Too many cats - excerpt from Lured by the Lion for #WeWriWa and #SnippetSunday
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
My new Sci-Fi Romance, Lured by the Lion , released last Wednesday. This story is part of a new series, Second Chances in Space, withstandalone stories about space pirates, spies and second chances for romance.
Relevant background: Josie, a taser-toting captain of a small spacecraft, has flown to another planet to visit her aunt. She meets Penelope Horlis, a schoolfriend of her younger sister, and her father, Leonardo Horlis, a widower still mourning his deceased wife. The Horlises are unusual. They are Felicines from the planet Felicia and have characteristic thick fur like cats. They invite Josie to have lunch in their home.
In last week’s excerpt, Josie entered their house and saw a large portrait of Leonardo Horlis’ deceased wife. You can read the excerpt at: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-portrait-excerpt-from-lure-by-lion.html
The last sentence was: Suppressing a shudder, she wondered if the dead woman’s specter haunted the house and disturbed its occupants.
I’ve skipped a few lines to where they are finishing lunch.
Horlis asked, “Are you enjoying the visit with your aunt?”
She brushed a strand of hair off her face and shook her head. “It’s not exactly enjoyable. My aunt offers little in the way of entertainment. She chatters nonstop on trivial topics, and she’s addicted to cats.”
“Cats?” He arched his bushy eyebrows.
“Yes. Her house is full of cats. They’re either sleeping or squabbling, and you can’t sit down without removing one from the chair.”
Ten sentences plus a little more:
His eyes twinkling, Horlis leaned forward. “Too many cats can be a nuisance.”
Recalling his origin, she said hurriedly, “Don’t misjudge me. I’m fond of cats. We kept a cat on our spacecraft for several years.”
Penelope asked, “What happened to the cat?”
“He made a new friend on a space station and declined to rejoin our crew.”
“Oh, you must be teasing us,” Penelope cried.
“It’s true.” Josie chuckled. “Our cat adopted the old woman who ran the cafe. Jim said her need was greater than ours.”
Horlis’ smile vanished and his brows snapped together. “Jim?”
Wondering why he looked annoyed, she flushed, explaining, “Jim Yazzie was my husband. After he died, I inherited his spacecraft and courier business.”
He slid his fingers across the table to touch her hand. “Forgive me. I did not realize you had endured a loss as great as mine.”
Widow with a spaceship meets widower with a dangerous secret.
After the death of her ailing father, Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie is free to roam the galaxy in the Star Condor, the spacecraft she inherited from her deceased husband. She embarks on a trip to deliver her father’s bequest to her aunt on a rural planet outside the civilized sectors.
A chance encounter with the crippled Leonardo Horlis changes her future. Horlis suffers from a debilitating malady and expects to live for less than a year. Josie is strongly attracted to him, yet she cannot hope to compete with his beautiful dead wife, whose portrait dominates his house and his memories. Sympathizing with his grief and illness, Josie offers to transport him in her spaceship to the top medical center of the ultracivilized inner planets.
Their attraction intensifies in the cramped quarters of her spaceship. But, Leo has a dangerous secret that threatens to terminate their voyage and their lives. Can Josie and Leo escape the perils and vanquish the ghosts of their past to find happiness together?
You can pre-order Lured by the Lion for release on the 30that Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
The first book in this new series, Captured by the Hawk , is a fun and fast-paced space opera. An intrepid Irish spy is captured by the notorious space pirate, Captain Hawk, a widower with a tragic secret.
Discounted to 99c at Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
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