Saturday, April 2, 2022

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, with standalone 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 30th at 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

I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.

Find a catalog of my published stories HERE.

 

22 comments:

  1. It's a sad thing to have in common, but something that can unite them as well. Nice snippet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, of course. Though, she believes she cannot compete with his beautiful wife.

      Delete
  2. Empathy for someone who has suffered as you have makes a strong, immediate bond between even strangers. You can feel it surface with these two lonely souls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I wanted to suggest his interest in her.

      Delete
  3. Enjoyed the snippet and their conversation. They have more in common than he thought!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like how she sailed through what could have become awkward--about her aunt's cats. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cat joke will recur. I skipped the bit where Josie longs to stroke his furry arms!

      Delete
  5. I thought his displeasure when she mentioned Jim indicated a sharp interest in her marital status. I can certainly tell they are interested in one another. Great snippet! Tweeted.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoyed the excerpt. They have more in common than was apparent. Tweeted.

    Linda McLaughlin aka Lyndi Lamont

    ReplyDelete
  7. Losing someone they love is a strong bond between them. I hope he finds doctors who can save him since it seems he's found a woman who interests him.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like him. He seems like a caring person.

    ReplyDelete
  9. To have lost a beloved spouse makes a strong bond. I'm enjoying this story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great! It's not as funny as yours, although there are some comic bits.

      Delete
  10. In my mother's neighborhood there is a cat who "belongs" to several households. He gets fed well! I worry about him because the street out front is so busy. Tweeted the post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. In our neighborhood (suburbs of Atlanta), there are often signs about lost cats. I suspect coyotes are the problem.

      Delete