Edward Hoornaert's Blog, page 46
March 1, 2018
SFR Brigade Showcase 02/18
Once a month, the Science Fiction Romance Brigade’s showcase enables the brigade’s authors to highlight snippets from new works, WIPs, cover reveals or other fun things.
My fun thing for today is a “travel poster” for my most recent science fiction romance: Rescuing Prince Charming. I’ve done travel posters for my other books, too, based on the posters NASA/JPL created for the exoplanets they’ve discovered.
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Some of the previous posters:
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The Trilogy of Tompa Lee is set on Zee Shode. It’s inhabitants have a long history, but never achieved space flight Tompa Lee’s final showdown occurs in the flooded city of Rapree, pictured here
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The Guardian Angel of Farflung Station
Rescuing Prince Charming: A Native American sci fi romance
She’s no heroine. He’s no Prince Charming.
Dusty Johnson, a self-styled ordinary, everyday woman, responds with extraordinary heroism when saboteurs try to bomb the prototype of Earth’s first starship. Although she yearns to return to anonymity, that moment of courage propels her ever deeper into dangers that tear the scabs off her secrets—and thrust her into the arms of the unattainable man of her dreams.
Reese Eaglesbrood, an alien prince, yearns to restore his tattered reputation by guiding the starship project to completion, but his fascination with the unassuming heroine threatens to undermine his fragile authority. Shunning Dusty is necessary, yet unthinkable—and when the saboteurs strike again, she is his only ally against Earth’s most elusive enemies.
Rescue your own prince charming from these fine outlets:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Apple iTunes
Kobo Books
Smashwords
A word from our sponsor
Be sure to check out the other great writers in the Science Fiction Romance Brigade’s showcase.
February 27, 2018
Must’ve done something very bad #mfrwhooks #mfrwauthor
I currently have not one but two WIPs. Given the way I work, that’s terribly unwise — but while I usually hold sway over my Muse, sometimes she throws me curve balls and strikes out my commonsense.
I’m continuing with the opening of my SFR adventure WIP tentatively titled Secrets of Love and War. Last week I ended with these lines:
When Cynthia was happy, the world laughed with her. But without warning, happiness—
—exploded.
Picking up from there, still in Cynthia’s POV:
An overwhelming noise, louder than loud, so loud it hurt the very air, lanced through her ears, shattering peace, shattering harmony, shattering her precarious balance. Her foot plunged into the water with a heavy splash that slapped her tunic, her chin, even her forehead.
She must’ve done something wrong. Something terrible. Had she wakened the Twisted Lizard after all? She didn’t mean to do it, whatever it was.
“Sorry,” she squealed, “I’m sorry!” But there was no one to pardon her except young Kaushelle. Timid and terrified, the Rixid girl’s limbs shook visibly. She slumped to an awkward sitting position on the grass. The skin around her eyes pulsed with fear.
The girl needed help. Where was help?
Nowhere. Even the follow-fish had fled.
Childish game forgotten, Cynthia looked around for danger, saw none, then searched for the source of the sound, which echoed off the cliffs. The sky held only high, thin clouds, so it couldn’t have been thunder. No smoke mushroomed into the sky, so it wasn’t an explosion.
The noise is the hero arriving with a bang.
Be sure to check out the book hooks by other great writers in the Book Hooks blog hop.
February 24, 2018
Effing Feline hates babies #8Sunday
I, Effing Feline, live a hard, hard life. To whit, four days a week, when Mrs V (with occasional help from Mr V) babysits their two grandchildren, I must suffer a seven-month-old baby. I’ve taught the four-year-old about my claws; Wesley leaves me alone.
But the seven-month old! Quel horreur! Young Logan likes to grab my tail. Animal cruelty, I say! However, it’s also the perfect segue into this week’s horrifying snippet from Mr V’s science fiction romance, Rescuing Prince Charming.
During the most harrowing — and exciting — ten minutes of Dusty Johnson’s life, she and her mysterious alien companion found a saboteurs’ time bomb, carried it out of the prototype starship, and tossed it into the ocean, where it exploded harmlessly. The bomb may be gone, but their adrenaline isn’t. (Edited from the published version to fit.)
“We did it,” he whooped.
“No, no, you did it,” Dusty said. “That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Without you, that bomb blows apart my face. You were amazing.”
“Without you, that bomb blows up in my arms, because I could never have thrown it as far as you did.”
“Without you,” he said, “I’d still have my pants on.”
“Uh, yeah. I bet you’re cold.” She planted her palms on his buttocks and said, “Yep, you’re cold.”
He reciprocated by grabbing her bottom, saying, “And you, my brave lady, are hot.”
Effing Feline here again. See what I mean about horrifying? I hope Dusty scratches his eyes out for daring to grab her tail!
When you’ve recovered from the shocking cruelty of this snippet, visit other writers in the Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.
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Rescuing Prince Charming
Alien Contact for Idiots, book four
She’s no heroine. He’s no Prince Charming.
Dusty Johnson, a self-styled ordinary, everyday woman, responds with extraordinary heroism when saboteurs try to bomb the prototype of Earth’s first starship. Although she yearns to return to anonymity, that moment of courage propels her ever deeper into dangers that tear the scabs off her dark secrets—and thrust her into the arms of the unattainable man of her dreams.
Reese Eaglesbrood, an alien prince, yearns to restore his tattered reputation by guiding the starship project to completion, but his fascination with the unassuming heroine threatens to undermine his fragile authority. Shunning Dusty is necessary, yet unthinkable—and when the saboteurs strike again, she is his only ally against Earth’s most elusive enemies.
Rescue your own prince charming at these fine outlets:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Apple iTunes
Kobo Books
Smashwords
February 20, 2018
Rescuing Prince Charming #mwtease #mfrwauthor
It’s been awhile since I indulged in a MidWeek Tease, but like a bad penny, here I am. A huge shout out to author Angelica Dawson for hosting our blog hop, where authors share tempting snippets to tide you over till the weekend.
The reaction to the opening of my sci-fic romance, Rescuing Prince Charming, has been gratifyingly positive, so I thought I share a bit of it with you. Here’s the beginning of the book:
Time: Four years from tomorrow.
Place: A top-secret, underground facility on a Pacific Northwest island that doesn’t exist…yet.
Dusty Johnson really didn’t want to do this.
She took a deep breath, trying without success to dispel the dread clogging her belly. Some women daydreamed of rescuing princes from dragons. Not her.
Yet here she was, all alone, creeping through the dark guts of the half-built starship, searching for a time bomb about to explode. If the siren ordering evacuation of the research facility had summoned the expected herd of guards, she would’ve offered advice then fled with the rest of the staff. Having come this far, though, she couldn’t leave without branding herself a coward in her own eyes.
And so Dusty wove her way timidly around machinery that smelled of oil and ozone. Nothing was neat and tidy down here; in a prototype, speed and ingenuity trumped meticulous design. Everything was makeshift, a giant kludge sprawling through three-thousand cubic yards. That meant a lot of places for saboteurs to hide a bomb, but only two where technicians wouldn’t discover it in the course of a workday.
The first hiding place was a niche behind the backup life support nexus. Staring into its shadows, she paused. A heroine wouldn’t hesitate, but an ordinary, everyday woman would think twice about squeezing into a dirty cranny while wearing a cream-colored chambray skirt with filigree trim.
Maybe she should just walk away.
Or run.
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
About that opening
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SFR Galaxy is a website devoted to “Recognizing the Standout Books in Science Fiction Romance.” I’m proud to report that they recently gave Rescuing Prince Charming an award for Best Opening Scene. And readers say:
This has one of the best opening scenes every (sic). What a way to meet. (Amazon reviewer, Five stars)
(The) first chapter is like a chase scene in a Bond movie. High action, tension, then a “whew” at the end. (Author Diane Burton)
The opening scene is fantastically written, and proves that just because you’re facing death doesn’t mean you can’t be witty and snarky! The opening scene is action packed. (Amazon reviewer, Five stars)
The novel kicks off with a literal bang. (Beyond Romance)
Rescuing Prince Charming: A Native American sci fi romance
She’s no heroine. He’s no Prince Charming.
Dusty Johnson, a self-styled ordinary, everyday woman, responds with extraordinary heroism when saboteurs try to bomb the prototype of Earth’s first starship. Although she yearns to return to anonymity, that moment of courage propels her ever deeper into dangers that tear the scabs off her secrets—and thrust her into the arms of the unattainable man of her dreams.
Reese Eaglesbrood, an alien prince, yearns to restore his tattered reputation by guiding the starship project to completion, but his fascination with the unassuming heroine threatens to undermine his fragile authority. Shunning Dusty is necessary, yet unthinkable—and when the saboteurs strike again, she is his only ally against Earth’s most elusive enemies.
Rescue your own prince charming from these fine outlets:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Apple iTunes
Kobo Books
Smashwords
February 17, 2018
Effing Feline’s most fun ever
I, Effing Feline, am struck by a line in the snippet I’ve chosen for your delectation today:
she’d never had so much fun in her whole life as in the last ten minutes
It made me think what is the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. It was the first time I xxxxxxx xxxxx xxxx’x xxxxx, and xxxxx was xxx hot and delicious. And I got away with it!
Yet another snippet from Rescuing Prince Charming. Dusty Johnson, a tech writer working on Earth’s first starship, has helped an alien Kwadran throw a saboteur’s bomb into the ocean, where it exploded harmlessly.
It finally sank in, all the way to the deepest marrow of her bones, that she [Dusty] wasn’t going to die, really and truly, and in that instant an orgasmic realization flooded her soul: she’d never had so much fun in her whole life as in the last ten minutes. With a joyous laugh, she pressed her cheek against his warm, hard biceps.
His body pressed hers with delicious warmth and intimacy. Under any other circumstance, she would’ve objected. Maybe slapped him. But this wasn’t the real world; it was reality on steroids, a riotous and astonishing moment outside of time, and his fierce embrace was perfect. She buried her cheek in the soft, clean-smelling twag of his shirt.
“It’s over,” he said.
Funny, it seemed more like a beginning.
Effing Feline here again. Those darned Internet censors are at it again! Oh well, I’m sure you were able to figure out what I meant.
Be sure to visit other writers in the Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.
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Rescuing Prince Charming
Alien Contact for Idiots, book four
She’s no heroine. He’s no Prince Charming.
Dusty Johnson, a self-styled ordinary, everyday woman, responds with extraordinary heroism when saboteurs try to bomb the prototype of Earth’s first starship. Although she yearns to return to anonymity, that moment of courage propels her ever deeper into dangers that tear the scabs off her dark secrets—and thrust her into the arms of the unattainable man of her dreams.
Reese Eaglesbrood, an alien prince, yearns to restore his tattered reputation by guiding the starship project to completion, but his fascination with the unassuming heroine threatens to undermine his fragile authority. Shunning Dusty is necessary, yet unthinkable—and when the saboteurs strike again, she is his only ally against Earth’s most elusive enemies.
Rescue your own prince charming at these fine outlets:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Apple iTunes
Kobo Books
Smashwords
February 10, 2018
Effing Feline blows up Hollywood
I, Effing Feline, remember when a car exploded in the alley behind Mr Valentine’s house. True story — would I lie to you?
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An explosion and a flying cable car from “The Rock” (1996).
The car was stolen, abandoned, and set on fire. When the gas exploded — and here’s the thing — it sounded like a gas oven being lit, thwump, and flames shot up no more than six or eight tail lengths. That’s all. The only damage it did to us innocent bystanders was to melt a plastic garbage can.
In other words, it was absolutely nothing like when Hollywood cars explode.
Keep that in mind as you read this snippet from Rescuing Prince Charming. Dusty Johnson, a tech writer working on Earth’s first starship, has helped a Kwadran find a saboteur’s time bomb. After he throws the bomb into the ocean they wait for the explosion.
But just as disappointment threatened to chill her, the dark waters of the Pacific erupted as though a school of sea monsters had farted simultaneously. Dusty jerked closer to the stranger. He was warm and alive and his courage took her breath away. Being held by him seemed the most natural thing in the world.
The explosion’s noise, when it reached her a millisecond later, was anticlimactic. If this were a movie, special effects people would’ve added a louder bang and more fireworks. Movie explosions were impressive, not realistic.
Effing Feline here again. Even we cats know that Hollywood lies. Why, Hollywood even pretends that Garfield is nothing but a cartoon. Lies, I tell you, lies, lies, lies!
Be sure to visit other writers in the Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.
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Rescuing Prince Charming
Alien Contact for Idiots, book four
She’s no heroine. He’s no Prince Charming.
Dusty Johnson, a self-styled ordinary, everyday woman, responds with extraordinary heroism when saboteurs try to bomb the prototype of Earth’s first starship. Although she yearns to return to anonymity, that moment of courage propels her ever deeper into dangers that tear the scabs off her dark secrets—and thrust her into the arms of the unattainable man of her dreams.
Reese Eaglesbrood, an alien prince, yearns to restore his tattered reputation by guiding the starship project to completion, but his fascination with the unassuming heroine threatens to undermine his fragile authority. Shunning Dusty is necessary, yet unthinkable—and when the saboteurs strike again, she is his only ally against Earth’s most elusive enemies.
February 6, 2018
Her happiness explodes #mfrwhooks
I currently have not one but two WIPs. Given the way I work, that’s terribly unwise — but while I usually hold sway over my Muse, sometimes she throws me curve balls and strikes out my commonsense.
I’m continuing with the opening of my sci-fi adventure WIP tentatively titled Secrets of Love and War. Last week I ended with these lines:
Most Rixids, and certainly all humans, would take one look at Cynthia’s womanly curves and assume she was too old for silly games. She played them anyway.
Picking up from there:
Playing childish games was her role, and she played it with gusto.
Kaushelle, the adolescent she’d brought to Peace for All Species Park, was also too old for games. Yet as Cynthia played, the slender, leathery girl froze. She seemed to stop breathing, as though her lungs, the metaphorical seat of Rixid emotions, were being tugged unwillingly back to childhood. Cynthia knew the exact moment innocence overwhelmed maturity: the girl’s lanky limbs went loose and her throat thrummed the gentle purr of amusement characteristic of her species’ youths.
Cynthia’s answering hum harmonized with Kaushelle’s purr as effortlessly as a doodu bird soared on an updraft. It harmonized too with the insects and the follow-fish and the breeze high in the treetops. Cynthia was happy. And when Cynthia was happy, the world laughed with her.
But without warning, happiness—
—exploded.
The hero has arrived with a bang, or at least a sonic boom.
Be sure to check out the book hooks by other great writers in the Book Hooks blog hop.
Her happiness explodes #mfrwbookhooks
I currently have not one but two WIPs. Given the way I work, that’s terribly unwise — but while I usually hold sway over my Muse, sometimes she throws me curve balls and strikes out my commonsense.
I’m continuing with the opening of my sci-fi adventure WIP tentatively titled Secrets of Love and War. Last week I ended with these lines:
Most Rixids, and certainly all humans, would take one look at Cynthia’s womanly curves and assume she was too old for silly games. She played them anyway.
Picking up from there:
Playing childish games was her role, and she played it with gusto.
Kaushelle, the adolescent she’d brought to Peace for All Species Park, was also too old for games. Yet as Cynthia played, the slender, leathery girl froze. She seemed to stop breathing, as though her lungs, the metaphorical seat of Rixid emotions, were being tugged unwillingly back to childhood. Cynthia knew the exact moment innocence overwhelmed maturity: the girl’s lanky limbs went loose and her throat thrummed the gentle purr of amusement characteristic of her species’ youths.
Cynthia’s answering hum harmonized with Kaushelle’s purr as effortlessly as a doodu bird soared on an updraft. It harmonized too with the insects and the follow-fish and the breeze high in the treetops. Cynthia was happy. And when Cynthia was happy, the world laughed with her.
But without warning, happiness—
—exploded.
The hero has arrived with a bang, or at least a sonic boom.
Be sure to check out the book hooks by other great writers in the Book Hooks blog hop.
February 3, 2018
Effing Feline is trying. Very.
I, Effing Feline, tried to scratch my way into the innards of Mr Valentine’s couch (as I showed you last week). Mrs V is smart, though. She taped tin foil over my scratching place, trimmed my claws, and then closed the door to the family room.
Here’s another snippet from Rescuing Prince Charming. Dusty Johnson, a tech writer working on Earth’s first starship, has helped a Kwadran find a saboteur’s time bomb. They ran with the bomb to a terrace, where he throws the bomb into the ocean. She congratulates him on having a great arm.
Stupid to just stand there, yet she watched the bomb fall as though in slow motion. The lid floated away, wafting back and forth like a cardboard leaf.
The box arched beyond the pylons and the forest toward the ocean. Being a fiord, the bottom dropped off as steeply as the mountainside, so the box should be well submerged when it went off. She never could’ve thrown it so far.
The box hit the water with an insignificant splash. She waited.
Nothing.
That was all? This whole blood-pumping thing was a hoax?
Effing Feline here again. As I said above, Mrs V is smart — but I’m smarter. I’m proud to say I’ve made a start on scratching my way into the couch. Oh, what a clever feline I am.
I love a challenge, though. Do you have any suggestions she could use to try to keep me from scratching? I’m sure I can defeat even your best ideas, so bring ’em on!
While I scratch, be sure to visit other writers in the Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.
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I have a couple announcements about Rescuing Prince Charming:
First, in a marketing-drive move, I’ve added a subtitle: A Native American sci fi romance.
Second, I got a pleasant surprise this week when SFR Galaxy ( a website devoted to “Recognizing the Standout Books in Science Fiction Romance”) gave the book an award for Best Opening Scene.
Want a peek at the award-winning first chapter?. It contains most, though not quite all, of the first scene.
February 1, 2018
Classics Illustrated, anyone? #mfrwauthor
Welcome to the second year of the Marketing for Romance Writers yearlong blog hop. This week, the writing prompt is:
A Book that has Influenced My Life
That’s a tough one. There are so many! After much deliberation — at least 20 seconds worth — I’m going to go with the book that marked the beginning of my ability to read: a Davy Crockett comic book.
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I don’t remember what it looked like, but probably it was like the picture at left. Maybe it was a different comic; I really can’t say, because this was before I was even in kindergarten. Age four, probably. I loved this comic book and had my parents read it to me ad nauseum.
Now that I’m a parent and grandparent, I understand how wearing it can be to read something over and over, no matter how much you love the little pester-bug or how much you approve of reading. So I sympathize with my dad’s feelings when I asked him to read it yet again.
He said, “Why don’t you read it yourself?”
I don’t remember how I felt about that. I don’t remember anyone specifically trying to teach me to read, either, so I can’t say how much I already knew. I’m not saying no one tried, but I don’t remember. This all occurred back in the days when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, you know.
But I tried to read Davy Crockett. I’d probably memorized a lot of it, but this wasn’t a dumbed-down comic (an oxymoron if ever I heard one). There were a coonskin-cap full of words. When I came across a word I couldn’t figure out, I pestered Mom, Dad, or my older sister.
By bedtime, I’d gotten only partway. The next morning, before breakfast or getting dressed, I picked it up again. The only time I remember actually reading it was in my PJs, lying on the unmade bed I shared with my sister and reading, reading, reading.
It seemed like it took forever, but when I finished it, I knew I could read. With a lot of help, mind you, but I DID IT.
What about you?
What book influenced your life? Be sure to check out the other writers taking part in this blog hop.
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I got a nice surprise this week when my latest scribbling, Rescuing Prince Charming, won an SFR Galaxy Award for Best Opening Scene. If you’d like to read the opening, here’s chapter one.
