Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 13

Tuesday's Title, The Shikari by Sevannah Storm

FEMALE XENO-HUNTER IN SPACE - An alien rat bite triggers superhuman mutations in creature-hunter Mick & could be killing her. Worse, her hunt goes awry, forcing her to choose between saving her lying ass ex-crush or a griffon shifter who stole her heart across parsecs.

Title: The Shikari (Space Hunter Chronicles)

Author: Sevannah Storm

Date of Release: June 25, 2023
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Heat Level: Steamy/Open door

Buy Links:   Books2Read  / Amazon /

Blurb:

Unlike her brilliant xeno-zoologist father, Mikaela can’t keep an alien creature alive. During her futile attempts, an alien rat bite triggers superhuman mutations, changing her into who knows what, and it might be killing her. Desperate to keep her late father’s ship running, she accepts a lucrative contract to tag and bag a dragon-like creature. She teams up with her childhood crush, Kiros, and his merry band of mercenaries.

En route to the faraway Cetus constellation, while fending off attractive Kiros, downright erotic dreams of a yellow-eyed man named Tieren torment her. When Kiros steals her prize and lures her into danger, she must rely on the real and gorgeous Tieren to stop Kiros. The xeno fauna injuring Kiros and Tieren forces her to choose who to save, her lying friend or her new flame who's stolen her heart across parsecs

Behind the Scene: My original idea was a genderswap Witcher in outer space.

Author Bio:

Sevannah's a romantic at heart. Across science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary genres, you will discover new worlds and lovable characters she's created. Her books are action-packed love stories of alpha men meeting stubborn women and finding happily ever after.

Married to a hippo-whisperer and the force-is-with-him, she, a live-long-and-prosper, manages to navigate her world with humor and passion. With two full-grown children, a labrador, a pug, and a kitten named Peanut, her life is filled with chaos and merriment in the center of South Africa. And yes, the weather is sunny and hot.

For more on Sevannah and her works, find her on the web at: https://sevannahstorm.com, and subscribe to her twice-monthly newsletter with freebies, launches, etc.

Or her other online hangouts. She is always delighted to chat with her readers.

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Linktr.ee | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub |

Tuesday's Title, Earth Forged by Sevannah Storm

Quirky Izzy just wants to be loved, y'know. She's done being the protector and wants a turn as a damsel-in-distress, well, without the distress, thank you very much. Oyaz just wants a human female to call his own. Finding one is easy, keeping her is another matter entirely.

Title: Earth Forged (The Gifting)

Author: Sevannah Storm

Date of Release: May 26, 2023
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Heat Level: Steamy/Open door

Buy Links:   Books2Read  / Amazon /

Blurb:

Guilt hounds Izzy, who caused her sister's injury and subsequent blindness. But no matter how she cares for Simone or what she sacrifices, it doesn’t ease the ache in her chest. With Simone and naive Caro, her best friend, Izzy’s role as protector is fully realized. The cost? Hiding behind quirkiness, pseudo-joy, and giving up her hopes and dreams. What she needs is a knight in any armor. After all, beggars can’t be fussy. She has no idea that armor, in her case, means black military and that a knight could come in any color, specifically bronze.

Oyaz wants to find his life force, his soulmate, and he’d like her to be human. Earth’s females are soft, amusing, passionate, and their scents rival a garden of hahyt blossoms. His task is to guard their planet that promises so many salvations for his males. It’s a duty he‘s pleased to perform, one he would die for. When Operations Commander Malo orders Oyaz to retrieve a human female, he’s eager to oblige. That it would lead to his salvation is something he couldn’t anticipate. What he hadn’t planned for is an ambush that costs him more than his memory, the loss of his soulmate.

Now what? Nothing in their training prepared him for this.And yet, despite not remembering kneeling for Izzy, he longs to claim her with every inch of his soul.

Behind the Scene: I listened to Bruce Springsteen on repeat, as if Izzy demanded it.

Author Bio:

Sevannah's a romantic at heart. Across science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary genres, you will discover new worlds and lovable characters she's created. Her books are action-packed love stories of alpha men meeting stubborn women and finding happily ever after.

Married to a hippo-whisperer and the force-is-with-him, she, a live-long-and-prosper, manages to navigate her world with humor and passion. With two full-grown children, a labrador, a pug, and a kitten named Peanut, her life is filled with chaos and merriment in the center of South Africa. And yes, the weather is sunny and hot.

For more on Sevannah and her works, find her on the web at: https://sevannahstorm.com, and subscribe to her twice-monthly newsletter with freebies, launches, etc.

Or her other online hangouts. She is always delighted to chat with her readers.

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Linktr.ee | Twitter | Instagram | Bookbub |

Sea Tribute, Windmaster #WeWriWa #SnippetSunday

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write ... and read!

​Today's excerpt is from Windmaster, the first book of the fantasy, romance series, the Windmaster Novels. To set, the scene, Sea Falcon was attacked by a pirate ship. Thanks to the skill of the crew and the archmage's powers and sword, the ship won the conflict. But it came with a price. The crew's tribute to their lost crewman is told in the post, Burial At Sea. But there is more than human acknowledgement of the boy's sacrifice as he died to save his captain. And now the SundaySnippet, a different kind of tribute to a lost sailor.

* * * *

Excerpt

A crewman’s cry of surprise at the two shipfish who rose alongside the ship broke Ellspeth’s inward focus. She felt the crew’s awe as the sea creatures’ whispery sounds repeated the funeral dirge. Their silver bodies surged upward to balance on split tails. “Almost like the King’s Guard,” a grizzled crewman at the rail offered. His observation of an honor guard came true when two more shipfish surfaced—the body balanced between their large back fins. The Sea Falcon’s crew stood motionless while eerie whistles echoed across the lake. When the final note of the unusual dirge faded away, the shipfish and their cherished burden slipped out of sight. Full dark had settled upon the still lake before the crew sought their bunks.

Unwilling to move, Ellspeth stood alone at the bow rail.

End of Excerpt
 

* * * *
 

Windmaster  - Available at these online bookstores

 
​I hope you like the snippet I shared this week for Dal and Ellspeth. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. 

~till next time, Helen

An Arrow Loosed, A Leap Made, Windmaster #wewriwa

 

​ 
Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! ​Today's excerpt is from Windmaster, the first book of the fantasy, romance series, the Windmaster Novels. To set, the scene, the crew of Sea Falcon battles pirates.  And now the SundaySnippet.

* * * *
 
“Ellspeth... No.” The yell wrenched from Dal’s throat. His leap toward the bridge was blocked by groups of men fighting.

At his cry, Ellspeth turned and saw an archer in the ghost ship’s netting raise a crossbow. A heavy weight knocked her away from the wheel. Her head crashed into the wooden map case. Sparks from the pain blinded her. Her vision cleared to the sight of her cabin boy lying beside her; the shaft of an arrow buried high in his chest.


End of Excerpt

* * * *
 

Windmaster  - Available at these online bookstores


​I hope you like the snippet I shared for Ellspeth this week. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. ~till next time, Helen

Thirteen Critters

 

This Thursday Thirteen is a mental challenge to see how many animals, either wild or pet from my life, television, or movies. How many do you know?

Not presented in order of appearance in life or memory.

FlipperTrigger
Olea - Come fly with me.Bumps - Likes to walk through thistle bushes, coming the burrs out of long hair isn't fun
Pepper(for Salt and Pepper) Although a tri-color collie, he was named for the silver grey of his championship parents.)
Frisky (likes to jump fences, and hated being sheared)
Rin Tin Tin
Bronco - caused havoc by breaking out on my graduation night. The one time he didn't respond to the clang of a feed bucket.
Bullet
Stupid (AKA Betty's Pride and Joy)
Shadow
Fred - A Greater Sulfur-Crested Cock-a-too (tried to steal the limelight from the star of the police drama Baretta.
Tighe B      
A
C  

D E

 F
F


I hope you enjoyed this Thursday Thirteen. I hope you will come back again. If any of my published titles intrigue you, click on the cover in the banner or for the series, the pull-down menu for blurbs, excerpts, a free read of the first chapter, and of course, buy links.

~till next time, Helen

PS The Animals as pictured are :  A -1 , B - 3 , C - 4, D - 5, E - 6, F - 13



http://newthursday13.blogspot.com/

Hooked on Imprisoned In Stone, Hope Lost #mfrwhooks

 Showcasing magic of a darker kind, Imprisoned in Stone.

To set the stage, Colwynn continues to search for a means to escape the inescapable cell. He had thought he had found a faint hope, but now it is lost.

Excerpt:

Colwynn called up his powers. The blue globe shimmered in his hand, warming it. He peeled the ball, then took the threads and wove them into a narrow rope. With infinite care, he threaded it along the purple marks on the wall that bore Nemor’s unique signature. The blocking spell fought Colwynn. His magic faded, then brightened as he fed more strength into it. Finally, his message slipped past the confines of the cell. He cast it outward to the cosmos. “Gareth, save Maerva.”

However, each time he repeated the sequence, he had less to fight with. The cell drained his strength and his powers. Yet, he continued to send. “Power bound. Dungeon in Sleuchdair. Save Maerva.”

The blue threads dimmed again one last time, then flickered into nothingness.

**  END OF EXCERPT *** 

Purchase Imprisoned in Stone at  these sellers  

 

~till next time, Helen

 

Wizard Trapped, Windmaster #wewriwa

 

​ 
Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Visit the other participants on the list and read, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

​Today's excerpt is from Windmaster, the first book of the fantasy, romance series, the Windmaster Novels. To set, the scene, Sea Falcon has been boarded.  And now the SundaySnippet.

* * * *
 
“First, help Lord Dal. I can hold the wheel.” At Ellspeth’s command, the Sea Falcon’s first officer leaped the rail to land in a crouch on the deck below...

In the instant of surprise, three additional men fell before Dal’s sword. More and more invaders died before the combined forces of the wizard and the first officer. In the brief respite, the wizard gathered his magic for one last attempt to disperse the concealing fog. His sword slipped into its sheath. Blood-red runes shimmered into the air as his fingers sketched a spell.

Ellspeth held her breath and willed the air to clear. This time the dark cloud evaporated. Able to see the pirates, the Sea Falcon’s crew shifted their defensive actions—and attacked. Now pirate blood mixed on the deck with that of the ship’s defenders.


End of Excerpt


* * * *
 

Windmaster  - Available at these online bookstores


​I hope you like the snippet I shared for Ellspeth this week. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. ~till next time, Helen

Hooked on Imprisoned In Stone, Hope #mfrwhooks

 Showcasing magic of a darker kind, Imprisoned in Stone.

To set the stage, Colwynn continues to search for a means to escape the inescapable cell. 

Excerpt:

A light touch, as if someone laid a hand on his shoulder, sent comforting warmth through his body. It was the same feeling as a benison—Tralin’s benison. The one she bestowed upon him and Gareth the morning of their parting. At first he discarded Gareth as a focus. The weaponsmith was not a full mage and probably would not receive the message. However, since Maerva could not be involved, Gareth was the only choice.

I feel Tralin’s blessing–the blessing will tie Gareth and me together.

The hope was faint, but hope still the same.

Pushing off the wall to his feet, he paced the featureless cell. Physical movement cleared his mind and he started examining the runes. One by one, he again parsed the restrictions and bindings to see if he could find a weak link among the interwoven enchantments. This time he could not even use his own spell to send a message. It was gone. Maybe if he tried the call through one written by a friendly member of the Brethren. Even as he thought it, he knew there was no such creature, only enemies and fanatics. However, there were two he had worked magic with–his father and Nemor.

“I don’t dare touch my father’s magic,” Colwynn muttered. “He would have a trap on it, but Nemor?” 

**  END OF EXCERPT *** 

Purchase Imprisoned in Stone at  these sellers  

 

~till next time, Helen

 

Boarded, Windmaster , #WeWriWa, #SnippitSunday

​ 
Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write!

​Today's excerpt is from Windmaster, the first book of the fantasy, romance series, the Windmaster Novels. To set, the scene, Sea Falcon is becalmed and a pirate flag sighted.  And now the SundaySnippet.


* * * *
 
​Mage light flared into being. It burned up the fog an arm’s length around Dal to reveal dark objects that were men. The green glow hovered over Dal’s head and glinted off the wizard’s sword. He swung the heavy weapon in great arcs, cutting through not only the obscuring air, but through flesh and bone. Each move severed an attacker’s limb or blocked a sword thrust. The press of a dozen halberd-wielding men forced the wizard back. With each step, the circle of the invader’s weapons tightened.

A flick of Ellspeth’s wrist sent a stiletto into a pirate’s back.


End of Excerpt
 

Windmaster  - Available at these online bookstores


​I hope you like the snippet I shared for Ellspeth this week. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. ~till next time, Helen

Pirates Sighted, Windmaster #SnippetSunday

​ 
 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Visit the other participants on the list and read, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

​Today's excerpt is from Windmaster, the first book of the fantasy, romance series, the Windmaster Novels. To set, the scene, Sea Falcon has been boarded.  And now the SundaySnippet.

Excerpt:
 
 “Masts ho, on the starboard bow.” Before she could act, another yell reached the already edgy crew. “Pirates! She flies a black banner crossed by white lightning.”

“Pirates! All hands to arms!” Ellspeth’s voice, pitched for battle, carried from one end of the ship to the other. “Prepare to repel boarders. No quarter!”

The Sea Falcon’s first officer spun the ship’s wheel in an attempt to avoid the unseen object. The screech of hull on hull pierced the air.


End of Excerpt

* * * *

Windmaster  - Available at these online bookstores

​I hope you like the snippet I shared for Ellspeth this week. Be sure to read the other Weekend Writing Warriors blogs and the #SnippetSunday authors for more great reads. ~till next time, Helen