Tonya R. Moore's Blog: Tonya R. Moore, page 36
May 3, 2016
Starchaser & Slumfairy Now Free
Slumfairy and Starchaser are short stories, a preview of The Advent of Hegira, my current work in progress. I have decided to make these short stories free to download, while I work on The Advent of Hegira.
THE LORE OF HEGIRA
Hegira is a behemoth, home to thousands of sapient alien races. The ship of legend��left behind by a nearly extinct race of beings called Starchasers is a powerhouse barreling across galaxies. Many seek to take control of the leviathan, but to rule this ship, one must control her pilot.
Sesili, Hegira���s current pilot, is dying. There are two candidates to take her place, Sumida and Laila.��Laila and Sumida are on the run from Koros and the Merchant Guild, two factions seeking to take control of Hegira. The pair must meet up on the planet Tilaat Amat, in order to make their way back to Hegira, despite the murderous efforts of assassins and the machinations of power-hungry deviants.
DOWNLOAD NOW
Slumfairy
$0.99$0.00
Author: Tonya R Moore
Series: Hegira
Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Space Opera
Tags: adventure, aliens, strong female characters
Sumida is everything Bex isn't. She is soft-spoken. Inhuman. Sheltered. She's about to turn Bex's world upside down. More info ���
Starchaser
$0.99$0.00
Author: Tonya R Moore
Series: Hegira, Book 2
Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Space Opera
Tags: adventure, aliens, strong female characters
Laila is on a mission to save her home, a leviathan ship named Hegira. More info ���
The post Starchaser & Slumfairy Now Free appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
May 2, 2016
Excerpt #2: The Advent of Hegira
Hegira is a behemoth, home to thousands of alien races. Many seek to take control of the leviathan, but to rule this ship, one must control her pilot.
Starchaser Laila sets out across the galaxies in search of the ultimate trump card to help her to wrest control of Hegira from those who would seek to steal her ancient birthright. Laila’s pride and passion war with love, fear and her inferiority complex caused by her luminous and beautiful rival Sumida. Starchaser Sumida is accompanied by the mercenary, Bex Atria and a psychotic alien named Klang. Her survival will depend on three things: dumb luck, Bex’s talent for weaseling out of a sticky situation and Klang’s penchant for secretly murdering anything that threatens the well-being of his beloved Bex.
EXCERPT #2
The Truth About Klang
Sumida smells the blood before she even opens the warehouse door. At first, her brain can’t even process what she’s looking at. In the dim light, she can at first, only make out a bunch of dark shapes on the ground. Then her eyes adjust. She gasps in horror. She’s looking at ruined bodies. Bodies torn to pieces. Blood of various hues splattered everywhere. Sumida’s gut lurches. There’s brain matter. There are scattered limbs. There’s spilled guts.
They’re mercenaries, she can tell from the way they’d dressed and the weapons they carried, weapons that have been rendered useless by whatever had set upon them with viciousness Sumida couldn’t even imagine. Sumida knows only of one species capable of killing with such ferocity. This was the handiwork of a Bolen. A real, hardcore Bolen.
One mercenary is still alive. His weak, agonized moans reach Sumida. There’s a flutter of movement. Sumida stands there, frozen to the spot, as her suspicion is confirmed. Klang towers over the ruined bodies. Klang is four armed, quadruple jointed, and deceptively delicate but all Sumida can see at the moment is a killing machine. A perfect killing machine. The blood-splattered, alien beast that stands over that last survivor, brings his foot down and stomps the life out of him is a monster, not her soft-spoken friend.
Sumida draws in a sharp breath. Instinct says that if he sees her right now, he’ll kill her too. If he knows she’s seen him, she’ll be dead in an instant. She closes her eyes and backs out of the warehouse but not quickly enough. There’s a rush of wind. In an instant, the overpowering scent of blood intensifies. Sumida can’t move. Can’t run. Can’t scream.
Icy fingers grip her shoulders so tightly she wants to cry out from the pain but she’s too scared.
“You saw, didn’t you?” Comes the deadly whisper.
“I d-didn’t see anything!” She stammers.
Klang’s grip on her shoulders tightens. “Don’t lie.” His voice is hollow and cold.
“Alright! I saw,” she cries. “Please don’t kill me,” she whimpers.
For what seems like an eternity, they stand there. Sumida can only wait to see what he will do. Seconds tick by. She swallows hard and prays to whatever gods are listening out here in the cold vastness of space.
He lets go abruptly and retreats into the dark.
Sumida stumbles backward and out into the light. She falls on her butt, scrambles to her feet.
She doesn’t know this violent creature! This is not a Klang she knows. Not the Klang she travels with. Laughs with. Trades stories with.
She runs. She runs all the way back to their ship. She doesn’t stop until she is inside the ship and in the presence of Klang’s beloved human, Bex. Bex is blue. Bex is strong. Is she strong enough to stop a murderous Klang?
Follow This Work in Progress
Excerpts and Other Posts about The Advent of Hegira
The post Excerpt #2: The Advent of Hegira appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
April 29, 2016
On the Brink: Omnibus
On the Brink is an omnibus comprised of some of my older and some of my newer scifi, horror, and urban fiction.
The following stories are included in On the Brink:
Delilah – two women with shadowy pasts gravitate towards each other.
Devious Machine – Ginger, an android, is dispatched to free the denizens of a smart-city gone mad.
Gatherer – a spirit medium tries to pin down a ghost.
Going Dark – survivors of a spaceship accident land on different worlds.
Mermaid – a mermaid encounters land.
Skin Dancer – a traveler meets a shapeshifter in a rural bar.
Sledgehammer – space miners encounter a legendary asteroid.
Space Age Mermaid – an astronaut dreams in hypersleep.
Sweet Belladonna – Sofie Tenna’s blood contract with the legendary vampire, Andromeda Five goes awry.
The Last Archangel – an experimental pilot and her starship come under fire after picking up a distress signal from one of their kind.
Tightrope Cat – a primeval monster brings an urban nightmare to life.
Witch and Spider – far future witch meets earth deity.
On the Brink$3.99
Author: Tonya R Moore
Genres: Adult Fiction, Horror, Literary Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Space Opera, Urban Fantasy
Tags: adventure, aliens, androids, artifical intelligence, creatures, interstellar phenomena, lesbian romance, LGBT, monsters, robots, strong female characters, supernatural, tragedy, vampires, vampires in space
Length: Short Stories
Publication Year: 2016
ASIN: B01EXQ49JE
ISBN: 9781311086792
An omnibus of scifi, horror, and urban fiction
Overview
In this omnibus: two women with shadowy pasts gravitate towards each other. Ginger, an android, is dispatched to free the denizens of a smart-city gone mad. A spirit medium tries to pin down a ghost. Survivors of a spaceship accident land on different worlds. A mermaid encounters land. A traveler meets a shapeshifter in a rural bar. An astronaut in hypersleep. Space miners encounter a legendary asteroid. Sofie Tenna’s blood contract with the legendary vampire, Andromeda Five goes awry. An experimental pilot and her starship come under fire after picking up a distress signal from one of their kind. A primeval monster brings an urban nightmare to life. Far future witch meets earth deity.
The post On the Brink: Omnibus appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
April 28, 2016
Halfway House
The afternoon sun was warm on my face. Even hours later, I would remember this moment. I stood staring up at the sky, shielding my eyes against the brilliance. I would remember because I could hear birds singing all around me, idly basking in their dust-laden tranquility. I would remember my heart lifting a little, as it always seemed to do these days. My gaze swept across the outer walls of the old house that had been bequeathed to me by some distant relative whose face I barely even remembered. It was starting to feel like, finally, there was a place in this world where even I might belong.
I took my time making my way up the paved pathway to the front door. I was making lists in my head of things that needed to be done. The roof was in desperate need of repairs. Better get it done now before the rainy season arrived. The ivy that crept up the latticed walls needed to be trimmed somehow. It was suffocating the walls, and I was sure that a lovely window or two had been covered up by the relentless greenery.
I would remember uneasiness suddenly sliding into my bones. My hand froze in mid-air as I reached for the knob to the front door. Oh yes, I shuddered. There was That. The reason my first night in this rambling old house was spent with my back to the wall and baseball bat poised for a fight. The reason why as soon as I mentioned where it was I was staying; the friendly people of this quaint little town promptly replaced their smiles with stony glares and made a wide berth around me, should any of them happen to cross paths with me on the street.
Screw that, I scoffed silently and shrugged. Being some backwater outcast didn’t really have a profound effect on me. How was that any different from anywhere I’d ever been?
The thing was, though–I reached for the knob again tentatively–I never quite knew what to expect. I think that was the most daunting quality of this strange aspect to my new home. I actually had to summon the nerve to push the door open and cross the threshold. It took a bit longer to open my eyes, which had been squeezed shut-bracing myself against another disaster like the night before. The place had been wrecked, completely and utterly wrecked. My heart ached a little just thinking about it. It had taken me from the early hours of morning through late morning to set the house back to rights after my previous “guest” had departed. My nose crinkled. The air was thick with the scent of incense. That was what made me open my eyes, and I smiled in surprise.
Everything was in order but fundamentally different, nonetheless.
It was dark inside, so shadowy that I forgot how brilliant it had been outside, only moments earlier. The ivy that clogged the walls kept the daylight out too. I ventured farther inside and turned the corner into the living room. My eyes widened. There was a row of tea lights along one wall, flames dancing jerkily although there was no breeze. Along the opposite wall, the job was half done. A woman garbed in a deep red sari was lining up more candles and lighting them one by one. She turned when I entered the room, bowed her head in polite greeting briefly before returning to her task.
“Hello,” I murmured lamely. What else was I supposed to say?
She lit another candle and turned towards me. Her veil fell away, and I got my first clear look at her face. She was beautiful. Not young. Her face had a weathered sort of serenity that reminded me of knobby trees that had fallen in the forest. The aged thickness carpeted by cracked bark that always hummed with a primal sort of energy, begging to be touched. She stared at me intently-not critically or with hostility. She had a sharp and interested gaze.
My heart sank when her smile tilted curiously. She seemed so bewildered. So lost. I was reaching deep inside my mind for some inkling of what to do, some way that I could be useful. My great-aunt that I never even knew had left me this house but no instructions on how to deal with the things that happened here.
The only clue she had left behind had been a hesitantly scrawled note. “Don’t desert them. Just use your heart.”
What the hell was that even supposed to mean?
Well, here I was, and something told me that any sensible person would have run away from that house screaming, never to return after that first one appeared in the dead of night. Yet, this place felt like home. My home. Even momentary bouts of panic and terror couldn’t usurp that feeling of belonging. I didn’t know what they wanted, and they seemed to always be gone by morning.
This one, though, was different. Lost though she may be, she didn’t seem as disoriented or demented as the rest.
“I can’t seem to remember how I got here.”
That last word ended on an expectant lilt. She was waiting, I realized, my spirits plummeting. I cursed lightly under my breath. “Well, do you know why you’re here?” It was a stupid question I know. I was stalling, OK?
“I do not,” she answered softly.
Not what I wanted to hear. Oh god, I thought. She doesn’t know. I’m going to have to tell her. This was the part I hated most. So far, it almost never ended well. She moved suddenly, surging upright, and I quailed inwardly with shame as I scrambled backward a few steps. Inspiration struck.
“Do you remember your name?”
“Sarasvati.” When she said it, joy split across her face, as if she had reclaimed something precious that had been lost.
“Are you here to teach me something?”
Her eyes widened. “You?” Her hand went to her throat, exposing an intricate and achingly beautiful mehndi.
So much for that. I cleared my throat. “Or maybe, do you need something from me?”
She edged closer. So close that I could feel her breathing and smell the perfume on her skin, which was odd considering the present circumstances.
“I…” her voice fell to a helpless whisper.
“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure if I was apologizing for my ignorance or for what I was about to tell her.
She surprised me by smiling. “Not all who come to you will be ignorant.”
“Then you know?”
She nodded benignly, drawing closer. “It’s fairly obvious.” She looked around curiously, her eyes lingering on the weathered moldings and filigreed details of the hall mirror. “This place?”
I shrugged. “A transition point of some sort?”
She chuckled. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”
It rankled.
I scowled. “I just moved into this crazy house a week ago! And I never cared much for metaphysics anyway.”
My grumbled retort sounded lame and nonsensical even to my own ears. She turned away to face her handiwork. The soft glow of the candles she set out licked at the walls. There was something poignant about that simple gesture, lights set out in the darkness by the dead. She remained silent for a while. Just when I thought she must have forgotten I was even there she looked up.
“Souls are just travelers,” she murmured. “Yes?”
I smiled. “I’d like to think so.”
Suddenly I knew exactly what I was supposed to say.
I gestured toward the candles she had put out. “Tell me about the candles, Sarasvati. Tell me what you remember about your life.”
The post Halfway House appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
April 25, 2016
Mythology of the Future
What is it that makes human dreams?
Why is it that we create stories of heroes and heroines whose adventures span galaxies?
Why is it that our dreams are so big – so fantastic, when the true “known universe” barely extends beyond the heliosphere?
I think about my childhood—of reading books by men like Asimov, Bradbury, Niven and books by women like McCaffrey. They planted all these wild ideas of possible futures in my head, indirectly shaping the evolution of my imagination.
When I was a child, everything that I yearned for seemed to be things that only existed beyond the stars.
Even now, at night, I’m always looking to the sky for something I cannot name.
There’s no denying that there’s beauty in the world and miracles in the way it breathes and carries us in it. Still, we’ve demystified so much of it. Long gone are the Moby Dicks, sea monsters, and Shambhalas of the world. Almost every supernatural myth that we re-tell or reinvent to thrill ourselves is borrowed from something ancient.
You tell me, what will be the mythology of the future?
The post Mythology of the Future appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
April 24, 2016
The Tao of Otaku – Spoilers!
I’m geeking out over anime and other cool stuff with the awesome guys over at Tao of Otaku in this week’s episode of the Tao of Otaku Podcast.
Listen to Episode
The Tao of Otaku on Twitter | The Tao of Otaku on Facebook
The post The Tao of Otaku – Spoilers! appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
April 22, 2016
Cat Skin – New at Patreon
Cat Skin is about a certain doctor’s encounter with a patient in a facility for the criminally insane.
For those who are quick to take offense, please note that my intentions are not, by any means, to take issues of mental illness for granted. I have my own issues too, so I’m also sympathetic to those who experience mental illness.
Once you read the story, you’ll understand that’s not even what it is about.
I like to explain what inspired each of these flashfics that I post on Patreon but I’m really not sure where exactly the idea for this one came from. It just sort of popped into my head. That’s how it is sometimes, I guess.
Cat Skin was posted on Patreon for everyone to freely enjoy.
In March 2016, I began posting the best of my science fiction, fantasy, and horror flash fiction on Patreon. A brand new flashfic will be posted each month. Additionally, I will be posting other creative material such as poetry and my older flash fiction for readers (and some, for listeners) to enjoy.
Readers who like my short works of fiction can become Patrons. Patrons can pledge any amount, starting at $1 per month. You don’t have to be a Patron to read the stories I share but if you’d like to support my work, becoming a Patron gives you a way to show support.
CLICK TO READ “CAT SKIN”
Index of all my Fiction on Patreon
The post Cat Skin – New at Patreon appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
April 19, 2016
Salome
Their paths crossed on a rainy day, amidst one of those hot summer showers that come tumbling down out of the blue.
Starving for caffeine, Salome emerged from her dark little world, long enough to brave the streets crowded with hapless day workers and tourists seeking shelter from the wet, the lightning and the thunder.
By the time she reached Cafe Blue, the rain had stopped. The bell over the door chimed as she shook and folded her umbrella. She caught a whiff of oddly familiar cologne but it registered too late. She was already head to chest with the man stepping outside.
“Sorry, I really should—” Her gaze latched onto his.
She didn’t know this man but there was something about the way stood there wordlessly perturbed, head tilted to one side that made it impossible for her to finish her sentence.
There was something, right there on the tip of her tongue, but no never-mind. The audacious buffoon hadn’t moved. He just stood there, blocking her path to that well-deserved espresso.
“Do I know you?” She demanded half exasperated, halfway mystified.
He pasted on a tightly careful smile. “No, I don’t suppose you do.”
He was gone, around the corner and out of sight before she connected the dots.
She suddenly remembered with stark clarity, certain things that she’d once adored. The smell of his breath. The taste of his sweat. The heat emanating from his back. How hearing his voice used to make her feel hollowed out, nothing left inside but longing.
How many years ago was that?
She’d already forgotten his name. She’d forgotten his face. She’d long forgotten that this kind of emotion had ever existed inside her at all.
The post Salome appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
What Was That About Fear?
Twelve thousand feet above ground level, I suddenly remember my fear of heights.
I flinch as the skydiving instructor opens the door above the clouds. The wind comes screaming into the airplane.
Oh, holy crap.
The instructor pats my shoulder, then checks our gear again.
“Good to go!” He yells. “You ready?”
Hell no, I’m not ready!
I swallow hard and nod jerkily. “Sure!” I yell loud enough to be heard over the screaming wind.
I’m shaking. I squeeze my eyes shut as we leap from the airplane. Next thing I know, we’re mid-air, the instructor strapped to my back. We’re like a clumsy turtle plummeting from the sky. Fear rushes up into my mouth from my throat like bile but I can’t even hear myself scream.
“Fear,” I choked, desperately channeling Frank Herbert, “is the mind-killer. I will face my fear. I will. I will—”
My breath starts coming in short, rapids gasps. my heart is hammering hard enough to burst out of my chest. What was that about a bucket list? God, help me. I should have just gone to France instead. Wait. I don’t believe in god, do I? I offer up a quick, silent prayer to the heavens. Somebody up here’s gotta be listening, right?
“Open your eyes!” Yells the instructor. “Trust me!”
I open my eyes. They go wide. The universe tilts on its axis.
We’re falling, falling. The clouds dash by. The ground is rushing up to meet us from so far, far away. The sky is blue. The sea is green. The earth is a kaleidoscope.
What was that about fear? Screw you, fear.
I’m on fire now. I’m a rocket. I’m a meteor. I’m a seabird dive-bombing the green.
The post What Was That About Fear? appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
April 18, 2016
A Little Bit of Inspiration
The other day, I mentioned that I was a bit strapped, creatively speaking. I have been having something of a tough time with The Novel and well… writing anything at all, really. Persistent depression and the after-effects of my medications notwithstanding, it turns out that what I was really needed was a little bit of inspiration.
Here are three places that I happened to find inspiration this weekend.
Litopia’s Flash Club
I recently joined Litopia, an awesome community of writers who have turned out to be very supportive and patient with a n00b such as myself. Litopia has this awesome section called the Flash Club. Each week, a prompt is given and anyone who would like to participate is encouraged to share a piece of flash fiction up to 500 words. I ended up sharing a piece for the 2016 April Week 3 Flash Prompt. I had an amazing amount of fun writing it.
Michael Coorlim’s Random Story Title Generator
I got wind of this awesome tool via Chuck Wendig’s 1000-word Flash Fiction Challenge at www.terribleminds.com. The awesome titles that Chuck provided for this challenge were all courtesy of Michael Coorlim’s Random Story Title Generator. I decided to check it out and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it.
While my particular piece written for this challenge did not meet the 1000-word requirement, I have posted the entry on my blog. The title I chose to work with was The Body Will Not Be Dimensional. Incidentally, I had so much fun working on this that I’ve been toying with the idea of expanding it into a full-length short story. We’ll see.
I keep an “Inspiration” board on Pinterest. I’ve somehow managed to get to a point where I have pinned over 1300 images to this board. Each of these images moved or affected me in some visceral way, which means that at any given moment, I simply have to look at this board and at least one of these images will give me an idea or two for a story.
Feel free to follow this board, and if you haven’t already, I heartily recommend creating one of your own. It is both fun and useful.
Follow Tonya R. Moore's board inspiration on Pinterest.
The post A Little Bit of Inspiration appeared first on TONYA R MOORE.
Tonya R. Moore
- Tonya R. Moore's profile
- 36 followers
