Welcome
to the SFR Brigade Showcase for September
For this month’s showcase, I’m posting an excerpt
from my first novel, The Lady is Blue.
Please
remember to check out the posts from the other participants at http://sfrcontests.blogspot.com/p/sfr-brigade-presents.html
Blurb
What color are your scales? Dr. Lucy Stannis, the chief biologist in
the remote human colony on Eden, is thrilled when their
scientists make contact with an alien vessel. Undaunted by the scaled
bodies and sharp claws of the formidable Atrapako, Lucy befriends the spaceship
captain, the Blue, Sa Kamizan Veedak. Her hopes of learning about the aliens
are frustrated when they refuse to cooperate.
Appearances are deceptive. Sa Kamizan seeks a safe haven for his
people. He has led them on a terrible voyage from their desolate homeland, and
he will not permit the colony of puny humans to spoil his plans to settle on
the fertile planet. He must rethink his devious scheme after meeting the
beautiful, feisty Dr. Stannis. Her skills surprise him at every new challenge,
but he cannot claim her without revealing the forbidden Atrapako secret.
Conflict is inevitable. The rigid culture of the unemotional
aliens clashes with the lively human society, threatening Lucy’s tenuous
friendship with Sa Kamizan. Can the unlikely couple overcome prejudice and work
together to save the colony?
If you like plucky
heroines and mysteries where deceptions abound, then you’ll enjoy this science
fiction adventure and sweet romance with a surprise twist at the end.
Book 1 of
Atrapako on Eden.
Excerpt: Sa Kamizan and Lucy flirt after
swimming in a mountain pool.
Lucy
rolled back onto her stomach. “Of course, you have no feelings! I forgot.” She
sighed dramatically.
“Any
more nonsense and I’ll scratch your back,” he threatened.
Lucy
wriggled her shoulders and called his bluff. “Good, I’ve got an itch in the
middle of my back.”
There
was the scrape of scales on rock as he moved to sit near her. He began to rub
her back gently.
Lucy
smiled to herself. It was pleasant without his exposed claws. “A little lower,”
she directed.
His
breath came warm on her neck as he murmured, “You would scrape the skin from
your hands if you tried to scratch my back.”
She
laughed. “I know. We are totally incompatible.”
His
breathing quickened and Lucy felt his hand slide down her body. An
uncomfortable flush spread over her. She tensed and said coldly, “You enjoy
touching me.”
Sa
Kamizan removed his hand quickly and she sat up, hugging her knees to her chest
protectively.
He
gazed at her face, half kneeling in front of her. “You are beautiful!” he said
with an unexpected catch in his voice.
“Do
you feel emotion?” she asked, conscious of an electric attraction between them.
For the first time, she felt he was vulnerable. He had betrayed a feeling of
desire.
He
gave a choke of laughter. “I did not claim to have no emotion, only less
powerful emotions.”
A
sudden insight hit her. “Oh, you mean less powerful than in Azarak?”
Reacting
in alarm, his crest hairs stood erect and his eyes narrowed. He grabbed her
arm, and grated, “Who told you?”
Without
hesitating, she gazed into his piercing eyes and said, “You did.”
“I
did not mention Azarak.” He glared at her.
She
replied smoothly, “I made a lucky guess at the name.”
“Who
have you told, Lucy?” he demanded, tightening his grip on her arm.
She
shook her head and gave a rueful grin. “Who on Eden would believe me? Not the
Governors; they consider me negligible, or crazy. They are even oblivious to the
Blues’ games of dominance.”
He
said, “I don’t play those games with you.” His crest lowered as he grew calmer.
“No,”
she said in a thoughtful voice. “You don’t scare me. We play other games.” She
tilted her chin, offering a challenge.
Sa
Kamizan released her arm. “You are a dangerous woman, Lucy Stannis.”
“You
are full of compliments today,” she whispered. “You may be the only person on
Eden who believes I am dangerous.”
He
grinned and lifted a loose strand of her hair. “It is part of your attraction.
You keep astounding me.”
“We
share a liking for dangerous people,” she said with a gleaming smile.
The Lady is Blue - Only 99c this week at Amazon
Sassy Scientist Solves Mystery of Scaly
Aliens
Quotes from Reviewers:
“A sassy human female and an arrogant, scaled alien spaceship
Captain collide. What could possibly go wrong? Or go right?”
“This was an enjoyable
sci-fi romance with many plot twists and lots of action!”
“Really
Captivating and Fun!”
Fun Promos
Sept 2-4: Labor Day Weekend Sale - 99c Science Fiction Romance eBooks at http://www.sfrstation.com/labor-day-weekend-99cent-book-sale/
Sept 2-4: Labor Day Weekend Sale - 99c Science Fiction Romance eBooks at http://www.sfrstation.com/labor-day-weekend-99cent-book-sale/
