Jessica E. Subject's Blog, page 192

Unknown Futures…thank yous!!

My first release day of 2012 has been amazing! I thank you all for the congratulations and well wishes.

I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to my story.

First of all, here is the dedication:

To my mom who taught me from a young age not to judge.

And thank you to:

Rebecca Royce, Layna Pimental, Zee Monodee, Carol Levesque, and Kate Richards, my awesome critique partners and beta readers for this story.

Kate Richards, again, who saved me a step in the beginning and through edits helped this story shine. I always learn so much from my editors and appreciate all they can teach me. Thank you also to her and Valerie Mann for starting the 1Night Stand series.

Lisa and Heather, the owners of Decadent Publishing.

Fantasia Frog Designs for creating my fabulous cover. Once again, I can't find the words to say how much I love my cover. You're the best cover artist in my opinion!

Thank you to all those who have (or will) taken the time to buy, read and/or review Unknown Futures!

And as always, thank you to my husband and children who remain ever so patient with me. I'm glad you understand this is more than just a hobby.

You are all fabulous!

Unknown Futures is available in multiple ebook formats from Decadent Publishing and other ebook retailers. Please note: There are many free apps, such as Adobe Digital Editions that you can download to read ebooks on your computer and phone. Also, the PDF format is great for printing a copy.

Release Day for Unknown Futures!!

I'm very excited to announce my first release for 2012: Unknown Futures!!

Be sure to stop by the Decadent Publishing 1Night Stand blog and leave a comment for your chance to WIN a copy!

And for your another chance to WIN Unknown Futures, stop by The Romance Studio's New Year's Party. Comment on any of my posts to be entered to WIN! (January 2-4 – My name will be in the right sidebar. Click on my name for a list of all my posts.)

Blurb:

Attacked as a young adult, Jewel is left scarred and alone. She applies to the 1 Night Stand service, believing no one can see past her appearance to love her. But she doesn't expect to be sent to a space station where her date could be any number of unusual alien species.

Flavia left everything behind to be one of five humans working for the Space Service space station. Extremely homesick, she is excited to learn she will be a guide to a woman from Earth visiting the station for a couple days. She is immediately drawn to the petite woman, seeing past her scars to her true inner beauty, stirring unforeseen desires.

Unfortunately, Jewel is there for a date which Flavia hasn't been told about. Can she contain her lust and simply show her a good time? Or will she let her desire lead them into an unknown future?

Book Trailer:

Now Available From:

Decadent Publishing (multiple ebook formats)
and more coming soon

Sale!!

And right now all Decadent Publishing books are Buy 1, Get 1 FREE through January 4, 2012. My books, including Unknown Futures, are listed here: http://bit.ly/sfWqPg

To claim your FREE book(s), buy 1 (or more) book at the Decadent Publishing  website, email them your transaction number (decadentpublishing at gmail dot com), and they'll send you* one Decadent Publishing ebook of your choice FREE for each book you purchase!

*Please be sure to include name, email address, transaction number, book choice, format choice.

For more information, please see the recent Decadent Publishing newsletter: http://conta.cc/uDSO1s

The Importance of a Writing Family by Layna Pimentel

Please welcome Layna Pimentel to my blog. Author of paranormal and historical romance, she is one of my critique partners and a great friend.

My Writing Family

By Layna Pimentel

I wanted to take a moment and thank our hostess for asking me back. Without Jessica, who is also my critique partner, I don't even want to hazard a guess of where I'd be today. She's as genuine as they get, and hell, one of the most patient people I know.

[image error]Writing can be comparable to an intergalactic space odyssey that you may or may not want to do, ever again. Unfathomable things will happen to you; your mind, body and soul, soon become their own entities and will have you speaking in jargon or swearing. Post-it notes are plastered everywhere imaginable, and you'll forget to add the Eagle Brand to your pumpkin pie. You'll hear your kids asking you if they can go hang out with Jane and yet the only thing swimming in your head is how the heck you're going to fill a plot hole the size of the bloody Milky Way. Your husband will nag you to death if you've started the wash yet, and then you suddenly become inspired by the empty space on top of the washing machine. Spin cycle anyone? LOL And this folks, is why my Writing Family rocks, and why we all need one.

They ground me when I'm ready to give up, they give me tough love when I need it and most of all, they CAN relate. No matter, how many times I beat myself up and want to throw in the towel, these wonderful people instill motivation, cheer you on, and listen. There isn't anything that you've done, that they haven't experienced.

[image error]Now, this post is not to discount my poor husband who passes the tissue box and cautiously gives me a hug when things aren't going so well, but without those talented writers whom I consider my Writing Family, I'm pretty sure I'd be headed to nowhere land. On that note, a huge part of meeting these folks was via Twitter. It's been a pleasure to make these new associations and bear witness to a variety of opportunities coming from some social networking. In addition, joining organizations such as the RWA have been instrumental and a never-ending source of information.

Take a leap of faith; meet people, join a writers group, or offer to beta read for others. You'd be surprised at some of the lifelong friendships you'll make along the way, learn even more about writing and find some satisfaction knowing that you've made it this far.

Find Layna here: blog, twitter, facebook

2011 In Review and Tons of fun in the New Year!

[image error] Happy New Year!!
Sale!!

All Decadent Publishing books are Buy 1, Get 1 FREE through January 4, 2012. My books are listed here: http://bit.ly/sfWqPg Learn how to claim your FREE book(s) in the newsletter: http://conta.cc/uDSO1s

My Writing

2011 was a fabulous year! I signed my first writing contract (and four more after), had two stories released (and another releases in two days), but most importantly, I've met a great group of supportive people who get me through the highs and lows of this industry.

Celestial Seduction released July 1, 2011 with Decadent Publishing
Beneath the Starry Sky released December 16, 2011 with Decadent Publishing
Unknown Futures releases January 3, 2012 with Decadent Publishing
Never Gonna Let You Go (The Underground, book 1) , coming soon to Decadent Publishing
The Zurian Child (Mark of the Stars, book 1), coming soon to Silver Publishing

My Blog

In April, I celebrated my one-year blogoversary, and after that everything changed. I thank each and every one of you who has joined me over the past year, whether just lurking or continuously commenting on my posts. I appreciate all of your support!

Coming up on my blog this month:

January 2 – "My Writing Family" guest post by Layna Pimentel
January 3 – Unknown Futures release day celebrations
January 4 – New Year blog hop
January 5 – Guest Post by Deborah Cooke
January 21 – Winner's will be announced for Beneath the Starry Sky blog tour with Sizzling PR
January 23 – Guest Post by Rebecca Royce
January 24 – Guest Post by Liz Crowe

As always, I will be participating in Six Sentence Sunday, sharing excerpts from various stories, published and unpublished. Thank you to Sara Brookes and the rest of the crew for all of their hard work each and every week!

This month I'll be visiting a bunch of other blogs, promoting my new releases with many chances to WIN goodies. Here's where I'll be:

January 2-4 – The Romance Studio's New Year Party
January 6 – Guest Post at Kaye Manro's blog
January 9 – 20 – Sizzling PR book tour for Beneath the Starry Sky

January 9 – Books-n-Kisses
January 10 – Realmantic Moments
January 11 – Rage, Sex, and Teddy Bears
January 12 – Sizzling Hot Book Reviews
January 13 – Decadent Decisions
January 16 – Galadria Inn Books And Reviews
January 17 – Books Read N Makeup Done
January 18 – Reading Between the Wines Book Club
January 19 – For The Love Of Reading
January 20 – Hesperia Loves Books









January 10 – Lesbian Fiction Appreciation Event
January 11 – Guest post at Zee Monodee's Author's Corner
January 12 – Blogging at Daily Dose of Decadence
January 20 – Blogging at Daily Dose of Decadence
January 24 – Guest post at Brewing Passion
January 25 – Interview at The Galaxy Express
January 25 – Guest Post at Lisa Fox Romance
January 26 – Guest Post at Selena Robins Musings
January 27 – Interview on TBR the blog
January 30 – Guest Post at Four Strong Women
January 30-February 10 – Sizzling PR book tour for Unknown Futures (more details soon)

January 30 – Aspiring Romance Authors
January 31 – Anne Holly's blog
February 1 – Everyday is an Adventure
February 2 – Lia Davis's blog
February 3 – Sharon Owen's blog
February 4 – Carrie Ann Ryan's blog
February 5 – Mike Woody's blog
February 6 – Chastity Bush's blog
February 8 – Books-n-Kisses
February 9 – Romance Book Junkies
February 10 – All I Want and More Books








Books

I don't do book reviews anymore, but I wanted to share some figures about the books I've read, along with my list of favorite reads from 2011 (not necessarily released in 2011).

92 fiction books read this year
79 (86%) of them were ebooks
11 (12%) were YA (young adult)
71 (77%) were romance (incl. all subgenres except YA)
23 (25%) were science fiction/dystopian (incl. YA & romance)
20 (22%) were 1Night Stand stories

Favorite Reads of 2011 (in the order read):

Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Alien Tango by Gini Koch
30 Pieces of Silver by Carolyn McCray
XVI by Julia Karr
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
Indivisible by Jessica McQuinn
Initiation by Rebecca Royce
Club Shadowland by Cherise Sinclair
Confessions from the Carnivore Club: Dave and Nancy's Story by Kate Richards
Walking the Edge by Zee Monodee
Just Gotta Say by Laura Kaye
Blown Away by D.L. Jackson
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Tulip Princess by Liz Crowe

2012 promises to be another great year, and I can't wait to see what it brings.

So how was your year? What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Six Sentence Sunday: 01/01/12 – Opening Six from Unknown Futures #sixsunday

[image error]Happy New Year!! Thank you to everyone who read and comment on my excerpts each week. I'm excited to announce that Unknown Futures, my F/F scifi romance will release on Tuesday of this week.

Here are the opening six from Unknown Futures. (blurb here)

"Miss Jewel Barnaby?"

Her eyes darted toward the tall, austere man in surprise, nervous tension knotting her shoulders. She almost didn't respond. No one had called her Jewel since she'd left the hospital two years ago. Instead they called her ugly, freak, or monster. The doctors had done all they could, but despite the several surgeries and multiple, painful skin grafts, everyone in Prescott, Ontario would always know her as the girl who was splashed in the face with acid on the biggest night of her teenage life.

Visit http://www.sixsunday.com/ to find out who's participating in Six Sentence Sunday this week or follow the #sixsunday hashtag on twitter.

Reclaimed: A Paranormal Romance by Diane Alberts Only $0.99 on Amazon!!

Blurb

After moving to England, Sabrina tumbles into an unknown world when she meets the man of her dreams, literally. As a writer, her overactive imagination makes her believe the impossible, but recovering from shock, she wonders how Isaac could appear in her nightmares—when she's never met him in real life. Until now.

The staggering events catapult her into a world where ruthless creatures roam freely along unsuspecting humans, and battle lines are clearly drawn.

While embarking on a dangerous and passionate affair, a bitter enemy appears from Isaac's past that will stop at nothing to remove Sabrina from his arms. Permanently. In order to establish a foreseeable and solid future, she must first deal with tumultuous occurrences. Navigating a shadowy world she never knew existed, Sabrina fights for her newfound love…and her life.

Buy Now!!

Amazon, Amazon UK - Only $0.99 this weekend only!

Decadent Publishing - Buy 1 book, Get 1 FREE (details here)

Smashwords All Romance

Excerpt

A strange stillness sat in the air outside Sabrina's house. No trees swayed in the breeze, no animals scampered in the forest, as if the world itself had come to a halt.

Uneasiness rolled over her, and she studied Isaac out of the corner of her eye. Surprisingly, he seemed to be as tense as her. He gripped her arm tighter than necessary, and his lips were pressed together as well. She could feel the tension pulsating off his body, and she got taken back into her dreams. For the first time in real life, he made her shiver in apprehension. As if sensing her fear, he shot her a quick grin.

"Well, I had a lovely evening." He spoke over his shoulder as he practically dragged her to the door. She stumbled in an attempt to keep up with his pace. At the door he pointedly stared at her, causing her to realize he waited for her to open it. She fumbled through the mess she called a purse to find the key. She turned to him and smiled as she studied him through the cover of her eyelashes.

"Would you like to come in for a nightcap? I have wine…or coffee…or tea, or…." She stuttered to a stop, unsure of what to say.

God, she sounded like such an idiot.

Nightcap?

Who the heck said nightcap anymore?

"While I'd love to take you up on that offer, I have something I have to take care of tonight. Could I get a rain check? For say,tomorrow night? We could do a movie and wine? Or is tomorrow too soon in the dating world?"

"No, not too soon at all. I'd love to see you tomorrow."She tried to hide her disappointment behind a bright smile. "You can call me,and we'll firm up a time. Good night."

She turned to go inside and got caught off-guard when he grabbed her elbow and spun her to face him. It happened so quickly she leaned back against the door in confusion; one hand on the doorknob and the other braced against the cool steel of the door. He moved his body closer to hers and placed his hand at her head. His other hand cupped her cheek while his thumb stroked her jaw line. All thought fled as his body pressed against hers, and a small swoosh of air escaped her lips at his touch.

"I didn't think it even possible for you to grow more beautiful, but you have proven me wrong." When his lips met hers, she lost all thought, all ability to move. She'd somehow been tied to this spot—this man.

Trailer

Reclaimed: A Paranormal Romance by Diane Alberts

Blurb

After moving to England, Sabrina tumbles into an unknown world when she meets the man of her dreams, literally. As a writer, her overactive imagination makes her believe the impossible, but recovering from shock, she wonders how Isaac could appear in her nightmares—when she's never met him in real life. Until now.

The staggering events catapult her into a world where ruthless creatures roam freely along unsuspecting humans, and battle lines are clearly drawn.

While embarking on a dangerous and passionate affair, a bitter enemy appears from Isaac's past that will stop at nothing to remove Sabrina from his arms. Permanently. In order to establish a foreseeable and solid future, she must first deal with tumultuous occurrences. Navigating a shadowy world she never knew existed, Sabrina fights for her newfound love…and her life.

Buy Now!!

Amazon Decadent Publishing Amazon UK Smashwords All Romance

Excerpt

A strange stillness sat in the air outside Sabrina's house. No trees swayed in the breeze, no animals scampered in the forest, as if the world itself had come to a halt.

Uneasiness rolled over her, and she studied Isaac out of the corner of her eye. Surprisingly, he seemed to be as tense as her. He gripped her arm tighter than necessary, and his lips were pressed together as well. She could feel the tension pulsating off his body, and she got taken back into her dreams. For the first time in real life, he made her shiver in apprehension. As if sensing her fear, he shot her a quick grin.

"Well, I had a lovely evening." He spoke over his shoulder as he practically dragged her to the door. She stumbled in an attempt to keep up with his pace. At the door he pointedly stared at her, causing her to realize he waited for her to open it. She fumbled through the mess she called a purse to find the key. She turned to him and smiled as she studied him through the cover of her eyelashes.

"Would you like to come in for a nightcap? I have wine…or coffee…or tea, or…." She stuttered to a stop, unsure of what to say.

God, she sounded like such an idiot.

Nightcap?

Who the heck said nightcap anymore?

"While I'd love to take you up on that offer, I have something I have to take care of tonight. Could I get a rain check? For say,tomorrow night? We could do a movie and wine? Or is tomorrow too soon in the dating world?"

"No, not too soon at all. I'd love to see you tomorrow."She tried to hide her disappointment behind a bright smile. "You can call me,and we'll firm up a time. Good night."

She turned to go inside and got caught off-guard when he grabbed her elbow and spun her to face him. It happened so quickly she leaned back against the door in confusion; one hand on the doorknob and the other braced against the cool steel of the door. He moved his body closer to hers and placed his hand at her head. His other hand cupped her cheek while his thumb stroked her jaw line. All thought fled as his body pressed against hers, and a small swoosh of air escaped her lips at his touch.

"I didn't think it even possible for you to grow more beautiful, but you have proven me wrong." When his lips met hers, she lost all thought, all ability to move. She'd somehow been tied to this spot—this man.

Trailer

Happy New Year? by Misa Buckley & Giveaway!!

Happy New Year?

So, 2012. The weather is screwy, we're being buzzed by asteroids and dire predictions that the world is going to end abound. So are you making resolutions regardless or just planning on hiding in a hole until the year is out?

This past year has seen me straddle the hurdle of publication: Ironhaven (ironically a romance set at a time when the world is ending) was put out by Decadent Publishing. As with many life experiences, being thrust out into the literary world has had good points and bad, but I've learnt, grown up a little and plan to strike bigger and better in 2012.

I've sold a Paranormal Romance to Champagne Books. My sneaky acquisitions editor took a peek at my National Novel Writing Month page when I Tweeted about winning and is bugging me about the Science Fiction Romance that was up on there. There's a second SFR that I'm in the process of rewriting (save, save, SAVE your in-progress manuscripts – unless you want to rewrite 20K+ worth of story) that I also plan on offering.

And that's not all! I'll also be editing a SFR anthology – Venus Ascendant – as well as self-publishing my web-serialised novella, Paradigm Shift. And in the midst of all this, there will be cover art to discuss and edits to make on Eleanor's Heart ahead of its release in July!

So there's no hiding in a hole for me – if the world is going to end, then I'm going out doing what I love. Writing (well, it's that or I'll watch Stargate SG-1…)

~Misa Buckley http://misabuckley.com/

Ironhaven blurb:

Earth is dying, and Lucian Hoyt is going to die with it thanks to his parents cancelling his pass aboard the last shuttle off the planet.

There is hope, though – a brilliant inventor has come up with a plan to build a ship to evacuate those who've been left behind.
That inventor turns out to be Genevieve Scott, Lucian's bitter ex-fiancee. If they're going to work together to get off this planet, they need to put their past aside, but even melting the ice between them can't erase all the scars.

Giveaway!

Leave a comment before January 1st for your chance to WIN a copy of Ironhaven. Winner will be chosen at random.

When You're In Space, Nobody Can Hear You Scream … by Marva Dasef

When You're In Space,

Nobody Can Hear You Scream…

Happy Holidays!

Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid Al-fitr are behind us, at least on the Earth calendar, and almost to New Year's Day. When writing science fiction, dealing with multiple worlds and cultures is common. The question is how do these people coordinate between each other.

In my SFR, "Ultimate Duty," human space is under the power of the monolithic SemCorp. Created when the Semyon-Bratva Cartel merged with Canopis Corporation, SemCorp evolved into the de facto government. Eventually, twenty-three inhabited worlds merged into a massive commercial enterprise. At first, the individual planets maintained separate governments, but over the years, they became superfluous and all but disappeared.

I had to decide how the disparate worlds kept on a schedule. After all, merchant freighters have to know when to make pick ups from one world, and the destination for the merchandise needs to know when it will arrive.

The easiest method, and one enforceable when all the planets are under the thumb of a single entity is to set every planet's "clock" in relation to each other. I settled on using earth time because I found it easier to deal with as a writer, and readers didn't have to figure out some esoteric clock/calendar system.Obviously, those twenty-three worlds will not only have a different clock depending on the rotation of the planet on its axis, but each will also have a different length of year. So different days, different years. How do you keep a calendar so you know when to celebrate New Year's or the Chairman's birthday or whatever?

Feeling the holiday spirit yet?

Another characteristic of the worlds is that each was settled by a particular earth group. My heroine's home world, Acadia, was originally by French speaking people are Canadian, French, and Cajun people of the old (defunct) United States. The hero is from a Brazilian-based planet called Brasilia. New Mecca became home to Muslims. Deutchlund inhabited by Germans, and so on.I thought not, but let me forge ahead anyway.

You'd think that all the settled planets would be a mixture of all kinds of earth races (extraterrestrials haven't made an appearance yet, but who can blame them). And hundreds years after settling, most of the planets are as polyglot as many countries are today.

But people tend to hold to traditions, so it's easy to imagine that the French, Brazilian, and German based planets still celebrated some type of Christmas holiday. The only religion I comment on is the Muslim population of New Mecca. There's a reason for that which you'll discover if you read the book. And to that purpose, I'll be giving away an ebook or two. Just leave a comment with some facsimile of your email address to win a PDF of "Ultimate Duty."

ULTIMATE DUTY

by Marva Dasef http://marvadasef.com/ http://mgddasef.blogspot.com/

Publisher Eternal Press http://www.eternalpress.biz/book.php?isbn=9781615722280

Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxaTLrg5c5A

Amazon ebook: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B004ASND8O

Blurb:

Remy Belieux, a woman born into a life of servitude on a repressive factory planet, is desperate for a different life. When she's accepted into the Space Service Academy, run by the organization that enslaves her planet, she discovers the truth behind generations of rebellion. Now, she must decide what to believe, where her ultimate duty lies, and fight for more than her life against impossible odds.

Excerpt:

Remy and Garrett arrived at the outer wall path that led to the dock ports. Remy hoped at least one shuttle was still attached to the station. She dropped to the floor and peered down the slope of the passageway. Two guards stood at the entrance to bay 5. Luckily, they faced the opposite direction. Remy slid back and pointed silently, then held up two fingers. Garrett nodded and pointed left and then at himself. Remy nodded.

With no way to get any closer unseen, they must use speed instead. Both stepped back a couple of paces, so they'd hit the corner at full tilt. A nod from Garrett, and they sprinted through the twenty meters separating them from the guards. One guard turned to look only when Remy and Garrett were close enough to attack. The guard yelled, "Halt!" as he raised the barrel of his blaster. The second guard turned with a confused expression and didn't manage to raise his own weapon before Remy reached him.

Remy felt her mind and body slip into fighting mode. Time slowed for her, and she noted every detail of the guard's stance. She leaped high in the air, her legs coiled like springs. The second guard finally lifted his rifle but never had the chance to fire. Remy drove both feet into his abdomen, slamming him against the wall with the force of her strike. In the low gravity she landed easily on her feet crouched and ready. She crossed her arms against her torso, grabbing the guard's belt with her left hand and prepared to strike with her right. The man's eyes widened when Remy's backhand arced toward him. The force of the blow across his jaw sent him tumbling to the floor.

Founder's Day – An exclusive short from Cathy Pegau & Giveaway!!

Founder's Day by Cathy Pegau

Zia drew in a long, slow breath, letting the warm salt and floral tinged air of Pacifica fill her lungs, and released it with a contented sigh. The cooling pad beneath her provided the perfect barrier between the hot, lavender sand while countering the heat of the sun's rays baking her from above. Optimum comfort was promised and delivered. Somewhere in the distance, she heard shouts and laughter of others, but no one close enough to bother her mid day repose.

She'd never allowed herself time to relax like this back on Nevarro. It was always work work work, stress stress stress. But since coming to the resort planet two months ago, she'd slowly let go of the natural drive that had seen her become VP of Research and Development for one of the top mining companies on Nevarro before she'd reached her thirty-fifth standard year.

Correction: Former Vice President.

Being on Pacifica was the  result of her forced departure from Exeter Mining, but she was so very lucky to be here. And even luckier to be here with the woman she loved. Those last few months on Nevarro had been strenuous, and had nearly killed both her and Liv. They were safe now, taking a short holiday while they figured out where to go next.

Eyes closed, her breathing and heart rate synchronized with the lulling sound of the surf against the soft sand. Zia forced herself not to dwell on the worries of what they'd do to make their living after the visit to Pacifica was over. They'd figure it out soon enough. Right now, she just wanted to soak in the sun while she waited for Liv to join her.

"Happy Founder's Day."

Reluctant to rouse from her doze, but responding to the familiar voice, Zia opened one eye just wide enough to see Liv standing over her. Liv's short dark hair flittered in the sea breeze, haloing her head. Like Zia, she wore a snug one piece outfit. The strapless garment showed off Liv's lithe body, and Zia smiled in appreciation. "We're not on Nevarro anymore, hon. They don't celebrate Founder's Day here."

Every day was a celebration on the resort planet. How could it not be in a world marketed specifically for its just-hot-enough beaches, placid oceans, and low, rolling hills?

"I know." Liv held out a red and silver box slightly larger than her fist. "Here."

Zia rose to lean on her elbows. She'd assumed that leaving Nevarro meant they wouldn't celebrate. Apparently she'd been wrong. "Sweetness, I didn't think we'd be observing the day. I didn't get you anything—"

"Don't be ridiculous." She shook the box. "Just open it."

Zia sat up and crossed her legs as she gave Liv a reproachful look. They often exchanged gifts—flowers or small tokens—without the expectation of reciprocation, but Founder's Day was a major holiday on Nevarro, with parades and parties scheduled across the planet. Not that she'd participated in many. Work had always come first, and the few times she had someone to share the festivities with, she'd felt a certain amount of resentment if she had projects pending.

But things were different now. She was different now. And it was all because of Liv.

Smiling, Zia took the box and gave it an experimental shake. Neither heavy nor rattling, whatever it was thumped against the sides. Slowly, she ran her finger under the edge of the paper.

Liv bounced on the balls of her feet, sinking deeper into the sand. "You're doing that on purpose."

"What?" Zia asked, widening her eyes in mock innocence. Liv was not the most patient person; in some things, anyway. She finished loosening the paper and set it on the pad. Lifting the top off the box, she stared down at the circle of white fur inside. "Is it alive?"

"No, silly." Liv huffed dramatically and reached in. With a flick of her wrists, she held a furry disc in each hand connected by a springy, flat band wrapped in the same material.

"Ear muffs?"

"Put them on."

The grin on her face made her look like a kid, and Zia couldn't help but smile back despite her confusion. "It's over 34 degrees. Not exactly ear muff weather."

A sly glint lit Liv's brown eyes. "Put them on and come with me."

What was she up to? Zia set the furry head gear over her ears, muffling the sound of the ocean waves. Liv extended a hand to help her up. When Zia was on her feet, she kissed Liv's cheek. "They're great, but—"

Liv covered Zia's mouth with her own, eliciting a moan of desire from Zia as heat flashed from her breasts to her groin. God, she loved kissing this woman. Before Zia could deepen the kiss, Liv broke away and started toward the cottage they shared, tugging Zia along by the hand. "Come on."

Feeling a little silly mincing across the scorching sand while wearing ear muffs, Zia wondered what Liv had in store. The breeze off the ocean tossed her long hair over her shoulders, but the ear muffs kept it out of her face. Another change since being with Liv; she used to wear her hair up and controlled.

The sweet scent of the false hibiscus blooming beside the cottage drifted on the air as they walked to the rear door. Like the other dwellings further along the beach, the white-washed exterior reflected the sun's heat while the blue roof tiles collected and converted its energy for use.

Liv stopped on the slate porch of the rear entrance and let go of Zia's hand. Instead of opening the door, she reached behind the carved stone bench beside it. She turned around, a long, puffy coat the color of putty in each hand.

Zia took a coat from her, one eyebrow cocked in a silent question.

"Humor me," Liv said. She shrugged into the other coat, closed it up to her throat, and withdrew her own ear muffs from the deep pocket. "And hurry up before I melt in this thing."

Zia donned the garment as Liv reached behind the bench again. The coat came down to Zia's shins. It was already getting too hot, and she was grateful for the cool stone beneath her feet.

"These too." Liv handed Zia a pair of fur-lined boots.

She brushed the sand off her feet and did as she was told. The boots felt awkward and alien after weeks of running barefoot on the sand or with the thinnest of sandals when propriety demanded shoes.

Liv put on her own pair, a grin still splitting her face. "All right. Now, close your eyes."

Zia complied. She had an idea what Liv had done, considering the cold weather gear she currently wore on a beach planet, but didn't want to spoil it. Part of a gift was the giver's anticipation. Goodness knows she was just as delighted to give Liv some trinket as Liv was to receive it. She felt Liv's fingers entwine with her own and gently squeezed them. Liv squeezed back.

The door clicked open. A burst of icy air hit Zia's face and she instinctively sucked in a breath. Beneath the coat, her body gave a reactionary shiver, even though it was well protected. Her sudden inhalation brought with it a distinct metallic hint to the air. Just like Nevarro's. How had Liv dropped the temp in the short time Zia had been out of the house? How had she managed the very taste of the air? The enviro controls must be pushed to their limits.

"Don't open your eyes," Liv admonished.

She ushered Zia in and the door closed behind them. In her mind's eye, Zia saw the layout of their little cottage by the sea. They'd entered the enclosed porch with a long, low couch she and Liv often used during their evening meal so they could watch the peach and purple sunsets. From the outside, the one-way windows appeared to be solid walls, giving them complete privacy while enjoying the view. And each other.

Through the arched doorway and to the left was the kitchen where Liv sometimes cooked their meals, but more often than not they had the Compu-Chef whip up something.

Liv led her to the right, into the small living room. After a day in the luscious heat of Pacifica, Zia's cheeks felt frozen even though it was probably only ten degrees C. A trace of some tantalizing scent came to her. Cinnamon? Hard to say with her nose as cold as it was.

"Over this way." They approached the place where a low table sat between two chairs and a short couch. Instinctively, Zia swerved away from what would be the corner of the table.

"Now sit," Liv said, taking her shoulders and easing her down to the couch.

Trusting her lover, though still not quite sure what to expect, she sat on the edge of the seat. Liv moved away and busied herself in front of Zia. Though she listened hard, she couldn't determine what Liv was doing. A few taps, a muted beep. The urge to peek nearly overwhelmed her, but she didn't want to ruin Liv's surprise. Whatever she had planned was important to her, and that meant it was important to Zia. After a moment, Zia felt a wave of warmth cut through the cold.

"Open your eyes."

Zia opened them and gasped in delight, the cold all but forgotten. The entire living room was lit with strings of tiny white lights. The table had been moved aside, and on the bare floor in front of her was a roaring fire encircled by smooth stones. The hologram looked and felt so real, Zia's nose warmed. Liv stood near the table. On the honey-colored surface waited a platter of pastries, a basket of huskberries, and a colorful coffee pot with two matching mugs.

"I couldn't find a Founder's Day flag here," Liv said, her breath coming out in a silvery puff, "and getting one shipped over was more credits than I could justify."

"It's amazing." Zia's voice caught around the lump in her throat as a surge of love squeezed her chest. "I can't believe you did all of this."

Liv shrugged, but the smile on her beautiful face told Zia she was pleased with Zia's reaction. "I programmed the Chef with a recipe I found for the pastries. They're pretty close. And the cocoa is good. Had to fight to override the temp setting. Seems the Chef couldn't quite understand why I wanted such a hot drink here."

Zia laughed. Leave it to Liv to argue with a kitchen appliance.

Liv's grin faded a little as she continued. "What happened on Nevarro probably isn't stuff either one of us wants to remember." She knelt in front of Zia and grasped her hands. Cool skin warmed quickly when their palms came together. "But it's where we met, and I never want to forget that. By leaving like we did, we never had the chance to share one of my favorite holidays."

She released  Zia's hands and rose to pour cocoa—the Nevarro Founding Father's preferred beverage and a tradition of the holiday—into each of the  mugs. Passing one to Zia, Liv sat beside her. The mug radiated enough heat to warm her hands while the delectable scent of chocolate made her mouth water.

She sipped the rich beverage and smiled. Careful of the hot drinks, Zia kissed Liv's cheek. "I will never forget this. Thank you."

Liv took the mug from her and set both back on the table. "There's one more thing."

She rose, taking Zia's hand again, and led her toward the bedroom.

Zia's smile broadened. This was definitely going to be one of her better Founder's Days.

Liv glanced at her as she pushed the door open and moved aside. Zia stepped into the room and her mouth dropped open. Flames flickered from dozens of white candles that filled every flat surface except the white fur-covered bed. The scent of wax and cinnamon tinged the icy air.

"How?" Was all Zia could manage.

"I've be getting things together for the past two weeks," she said. "It's not easy keeping surprises hidden from you." Liv took Zia's hand and led her to the bed. She ran her fingers under the closure of the coat and pushed the garment off Zia's shoulders. The chill air on her chest made her shiver. "I took advantage of your time down at the beach. Now I'm going to take advantage of you."

Eyeing the promise of the fur on the bed, Zia's nipples tightened from the cold and from the anticipation of what was to come. She covered Liv's mouth with her own as she opened Liv's coat and ran her hands up her lover's arms to her shoulders and neck. She threaded her fingers through Liv's hair and deepened the kiss. Liv's arms came around Zia's waist, one hand at the small of her back, pulling their bodies together, and the other working the closure of her beach frock.

"Hurry," Zia said as she lowered her hands to Liv's clothing and did the same. "I'm freezing."

They peeled each other out of their clothes and kicked off the fur-lined boots. Despite the cold, Zia stopped for a moment to stare at Liv. The Pacifica sun had darkened her skin to a golden brown that glowed in the candlelight. Cold and arousal made her nipples pebble, and Zia couldn't stop herself from reaching out to caress Liv's breast.

Liv sucked in a breath and moved closer, her hands skimming along Zia's sides and up to her chest as their mouths came together. Tongues twined and heat blossomed throughout Zia's body. Liv's scent filled her, increasing Zia's need to have her.

One hand at Zia's breast and the other at her waist, Liv eased her around and guided her backward toward the bed. Zia's legs hit the side. As she lowered herself, still kissing Liv, she reached out and flipped back the fur blanket. They broke the kiss only long enough to get into bed, but kept one hand on each other as they moved, neither willing to lose contact with soft, hot skin even for a moment. Zia realized they both still wore their ear muffs, but didn't care.

Liv covered Zia's body with her own, her weight and they way they fit together giving Zia a sense of contentment she'd relished for the last two months. Breast to breast, stomach to stomach, thighs pressing between legs, she couldn't think of any other place she'd rather be than in the chilled room with the woman she loved.

Liv pulled the fur around the two of them, creating a cocoon of warmth. Only their heads were exposed, and Zia delighted in the contrast of the nip in the air while her body heated beneath Liv's as they kissed. After several breathless moments, Liv lifted herself away, her gaze wandering over Zia's face from brow to eyes to lips.

Zia cocked her head. "What? What are you thinking?"

Their gazes met and Liv smiled. Zia's insides melted. "I'm thinking," Liv said, "how I'm very grateful Carmine Nevarro discovered keracite on that cold rock, otherwise we wouldn't be here. I love you."

Zia ran her fingers through Liv's hair and drew her back down for a kiss. "Love you too. Happy Founder's Day."

**********************************

Liv and Zia met when Liv was on a job to steal from her. Read how theft and betrayal turned into desire and love in Rulebreaker from Carina Press http://tinyurl.com/452do63

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Visit Cathy at her website http://www.cathypegau.com, her blog http://cathypebau.blogspot.com, or on Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/CathyPegau

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