Thanks for having me on the blog today. So lovely to come back to visit Here Be Magic as a guest! I’m
happy to talk about my story for this
year’s Pets In Space 3: Embrace the
Passion anthology!
I love going back to revisit my interstellar cruise liner,
the Nebula Zephyr, for these Pets In Space stories, as the ship cruises through the futuristic human civilization known as
The Sectors. This is our third year of doing the anthology. I’ve written a number of
books and novellas centered on events aboard the cruise ship now and find the whole
cruise setup lends itself to telling a good scifi romance adventure tale.
Readers new to my world don’t need to know a lot of backstory to enjoy the
events, and for those who have read others in the series, it’s a nice return to
see some favorite characters (I hope!).
I usually start with the concept of the pet when I’m
figuring out my annual Pets in Space story because that’s the key here. (We're talking pet stories like Lassie but in space!) I have to
develop a story that can involve the animal in a meaningful way, not just a
throw away line like “And the cat purred!” So the pet must be able to drive at least part
of the plot, for me to feel I’ve succeeded. I also want to have a science
fiction-y element to the pet itself. While I was pondering the 2018 story, I saw
a really distinctive photo of a Siamese cat and I thought that would be fairly
easy and interesting animal for our talented artist Nyssa Juneau to turn into
an alien feline for me, with the addition of a third eye and a few other
alterations.
But I’ve done a cat and a catlike alien before, for PISA1,
although Midorri, the alien pet there actually is kind of a cross between a red
panda and a tribble who acts like a cat. So I wanted something very different,
to push the envelope a little more this time and I started thinking about what
if the cat wasn’t actually a real animal at all? I ended up making F’rrh a
‘jenfellini’, which is something like a genie or perhaps a mischievous spirit,
living in a beautiful lacquered box when not out and about making mischief.
And of course since Moby and Midorri from the PISA1 novella Star Cruise: Stowaway live on
board the Nebula Zephyr these days,
we do get a few quick glimpses of them in this year's tale.
Anthology Blurb:
Pets in Space™ is back! Join us as we unveil eleven
original, never-before-published action-filled romances that will heat your
blood and warm your heart! New York Times, USA Today and Award-winning authors
S.E. Smith, Anna Hackett, Ruby Lionsdrake, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones,
Carol Van Natta, Tiffany Roberts, Alexis Glynn Latner, E D Walker, JC Hay, and
Kyndra Hatch combine their love for Science Fiction Romance and pets to bring
readers sexy, action-packed romances while helping our favorite charity. Proud
supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space™ authors have donated over $4,400 in
the past two years to help place specially trained dogs with veterans. Open
your hearts and grab your limited release copy of Embrace the Romance: Pets in
Space™ 3 today!
STAR CRUISE: MYSTERY
DANCER blurb: Tassia Megg is a woman
on the run after the death of her elderly guardian. Her search to get off the
planet in a hurry comes when chance directs her to an open dance audition for
the luxury cruise liner Nebula Zephyr’s resident troupe. If there is one thing
Tassia can do, it is dance!
Security Officer Liam Austin is suspicious of the newest
performer to join the Comettes. She shows all the signs of being a woman on the
run and seems to fit the Sectors-wide broadcast description of a missing thief,
accused of stealing priceless artifacts. As he gets to know Tassia during the
cruise, he starts to wonder if she’s something more – a long vanished princess
in hiding from deadly political enemies of her family perhaps? And what’s the
story with the three-eyed feline companion other crew members swear Tassia
brought aboard the ship? Does the animal even exist?
As the ship approaches its next port of call, all the issues
come to a boil and Liam must decide if he’ll step in to help Tassia or betray
her. Life is about to get very interesting aboard the Nebula Zephyr as Liam
tries to uncover the truth. Could F’rrh, the peculiar alien cat he has been
hearing about, be the key to the mystery and Tassia’s fate?
The excerpt - Tassia
is safely aboard the ship and calls F’rrh forth:
From the clock in the bulkhead, she knew she’d slept several
hours by the time she woke up with a start. Dressing in an oversize T shirt and
shorts, she wandered into the kitchenette and found the promised welcome
basket. These people try very hard to be
kind. Munching on a ration bar, holding a cup of synthcaff, she went into the
living area and sat on the couch built into the wall, running through
meditation exercises in an attempt to regain her inner calm. The danger wasn’t
over, but she had a temporary respite.
Finally, she returned to the bedroom and opened the
backpack, carefully removing the few items Xandrina had swept into the bag at
the last minute. Tassia arranged the small boxes and miniature statues on the
top of the empty bureau with care, trying to appreciate what she still had, not
to remember the vast collection in her bedroom at home on Ruatsar Ten, or the
beloved relatives who’d given her each of the beautiful items. Soon enough
she’d probably have to sell the remaining trinkets, if not on this ship, then
later.
“I need to save every credit in salary I can.” She spoke out
loud just to hear a voice. Trinkets weren’t important for anything other than
the memories attached to them, most of which were now too poignant to revisit.
Picking up the final item, the black lacquer box Liam had
been so fascinated by, she set it in the exact center of the bureau, put her
hands together and made a formal bow, then rubbed one hand over the drawing and
opened the lid.
Golden motes drifted upward from the interior of the
container, twirling in the air as if happy to be set free. As Tassia watched,
the sparks came together in the outline of a catlike being. There was a flash
of purple and F’rrh sat regally next to the box. Her third eye was closed but,
tail curled over her paws, she watched Tassia intently from the other two.
“It is well?” F’rrh asked in the old tongue of Ruatsar,
voice raspy as if she was meowing and speaking simultaneously.
“Yes, Knowing One. Your vision was clear, and I pursued it
to fruition. Thank you for the gift.”
“We will miss Madame Xandrina,” the cat said. “Yet it was
her time to join the goddess and enjoy peace. Our time to continue onward.”
“Do you have any further guidance for me?” Tassia enjoyed
using the language of her birth, the syllables falling from her tongue so
lyrically. She held her breath as the cat’s third eyelid opened the slightest
bit and then shut.
“Not at this time.” F’rrh stretched and reverted into golden
flickers of light which flowed into the box as if sucked into the heart of a
black hole. For all she knew the box might contain such a thing. Tassia smiled
at the whimsical concept.
For more about the anthology, the authors involved and Hero-Dogs, Inc., our charity, visit https://www.petsinspaceantho.com/
Author Bio and Links:
USA Today Best Selling Author
“SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happy Ever
After blog
Veronica Scott grew
up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved
ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in
everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own
stories.
Seven time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a
National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud
recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job,
not her romances!
She read the part of
Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City
On the Edge of Forever.”
Love being back as a guest, to share the release day news! Thanks for having me over...
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