Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog, page 34
February 21, 2014
SFR Brigade Presents: STARRIE 3.2
STARRIE 3.2
Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting excerpts of my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is the thirteenth post and we're into chapter three. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story so far on the Starrie page.
And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .
STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller
Naela extinguished the whip and leapt to the floor, disappearing into a crouch behind the bed. She snatched the little tank top Stavros had stripped off her and pulled it on as she dashed for the closet.
Inside she shoved past thousands of hanging clothes and walls of beautifully crafted drawers to the secret door in the back. Her implanted wrist reporter spit out the lock's code—stolen when Stavros's security team first dragged her through this secret hallway from the ballroom on the other side.
As soon as the door seal swished open, the light blinded her. Someone had retracted the huge metal shield walls to expose the insulated windows behind them. Outside, the cold prow of the building stretched silently into the air, like a giant patio on this jagged mountain top. It was almost majestic and tranquil.
Inside was pure pandemonium. The Armadans and contractors blasted away at one another with crackles of cender fire and staccato blasts from battle rifles. The smell of singed hair, sizzled skin, and smoldering wood swirled toward the cathedral ceiling on lazy smoke trails.
There was no way past the firefight.
A concussive explosion sent shards of glass flying past Naela. Her ears popped and a roar of wind rolled through the room. Shrill alarms bleated louder than the rushing air.
One of the gargantuan windows had been breached.
~~~
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.
This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.
Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.
Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting excerpts of my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is the thirteenth post and we're into chapter three. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story so far on the Starrie page.
And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .

STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller
Naela extinguished the whip and leapt to the floor, disappearing into a crouch behind the bed. She snatched the little tank top Stavros had stripped off her and pulled it on as she dashed for the closet.
Inside she shoved past thousands of hanging clothes and walls of beautifully crafted drawers to the secret door in the back. Her implanted wrist reporter spit out the lock's code—stolen when Stavros's security team first dragged her through this secret hallway from the ballroom on the other side.
As soon as the door seal swished open, the light blinded her. Someone had retracted the huge metal shield walls to expose the insulated windows behind them. Outside, the cold prow of the building stretched silently into the air, like a giant patio on this jagged mountain top. It was almost majestic and tranquil.
Inside was pure pandemonium. The Armadans and contractors blasted away at one another with crackles of cender fire and staccato blasts from battle rifles. The smell of singed hair, sizzled skin, and smoldering wood swirled toward the cathedral ceiling on lazy smoke trails.
There was no way past the firefight.
A concussive explosion sent shards of glass flying past Naela. Her ears popped and a roar of wind rolled through the room. Shrill alarms bleated louder than the rushing air.
One of the gargantuan windows had been breached.
~~~
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.
This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.
Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.

Published on February 21, 2014 06:20
EVENT PHOTOS: Capclave 2013
EVENTS
RDSP and Dog Star Books had a big representation at Capclave 2013 with John Edward Lawson, Jennifer Barnes, Jason Jack Miller, Heidi Ruby Miller, K. Ceres Wright, Matt Betts, and Hanna Gribble. Other guests in attendance included the GoH George R. R. Martin, Catherine Asaro, Alma Katsu,Michael Swanwick, and dozens of others. Such a good time and good people. Looking forward to next year's!
Heidi Ruby Miller, Jason Jack Miller, George R. R. Martin
Heidi Ruby Miller
John Edward Lawson
Alma Katsu
Catherine Asaro, Heidi Ruby Miller, Matt Betts
Jason Jack Miller
K. Ceres Wright
Hanna Gribble, Heidi Ruby Miller, Michael Swanwick
Heidi Ruby Miller
Jason Jack Miller, Jennifer Barnes
Heidi Ruby Miller
Matt Betts
RDSP and Dog Star Books had a big representation at Capclave 2013 with John Edward Lawson, Jennifer Barnes, Jason Jack Miller, Heidi Ruby Miller, K. Ceres Wright, Matt Betts, and Hanna Gribble. Other guests in attendance included the GoH George R. R. Martin, Catherine Asaro, Alma Katsu,Michael Swanwick, and dozens of others. Such a good time and good people. Looking forward to next year's!





Catherine Asaro, Heidi Ruby Miller, Matt Betts





Heidi Ruby Miller





Published on February 21, 2014 05:06
February 14, 2014
SFR Brigade Presents: STARRIE 3.1
STARRIE 3.1
Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting excerpts of my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is the twelfth post and we just started chapter three. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story so far on the Starrie page.
And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .
STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller
Ben slapped an adhesive grenade onto the electronic lock and stepped back as the incendiary device blew the door from its frame with a loud boom.
He slipped through the caustic residual smoke and into Stavros's bedroom. The ringing in his ears complemented the frantic squeals and unintelligible screams blasting from the mind minstrel.
What Ben witnessed beyond the fog of smoke and adrenaline stopped him in his tracks, stopped the shriek of the mind minstrel, stopped time, in fact.
Stavros—pieces of Stavros—littered the stone floor.
No one moved, except the woman standing half-naked atop the burning bed. With one fluid motion she snapped a retractable electric whip in an arc over her body. The thin wire, burning blue-white with the voltage streaming through its coil, snaked around Stavros's head, severing it from his dismembered torso and sending it rolling along the polished stone to rest at Ben's feet.
She stared back at Ben with Mari's familiar coral irises…until they blinked to an icy blue at the same moment her sugary blonde hair darkened to midnight black.
He recognized her then with a little jolt of fear—Naela Starrie, the Embassy's most elusive assassin.
~~~
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.
This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.
Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.
Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting excerpts of my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is the twelfth post and we just started chapter three. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story so far on the Starrie page.
And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .

STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller
Ben slapped an adhesive grenade onto the electronic lock and stepped back as the incendiary device blew the door from its frame with a loud boom.
He slipped through the caustic residual smoke and into Stavros's bedroom. The ringing in his ears complemented the frantic squeals and unintelligible screams blasting from the mind minstrel.
What Ben witnessed beyond the fog of smoke and adrenaline stopped him in his tracks, stopped the shriek of the mind minstrel, stopped time, in fact.
Stavros—pieces of Stavros—littered the stone floor.
No one moved, except the woman standing half-naked atop the burning bed. With one fluid motion she snapped a retractable electric whip in an arc over her body. The thin wire, burning blue-white with the voltage streaming through its coil, snaked around Stavros's head, severing it from his dismembered torso and sending it rolling along the polished stone to rest at Ben's feet.
She stared back at Ben with Mari's familiar coral irises…until they blinked to an icy blue at the same moment her sugary blonde hair darkened to midnight black.
He recognized her then with a little jolt of fear—Naela Starrie, the Embassy's most elusive assassin.
~~~
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.
This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.
Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.

Published on February 14, 2014 06:20
February 13, 2014
BOOKS: Goodreads Giveaway for The Revelations of Preston Black by Jason Jack Miller
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Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Revelations of Preston Black
by Jason Jack Miller
Giveaway ends February 26, 2014.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win

Published on February 13, 2014 04:32
February 7, 2014
SFR Brigade Presents: STARRIE 2.3
STARRIE 2.3
Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is post eleven and we're finishing chapter two. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story so far on the Starrie page.
And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .
STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller
She unclipped a decorative piece of metal from the seam of her panties. With a twist of her thumb the clip expanded to the width of her middle finger and twice its length. Her heart sped up, relishing what came next. The mind minstrel's beat pounded with the same anticipation.
With a flourishing flick of her wrist, Naela released the coiled wire inside the clip. It ignited as it spun free with a blue-white glow and snapped to life at her side as the electricity supercharged the three meter filament.
Stavros backpedaled against the wall.
She teasingly snapped the whip back and forth, slicing through the mattress and frame. Wisps of smoke haunted the air and coated her tongue with the tang of singed silk and scorched wood. The sizzles and cracks and flares of electric light promised a painful end for Liu Stavros. And the mind minstrel captured it all, including when Naela said, "It makes me happy…that you're going to die this way."
~~~
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.
This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.
Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.
Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is post eleven and we're finishing chapter two. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story so far on the Starrie page.
And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .

STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller
She unclipped a decorative piece of metal from the seam of her panties. With a twist of her thumb the clip expanded to the width of her middle finger and twice its length. Her heart sped up, relishing what came next. The mind minstrel's beat pounded with the same anticipation.
With a flourishing flick of her wrist, Naela released the coiled wire inside the clip. It ignited as it spun free with a blue-white glow and snapped to life at her side as the electricity supercharged the three meter filament.
Stavros backpedaled against the wall.
She teasingly snapped the whip back and forth, slicing through the mattress and frame. Wisps of smoke haunted the air and coated her tongue with the tang of singed silk and scorched wood. The sizzles and cracks and flares of electric light promised a painful end for Liu Stavros. And the mind minstrel captured it all, including when Naela said, "It makes me happy…that you're going to die this way."
~~~
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.
This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.
Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.

Published on February 07, 2014 10:58
February 3, 2014
BOOKS: Goodreads List 2013
BOOKS
In 2011 I read 34 books--you can see them all here.
In 2012 I read 40 books--you can see them all here.
In 2013...only 20. Here they are:
OTHER INTERESTING STATISTICS ABOUT MY READS IN 2013:
13 - books by Seton Hill Writers
4 - books by SFR Brigaders
4 - books by Pennwriters members
2 - books by ITW members
13 - print books (8 signed copies)
5 - books from Raw Dog Screaming Press (3 from Dog Star Books)
6 - books from Big 5 publishers
6 - books from 5 different series
3 - Children's books
10 - female authors
1 - anthology
3 - non-fiction (all reference)
1 - poetry book
LIST OF AUTHORS:
Adrea L. Peters and Teffanie T. White (2)
Cary Caffrey (2)
Christopher Paul Carey
Dana Marton
Guy Kawasaki
Heidi Ruby Miller
J. L.Benet
J. R. R. Tolkien
Jason E. Hodges
Jason Jack Miller
John Hampel
K. Ceres Wright
Kaye Dacus
Lee Allen Howard
Lori A. May
Matt Betts
Michael A. Arnzen
Mike Mehalek
Mike Resnick (2)
Nina Croft
Paul R. Hewlett
Sabrina Benulis
Shawn Welch
Stephanie Wytovich
Susan Crandall
Though I fell short of my goal...again, I had a good time along the way escaping reality among thousands of pages. I always consider it an honor to spend time in an author's world because there is so much work and thought and heart that goes into each book that most of us, even other writers, will never see.
Which authors shared their world with you this past year?
In 2011 I read 34 books--you can see them all here.
In 2012 I read 40 books--you can see them all here.
In 2013...only 20. Here they are:



OTHER INTERESTING STATISTICS ABOUT MY READS IN 2013:
13 - books by Seton Hill Writers
4 - books by SFR Brigaders
4 - books by Pennwriters members
2 - books by ITW members
13 - print books (8 signed copies)
5 - books from Raw Dog Screaming Press (3 from Dog Star Books)
6 - books from Big 5 publishers
6 - books from 5 different series
3 - Children's books
10 - female authors
1 - anthology
3 - non-fiction (all reference)
1 - poetry book
LIST OF AUTHORS:
Adrea L. Peters and Teffanie T. White (2)
Cary Caffrey (2)
Christopher Paul Carey
Dana Marton
Guy Kawasaki
Heidi Ruby Miller
J. L.Benet
J. R. R. Tolkien
Jason E. Hodges
Jason Jack Miller
John Hampel
K. Ceres Wright
Kaye Dacus
Lee Allen Howard
Lori A. May
Matt Betts
Michael A. Arnzen
Mike Mehalek
Mike Resnick (2)
Nina Croft
Paul R. Hewlett
Sabrina Benulis
Shawn Welch
Stephanie Wytovich
Susan Crandall
Though I fell short of my goal...again, I had a good time along the way escaping reality among thousands of pages. I always consider it an honor to spend time in an author's world because there is so much work and thought and heart that goes into each book that most of us, even other writers, will never see.
Which authors shared their world with you this past year?

Published on February 03, 2014 15:49
January 30, 2014
SFR Brigade Presents: STARRIE 2.2
STARRIE 2.2
Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is post ten and we're already into chapter two. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story so far on the Starrie page.
And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .
STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller
Stavros grabbed her chin and shook her head. He jabbed the knife into her bicep. "Scream! I need you to hear you scream."
She did. Only the roar that escaped her lips sent Stavros scrambling up onto his hands and knees to hover over her on the plush bed.
Pressure built behind her eyes as her blood pressure rose and swished through her ears. The adrenaline surge she experienced was far from the kinetic manipulation she'd hoped for, but it provided her with enough power to break one of her leather bonds.
Forget the old woman's trick.
Naela had something better—twenty years of experience as a killer.
She thrust the edge of her hand into Stavros's throat, knocking him off the bed and sending the knife flopping to the fluffy, white comforter. Within seconds she had scooped up the torture implement, slashed through the remaining straps and stood atop the mattress. She'd gut this pig the old-fashioned way.
Stavros tried to shout for his security detail, but managed only a strangled hiss from his damaged windpipe. The effect reverberated through the mind minstrel's speakers as the floating parallelogram focused its turquoise beam on Stavros's struggling form.
He hefted a lamp at Naela. The knife's blade broke from the deflection. She tossed it to the stone floor.
A knife would be too easy anyway.
~~~
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.
This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.
Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.
Enjoy some Science Fiction Adventure from the Ambasadora-verse! I'm posting my novel Starrie in order starting from chapter one. This is post ten and we're already into chapter two. It has been edited for content and space per the SFR Brigade Presents guidelines. Read the rest of the story so far on the Starrie page.
And, check out other wonderful Presents posts at the SFR Brigade .

STARRIE (FROM THE WORLD OF AMBASADORA) by Heidi Ruby Miller
Stavros grabbed her chin and shook her head. He jabbed the knife into her bicep. "Scream! I need you to hear you scream."
She did. Only the roar that escaped her lips sent Stavros scrambling up onto his hands and knees to hover over her on the plush bed.
Pressure built behind her eyes as her blood pressure rose and swished through her ears. The adrenaline surge she experienced was far from the kinetic manipulation she'd hoped for, but it provided her with enough power to break one of her leather bonds.
Forget the old woman's trick.
Naela had something better—twenty years of experience as a killer.
She thrust the edge of her hand into Stavros's throat, knocking him off the bed and sending the knife flopping to the fluffy, white comforter. Within seconds she had scooped up the torture implement, slashed through the remaining straps and stood atop the mattress. She'd gut this pig the old-fashioned way.
Stavros tried to shout for his security detail, but managed only a strangled hiss from his damaged windpipe. The effect reverberated through the mind minstrel's speakers as the floating parallelogram focused its turquoise beam on Stavros's struggling form.
He hefted a lamp at Naela. The knife's blade broke from the deflection. She tossed it to the stone floor.
A knife would be too easy anyway.
~~~
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Starrie is a direct sequel to Greenshift . It follows the story of Ben Anlow (David's younger brother) and his team as they embark on a revenge mission to bring down serial murderer and rapist, Liu Stavros, at his fortress in the inhospitable mountains of Tampa Three. But contractor Naela Starrie already has her own kind of vengeance planned for Stavros. Even as a battle-hardened soldier, Ben's not prepared for the darkness he sees in the female assassin, nor the way she challenges his prejudices about contractors when she makes a sacrifice to save to his life.
This novel runs concurrent with Ambasadora Book 1: Marked by Light , the first book of the main space opera series. And we follow a thread of Starrie into Book 2: Scarred by Light.
Look for Starrie from Dog Star Books in July 2014 and Ambasadora Book 2: Scarred by Light in late 2014.

Published on January 30, 2014 16:47
January 27, 2014
COVER REVEAL AND PRE-ORDER: Ambasadora: Marked by Light by Heidi Ruby Miller
Finally, the much-anticipated re-release of the book that started the Ambasadora-verse, reworked with a new beginning, cover and foreword.
If everyone told you love wasn’t real, would you still be willing to die for it?
Sara Mendoza and Sean Cryer are.
In their multi-partner, caste-ruled society, love and jealousy are considered emotional fallacies, nothing more than fleeting moods and sentiments biased by hormones. Relationships and conceptions in this world obsessed with celebrity, beauty, and power are based on DNA and lineages…or should be. But not everyone believes in the ruling traditions of the all-powerful Embassy. A quiet rebellion prowls the dark underground of this shiny world where techno-militants calling themselves fraggers grow in numbers and bravado. The Embassy intends to silence the fragger movement before the heresy of equality spreads throughout the system.
Sara Mendoza is part of the Embassy’s plan. Captured, tortured, and falsely accused of treason, she is given a chance to win back her freedom. She only needs to charm information from one of the fragger leaders, then kill him. But by the time she figures out the Embassy’s intel is flawed and that Sean Cryer is her true mark, she’s already in love with him.
Sean knows why Sara is on his ship from the start, but as a lonely, anti-social doser, he doesn’t value his life, only his ideology within the fragger organization. Against his better judgment, he becomes her protector, each day caring more about a future he was always afraid to hope for.
Ambasadora: Marked by Light by Heidi Ruby Miller
Cover Art by Bradley Sharp
Foreword by Jenna Bennett
Space Opera Paperback coming from Dog Star Books in April 2014
PRE-ORDER NOW FOR A SIGNED COPY, A FREE EBOOK, AND TO BE IN THE RUNNING FOR A BASKET FULL OF HEIDI'S FAVORITE THINGS
~~~
What They’re Saying About Ambasadora: Marked by Light
"Ambasadora has a lot to say about the human spirit and it says it well."
—Mike Resnick, Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author
"With an anthropologist’s eye for world building and an engaging fast-paced style, Heidi Ruby Miller hurtles her characters through a dystopian labyrinth in which hollow beauty is revered and love a virtual crime."
—Christopher Paul Carey, author of Exiles From Kho
"Beautifully vibrant and intricately textured, Heidi Ruby Miller’s Ambasadora explores the value of true humanity, the limitless power of desire and the triumph of the individual soul. Amidst edge-of-the-seat action, Miller effortlessly incorporates the conflicts of the modern woman inherent in upholding feminist sensibility. Ambasadora is a banquet of sumptuous words, a truly exciting adventure that fans of science fiction are sure to enjoy."
—Mary SanGiovanni, author of The Hollower series
"[Sara]’s a heroine for the ages, and living proof...that sacrifice for love is more honorable than sacrifice for duty. She risks it all, and wins it all, and in the process, helps to change her world for the better."
--Jenna Bennett, NYT Bestselling author of Fortune's Hero and lots of mysteries
~~~
Also from The World of Ambasadora and Dog Star Books :
Greenshift
Starrie (coming July 2014)

If everyone told you love wasn’t real, would you still be willing to die for it?
Sara Mendoza and Sean Cryer are.
In their multi-partner, caste-ruled society, love and jealousy are considered emotional fallacies, nothing more than fleeting moods and sentiments biased by hormones. Relationships and conceptions in this world obsessed with celebrity, beauty, and power are based on DNA and lineages…or should be. But not everyone believes in the ruling traditions of the all-powerful Embassy. A quiet rebellion prowls the dark underground of this shiny world where techno-militants calling themselves fraggers grow in numbers and bravado. The Embassy intends to silence the fragger movement before the heresy of equality spreads throughout the system.
Sara Mendoza is part of the Embassy’s plan. Captured, tortured, and falsely accused of treason, she is given a chance to win back her freedom. She only needs to charm information from one of the fragger leaders, then kill him. But by the time she figures out the Embassy’s intel is flawed and that Sean Cryer is her true mark, she’s already in love with him.
Sean knows why Sara is on his ship from the start, but as a lonely, anti-social doser, he doesn’t value his life, only his ideology within the fragger organization. Against his better judgment, he becomes her protector, each day caring more about a future he was always afraid to hope for.
Ambasadora: Marked by Light by Heidi Ruby Miller
Cover Art by Bradley Sharp
Foreword by Jenna Bennett
Space Opera Paperback coming from Dog Star Books in April 2014
PRE-ORDER NOW FOR A SIGNED COPY, A FREE EBOOK, AND TO BE IN THE RUNNING FOR A BASKET FULL OF HEIDI'S FAVORITE THINGS
~~~
What They’re Saying About Ambasadora: Marked by Light
"Ambasadora has a lot to say about the human spirit and it says it well."
—Mike Resnick, Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author
"With an anthropologist’s eye for world building and an engaging fast-paced style, Heidi Ruby Miller hurtles her characters through a dystopian labyrinth in which hollow beauty is revered and love a virtual crime."
—Christopher Paul Carey, author of Exiles From Kho
"Beautifully vibrant and intricately textured, Heidi Ruby Miller’s Ambasadora explores the value of true humanity, the limitless power of desire and the triumph of the individual soul. Amidst edge-of-the-seat action, Miller effortlessly incorporates the conflicts of the modern woman inherent in upholding feminist sensibility. Ambasadora is a banquet of sumptuous words, a truly exciting adventure that fans of science fiction are sure to enjoy."
—Mary SanGiovanni, author of The Hollower series
"[Sara]’s a heroine for the ages, and living proof...that sacrifice for love is more honorable than sacrifice for duty. She risks it all, and wins it all, and in the process, helps to change her world for the better."
--Jenna Bennett, NYT Bestselling author of Fortune's Hero and lots of mysteries

~~~
Also from The World of Ambasadora and Dog Star Books :
Greenshift
Starrie (coming July 2014)

Published on January 27, 2014 10:11
January 21, 2014
BOOK: 9 Incarnate by Gary Starta
BOOKS
In
9 INCARNATE
Egypt’s great gods and goddesses arrive by comet bringing hope of unity and secrets of the pyramids. However, the beloved Isis isn’t among the Arrivals and preternatural investigator Caitlin Diggs begins hearing the goddess in her head. Could Diggs’s previous exposure to a crystal artifact substantiate the belief that Isis has stored her essence on Earth and consequently now shares her human body?
Perplexed, Diggs turns to a scientist to explain the Arrivals, not to mention the weirdness which includes a coinciding mass disappearance and assassination of the president. Diggs surmises the deities may be preparing a new Egypt until a lethal threat of global warming emerges. More perplexing, is her co-alignment with Isis an alliance or hindrance? Diggs may have to make the ultimate sacrifice if she is to keep Egypt’s past from ending Earth’s future, and all the while maintain her integrity.
Buy 9 INCARNATE at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/9-Incarnate-Gary-Starta-ebook/dp/B00HMZRU4A
Find Gary Starta online at:
WEBSITE - http://www.garystarta.net
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.comGaryStartaSciFiFanPage
BLOG - http://www.networkedblogs.com

Perplexed, Diggs turns to a scientist to explain the Arrivals, not to mention the weirdness which includes a coinciding mass disappearance and assassination of the president. Diggs surmises the deities may be preparing a new Egypt until a lethal threat of global warming emerges. More perplexing, is her co-alignment with Isis an alliance or hindrance? Diggs may have to make the ultimate sacrifice if she is to keep Egypt’s past from ending Earth’s future, and all the while maintain her integrity.
Buy 9 INCARNATE at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/9-Incarnate-Gary-Starta-ebook/dp/B00HMZRU4A
Find Gary Starta online at:
WEBSITE - http://www.garystarta.net
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.comGaryStartaSciFiFanPage
BLOG - http://www.networkedblogs.com

Published on January 21, 2014 06:58
January 19, 2014
HEIDI'S PICK SIX: S. J. Pajonas
HEIDI'S PICK SIX
1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Mark Sakai is my favorite character of the series. I love Sanaa and Jiro, but I love writing Mark more because he’s been through so much in his life and he’s still swinging. He lives by honor and his family duty even if everyone around him mutinies. I’ve already decided that I love him so much I’ll have to write a prequel from his perspective. Getting in his head will be messy but enjoyable work.
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Tea. Loads of tea. I have an insulated pot that I make in the morning and if I’ve gone through it by noon, I’m in a whole mess of trouble (this happened today and I was up at 5am, oops!) But I love pretty much all forms of tea: black, green, white, rooibus, fruit, herbal. There’s a tea for every occasion.
4. What else can you do besides write?
My main hobby outside of writing is knitting. I’ve been an avid knitter since 2005. For a while, I even ran an online knitting magazine and I’ve published a few patterns that are no longer available. I wish I had more time to devote to it, but, between the writing and my kids, I am pressed for time everywhere.
5. Who are you reading right now?
I’m reading Katie L. Carroll’s Elixir Bound which is way outside of my usual genres. I don’t really get into fantasy but this one has me hooked. I love its sense of adventure.
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
Japanese (I’m sure you could guess that) and Mexican food. Strange, right? But I love them both and could eat them day in and day out.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
I do yoga and weight lifting, plus when the weather’s nicer, I’ve recently taken up running. I’m very slow at it but it does the job of clearing my mind.
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
I listen to mainly electronica, ambient, and downtempo music. The Magnetic Fields and Radiohead are my favorite bands.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
13. Celebrity crush.
Has been and always will be Alan Rickman. Forever and ever. Amen.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
S. J. Pajonas loves all things Asian and has been in love with Japan for as long as she can remember. Writing about Asia and Japan came naturally after studying the culture and language for over fifteen years. She studied film and screenwriting first and eventually segued into fiction once she was no longer working a full-time job.
Released is S. J. Pajonas’s second work, book two of four in the Nogiku Series. The first book in the series, Removed, is described as “a wonderful story” with “engaging characters, seamless world building, and an action packed plot.” It’s an “up-til-3am-because-I-read-it-in-one-sitting book.” She also writes contemporary romance and her upcoming first book in the Love in the Digital Age series will be published in 2014.
S. J. lives with her husband and two children just outside of New York City. She loves reading, writing, film, J- and K-dramas, knitting, and astrology. Her favorite author is Haruki Murakami and favorite book is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.
You can find S. J. online at:
Website: http://www.spajonas.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SJPajonas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spajonas
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7233209.S_J_Pajonas
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/spajonas
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gleek
Instagram: http://instagram.com/spajonas#
Tumblr: http://spajonas.tumblr.com
Follow the rest of S. J.'s blog tour at http://lolasblogtours.com/2013/11/21/blog-tour-nogiku-series-by-sj-pajonas.
Find out more about Lola's Blog Tours (Organizing book blog tours, cover reveals, book blitzes and review opportunities) at:
Website: http://lolasblogtours.com
e-mail: lola@lolasblogtours.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lolasblogtours
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lolasblogtours
DESCRIPTION FOR REMOVED:
Duty knows no family. Love has no price. Secrets can cost you everything.
Twenty-year-old Sanaa Griffin, a sweet and smart half-Japanese girl, is about to get more than she bargained for when she wishes for love and excitement on New Year’s Eve 3103. Mark Sakai, who knows more about her than any stranger should, thinks Sanaa is the perfect person to spy on the heads of the three biggest Japanese clan leaders in Nishikyō. He wants her to gather enough evidence to keep them from going to war when they land on Earth’s colonization planet, Yūsei. Nishikyō, built by the Japanese 300 years ago to house the rest of mankind, is failing and everyone is preparing to leave. Sakai has known Sanaa’s family all her life but she knows nothing of him! And despite all the time they spend together, he keeps his distance from her. Then one day, he brings her to Jiro, his nephew, to learn sword fighting, and it changes her life irrevocably. Between falling in love with Jiro and the information she is gathering on the clans, Sanaa realizes Sakai is holding back secrets about her family and her deceased parents, secrets as to why she was chosen for this job, and learning the truth puts her and all of Nishikyō in danger.
You can find Removed on Goodreads .
You can watch the trailer for REMOVED here:
DESCRIPTION FOR RELEASED:
**Contains spoilers for those who have not read REMOVED (Book 1)**
Left in the desert to recuperate from her injuries, Sanaa Itami paces the floors and contemplates her mistakes. She trusted too easily, and now people she loved are dead, killed at the hands of men coming to assassinate her. Sanaa feels beaten, but life awaits her at home. While Nishikyō recovers from the earthquake, negotiations for Sanaa’s eventual rule on Yūsei continue. New allies must be made, new friendships brokered, new skills acquired — at all costs. Life at the top of the chain is complicated and lonely, though. With relations in Sakai clan rocky and uncertain, Sanaa must learn to trust others again more than she’s willing. Who amongst the clans is left holding a grudge? And will the new family Sanaa has found with Jiro support or betray her? From Nishikyō to Yūsei, RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, is the second book in a captivating New Adult post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.
You can find Released on Goodreads .


1. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Mark Sakai is my favorite character of the series. I love Sanaa and Jiro, but I love writing Mark more because he’s been through so much in his life and he’s still swinging. He lives by honor and his family duty even if everyone around him mutinies. I’ve already decided that I love him so much I’ll have to write a prequel from his perspective. Getting in his head will be messy but enjoyable work.
2. Tell me about your travels.
3. Coffee, tea, or milk?
Tea. Loads of tea. I have an insulated pot that I make in the morning and if I’ve gone through it by noon, I’m in a whole mess of trouble (this happened today and I was up at 5am, oops!) But I love pretty much all forms of tea: black, green, white, rooibus, fruit, herbal. There’s a tea for every occasion.
4. What else can you do besides write?
My main hobby outside of writing is knitting. I’ve been an avid knitter since 2005. For a while, I even ran an online knitting magazine and I’ve published a few patterns that are no longer available. I wish I had more time to devote to it, but, between the writing and my kids, I am pressed for time everywhere.
5. Who are you reading right now?
I’m reading Katie L. Carroll’s Elixir Bound which is way outside of my usual genres. I don’t really get into fantasy but this one has me hooked. I love its sense of adventure.
6. Pop culture or academia?
7. What is the toughest scene you ever wrote?
8. Where do you find your inspirations to write?
9. Food you could eat everyday.
Japanese (I’m sure you could guess that) and Mexican food. Strange, right? But I love them both and could eat them day in and day out.
10. Are you into sports or other physical activities?
I do yoga and weight lifting, plus when the weather’s nicer, I’ve recently taken up running. I’m very slow at it but it does the job of clearing my mind.
11. What kind of music speaks to you?
I listen to mainly electronica, ambient, and downtempo music. The Magnetic Fields and Radiohead are my favorite bands.
12. Do you outline your stories or do they just take you along for the ride?
13. Celebrity crush.
Has been and always will be Alan Rickman. Forever and ever. Amen.
14. Who are the biggest influences on your work?
15. Do you still watch cartoons?
S. J. Pajonas loves all things Asian and has been in love with Japan for as long as she can remember. Writing about Asia and Japan came naturally after studying the culture and language for over fifteen years. She studied film and screenwriting first and eventually segued into fiction once she was no longer working a full-time job.
Released is S. J. Pajonas’s second work, book two of four in the Nogiku Series. The first book in the series, Removed, is described as “a wonderful story” with “engaging characters, seamless world building, and an action packed plot.” It’s an “up-til-3am-because-I-read-it-in-one-sitting book.” She also writes contemporary romance and her upcoming first book in the Love in the Digital Age series will be published in 2014.
S. J. lives with her husband and two children just outside of New York City. She loves reading, writing, film, J- and K-dramas, knitting, and astrology. Her favorite author is Haruki Murakami and favorite book is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.
You can find S. J. online at:
Website: http://www.spajonas.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SJPajonas
Twitter: https://twitter.com/spajonas
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7233209.S_J_Pajonas
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/spajonas
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gleek
Instagram: http://instagram.com/spajonas#
Tumblr: http://spajonas.tumblr.com
Follow the rest of S. J.'s blog tour at http://lolasblogtours.com/2013/11/21/blog-tour-nogiku-series-by-sj-pajonas.
Find out more about Lola's Blog Tours (Organizing book blog tours, cover reveals, book blitzes and review opportunities) at:
Website: http://lolasblogtours.com
e-mail: lola@lolasblogtours.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lolasblogtours
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lolasblogtours

Duty knows no family. Love has no price. Secrets can cost you everything.
Twenty-year-old Sanaa Griffin, a sweet and smart half-Japanese girl, is about to get more than she bargained for when she wishes for love and excitement on New Year’s Eve 3103. Mark Sakai, who knows more about her than any stranger should, thinks Sanaa is the perfect person to spy on the heads of the three biggest Japanese clan leaders in Nishikyō. He wants her to gather enough evidence to keep them from going to war when they land on Earth’s colonization planet, Yūsei. Nishikyō, built by the Japanese 300 years ago to house the rest of mankind, is failing and everyone is preparing to leave. Sakai has known Sanaa’s family all her life but she knows nothing of him! And despite all the time they spend together, he keeps his distance from her. Then one day, he brings her to Jiro, his nephew, to learn sword fighting, and it changes her life irrevocably. Between falling in love with Jiro and the information she is gathering on the clans, Sanaa realizes Sakai is holding back secrets about her family and her deceased parents, secrets as to why she was chosen for this job, and learning the truth puts her and all of Nishikyō in danger.
You can find Removed on Goodreads .
You can watch the trailer for REMOVED here:

**Contains spoilers for those who have not read REMOVED (Book 1)**
Left in the desert to recuperate from her injuries, Sanaa Itami paces the floors and contemplates her mistakes. She trusted too easily, and now people she loved are dead, killed at the hands of men coming to assassinate her. Sanaa feels beaten, but life awaits her at home. While Nishikyō recovers from the earthquake, negotiations for Sanaa’s eventual rule on Yūsei continue. New allies must be made, new friendships brokered, new skills acquired — at all costs. Life at the top of the chain is complicated and lonely, though. With relations in Sakai clan rocky and uncertain, Sanaa must learn to trust others again more than she’s willing. Who amongst the clans is left holding a grudge? And will the new family Sanaa has found with Jiro support or betray her? From Nishikyō to Yūsei, RELEASED, Book TWO of the Nogiku Series, is the second book in a captivating New Adult post-apocalyptic romance series that harnesses the cultures and traditions of Japan and sweeps them into the future between Earth and a faraway land.
You can find Released on Goodreads .

Published on January 19, 2014 17:13
Heidi Ruby Miller's Blog
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