Cary Caffrey's Blog, page 4

SFR BRIGADE PRESENTS: CODENAME: WHITE PRINCESS

Posting from my WiP
TGfA III: Codename: White Princess (working title)

The Girls From Alcyone is the continuing story of two very special young women who find themselves at the heart of a conflict spanning more than forty worlds.



THIS WEEK: A small taste of things to come! This snippet is for people who may have read the last chapter of the last book.

Waking from a horrible nightmare.









She awoke suddenly, sitting up in bed, gasping for air. Her sheets and night clothes were soaked, damp and clinging. She shivered uncontrollably, hugging herself with her arms. But it wasn't the damp pajamas that chilled her, it was the memory, the dream, still fresh in her head.She looked quickly around the bedroom, her head on a swivel, not daring to believe she was home and safe in her bed, when only moments ago she'd been in that—that place. And it wasn't for the first time. No matter the dream, it always ended the same, always ending in that place. She shuddered at the memory. Those men—nameless faces, floating above her, hands touching her, voices laughing. Hugging her knees, she did her best to slow her breathing, calm the pounding in her chest. There, yes, her clothes were still heaped in a pile on the floor where she'd left them, her wristwatch on the nightstand next to the half-drunk glass of water—it was a dream, that was all. Just a dream. It wasn't real.She was back. She was home. It was over. And her name was Flora.


Oh, and don't forget to check out snippets from other SFR Brigade authors here: http://sfrcontests.blogspot.ca/p/sfr-brigade-presents.html?spref=fb!


Cheers, Cary!

SFR Presents: TGfA III: Codename: White Princess (working title)

Posting from my WiP
TGfA III: Codename: White Princess (working title)

The Girls From Alcyone is the continuing story of two very special young women who find themselves at the heart of a conflict spanning more than forty worlds.

THIS WEEK: Just to keep things simple, I'm continuing on from
And, once again, I can't say when or where this scene takes place in the book (no spoilers), or if it will even make the final cut. Who knows!



Markus heard the soft footfalls behind him, though he didn't turn. His wife placed an arm around his waist as she came to rest at his side. He caught the scent of her perfume, bergamot and spice. It was subtle; she only ever wore enough that it would be noticed by someone very close to her, as she was to him now."It's getting worse, isn't it," she said, staring out at the destruction beyond the walls.Markus smiled. If anyone else had said that, he might assume they were looking for reassurance. But Markus knew his wife well. She might be married to him, but she was no bureaucrat, and she could care less about the business of mercenaries or federated corporations. She was a marine. A Kimuran Marine. Destruction, violence—this was her area of expertise. Her comfort zone."General Porter says he can take care of them," she said; Markus caught the chill in her voice. "All you have to do is give the word."This time, Markus did turn to her. "Genocide? Has it really come to that?"
"Self defense," she answered back, and there was no emotion in her voice or on her face.


Oh, and don't forget to check out snippets from other SFR Brigade authors here: http://sfrcontests.blogspot.ca/p/sfr-brigade-presents.html?spref=fb!


Cheers, Cary!

Science-Fiction Romance Brigade Presents...

Posting from my WiP
TGfA III: Codename: White Princess (working title)

The Girls From Alcyone is the continuing story of two very special young women who find themselves at the heart of a conflict spanning more than forty worlds.


THIS WEEK: There's so much I want to post, but everything feels like a massive spoiler. So, instead I'll leave you with this, a hint of things that occurred after then end of the Machines. A taste of things to come? Perhaps.






Markus Emerson stood on the balcony of the manor house overlooking his estate. Smoke rose in the distance, thick and black, covering the city in choking darkness. He could just make out the charred remains of the tenement structures beyond the walls of the Kimuran enclave. Flames licked upward, flares of orange and yellow, stark against the blackened sky. There were more fires this night. Many more. Tonight, the city would burn.They were fools, torching their own homes, their places of business, their own livelihoods. Didn't they realize? No, of course they didn't. This wasn't the work of rational men and women. They were beyond thought, beyond reason. The mob had taken over now, and there was little to do but let the scene play out.No, that wasn't even true. This was beyond rioting, and Markus knew it. This was revolution. And like a wildfire raging, it came, swift and fierce, just as he predicted.He had seen it. He had warned them. Of course, they hadn't listened. And now this.Hitomi's words echoed in his head, the warning spoken so many years ago.All empires must fall.

Oh, and don't forget to check out snippets from other SFR Brigade authors here: http://sfrcontests.blogspot.ca/p/sfr-brigade-presents.html?spref=fb!


Cheers, Cary!

Meet Tara Maya and "The Unfinished Song" fantasy series.

I've just been introduced to the amazing Tara Maya and her 'Unfinished Song' fantasy series. Here's everything you need to know about the book (excerpt included!). Best of all, Initiate (book one) is free on Amazon right now, I think, so check it out!


The Unfinished Song (Book 1): Initiate by Tara Maya

BLURB
DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL...
Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.


AN EXILED WARRIOR...
Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile.


EXCERPT
Blue-skinned rusalki grappled Dindi under the churning surface of the river. She could feel their claws dig into her arms. Their riverweed-like hair entangled her legs when she tried to kick back to the surface. She only managed to gulp a few breaths of air before they pulled her under again. 

She hadn't appreciated how fast and deep the river was. On her second gasp for air, she saw that the current was already dragging her out of sight of the screaming girls on the bank. A whirlpool of froth and fae roiled between two large rocks in the middle of the river. The rusalka and her sisters tugged Dindi toward it. Other water fae joined the rusalki. Long snouted pookas, turtle-like kappas and hairy-armed gwyllions all swam around her, leading her to the whirlpool, where even more fae swirled in the whitewater. 

"Join our circle, Dindi!" the fae voices gurgled under the water. "Dance with us forever!" 

"No!" She kicked and swam and stole another gasp for air before they snagged her again. There were so many of them now, all pulling her down, all singing to the tune of the rushing river. She tried to shout, "Dispel!" but swallowed water instead. Her head hit a rock, disorienting her. She sank, this time sure she wouldn't be coming up again. 

"Dispel!" It was a man's voice. 

Strong arms encircled her and lifted her until her arms and head broke the surface. Her rescuer swam with her toward the shore. He overpowered the current, he shrugged aside the hands of the water faeries stroking his hair and arms. When he reached the shallows, he scooped Dindi into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the grassy bank. He set her down gently. 

She coughed out some water while he supported her back. 

"Better?" he asked. 

She nodded. He was young--only a few years older than she. The aura of confidence and competence he radiated made him seem older. Without knowing quite why, she was certain he was a Tavaedi. 

"Good." He had a gorgeous smile. A wisp of his dark bangs dangled over one eye. He brushed his dripping hair back over his head. 

Dindi's hand touched skin--he was not wearing any shirt. Both of them were sopping wet. On him, that meant trickles of water coursed over a bedrock of muscle. As for her, the thin white wrap clung transparently to her body like a wet leaf. She blushed. 

"It might have been easier to swim if you had let go of that," he teased. He touched her hand, which was closed around something. "What were you holding onto so tightly that it mattered more than drowning?"


LINKS
Tara’s blog http://bit.ly/12dFdNyTara’s Twitter http://bit.ly/162sCtEThe Unfinished Song on Facebook http://on.fb.me/1400mMq
Amazon http://amzn.to/15ciwYcBarnes and Noble http://bit.ly/13yM5DrKobo http://bit.ly/1aFhg1PiTunes http://bit.ly/1baddhNSmashwords http://bit.ly/17zK8Xn

Initiate is free everywhere except on Barnes and Noble (where it’s $0.99). You can download a free .epub version via Smashwords.

SFR BRIGADE PRESENTS - Codename: White Princess, The Girls from Alcyone III

Posting from my WiP
TGfA III: Codename: White Princess (working title)

The Girls From Alcyone is the continuing story of two very special young women who find themselves at the heart of a conflict spanning more than forty worlds.

THIS WEEK: I'm very excited. This is my first posting ever for SFR Brigade Presents. And…it's my first posting from my new WiP TGfA III. 

This scene is from the very beginning of White Princess -- though that might change. But then that's why we call it a work in progress.






The gamblers den lay down a narrow flight of stone steps. Water dripped down the length of the stone wall making the stairs slick and treacherous. Suko took care as she made her way down, keeping one hand against the crumbling mortar of the wall. The noise grew louder ahead: the sounds of music, many voices raised, each person trying to make themselves heard above the din.She counted at least seventy-five persons inside, most of them male, most of them sitting around tables, and engaged in various games of chance. Smoke hung thick in the air, as did the sharp stench of unwashed bodies and spilled ale. And blood.
Pulling back the hood, she shook the rain from her short cloak. Water beaded on the fine black material of her sleek one-piece outfit, dripping down and pooling at her feet. Three men standing by the bar looked up, taking note of her entrance. Suko was in no mood. Casually, she lifted the cloak back over her shoulder to better reveal the large-caliber recoilless holstered to her thigh. The men turned back their ale, wisely choosing drink over any foolhardy attempts at flirtation.

Oh, and don't forget to check out snippets from other SFR Brigade authors here: http://sfrcontests.blogspot.ca/p/sfr-brigade-presents.html?spref=fb!


Cheers, Cary!

Thank You!

The Machines of Bellatrix went live on Amazon this November (2013). We had an amazing opening month, and sales far exceeded my hopes and expectations. Even The Girls From Alcyone had one of its best sales months ever. So, to everyone who picked up a copy…

Thank you!

I promised myself I would never ask this, but here I am, about to break that promise: If you did read Machines, and if you enjoyed it, I would love it if you could take a moment and stop by Amazon and post a short review (or even a long one!). Good reviews are the lifeblood of books, and we Indy Writers can use all the plugs we can get. So, if you have read Machines, or The Girls, please, please post a review. I'll be forever in your debt - if I'm not already.

Now, back to writing TGfA III.

Machines Goes Live!

The Machines of Bellatrix







UPDATED: November 5th

Machines (the sequel to The Girls from Alcyone) is now live on Amazon and available for purchase in the Kindle Store. A paperback and hardcover edition will follow in a few weeks.


SYNOPSIS:
Alcyone is gone. The Independent stronghold on Scorpii is destroyed. Sigrid and her sisters have fled the Federation to make a new home on the remote world of Medea. 

But with a price on her head the size of a planet, and pursued across the galaxy by the Council for Trade and Finance, Sigrid knows she and her sisters are far from safe. As long as there are those who would seek to control them, hunt them, dominate them, they will never be safe.


Unless Sigrid can stop them first.


But to stop them, Sigrid must first find them. But how? And where? Her only clue is a mysterious coded message; one that could serve as either warning or invitation; one that will lead Sigrid to a factory world at the very edge of Federation space, and to a deadly confrontation with her most dangerous enemy yet: the machines of Bellatrix.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

Stop by and give my Facebook Page a like. It's the easiest way to stay in touch! Or, if you like give-aways and goodies, then my Newsletter's the best choice (please add 'Newsletter' to the subject field).

For more info visit me at carycaffrey.com

Cover Reveal: Wasteland Blues, by Scott Christian Carr & Andrew Conry-Murray

 
Of Mice and Men Meets The Odyssey in a Post-Apocalyptic Future
Having only ever known the uncivilized wake of nuclear and biological apocalypse, three friends and their wheelchair-bound hostage set out on a perilous fool’s mission--to cross from one side of the devastated United States to the other, in the desperate, half-believed hope of finding a rumored haven. 
Spurred by a dark vision and the murder of their father, rageaholic Derek Cane and his over-sized, simple-minded brother, Teddy, flee the only home they've ever known, a struggling shantytown on the edge of the vast Wasteland. Heading ever eastward, they are accompanied by their friend, John, an orphan brought up by a fanatical religious order, and Leggy, a crippled old drunk who brags that, in his youth, he once traversed the Wasteland as a scavenger. Wasteland Blues by Scott Christian Carr and Andrew Conry-Murray Cover Art by Bradley Sharp

Post-Apocalyptic novel  coming from Dog Star Books in March 2014  

Cover Reveal for S. Craig Zahler Book

Today I'm sharing the cover reveal for S. Craig Zahler's new book:  CORPUS CHROME INC. from Dog Star Books
 
Who should be given a second chance at life? 
Decades in the future Corpus Chrome, Inc. develops a robotic body, dubbed a “mannequin,” that can revive, sustain and interface with a cryonically-preserved human brain. Like all new technology, it is copyrighted.
Hidden behind lawyers and a chrome facade, the inscrutable organization resurrects a variety of notable minds, pulling the deceased back from oblivion into a world of animated sculpture, foam rubber cars, dissolving waste and strange terrorism. Nobody knows how Corpus Chrome, Inc. determines which individuals should be given a second life, yet myriad people are affected. Among them are Lisanne Breutschen, the composer who invented sequentialism with her twin sister, and Champ Sappline, a garbage man who is entangled in a war between the third, fourth and fifth floors of a New York City apartment building.
In the Spring of 2058, Corpus Chrome, Inc. announces that they will revive Derek W.R. Dulande—a serial rapist and murderer who was executed thirty years ago for his crimes. The public is horrified by the decision, and before long, the company’s right to control the lone revolving door between life and death will be violently challenged….
Corpus Chrome, Inc by S. Craig Zahler Cover Art by Bradley Sharp

Cyberpunk/Transhumanism novel  coming from Dog Star Books in January 2014---
  What They’re Saying About S. Craig Zahler
“Zahler’s a fabulous story teller whose style catapults his reader into the turn of the century West with a ferocious sense of authenticity.”
—Kurt Russell, star of Tombstone, Escape from New York, Dark Blue, and Death Proof

“If you’re looking for something similar to what you’ve read before, this ain’t it. If you want something comforting and predictable, this damn sure ain’t it.  But if you want something with storytelling guts and a weird point of view, an unforgettable voice, then you want what I want, and that is this.”
—Joe R. Lansdale author of Edge of Dark Water

GEAR UP! It's another edition of SciFi Fantasy Saturday.

Posting from my WiP
TGfA II: The Machines of Bellatrix

The Girls From Alcyone is the continuing story of two very special young women who find themselves at the heart of a conflict spanning more than forty worlds.


THIS WEEK: I haven't posted in a while - I wanted to finish this last draft of Freelancer (now TMoB), but now that that's all done (except for the polishing and the editing, and the...well, you know), I'm back.

I don't think this scene needs a setup. You'll figure it out.







"I think you're rather enjoying this," Suko said. She stood with her arms held out while Sigrid coiled the last of the thermite strips around her midriff. Sigrid then began the meticulous task of stitching the hundreds of tiny pinhead grenades into the seam of her bra, more into the waistband of Suko's pants; a trick Chesna had taught her so long ago. "You sure it wouldn't be easier if I took this all off?"Sigrid slapped her hand away; though she couldn't help but smile. "Hush! Now do keep your arms out. There, like that. This will go a lot faster if you stop moving.""But not nearly as much fun."

Oh, and don't forget to check out snippets from other SFFS authors here: scififansat.blogspot.ca! SciFi Fantasy Saturday is a web-ring of fab SciFi & Fantasy writers and posters. All are welcome to join and participate. In fact, join and participate! Ten sentences every Saturday is all it takes.


Cheers, Cary!