​Can’t get away from cats…

Mittzi Hello, fine readers! I am thrilled to host my first ever guest blog post. Science fiction romance author Cara Bristol is here to tell us about Rescued by the Cyborg, a  novella in the Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance series. This story appears in  Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, an anthology  featuring twelve leading authors in the genre, releasing October 10th. This collection of tales raises money for HeroDogs.org. Learn more below. ​By Cara Bristol

I had several published books under my belt when I realized whenever I mentioned an animal in a story, it was always a cat. Never a dog, never a bird or a rabbit, always a cat. So, I decided to write cats out of my system by creating a cat character. In False Pretenses, a ginger tabby named Jinx brings the hero and heroine together. Okay, cat done. Finished. On to the next book.

I thought I was successful in overcoming cats on the brain until some months after the release of the next book, Body Politics . Then it hit me that the hero’s “pet” name for the heroine was “Kitten.”

When I was invited to write for the first Pets In Space, of course my first instinct was to make my pet a cat. But I was uncertain, should it be “real” cat or a robotic cat? Should I make it an alien animal? I talked it over with my husband, and he suggested I write about a dog because he said dogs were more popular than cats. Hmm… I wasn’t so sure about that. But then I got the idea to create a robot dog named Sparky! (Robot, electronics, spark…get it?). Once I had the name, I fell in love with Sparky.

But for Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 , I decided to go with my original inclination and write about a cat. Guy, the hero, is surprised with the gift of a kitten from his niece. The kitten has four white paws (mittens) and is named Mittzi. Guy is a cyborg with a life-threatening, demanding job that doesn’t allow for close relationships or even pet ownership.

The heroine is afraid of cats because of a really horrific experience with some feline-appearing aliens.

It’s up to a little kitten named Mittzi to show them the way to true love.
​ ​Rescued by the Cyborg

A novella in the Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance series

A cyborg’s haunted past and a Faria’s clouded future entwine…
 
Hostage and sole survivor Solia waits for death at the hands of vicious predatory aliens when Cy-Ops agent Guy Roarke disobeys orders and charges in. A former medic, he initiates emergency medical procedures before rushing her to Cybermed. [image error]
​Guy is taken with Solia, but the guilt of a past mistake won’t allow him to plan for a future with the delicate, brave beauty. Life is so uncertain, he can’t even keep Mittzi, the kitten his niece gave him. What he can do is see to it Solia gets the help she needs for a full recovery. But when best intentions place her in greater danger, it’s up to a little kitten to make everything all right again.

Excerpt

Guy pushed into his cabin. Next to his bags was the gift—a box tied with a big red bow. The carton was moving. And mewing. “Oh, Jessamine, what did you do?”

The box bumped into his foot. Atop the lid his niece had written: LIVE ANAMUL. OPEN IMIDATELY!

He ripped off the bow and peeled back the top. Inside, an angry, frightened kitten hissed. Jessamine’s cat had birthed a litter, and he recognized this baby by its gray coat, four white feet, and a blotch shaped like a star on its button nose.
Sighing, he reached into the carton.

The kitten growled and swiped its claws across his skin.

“Ow!” Guy yanked his hand back. The kitten leaped out and dove under the berth.
​
Great. Just great. How could his niece have done such a thing? She shouldn’t have boxed up a live animal—even if she did punch air holes in the carton. If she hadn’t contacted him and insisted he open the present, the kitten might have remained inside for quite a while.

In the corner of the container, he spotted a slip of paper, partially shredded. He unfolded it.

Dear Uncle Guy,
I know you are sad, and I want you to be happy. I am giving you one of Fluffy’s kittens so you won’t be lonely. I named her Mittzi becuz she has four wite white mittens. Pleez come home again, soon.
Jessamine
XOXO

His sister worried about him, but Carter, too, and now Jessamine? He hadn’t hidden his feelings well enough if his seven-year-old niece could pick up on them. [image error] Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2

The pets are back! Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 , featuring twelve of today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors. A dozen original stories! Join in the fun, from the Dragon Lords of Valdier to a trip aboard award-winning author, Veronica Scott’s Nebula Zephyr to journeying back to Luda where Grim is King, for stories that will take you out of this world! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem, Susan Grant, Michelle Howard, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Sabine Priestley, Jessica E. Subject, Carol Van Natta, and Alexis Glynn Latner as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that supports our veterans!
 
10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

                                                       *** [image error] USA Today bestselling author Cara Bristol writes steamy science fiction romance with an emphasis on the characters and their romance, with a little humor, heat, and danger added for fun. She is the author of three science fiction romance series: sexy cyborg Cy-Ops Scifi Romance series, the dark erotic Breeder series, and the new humorous Alien Mate series. She likes  to say that she writes science fiction for readers who don’t like sci-fi.  Cara lives in Missouri with her alpha hero, her husband, and Hannah, her cat, a/k/a her writing supervisor. Cara's Links
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