Carol Van Natta's Blog, page 22
January 2, 2018
The Year of Having a Plan
This will be my year of having a plan. I'm more of a look-forward kind of person, so I'll recap 2017 briefly and tell you about my author-related plans for 2018.
My your new year surpass the last one in all things good, and lag far behind in all things bad.I'm a look-forward kind of person. (Good thing I write science fiction, eh?) I'm lamentably bad about remembering past events, whether blissful or traumatic. I've had multiple people tell me we went to high school together, and my usual answer is, “I went to high school?” It's a joke, but not far from the truth. I don't look back, and the pleasure of reminiscing is largely lost on me. I'll likely be a blissful blank slate when my mind turns to Swiss cheese in my old age.
Therefore, my 2017 recap is pretty short:
I wrote two stories for a new paranormal romance series. I started on a secret urban fantasy project. I wrote and published a prequel novella in my Central Galactic Concordance space opera series. I updated the look and feel of my website, which now has a nifty new gallery of books. Shiny!
Oh, and I wrote a space opera novella (“Pet Trade”) for the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 science fiction romance anthology that made the USA TODAY bestseller list, which makes me a USA TODAY bestselling author. It doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but I enjoy celebrating the small wins, because the big ones don't come along very often.
Plans for 2018
My 2018 plans are ambitious, but achievable, if the author gods are smiling on me:
Finish book 5 of the space opera series. It kicked my author butt in 2017, and I'm determined to return the favor in 2018.
Write two more stories in the paranormal romance* series. Publish them all this summer. The competition is fierce, but the readers are hungry; I will entice them with cookies.
Finish the secret urban fantasy project and unleash it on the unsuspecting world.
Publish “Pet Trade” as a standalone, and write another novella in the space opera series, maybe for an anthology, or maybe for series fans.Recognize that stress is the mindkiller, and that I should cut myself some slack and allow myself some zombie days if I experience it. If I caught the flu, I wouldn't expect to be at 100% the next day, so I shouldn't expect catching stress to be any different.
Get help with creating and following an actual, strategic and tactical marketing plan (thus, the Year of Having a Plan). This is opposed to my prior method, which consisted of noticing flagging sales, tossing my books into promos, and hoping for the best. As you might imagine, the “throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks” technique has distinctly uneven and unrepeatable results.
Go to a close-by conference or two to meet fans and other authors, and learn from them. I'll be at Whimsy Con (Denver) in March, probably RWA (Denver) in July, and very likely Fort Collins Comic Con in August. Someday, maybe I'll get to an RT convention, but hoo, baby, the price, size, and logistics are daunting.
Me on the left, and lovely author buddy Melisse Aires on the right, at Fort Collins Comic Con 2017More Plan-Having Activities
Because this is the Year of Having a Plan, I expect to be more visible this year with posts (you can now subscribe to my blog—see the purple box in the top of the right sidebar).
You might see me in some videos, too. I'm a silly person, or so my friends tell me, so I figured I'd share that silliness with you. To quote a line that was edited out of the movie Buckaroo Banzai, you're invited to come along for the ride, as long as you keep your feet on the ground.**
Bonus extra credit will be to collaborate with some of my author buddies to come up with new “rising tide floats all boats” activities that help us all get ahead. I like being on a team where we all work toward a challenge.
*Why paranormal romance? Because it's a chance to stretch several of my muse's legs, and have some fun. The series will have action and mystery, and on-the-page romance, if you catch my drift, but will be more lighthearted than my space opera series.
**According to star Peter Weller, anyway. I met him in the late 1980s at a charity event. He loved being a part of that film, and was disappointed the scene got cut, because it was one of his favorite lines from the W.D. Richter script.
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December 22, 2017
Reading Recommendations for the Holidays 2017
I love to read. Books are my boon companions and the chance to visit worlds that aren't my own. However, I tank at writing reviews, because I know exactly how much work goes into writing a book, so I can't be objective about it. Nonetheless, I like putting readers together with books they might like, so here are my reading recommendations for the holidays. Most are for series, so you should have plenty of reading ahead. I'll be happy to send send virtual snacks, a nice pillow, and a soft blanket.
Note: The inline links are for Amazon, but I've also provided a few links for Kobo, Nook, iTunes, and Google Play, so you can choose your favorite retailer. Several of the Amazon books are available for free in the Kindle Unlimited program.
Another note: Amazon just announced that all Kindle Worlds books are now available in the Kindle Unlimited program. So if you happen to receive a shiny new ereader that comes with a free trial of KU, see how you like my paranormal romance, In Graves Below (Magic, NM).
If you like your space opera, science fiction, and fantasy books adventurous…
I discovered Anna Hackett through her Phoenix Adventures science fiction romance (SFR) series (see this box set to get started), but I'm addicted to her Hell Squad series. It's near-future, post-apocalyptic (caused by an alien invasion), where the romance in each book helps counter the grim elements of fighting a desperate war. The series is eleven books and counting, starting with Marcus (which is free!), on through the latest, Devlin, which is on the top of the virtual Mount Everest that is my to-be-read pile. Anna also has a new Galactic Gladiators series, which is also near the top of my TBR pile.
Phoenix Adventures Box Set (Book 1-3): Amazon ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Nook ~ Google Play
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Lindsay Buroker‘s flagship series is the fast-paced, entertaining, and highly addicting Emperor's Edge fantasy series. Her newest, the Fallen Empire series, is action-adventure science fiction, along Lindsay's signature sense of humor and a slow-burn romance across the series. It starts with Star Nomad (free!) and continues through seven more books to End Game (also on my TBR pile). The great covers are by the talented Tom Edwards. Lindsay also writes the excellent Dragon Blood fantasy/steampunk series.
Late-breaking news: Lindsay just started a new Heritage of Power fantasy series, set in the Dragon Blood universe. The first book in the series, Dragon Storm, is out just in time for holiday reading, and the second book, Revelations, will be along soon. • Amazon
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Veronica Scott‘s Sectors series is grand-scale, themed adventure, and romance that never disappoints. Her male main characters are warriors, but never alpha-holes, and the female main characters can hold their own. You can read them in any order, but start with Escape From Zulaire (free!), then enjoy The Wreck of the Nebula Dream, a futuristic Titanic-style disaster. Her latest, The Fated Stars: The Sectors SF Romance Series, continues her exploration of empaths. And lucky us, she's just begun a new series, starting with Aydarr: Badari Warriors, which is set in the Sectors universe.
Aydarr: Badari Warriors Book 1: Amazon ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Nook ~ Google Play
By the way, both Veronica Scott and I have stories in the limited edition Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 science fiction romance anthology. Get your copy now while it's still available, because it's last day in this universe is 31 January 2018.
BONUS: Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 is on sale this month for only 99¢!
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New to me this year is author Jess Anastasi, and her Valiant Knox series. Strong world building and strong characters. Start with Escape Velocity, and if you like it, there are three more books for your reading pleasure. ~ Amazon ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Nook ~ Google Play
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Carysa Locke (pen name for Carysa Locke and MaLea Holt) writes the Telepathic Space Pirates series that starts with a novella, Pirate Bound (only 99¢!) and continues with Pirate Nemesis. Book 2 in the series, Pirate Consort, is up for preorder, with a Feb. 2018 release. I'm anticipating good things for the next in the series.
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I love Eve Silver's Northern Wastes series (more, please!), and she has new covers for them. Eve skillfully blends science fiction, action, great characters, and romance in a perfect mix. Start with Driven, and don't miss the newest release, Frozen, a novella that takes place between Driven and Hidden.
If you like your science fiction and paranormal romance steamy to hot…
Susan Hayes‘s The Drift cyborg series is unapologetic, steamy ménage romance set in a universe where cyborgs are rediscovering their humanity. Start with Double Down (free!). She's also released some fun new shorter works in the new Intergalactic Dating Agency series, starting with Joran: Star-Crossed Alien Mail Order Brides.
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Speaking of cyborgs, Cara Bristol has a whole new, read-in-any-order Psy Ops series of novellas. Start with Stranded with the Cyborg, if you like to read books in the order the author wrote them.
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And if you like your cyborgs smokin' hot with humor, try out Cynthia Sax‘s Cyborg Sizzle series, starting with Releasing Rage (free!).
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Eve Langlais has a delightfully sarcastic sense of humor that runs through all her books (for example, her Cyborgs: More than Machines SFR series and the totally snarkalicious Welcome to Hell paranormal romance series). Her new Space Gypsy Chronicles series is a little darker, but still funny. Start with Pirate, and don't blame me if it makes you stay up past your bedtime. All have on-the-page sex scenes that further the story, as opposed to plot-stopping interludes. Oh, and if paranormal romance is your catnip, she has a half-dozen fabulous shifter series (e.g., Kodiak Point).
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You may not know that Lindsay Buroker also writes science fiction romance under the pen name Ruby Lionsdrake. Expect her usual adventurous, funny, and non-angsty style, but spicier with the on-the-page sex scenes. Her Mandrake Company series starts with Mercenary Instinct (only 99¢) and continues through The Tracker's Dilemma: Mandrake Company Book 7. This last year, Lindsay-as-Ruby also wrote the Star Guardians series that starts with Orion: Star Guardians, Book 1 and continues through Zakota: Star Guardians, Book 5. I don't know how she writes so fast, but we lucky readers are grateful that she does.
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*Mina Carter writes science fiction romance and paranormal romance. Her Not Dead Enough started a darker paranormal romance series in 2015. I'm including it here because I want her to write more books in the series, dammit! She's been busy writing for the Magic and Mayhem and the Paranormal Dating Agency Kindle Worlds series, a dragon series, and solo publishing some books to which she got the rights back, so maybe I'll cut her some slack.
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One of my all-time favorite science fiction/paranormal series is Nalini Singh‘s Psy-Changling series. She deftly illuminates a large story arc with individual romances, and it's one of the few series where I'll gladly pay the full publisher's price. If I'm ever stranded somewhere that I can't write, I'm re-reading the whole series again. Start with Slave to Sensation if you're new to the series. The latest in the series are Allegiance of Honor and Silver Silence. She also writes the darker Guild-Hunter fantasy romance series and contemporary romances.
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Fabulous author and friend S.E. Smith has started a new paranormal romance series, The Seven Kingdoms. She has two books out in the series so far, The Dragon's Treasure, book 1, and The Sea King's Lady, book 2. Susan is wonderfully inventive with both characters you want to win and world building.
The Dragon's Treasure: Amazon ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Nook ~ Google Play
By the way, Susan also has a story in the science fiction romance anthology, Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 , which is all the more reason to scoop it up while you still can.
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My take-me-away indulgence is reading paranormal romance shifter and magic stories where the males are not alpha jerks and the females aren't whiny rescues, they're all just good people who deserve their HEAs.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, I can recommend Terry Bolryder and Zoe Chant. Both authors are prolific, and the shorter stories are just the right length for waiting for your car to be repaired or spending a relaxing evening. Fair warning: The sex is definitely on the page, and Bolryder's stories occasionally have more than two people in the bed, if you catch my drift. They're not erotica, but they are hot.
Give the Gift of Books
My Central Galactic Concordance space opera-adventure-romance series are all in paperbacks, which I think (and I may be biased in this opinion) make nifty holiday gifts.
Last Ship off Polaris-G
Overload Flux
Minder Rising
Zero Flux
Pico's Crush
Jumper's Hope
If you're an independent author…
I am occasionally asked advice on the independent author life, and I occasionally wax eloquent on the topic, because I Haz Opinonz*. I'm an adherent of the “rising tide floats all boats” theory of business. If indie authors learn from each other and produce quality products that our readers like, we and our readers all benefit. Here are some useful books I've read recently that helped me, and may help you.
Susan Kaye Quinn is a highly successful indie author, and she shares her expertise in two “Career Author” books: Indie Author Survival Guide (2nd Ed.) and For Love or Money. Between them, they're an excellent mix of specific, practical advice and inspirational, energetic motivation.
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James Scott Bell's Write Your Novel from the Middle has practical structural advice for fiction novels. I'm a fan of practical, and Bell's advice resonates.
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And while we're talking practical advice, buy David Ball's short book, Backwards and Forwards, for an approach to plotting that makes everything hang together beautifully. He wrote it for stage play directors, but the structural analysis works for plotting any story, and will enrich yours.
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I'm a fairly prosaic person, so The War of Art is about as metaphysical as I can stand on creativity and how to think about it. If you're suddenly finding your muse has gone radio silent and your GAFF** meter is flatlined, this book might help.
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Productivity is the bête noire of most authors, because even the most prolific of us have too many stories and not enough time. Some authors have boosted their productivity (not to mention health) by dictating their first drafts instead of sitting at a keyboard. Dragonspeak software for the PC, a decent headset, and Scott Baker's The Writer's Guide to Training Your Dragon will get you started. Full disclosure: I'm just starting down this path, trying to make my brain move from typing to verbalizing. Wish me luck!
Footnotes:
*Me, on the radio (podcast version), expressing said opinionz and reading from my book, Jumper's Hope.
** give a flying fuck
The post Reading Recommendations for the Holidays 2017 appeared first on Carol Van Natta - Author.
December 8, 2017
Cosplay for My Cat
To promote Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, I decided to come up with a cosplay for my cat. This is a cautionary tale for those of you planning similar endeavors.
In my novella, “Pet Trade,” one of the twelve stories in the Pets in Space 2 anthology, both of the main characters end up with a variety of unusual pets. In Axur Tragon’s case, they came with the ship he stole. In Bethnee Bakonin’s case, she’s a veterinarian with a soft spot for the animals she cares for.
Because I’m a daft author, I became inspired to have my cat cosplay one of Axur’s more unusual pets, as a way to promote the book. Should you ever, for some insanely optimistic and naïve reason, decide to dress up your cat as a stegosaurus, take some pointers from me.
1. Not all cats will wear costumes. Retief, the solid gray, talkative cat on the left in the photo below, can be cajoled into anything, as long as he thinks it’s a game. Henry, the ginger-colored striped cat on the right, is sure that it is only his superior ability to run and hide that keeps monsters from gnawing his legs off. Not even adventurous Retief, however, will wear anything on his head, and I’d have to drug him to get him to ride a Roomba.
2. Not all costumes fit all cats. Measure your cat’s neck, chest, and belly before buying that cute little costume intended for a chihuahuas. Pro tip: Unless your cat is comatose, resign yourself to an exciting game of Bite the Measuring Tape, and possibly a bonus round of Buy a New Measuring Tape, Because the Cat Ate the End Off This One.
3. My sewing skills are hit and miss, so I decided to buy a costume and embellish it. You might be more clever and crafty than I, and could make your own out of fabric remnants. In any case, I recommend getting your cat accustomed to wearing the base costume more than once, and possibly in a room where the cat can’t hide under the bed and attempt to chew off pieces of it. Which reminds me, maybe you want to have an extra costume on hand, in case your cat takes violent, destructive exception to the first one.
4. Unless you have all frickin’ day to chase your cat around the house, hoping to catch him in a suitably cute pose, I recommend enlisting someone else to operate the camera. You’ll still have to chase the cat around the house, but at least you won’t tire yourself out carrying the camera, too, or forget where you set the lens cap down, and spend the next week looking for it. Not that it happened to me, or anything.
In my story, “Pet Trade,” the main characters, Bethnee and Axur, are smart and sane people, and don’t dress up their pets. Here’s a short excerpt from “Pet Trade,” where Bethnee meets Axur’s pets for the first time and tells him something about them.
“Your foo dog, Shiza, is legal, probably stolen. They’re designed to look like little curly-haired lions from pre-flight Chinese legends, but underneath, they’re mostly dog, so you can feed him whatever you feed Trouble. Don’t let Shiza bite you out of anger or fear. Foo dogs are designed to protect children, and his teeth can inject a nasty toxin. I can use Nuñez’s lab to tailor vaccines for you and the others, as well as Nuñez and me, but it’ll take a ten-day or so.”
The big wolf sat on her haunches and rested her head on Bethnee’s shoulder. She stroked the wolf’s broad head. “Long day, huh?”
“I’m sorry, I’ve taken up a lot of your time.”
“No, I was talking to the dire wolf. Her life is in flux at the moment, and she’s in here with me, wanting affection and reassurance.”
Axur mumbled something in a language she didn’t recognize. Her minimal education hadn’t included anything but Standard English, and whatever rude words she could pick up on the streets. “What about the miniature dinosaur? I think it’s supposed to be a stegosaurus. Its name is Ankle Biter.”
She shook her head. “I don’t do reptiles, amphibians, or fish. Can’t feel them at all. Your reference manuals are your best bet. It might need to stay inside for the winter.”
“Can I ask how you know so much about the pet trade? You don’t seem like the type.”
Ordinarily, she zeroed personal questions, but he was trusting her with the animals he loved. More tellingly, they all cared for him and trusted him without reservation.
She considered what she wanted to say. Jumpers willingly volunteered to work for the Citizen Protection Service’s elite military force. The CPS hadn’t done nearly as well by her…
Read more in “Pet Trade,” one of twelve stories in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology:
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All photographs in this post are copyright (c) 2017 Carol Van Natta.
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November 24, 2017
A Dire Wolf at the Door
Cross-posted at author Cara Bristol’s blog on 18 October 2017
I’ve always been fascinated by paleontology, and love seeing artist’s depictions of what long-extinct creatures might have looked like based on the sometimes sparse fossil record we’ve discovered. We know some dinosaurs were gargantuan, and some probably had feathers, but we can only look at today’s animals to make educated (or wild) guesses about their very distant ancestors’ musculature, capabilities, or even their color. For more recently extinct creatures, our guesses are likely more accurate. Prehistoric mastodons may have been about the size of modern elephants, but mastodons diverged from elephants about 25 million years ago. Thanks to lucky finds of permafrost-preserved skeletons, we have examples of preserved hair and a complete DNA sequence. What if we could re-create a Pleistocene animal, but make it compatible with today’s much warmer environment?
In “Pet Trade,” my novella in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology, I took the opportunity to explore a hidden facet of the civilization in my Central Galactic Concordance space opera-action-romance series. Whereas CGC has strict laws and harsh penalties against tinkering with human genetics and DNA, animals aren’t so lucky. Even reputable pet trade researchers, genetic designers, bio-engineers, and dealers put profit over compassion. Shadier, cut-throat companies operate in hidden facilities and smuggle their wares past customs inspectors. Think of the worst of pet traders as a cross between negligent backyard breeders and the ruthless smugglers who sell endangered wild animals to wealthy collectors.
In the CGC, foundation and cornerstone animal species are protected by laws and enforcement. Ordinary companion and domesticated animals—cats, dogs, foxes, birds, cattle, sheep, buffalo, etc.—are protected against pet-trade intellectual property claims. The juicy profit in the pet trade industry is in genetically engineered creatures from history, imagination, and mythology, and enhanced versions of domestic animals. The pet trade is happy to sell re-creations of extinct creatures, and make them useful or decorative. People looking for a status symbol might want a Tasmanian tiger, an extinct marsupial about the size of a retriever, or a miniature stegosaurus, complete with upright defensive plates along its back and clubbed tail. For security, how about a huge, densely muscled dire wolf, trained to protect humans?
Serena: A Dire Wolf at the Door
This setting is the backdrop for “Pet Trade,” where Bethnee Bakonin, a veterinarian who escaped the worst of the industry, must confront her dark past if she’s to help Axur Tragon, an ex-elite forces Jumper with cybernetic limbs and secrets of his own, fend off greedy mercenaries who are raiding the town. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pets in Space story without pets. Bethnee and her fellow veterinarian Nuñez find themselves rescuing animals that have been abandoned or injured, or sometimes, from situations to which they aren’t suited. Most veterinarians I know find themselves taking in pets, especially when the owner is overwhelmed by the stress or the cost, and they help find new homes for them, too. In this excerpt from “Pet Trade,” Nuñez explains how she came across a dire wolf.
Veterinarian Bethnee Bakonin limped toward the cage slowly. The huge dire wolf inside stood and eyed her with wary interest, but not fear or anger. The wolf’s bright blue, intelligent eyes contrasted beautifully against her thick coat of charcoal grey and black fur. Bethnee reached out with another thread of her talent to get a sense of the designer animal’s health. “Where did she come from?”
A capricious, chilly wind blew a dust devil into the center of the paddock, then let it go. Fall always arrived early in the foothills of the northernmost mountains on Del’Arche.
“A boutique alpaca ranch down south. New client.” Nuñez frowned and crossed her arms. “Idiots thought a top-of-the-line, protector-class dire wolf would make a great herd dog.” She made a disgusted sound. “They were going to shoot her because she wouldn’t let the herd out of the barn. I convinced them to sign her over to me.”
Bethnee eyed Nuñez. “How much did she cost?” Designer animals from reputable pet-trade dealers weren’t cheap. Recreating extinct mammals from Earth’s Pleistocene period was perennially popular , because it avoided the Central Galactic Concordance government’s multiple prohibitions against altering cornerstone species like wolves and coyotes. Bethnee had been saving her hard credits to buy her own flitter, instead of having to constantly borrow Nuñez’s, but the rescued dire wolf took priority.
Nuñez shook her head. “Zero. They bought her cheap with a flatlined ID chip, so she’s probably stolen. I told them I’d take care of the problem for free, and that it’d be our little secret.” Knowing Nuñez, she’d pushed them with her low-level empath talent, so they’d be afraid of getting caught, and happy to be rid of the evidence. Nuñez had no compunction against using her minder talent to manipulate humans who hurt animals, which was one of several reasons why she and Bethnee got along so well.
Read more in “Pet Trade,” one of twelve stories in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology.
AMAZON KOBO iBOOKS NOOK GOOGLE PLAY
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November 17, 2017
Paperback and Bookends Giveaway
Paperback and Bookends Giveaway
Prize:
A paperback of Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2,
and matched foo lion bookends!*
Hurry! Giveaway ends 23 November 2017!
*Continental U.S. only. International winner prize is a $25 Amazon or Kobo gift certificate.
BONUS! Get extra entries if you:
• Follow me on Amazon
• Follow me on BookBub
• Provide the link to a review you’ve posted
about any of my books (including Pets in Space)
• Share the giveaway post on Facebook
Hurry! Giveaway ends 23 November 2017!
One of the pets in “Pet Trade,” my story in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology, is a foo dog. They are based on the mythological version of the foo lions in Chinese mythology. So, what better creatures to hold up the enormous paperback version of the book?
Pet Trade (A Central Galactic Concordance Novella)
An injured veterinarian and a cyborg with unusual pets must join forces to save their town.
The vast Central Galactic Concordance strictly prohibits genetic experimentation and alteration of humans on any of its 500 member planets. Animals aren’t so lucky.
On a frontier planet, veterinarian Bethnee Bakonin made a home for herself in the frozen north. Her minder talent for healing all kinds of animals would ordinarily assure her success, but her unwilling stint in the shady pet trade industry left her damaged and scared. She works around her limitations as best she can, and rescues pet trade castoffs.
“Volunteered” for a black-box research project, elite forces Jumper Axur Tragon now has dangerous experimental tech in his cybernetic limbs. He escaped and crash-landed a stolen freighter in the northern mountains of a frontier planet, only to discover a secret shipment of designer pets was part of the cargo. Determined to do right by them, he enlists reluctant Bethnee’s aid in caring for them—a definite challenge, considering Bethnee is terrified of him.
When greedy mercenaries come raiding, can Axur and Bethnee work together to overcome their limitations, with help from their unusual pets, and save the day?
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Pet Trade is one of twelve science fiction romances in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2.
AMAZON KOBO iBOOKS NOOK GOOGLE PLAY
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November 13, 2017
Lions, Tigers, and Cybernetic Snow Leopards
I have cats. More accurately, I’m owned by cats who find me useful because I have opposable thumbs and know how to open doors and work the can opener. I’ve always thought it would be fabulous to legitimately have one of the big cats for a pet, but that’s fraught with difficulties, not the least of which is the ethics. They’re wild animals, not pets, and would be miserable, regardless of how well I cared for them.
In “Pet Trade,” my novella in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology, I took the opportunity to explore a hidden facet of the civilization in my Central Galactic Concordance space opera-action-romance series. Whereas CGC has strict laws and harsh penalties against tinkering with human genetics and DNA, animals aren’t so lucky. Even reputable pet trade researchers, genetic designers, bio-engineers, and dealers put profit over compassion. Shadier, cut-throat companies operate in hidden facilities and smuggle their wares past customs inspectors. Think of the worst of pet traders as a cross between negligent backyard breeders and the ruthless smugglers who sell endangered wild animals to wealthy collectors.
In the CGC, foundation and cornerstone animal species are protected by laws and enforcement. Ordinary companion and domesticated animals—cats, dogs, foxes, birds, cattle, sheep, buffalo, etc.—are protected against pet-trade intellectual property claims. The real money in the pet trade industry is in recreations of extinct species, genetically engineered creatures from imagination and mythology, and enhanced versions of domestic animals. The pet trade likes to take credit as the saviors of endangered species, but the truth is murkier. For example, snow leopards, a protected foundation species, were extinct long before the first successful interstellar flight. So-called “natural” snow leopards on any settled planet in the Concordance trace their lineage to a genetic line recreated in the lab.
Lions, Tigers, and a Cybernetic Snow Leopard Named Jynx
This is the backdrop for “Pet Trade,” where Bethnee Bakonin, a veterinarian who escaped the worst of the industry, must confront her dark past if she’s to help Axur Tragon, an ex-elite forces Jumper with cybernetic limbs and secrets of his own, fend off greedy mercenaries who are raiding the town. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pets in Space story without pets. Bethnee, with a high-level mental talent that allows her to connect with and heal mammals and birds, loves all her companions, but her snow leopard, Jynx, holds a special place in her heart. Jynx has a cybernetic front leg, making her a magnet for thieves who recognize her worth to the right researchers. When Jynx gets injured, Bethnee asks Axur, with his training in cybernetic repair, to help fix the problem.
Axur would bet hard credit that he and Bethnee were the only two people in the galaxy who had ever seen a cybernetic snow leopard and a formidable dire wolf play tag in the deep snow.
Bethnee laughed when Jynx made an astonishing six-meter leap onto a boulder to avoid Serena’s lunge. He snuck a glance at Bethnee, enjoying her happiness. “Are you helping them get along?” He tapped his temple, to indicate her enviable minder talent.
“A little. Mostly Jynx, because this isn’t her territory.”
He checked his internal chrono. “We better start collecting your gear. I’ll send Trouble out to keep an eye on these two.” Axur had yet to be able to crack the encryption on the e-dog’s command processor that Bethnee had told him about, but he kept trying.
Inside, he found Bethnee leaning against the kitchen counter, holding her small veterinary surgical suite . “I’d like to try removing your tracers.”
He blinked in surprise. “Now? Are you sure?”
“Hell, no, but it’ll be worse if I give myself time to think about it.” She searched his face. “Unless you don’t trust me?”
Read more in “Pet Trade,” one of twelve stories in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology.
AMAZON KOBO iBOOKS NOOK GOOGLE PLAY
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November 9, 2017
Weekend Sale for Last Ship Off Polaris-G
This weekend, 10-12 November 2017, Last Ship Off Polaris-G is on sale for 99¢. It’s a desperate race to escape a dying planet the heavily armed military blockade. Can a bureaucrat and an independent trader overcome treachery and their own broken past to save a precious cargo of 4,000 colonists?
Grab it on sale while you can:
Amazon iBooks Kobo Nook Google Play
Last Ship Off Polaris-G introduces the Central Galactic Concordance universe, and takes place five years before Mairwen Morganthur meets Luka Foxe in Overload Flux (Central Galactic Concordance Book 1). Think of it as signs and portents for events and characters to come.
Read the rest of the Central Galactic Concordance series:
Overload Flux (Book 1)
Minder Rising (Book 2)
Zero Flux (Book 2.5)
Pico’s Crush (Book 3)
“Pet Trade” (Book 3.5) in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2
Jumper’s Hope (Book 4)
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November 6, 2017
The Future of Pets
Humans love pets. We’ll domesticate anything that will sit still long enough, provide a useful service or food source, or give us companionship. What if you could, for a price, have creatures from history, mythology, or fantasy, such as a Tasmanian tiger, a chimera, or a foo dog?
In “Pet Trade,” my novella in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology, I took the opportunity to explore a hidden facet of the civilization in my Central Galactic Concordance space opera-action-romance series. Whereas the CGC has strict laws and harsh penalties against tinkering with human genetics and DNA, animals aren’t so lucky. Even reputable pet trade researchers, genetic designers, bio-engineers, and dealers put profit over compassion. Shadier, cut-throat companies operate in hidden facilities and smuggle their wares past customs inspectors. Think of the worst of pet traders as a cross between negligent backyard breeders and the ruthless smugglers who sell endangered wild animals to wealthy collectors.
In the CGC, foundation and cornerstone animal species are protected by laws and enforcement. Ordinary companion and domesticated animals—cats, dogs, foxes, birds, cattle, sheep, buffalo, etc.—are protected against pet-trade intellectual property claims. The real profit in the pet trade industry is in recreations of extinct species, genetically engineered creatures from imagination and mythology, and enhanced versions of domestic animals. The pet trade researchers and designers breed whatever they think will sell, and hope to create lucrative fads. Want a miniature dinosaur, or a small dragon? Wish you could have one of the Pleistocene megafauna for a pet? How about your very own foo dog, a miniature version of the large, lion-like guardians of Chinese temples? Or an animal dreamed up by a futuristic fantasy artist made to seem like an alien creature?
The Future of Pets: Kivo, the Chimera
This is the backdrop for “Pet Trade,” where Bethnee Bakonin, a veterinarian who escaped the worst of the industry, must confront her dark past if she’s to help Axur Tragon, an ex-elite forces Jumper with cybernetic limbs and secrets of his own, fend off greedy mercenaries who are raiding the town. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Pets in Space story without pets. One of Axur’s pets is a chimera, a designer’s fantasy with about the size of a German Shepherd, but the resemblance ends there. He has black and brown stripes in his short, sleek fur, six legs and two tails with tufts of fur on the ends. He is, as Axur puts it, “a prime example of what the anti-pet trade activists railed against: tinkering with Terran genetics to create whimsical life forms that would have never survived in the wild, much less natural selection.”
Here’s a snippet from “Pet Trade,” where Bethnee examines Kivo for the first time.
Axur turned his attention back to Kivo. “Why did they create him at all?”
She shrugged. “Pretend alien fauna for the wealthy, maybe? It’s a fad.” She stroked the large hump of Kivo’s middle shoulder joints. “The bio-engineers actually got the six legs to work, but the rest of him is a fantasy hodgepodge.” She snorted disdainfully. “Two tails.” She rested her hip against the table and eased the weight off her stiffer leg.
“He follows me everywhere. He keeps the peace among the other animals, too.” He tilted his head. “Can animals be empaths? I think he tries to cheer me up sometimes.” It sounded daft after he said it out loud, so he was grateful she didn’t laugh.
“Maybe? Medical scientists still don’t know what combination of DNA and subtrans amino arrays make the difference between human minders and non-minders, or even the gender expression continuum. Who’s to say that animals aren’t evolving along with us?”
Read more in “Pet Trade,” one of twelve stories in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology.
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October 26, 2017
A Cat Named Ash – Guest Post by M.K. Eidem
M.K. Eidem is the author of “A Grim Pet,” one of the 12 science fiction romances in the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology.
A cat named Ash, a large and fierce-but-cuddly cat who occasionally sits on human laps and allows her picture to be taken.
Ash is a three-year-old Pixie Bob, which is a bobcat hybrid, and totally gorgeous. She has bobcat ears and six toes on all her paws. She loves to cuddle, on her terms, and when she doesn’t… no one can get near her.
I remember when my son and daughter-in-law first got her. I was worried how Bo and Coco would take to her, but she quickly showed them who the boss is. And as you can tell, they get along great.
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A Grim Pet (A Novella in the Tornian Series)
By M.K. Eidem
Grim’s two young daughters discover an injured raptor and their love, faith, and kindness creates far-reaching consequences no one expects.
The Great Raptor is a fearsome and deadly creature; and while the raptor is no one’s pet, he is fiercely protective and loving of his family…
Carly and Miki have never forgotten the story that Grim told them of the Great Raptor, the symbol of their new home world Luda. Yet, it is the comparison their mother once told them of the Great Raptor to Grim that gives them the courage to help the injured bird they find in the garden.
Find out what happens when their single act of love, faith, and kindness creates far-reaching consequences that no one, including their mother and Grim, could ever have predicted.
Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2
The pets are back! Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, featuring twelve of today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors brings you a dozen original stories written just for you! Join in the fun, from the Dragon Lords of Valdier to a trip aboard award-winning author, Veronica Scott’s Nebula Zephyr to journeying back to Luda where Grim is King, for stories that will take you out of this world! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem, Susan Grant, Michelle Howard, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Sabine Priestley, Jessica E. Subject, Carol Van Natta, and Alexis Glynn Latner as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that supports our veterans!
SPECIAL NOTE: 10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero Dogs, a charity that supports U.S. veterans. Read all about the wonderful work they do, matching very special service dogs with very special veterans who need a helping paw.
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October 20, 2017
Pets in Space Is a USA TODAY Bestseller
Thank you to all you readers who helped put Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 on the USA TODAY Bestseller list. Hero Dogs will benefit as much as we will from your support.
All the authors in this book appreciate your vote of confidence in our work. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small mark of respectability, being able to say I’m a “USA TODAY bestselling author,” but it’s a nice milestone to achieve.
Thank you for buying our book, and posting reviews, and sharing the book with your friends. You’re making a difference not only for us, but for the charity the book supports. 10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that pairs trained service dogs with disabled U.S. veterans to improve their quality of life and help restore independence.
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