. “Would you have said yes?”

“You’ll never know.”

I hope you enjoy the bonus in today’s snippet: a travel poster. When you read a book, you travel to another world, right? This poster encourages you to visit the world of AC for Runaway Moms. Does it make you want to take the trip?

Be sure to check out the hooks by other great writers in the Book Hooks blog hop.

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover…but what is she running to?

When her abusive lover tries to take custody of her baby, Audra flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safety she wants for her daughter survive a search party, violent alien criminals—and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms is available now for pre-order, so order your copy now!

Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble (Nook)
Apple (iBooks)
Kobo Books

Effing Feline advocates nudism #wewriwa

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I, Effing Feline, never wear clothes. Why should I? Is not my form perfection? And if it’s good enough for a superior being like me, why is it not good enough for humans?

I suspect the answer has something to do with humans’ regrettable lack of fur, which leaves them so pitiably vulnerable to weather or temporary temperature changes. Even a brilliant cat such as myself would never think of inventing anything so destructive to the environment as central heating or air conditioning. For romance writer such as my pet human, Ed, clothes are a formidable deterrent to romance. How is one to know whether a potential mate is in fact desirable?

In Alien Contact for Runaway Moms, Tal Pelletier has escorted Audra Verhailey and her baby to the abandoned underground city where he had lived  before his people hopped Kwadra Island to this Earth. At first she didn’t trust Tal, but her opinion has changed after a hard day’s travel.

Tal moved with sturdy grace and he seemed determined to take care of her. What was he like in bed? She’d wondered that about a fair number of guys with sexy rears, but this time the thought felt wrong, forbidden. With a rueful headshake, she thrust aside conjecture. All she wanted to do in bed was sleep.

So far he’d been nice, and although she knew there were men as great as this—her uncle Matt, for one—she’d never dated any. Tal must have flaws, serious flaws—all men did—but he hoped she never found out, so she could treasure the memory of the world’s only selfless young man.

“Tal?” she said to his back.

“Ushh.”

She lowered her voice. “Don’t disillusion me too badly, okay?”

Effing Feline here again. The logical conclusion — and we cats, you must agree, are nothing but logical — is that you doff your garments. Now. This instant. Yes, that means all of you.

Except Ed. Sorry Mr Valentine, but you’re too old for my taste. And you’re a guy. So keep it covered, please! I’m begging you, please!

Check out the other uncovered writers in Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.

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Cats look ridiculous in clothes, as these pics prove.

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Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover…but what is she running to?

When her abusive lover tries to take custody of her baby, Audra flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safety she wants for her daughter survive a search party, violent alien criminals—and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms is available now for pre-order from these fine retailers.

Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble (Nook)
Apple (iBooks)
Kobo Books

Matt, your virtue is safe with me #mfrwhooks

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In the near future, a duplicate of Vancouver Island has appeared off Washington State, inhabited by Kwadrans — Native Americans from a scientifically advanced alternate Earth. Their Earth was polluted, climate-changed, and nearly uninhabitable. Matt Verhailey has engaged the help of Kwadran Duchess Opsie Beaverpaw in finding his niece, who has fled her abusive lover to Kwadra’s forbidden underground cities with her seven-month-old daughter.

In this scene, the search party gets an unexpected tastes — sniff, really — of advanced technology.

Moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue, she met his gaze. He couldn’t be sure, but were her nipples hardening? He might be able to tell for certain if he stepped close to her . . . .

No! What was wrong with him? It was almost as though— “Do they inject pheromones into the air down here, or something?”

“Merde,” Bligh shouted as she turned away from the two guys. “Did I do that?”

Opsie frowned, wrapped an arm over her telltale chest, and stared at Larry. “Yes, Matt those were pheromones, and I’m sorry you were subjected to them.”

“I’m not,” Larry said with a laugh. “I did it on purpose.”

“And thereby set off everyone else’s implants.” Opsie curled her fingers into a fist. “If you do that again, young man, I’m shipping you back to the surface immediately.”

He grimaced. “Not a good joke?”

Blair covered her face and giggled. “I’ve never experienced this feature before, Aunt Opsie. Now that I know it works, though . . .”

Matt looked from one of them to the other. They were all laughing now, even Opsie. “What just happened here?”

Opsie came to his side and laced her hand around his arm. “Some implants have a lifestyle enhancement that can release pheromones into the air. But don’t worry, Matt, your virtue is safe with me. An arm hug is all you’re going to get.”

Be sure to check out the hooks by other great writers in the Book Hooks blog hop.

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover…but what is she running to?

When her abusive lover tries to take custody of her baby, Audra flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safety she wants for her daughter survive a search party, violent alien criminals—and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms is available now for pre-order, so order your copy now!

Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble (Nook)
Apple (iBooks)
Kobo Books

Effing Feline wants to walk #8sunday #wewriwa

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I, Effing Feline, am twitching my tail on the window sill, watching Twiggles the dog go outside for a walk. I don’t see why I never get to go outside, too.

Forget the collar and leash, though. Undignified. We would need to go where I want to go, not down to the stupid park where dogs congregate. Since it’s hot out there, I’ll need Mrs. Valentine to go along to fan me and carry my water. And if the sidewalk is too hot, I might need someone to carry me while I get my exercise.

And most important of all: an armed police escort. There are coyotes out there, man!

In Alien Contact for Runaway Moms, Tal Pelletier has escorted Audra Verhailey and her baby to the abandoned underground city where he had lived  before his people hopped Kwadra Island to this Earth. Here is her first impression of the cavern.

Exhausted, Audra leaned against the smooth, rock wall of a house, or maybe it was a business, and closed her eyes, but a seagull’s squawk jerked her to attention.

A seagull underground?

She looked up. Before now she’d been afraid to even glimpse the cave’s dark, forbidding ceiling, gnarly with stalactites or stalagmites, whichever were the ones that hung down from above. Walking these somber streets, she could almost convince herself she was in a town—sinuous rather than straight, jammed with buildings, with streets too narrow for cars—but nonetheless a town, not a cave.

But to her surprise, the cave’s ceiling was a smooth dome. It looked like a sky at dusk, with a few fluffy clouds and yes, seagulls wheeling through the fake sky.

Her tight shoulder muscles relaxed. She could see living a place like this. This wasn’t merely a squalid hidey hole for a desperate fugitive, it was a town.

Effing Feline here again. The more I think about it, I really don’t understand why I never get to go for walks!

Check out the other writers in Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.

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Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover…but what is she running to?

When her abusive lover tries to take custody of her baby, Audra flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safety she wants for her daughter survive a search party, violent alien criminals—and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms is escaping into the wild on September 1. Better yet: It’s available now for pre-order from these fine retailers — and more to follow. Order your copy now!

Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble (Nook)
Apple (iBooks)
Kobo Books

Great for romantic strolls #mfrwhooks

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Welcome to Alien Contact for Runaway Moms (aka Audra Fleeing Audra Finding), the fifth book in my Alien Contact for Idiots series. I’m pleased to note that this book is close to ready to read!

In the near future, a duplicate of Vancouver Island has appeared off Washington State. The inhabitants are Kwadrans — Native Americans from a scientifically advanced alternate Earth. Their Earth was polluted, climate-changed, and nearly uninhabitable. Matt Verhailey has engaged the help of Kwadran Duchess Opsie Beaverpaw in finding his niece, who has fled her abusive lover to Kwadra’s forbidden underground cities with her seven-month-old daughter.

In this scene, Matt gets his first glimpse of the abandoned city where Opsie and three young cousins will search. Opsie considers the search hopeless — it’s like searching for a particular drop of water in an ocean — but the last line hints at how she wants to spend the time with Matt.

The train slowed, then stopped. The duchess’s hand had already raised a tad of excitement, and now the prospect of seeing a kwayviva roused more.

Eyes wide, Matt stepped off the train into an alien world. Craning his neck to take in all the sights, he turned in a circle. “So this is a kwayviva.”

Kwadra discouraged visitors, so few people from this Earth had ever glimpsed one in person. Sure, he’d seen the coverage of the ceremony in a different kwayviva, honoring the completion of Earth’s first starship. Those videos, though, failed to capture the sheer size and solemn grandeur of the artificial caverns, just as photos of the Grand Canyon failed to convey the awe that filled a viewer’s heart.

High overhead, glass-smooth walls arched into a flattened dome. There were no parks or large open spaces. Low buildings filled the huge cave, separated by narrow pedestrian lanes that wandered in whimsy. His engineer’s mind said the arrangement was as inefficient but as intriguing as some of Europe’s old neighborhoods. The tourist in him said the layout showed how differently Kwadrans thought.

“Well?” Opsie asked.

“It’s huge,” he said.

“Medium sized,” she corrected. “But it’s home.”

“Not any more,” Bligh said. “It feels so different.”

“It’s the sky,” Pete said.

Matt looked up. The ceiling glowed like a real sky. Some hotel in Vegas—the Paris?—had a ceiling with sky and fluffy clouds, but that was a preschooler’s finger-painting compared to this Sistine Chapel of dark blue sky dotted with red-streaked sunset clouds and soaring seagulls. The ‘birds’ flapped their wings like real birds. The three-dimensional ‘clouds’ floated like real clouds.

“Except for a short nighttime, it’s always twilight down here now” Opsie looked Matt in the eyes. “Great for romantic strolls.”

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover…but what is she running to?

It’s here.

The moment you’ve been waiting for.

You can let out your breath now. Loosen that tight grip on your sanity.

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms is escaping into the wild on September 1. Better yet: It’s available now for pre-order from these fine retailers. Order your copy now!

Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble (Nook)
Apple (iBooks)
Kobo Books

Effing Feline wants salmon pate a la flamboise – #8Sunday

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I, Effing Feline, sat on Mrs Valentine’s lap today while she watched a cooking show. It made me wonder — why aren’t there any cooking shows for cats?

I don’t mean shows telling cats how to cook. That’d be silly; no opposable thumbs, remember? No, I mean shows about delicacies FOR cats. Yum!

(Today Ed has a proud announcement regarding Alien Contact for Runaway Moms. More information after the snippet.)

Tal Pelletier has escorted Audra Verhailey and her baby to the abandoned underground city where he had lived  before his people hopped Kwadra Island to this Earth. Ever since they met, they’ve nursed their own expectations about each other, and here their misunderstanding boils to the surface. Audra speaks first.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Give me my backpack.”

He tilted his head to one side, confused. “No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“What do you mean? I thought you understood. We need each other.”

“I don’t need any man, and as for you needing me, I’m nobody’s sex toy.”

It was then that he realized she understood absolutely nothing.

Effing Feline here again. The delicacy I’d most like to eat is flaming salmon patty. In cookies cookese, that translates to salmon pate a la flamboise, or something like that. I’m neither Quebecois nor French, so pardon ma’s Fronsay.

While I salivate, check out the other writers in Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.

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Special announcement
Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover…but what is she running to?

It’s here.

The moment you’ve been waiting for.

You can let out your breath now. Loosen that tight grip on your sanity.

Alien Contact for Runaway Moms is escaping into the wild on September 1. Better yet: It’s available now for pre-order from these fine retailers — and more to follow. Order your copy now!

Amazon
Smashwords

What would he be like in bed? #mfrwhooks

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In the near future, a duplicate of Vancouver Island has appeared off Washington State. The inhabitants are Kwadrans — Native Americans from a scientifically advanced alternate Earth. Their Earth was polluted, climate-changed, and nearly uninhabitable. Matt Verhailey has engaged the help of Kwadran Duchess Opsie Beaverpaw in finding his niece, who has run away to the alien island with her seven-month-old daughter.

The morning after meeting the duchess, Matt Verhailey clenched his teeth as three youngsters—scarcely more than teenagers—strolled around the corner of Duchess Beaverpaw’s house. The girl said something in Shanoog, then giggled. Walking on either side of her, the two young men leaned close, clearly interested in what she was saying. Or, more likely, in her.

He waved a dismissive hand at them. “These are the searchers you’re taking with us into the bowels of the Earth?”

“You object?” the duchess asked. Her tone of voice wasn’t quite How dare you object? In truth it didn’t sound like that, but she was a duchess, which meant her will probably wasn’t questioned very often.

She scarcely came up to his chin, but the air around seemed to quiver with an aura of toughness. Maybe it was her scars. Maybe it was several years as the head of Kwadra’s gendarmerie. Maybe it was being a duchess. He was glad she was on his side, rather than his enemy.

What, he wondered, would such a woman be like in bed?

Some hint of the thought must have reached his face, because her eyes widened. Then she gave him a quick, bottom-to-top glance as though wondering what he would be like in bed.

Be sure to check out the hooks by other great writers in the Book Hooks blog hop.

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Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover . . . but what is she running to?

When her abusive lover threatens to take custody of her baby, Audra Verhailey flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safe isolation she wants for her daughter survive a search party, a gang of alien criminals — and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?

 

Effing Feline vacations #8Sunday

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I, Effing Feline am not here. I’m far away in my mind, vacationing in the land of catnip — which is the superior, feline version of Margaritaville. Go away, unlucky humans, and read this week’s snippet without my inspiring guidance.

For the last few weeks, we’ve glimpsed Tal Pelletier’s misgivings about opening the doors to the abandoned underground city where he had lived when his wife and child died, before his people hopped Kwadra Island to this Earth. Now they have finally opened the doors to the massive underground cavern housing the city where he was born and lived until his wife and child died.

Tal blinked, because although the cavern’s lights were dim, they were too bright after the ventilation tunnel. The air smelled and felt different. The brisk air in the  ventilation tunnel was raucous and angry; this air was still with resignation.

Audra moved, startling him. She touched her forehead, the baby on her chest, then both shoulders. He puzzled over her movements for a moment before realizing she’d made the sign of the cross. The gesture was perfect, showing that she realized the mystical power of the world of his ghosts. She was indeed a Spirit Guide, sent to help him overcome his demons.

Instead of entering, they stood on the verge, not closing the door on the howling wind. Prepared to take his cue from his Guide, he waited.

Effing Feline here again . . . except that I’m not, remember? So just go away and leave me be.

If, like Ed, you need something to occupy you all the time rather than enjoying the sublimity of staring off into space, check out the other writers in Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.

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Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover…but what is she running to?

When her abusive lover tries to take custody of her baby, Audra flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safety she wants for her daughter survive a search party, violent alien criminals—and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?

 

For Your Honor? #mfrwhooks

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In the near future, a duplicate of Vancouver Island has appeared off Washington State. The inhabitants are Kwadrans — Native Americans from a scientifically advanced alternate Earth. Their Earth was polluted, climate-changed, and nearly uninhabitable.

Today’s hook picks up from last week’s. Duchess Opsie Beaverpaw has an unexpected guest — Elfy, a 14-year-old girl who want to accompany her to the abandoned underground cities during the search for a young mother from Portland who fled her abusive lover. Opsie says no, citing the danger from rebels who escaped to the old cities. Elfy speaks first.

 

“I don’t care about the rebels.” Her look of wide-eyed innocence was unconvincing. “Nonetheless, I’m bringing along a pistol, just in case.”

Opsie lowered her feet to the floor. “What?”

Elfy reached into her large purse and pulled out a semi-automatic pistol like one the Kwadran army used.

“A needle gun? Give that to me before you kill someone by accident.”

The girl stuffed the needler back into her purse. “It won’t be by accident, and it won’t be just anyone. It’ll be a rebel.”

“Elfy, no. ”

“Elfy, yes. Don’t worry about me. I need to run to my fear of the old cities and face it by walking the old streets again. Running away from my fears doesn’t work. Don’t you need the same thing, Duchess, though for a different reason? To clear out the last of the rebels? For your honor, I mean?”

I’ve shipped this manuscript off to my beta readers. About time: I’m at the ‘thoroughly sick of it’ stage. Have any of you ever felt that way about a manuscript?

Be sure to check out the hooks by other great writers in the Book Hooks blog hop.

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Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover . . . but what is she running to?

When her abusive lover threatens to take custody of her baby, Audra Verhailey flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safe isolation she wants for her daughter survive a search party, a gang of alien criminals — and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?

 

Except for my bosom #mfrwhooks

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As they say in the commercials . . .

New title, same great book

I ran a poll on my Sunday blog and my WIP’s ungainly title, Audra Fleeing Audra Finding, is now history. By an overwhelming vote, the title is now Alien Contact for Runaway Moms.

In the near future, a duplicate of Vancouver Island has appeared off Washington State. The inhabitants are Kwadrans — Native Americans from a scientifically advanced alternate Earth. Their Earth was polluted, climate-changed, and nearly uninhabitable.

Today’s hook picks up from last week’s. Duchess Opsie Beaverpaw agreed to lead the search for a young mother from Portland who fled her abusive lover to Kwadra. Before starting the search, Opsie has a visitor she doesn’t recognize.

“Can’t you guess who I am?”

Opsie threw up her hands. “Rumpelstiltskin?” When the young woman still volunteered nothing, she added, “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“I’m afraid so. I’ve been called difficult and contrary, though I have no idea why.” She expressed her bafflement with a dainty headshake. “When I was younger, I heard ‘brat’ nearly as often as my name.”

Brat was more than enough of a clue. “Delfina Eaglesbrood! I haven’t seen you in an least six inches of height. You came up-island with the queen, I assume?”

The sophisticated fashion model disappeared under a vivacious grin. “Yes, and I have a favor to ask.”

“For the king’s favorite cousin, anything. It’s been a couple of years since I saw you. All grown up now, I see.”

“Except for my bosom.” The girl — for she was just fourteen — looked down at her chest and sighed.

“I used to call you Elfy.”

Another sigh, and the model was back, looking pained. “Please don’t.”

“What can I do for you . . . Elfy?”

Be sure to check out the hooks by other great writers in the Book Hooks blog hop.

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Alien Contact for Runaway Moms

She’s running from an abusive lover . . . but what is she running to?

When her abusive lover threatens to take custody of her baby, Audra Verhailey flees where even he can’t follow: the aliens’ forbidden cities underneath Kwadra Island.

But can the safe isolation she wants for her daughter survive a search party, a gang of alien criminals — and the love of an emotionally damaged Kwadran?