Release Day Blitz for The Virgin Charmer by Rachel A. Olson!!

Tite: The Virgin Charmer (The Triple Goddess Trilogy: Book One)

Author: Rachel A Olson

Genre: Paranormal Romance

BLURB:

Hope Richards has only ever known the life of a big city girl. When her boss gives her an ultimatum, she decided to try out the country life during her forced vacation. After falling in love with a mysterious old mansion on the edge of a town that time forgot, Hope finds herself caught up in a whirlwind of someone else's crazy love obsession, and realizes in the middle of it all how lacking her own life is in that department. Hope is faced with a decision: return to the mundane life she thought was her passion, or find a way to experience something far stronger that she secretly yearns for.

BOOK LINKS:
AMAZON US
AMAZON UK
SMASHWORDS
B&N

THE AUTHOR:

AUTHOR BIO:

Somewhere amidst her forty-hour job and playtime with her three-year-old, Rachel finds time to walk the streets of worlds only existing on manmade paper. She resides in small college town Northwestern Nebraska with her young son, just a few blocks from a city park, the public schools, and her parents. She enjoys socializing with adults, sipping strawberry wine, and head banging to music that doesn't carry a beat worth the effort of rock star hair slinging.

"The paranormal world is a much more desired realm. There's no limit to possibilities, no comparison to probabilities, no concept of actualities. There's no solid platform for racism, judgment, or hierarchy. It is exactly the manifestation you choose it to be, darkness and death included."

AUTHOR LINKS:

WEBSITE

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PINTEREST

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THE EXCERPT:

“I think we should get a drink before we start Q and A.” The sound of Abigail’s voice made Hope jump enough to bump her knees on the table. Her tone was ice cold, sending prickly chills down Hope’s spine. She only nodded, certain that questioning how Abigail could be so dead about something involving her own brother would be a bad idea.

Abigail snapped her fingers in the air two times, and the man behind the bar immediately jumped on command. The closer he got, the stronger the pull became that Hope had felt previously. He walked with his face downcast, most likely watching where he stepped in an attempt to avoid tripping on anything or anyone. When he finally reached their table, Hope was in the middle of scrambling away, utterly terrified by what she was feeling. As soon as she caught sight of his face, her chair tipped back with her still in it.

Hope found herself sprawled out on a grubby wooden floor that didn’t look like it’d been swept in several days. Her sweater had somehow tangled itself around and between her knees, making any attempt she made to stand look very similar to a fish out of water.

Hope stopped all futile attempts to stand independently when a very masculine hand jabbed itself in front of her nose. With large, crossed eyes, she gasped and managed to scoot away from the floating hand by a few measly inches. A deep, silky chuckle rolled across languid airwaves and nearly choked Hope with its thick perfume. Hope glanced up through half mast eyes at the blurred face hovering just beyond the floating hand, and smiled crookedly, one eyebrow popping up a hair higher than the other. Another bout of chuckling ensued just as something lifted Hope to her seat.

“...Bump her head?”

“I’m...sure.”

Hope was only grasping portions of surrounding conversation. Her head swam through an enervated, unknown substance, causing a reaction similar to that of narcotics. She tried to shake herself and clear her mind, but whatever it was, it insisted on clinging tightly to every inch of her, inside and out.

“Do you mind telling me what your nose is doing on my boyfriend?” Hope was ripped from her strange trance when a cold, bony little hand landed abruptly on her shoulder. Her eyes flew open, finding that her nose was indeed buried into the chest of a man.

No, not just any man. The man. The one that was causing the pull.

“Holy shit,” she muttered to herself, stuck in the glistening eyes of a man several years younger than herself. She was fully aware of the stares she was earning, as well as a perfectly annoyed Abigail behind her. She was also aware that, at that particular moment, she didn’t have the willpower to pull away from the younger man directly in front of her, or whatever it was that possessed her.

Slowly, Mr. Gloriously Addictive stepped away from her snout, swallowing loudly as he did. Hope could hear Abigail impatiently tapping her foot on the floor. The further he got from her, the stronger she felt. Finally, Hope managed to turn a bit to look at Abigail over her shoulder, knowing her cheeks would match the color of unfriendly fire. She opened her mouth to apologize, and the next thing she knew, she was falling face first toward the table. Abigail clumsily caught her full weight, gently lowering her into the nearest chair. Hope opened a single eye, finding the bartender entirely too close for comfort, and no doubt the cause of her sudden lack of leg control and balance.

He was frowning at her, probably just like Hope frowned at him. Abigail popped up out of nowhere next to him, the man that was yet to own a name, offering Hope a crystal clear glass of liquid heaven. She swallowed a mouthful, expecting it to slide down like the cool, refreshing water it should’ve been. Except it wasn’t water, and it ignited the very fires of hell in her throat and belly.

“Sorry,” Abigail winced as Hope coughed and sputtered. “I should’ve told you it was Vodka. Your weird dizzy spells and swooning had me convinced you were in desperate need of a hard drink.” Hope only offered a half smile, practically glaring up at the man still standing entirely too close to her. “Oh jeez, my manners ran away with my good mood. This is Garrett, my boyfriend.” Garrett offered a friendly hand to shake, but Hope just stared at it. She was more concerned about the close proximity of that hand, and why his very presence made her feel like her skeleton had decided to take a vacation without the rest of her.

“I think I need some fresh air,” Hope finally managed to announce.

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Blog Blitz for Loverboy By Trista Jaszczak!!

Title – Loverboy
Author – Trista Jaszczak
Genre – Romance/Thriller
Re-Release Date – October 31, 2013
Publisher– Planettopia Publishing
Cover Artist – Beetiful Designs

 

SYNOPSIS
When Charlotte Murphy escapes from the ruthless serial rapist and killer, Loverboy, she finds herself completely lost and scared to death. Lost, frightened, recovering, and in the sights of a brutal killer. In a most odd but clever tactic from the police, they assign Charlie 24/7 live-in protection; a move that is supposed to comfort her and make healing easier. Somehow, despite the odds, Charlie finds a refuge in officer Nick Andrews and in his arms she finds the strength to heal and the courage to move on with life. Nick finds everything that he wasn't looking for in Charlie’s eyes and a fight against a killer that becomes personal.

BUY LINKS AMAZON | GOODREADS TO BE READ SHELF

MEET TRISTA JASZCZAK

Trista Jaszczak (jazz-ick) is the author of the Believe series, retold, and upcoming relaunches, Loverboy, What Lies Inside and the Darkness Falls series. She is an Air Force spouse and mother to two mischievous and rambunctious little girls. She is originally from Hamilton, Ohio but calls home where ever the Air Force sends her. She currently resides in Anchorage, Alaska where she finds endless inspiration in the pure Alaskan wilderness. When she isn’t writing, she spends her time with her family in the vast Alaskan outdoors, plucking away at her old guitar or working on self improvement in the gym. She loves the outdoors, the moon, old movies and music.

STALKER LINKS

 AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE | WEBSITE/BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | TUMBLR | GOODREADS

Release Day Blitz and Giveaway for Eighth Note by Kimberly Stedronsky!!

Book Title: Eighth Note

Author: Kimberly Stedronsky

Genre: Paranormal Horror Romance

Release Date: October 31, 2013

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Synopsis:

Eighth Note (Fire Ballad One)

Kimberly Stedronsky

Eva Reed saved the world.

Actually, she saved two worlds, but who’s counting?

Finding herself in the middle of present day suburbia, married and a mom at only twenty years old, she’s beyond bored. Even with her popular music blog and her handsome husband Will catering to her every impulse, she longs to use the incredible powers that she possesses.

But Earth is no place for magic.

When Cole Mathison arrives, asking for Eva’s help in solving the death of a famous pop star, she cannot resist the overwhelming pull to use her abilities again.

Eva finds that there is more to the sinister murder than what the evidence shows.  

People who listen continue to die, and she must rely on her immortality to protect her from a frequency that is shattering minds and stopping hearts.

There are forces at work that she could never have imagined...

And evil will be heard.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Smashwords

Author Bio:

Kimberly Stedronsky is an Ohio author who prefers an epic love story. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education, which she uses as an excuse to be as immature as possible on a daily basis.

She is married to a stand-up comedian Marine veteran, and their three children are appropriately sarcastic.

Social Media Links:

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Goodreads Author

Goodreads Book Link

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Excerpt

“I’ve spent the last thirty years proving to myself that I wasn’t crazy. I’ve… helped… people with paranormal activity.”

“You’re a ghost hunter?” I snorted, listening to the monitor crackle and Perry cry out softly. Will gave a deep, amused sigh, gesturing to the house.

“I am going to bed. Ten minutes, Eva.”

I automatically scowled at his order. “I’ll be up in a little while,” I countered, using all of my self control not to tell him off for treating me like a kid.

“Yes, love.” He bent to me, practically lifting me off the ground to catch me off guard with a possessive kiss. I could only hold on to his shoulders as his mouth moved over mine, and it took me five witless seconds to realize that the display was completely for Cole.

Men, marking their territory. Please.

“I won’t keep her long,” Cole promised, and Will responded with a quick nod before heading for the house. “All happily ever after here, I take it?”

I turned to him, tucking my hands under the sleeves of my hoodie. “Obviously. Now tell me what’s going on.”

He scratched his chin. “No, I’m not a ghost hunter. I just… lend a hand. When crazy, unexplainable shit happens.”

“I hate to tell you this, but people die. Every day. I’m sure the toxicology reports will come back with some fun party results.”

He stared at me, contemplating. I returned his look, waiting impatiently. Finally, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, handing it over to me.

“The security cameras caught her death. There’s no sound. Eva honey, are you sure you can handle this?”

I accepted his iPhone, shrugging. “Um, I set my father-in-law on fire from the inside out. I think I can handle watching someone die.”

His palm covered my hand, and his fingertip swept the screen open. His nails weren’t nearly as manicured as Will’s, and his calloused skin felt rough on mine. “No sound,” he repeated, and I nodded, trying not to appear as confused as I felt.

The street lamp flickered over our heads, and I waved my hand to turn the bulb completely off, leaving us in darkness.

The video began with an aerial view of Nina, black and white, in the studio. I could hear that the sound had been wiped from the video, and the continuous, looping whisper kept time with my heartbeat as my pulse began to pound in my ears.

Nina was tall and blonde, with adorable dimples that kept her looking years younger than her actual age. She had two fingers over her earpiece as she sang, and I watched her drag the back of her other hand over her brow in mid-verse.

She stopped singing, and the rushing sound intensified.

She was coughing; I watched her reach for something, and then tip her head back and take a long drink from a bottle of water.

Cole’s hand slid around my waist, and I almost screamed. I’d been so involved in the video, waiting, holding my breath, I’d almost forgotten he was next to me.

“Eva.” He warned. I ignored him, narrowing my eyes and focusing on the iPhone screen.

Nina stilled suddenly, and the water bottle slipped from her hand.

Long seconds passed as she stood there, frozen, still, and I started to lift my finger to touch the screen, checking to see if the video paused.

Her head jerked down violently, chin to chest. All of her hair surrounded her face.

When her head snapped upward to meet the camera face-on, my hand clamped over Cole’s arm.

Her mouth was a wide, dark O, no teeth, no sound… no pupils. Blackness seeped from the corners of her eyes, and she began to bend backward, further, further still, until her entire body was folded- backwards- at the waist.

Text copyright © 2013 Kimberly Stedro

Giveaway:

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Giveaway for Secrets Lost by J.L Mbewe!!

Title:  Secrets Kept

Author:  J.L. Mbewe

Published:  October 15th, 2013 by AltWit Press

Word Count: 100,000

Genre:  Fantasy

Synopsis:

With a curse, she will build an army.

With the dagger, she will undo the last sacrifice.

But first the sorceress must find the secret keeper.

Torn from her homeland and thrust into a betrothal against her wishes, Ayianna learns her family has a deadly secret that now has her on the run. She joins forces with Kael, an embittered half-elf, and Saeed, an elderly High Guardian, to seek answers to her father’s death, the destruction of Dagmar, and the plains people’s bizarre behavior.

Ayianna discovers there is more at stake here than just her mother’s disappearance and her familial duty to her betrothed. The sorceress has cursed the plains people, and it is a race against time to release them before the sorceress resurrects an ancient evil.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads

About the Author:

Writing as J. L. Mbewe, Jennette is an author, artist, mother, wife, but not always in that order. Born and raised in Minnesota, she now braves the heat of Texas, but pines for the Northern Lights and the lakes of home every autumn. She loves trying to capture the abstract and make it concrete.

She is currently living her second childhood with a wonderful husband and two precious children who don't seem to mind her eclectic collections of rocks, shells, and books, among other things. While living life balanced between reality and dreams, she is creating worlds inhabited by all sorts of fantasy creatures and characters, all questing about and discovering true love amid lots of peril.

Her debut novel, Secrets Kept, is coming this fall, and in the meantime be on the lookout for a few short stories set in the World of Nälu.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

EXCERPT:

Excerpt from Secrets Kept by J.L. Mbewe:

Leaves rustled, and the bush’s slender limbs shuddered. Shadows veiled the intruder; the light of the lantern unable to penetrate the layers of dry leaves and stems. Ayianna peered closer, and a dark mass burst out of the bush toward her face. She flung her arms up. The milk pail slammed into her head, and its warm contents splashed down her face, neck, and clothes. The lantern rocked on its hinge, the flame flashing and flickering wildly. The intruder screeched and a rush of wings brushed against her skin.
Ayianna lowered her arms. A large bird ruffled its dark feathers and made to settle its wings, but one hung at an odd angle. Its round, ebony eyes ogled her.
Could it be?
“Fero?” she asked. “Is brother home already?” She glanced around, but her eyes failed her in the half-light. Her wet clothes clung to her skin, and the breeze grew colder. She shivered and glared at the bird. “Brother or not, look what you made me do? Now, I’ve got no milk, and I’m all wet.”
Fero jerked his wayward wing back and hissed.
“Are you hurt?” Ayianna lifted the lantern, and its glow poured over the falcon, revealing dark stains on his ribbed underbelly. She reached out to touch him, but he gnashed his curved beak at her. The branch shifted, and the bird thrashed about trying to regain his perch, but then he broke free and soared haphazardly into the red-tinged sky.
Atop the bush, a strip of cloth fluttered where Fero had sat. She tore it free. The fabric was damp, soiled, and stunk of decay. It stained her fingertips red. Blood?

Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

• Signed Print Copy & swag.

Giveaway is US only.

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Cover Reveal and Giveaway for Favorite Places by Kelly Gendron!!!

Book Title: Favorite Places (A Trouble Maker Novel)

Author:  Kelly Gendron

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Release Date: December 10, 2013

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

Synopsis:

A five-minute trolley ride, one troublemaking luggage, and two stolen identities. Six months later, two strangers discover they’re married. She wants an annulment. He has other plans.

Being illegally hitched is about the only way Chase Lennox would ever be shackled to any woman. But when the multimillionaire playboy finds out he’s married to the woman who caused him to lose the biggest deal of his life, Chase decides before he gives his new wife an annulment, she’s going to help him close the deal he’d lost.
Jessina Landi has a three-foot radius comfort zone. The last man she let into it cost her a lot more than a broken heart. And the huge debt she owes for that trust, well, it’s due. If she takes Chase Lennox's up on his offer, it’s sure to cover the bill. 
There’s an annulment waiting at the end of their rainbow… well, that’s if they can get through the next two weeks without consummating the marriage.

THE AUTHOR:

Author Bio:

Kelly resides in a quiet suburb somewhere between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, NY. Her day job? Kelly works in health care representing a group of nursing facilities in the WNY area. She’s been faithfully writing for three years but did write her first book ten years ago. She put it down to raise her son as a single mom and then picked it back up when she and her son finally grew up. That's when she settled into her newly married adult life and started to seriously write again. She's dabbled with Romantic Suspense stories, but recently she's been on a contemporary kick. The recipe for the men in her stories: a dash of bad boy attitude, a cup of strong and confident and, of course, besides being packed with magnificent bodies, and doused with shameless aptitudes, they must have a tender heart you want to rip out of the pages (or your e-Reader) and take to bed with you at night. 

Social Media Links:

·        Facebook URL

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·        Website

·        Goodreads Author URL

·        Goodreads Book Link URL

Excerpt:

Favorite Places

A TroubleMaker Novel

Book Two

“Finish getting ready. We’re outta here in a few minutes,” he said, then turned his back to her.

She struggled to retort from the total body meltdown. “Are we heading back to your apartment?”

“Yes,” he said just as he disappeared from the doorway.

“Good.” She raised her voice. “You can drop me off at the bus stop then.”

Chase’s head swayed back in the doorway. “Come again?”

“I’m going home, but I’ll be back in time for Caplin’s arrival on Thursday.”

Chase stepped back into the room. “Why do you want to go home?”

The question caught her off guard. She’d assumed he’d be pleased to be rid of her. Nonetheless, telling him the truth wasn’t an option. “As you said, the only reason we needed to spend time together was so I could get to know you, so we can convince Caplin we’re married.”

His forehead wrinkled. “And you feel like you know me now?”

“Well enough to pull off a bullshit marriage, yes.”

“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin, then dropped his hand and took a step toward her. His intense regard held her captive.

She clung to those dark eyes, waiting for him to say something.

“I don’t want you to go.” His low, husky words resonated in her ears.

Her body hesitated, her heart skipped, and her nerves stammered. She was convinced that all of her senses had failed her, because she was sure she hadn’t heard him right. “What?”

“There’re a few more things you need to know about me in order to successfully pull this off, Jessina.”

Every single one of her senses came back to life as he approached her.

“Will you stay here with me just one more night?” he asked, stopping in front of her. “So I can show them to you?”

“What?” Heat flushed through her body once more. “What sort of things?”

Dark, ravishing eyes dropped to her mouth as he drew a finger down the side of her cheek. It trailed along her neck, gently grazing her shoulder and caressing the length of her arm. “The sort of things I would do with my real wife.” He looked back up at her, his hand now settled on her hip. The weight of his touch caused her stomach to clench with desire. His hand shifted to the small of her back, and her next breath got caught in her throat. “I want to show you how my wife would make me feel when I’m this close to her.” He applied light pressure with his hand to her back, and the space between them descended. Their bodies became one.

“Chase…” His name fell from her lips in a near whisper when his hardness pressed into her tight-with-desire belly.

“Jessina…” he hissed back in a throaty murmur…

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Release Day Blitz for Shattered by Anne Renee Kline!!!

Synopsis:
With Eric’s proposal on the table and the memory of Matthew’s kiss on her lips, Lauren Jefferies has a decision to make.

After months of praying that Eric would take their relationship to the next level and come clean with his true feelings for her, he shocks Lauren by doing just that. Suddenly, he’s offered her everything she’s ever dreamed of. He’s agreed to compromise, whispering words of love and forever amid his plans for their future.

But his timing couldn’t be worse.

While Eric was busy with his soul-searching, Lauren found a new kindred spirit in Matthew. Her roommate’s brother was happy to fill in when her boyfriend wasn’t willing or able to be there. Eventually the lines of their friendship blurred, giving way to a deep seated attraction. She thought the feeling was mutual, but now that Eric’s shown his hand, Matthew’s pushed her away.

Matthew’s rejection stings more than it should.

Eric’s waiting for a response.

Ultimately, whatever she chooses to do will end up changing all three of them.

Lauren’s happy ever after was never supposed to begin like this. 

BUY LINKS:
AMAZON
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KOBO   
iTUNES

Author Bio:
Alicia Renee Kline has been writing for as long as she can remember. Her work has evolved from scrawling story ideas in spiral notebooks in loopy, middle school handwriting (complete with scribbles) to more professional looking fare via her laptop. She is eternally grateful for the "delete" key, so that no one can tell that she doesn't get everything right the first time.

She resides in Northeastern Indiana with her husband, two daughters, two cats and two hamsters. When she isn't being an author, she works full time in the insurance industry.

AUTHOR LINKS:
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Character Bios and Soundtrack for Don't Just Speak Love by Charlie Teh!!!

TITLE– Don’t Just Speak Love  

AUTHOR– Chalie Teh  

GENRE – YA Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Family, Action  

PUBLICATION DATE – October, 2013 P

UBLISHER – Indie  

COVER ARTIST – Damonza  

BOOK BLURB/SYNOPSIS– Eighteen-year-old Averie’s life is turned upside-down when she’s instructed by her long-missing mother to enroll in an international college despite her being a local. Soon after, Averie discovers she is a nephilim—part human part angel—and her young life drastically changes from awfully droning to incomprehensibly hectic as she juggles college work, bullying, demanding training sessions with a surprising fit seventy-year-old, family issues, and the one thing she’s most skeptical of: love. When adults in her life don't fulfill their rightful responsibilities, she’s forced to take those neglected responsibilities into her own hands and set everyone’s life back on the right track. With the aid of a special Japanese classmate Sasuke, and a fiercely determined and righteous attitude, will Averie be strong enough to overcome the challenges in her difficult adolescence?       

BUY LINKS AMAZON KINDLE / SMASHWORDS / GOODREADS   

 AUTHOR BIO Chalie Teh lives in Singapore—a sunny island in Southeast Asia, which occupies only a little red dot on the world map. She is twenty-one this year and mum to a perfect Shih Tzu dog called Blythe. 

STALKER LINKS  

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / GOODREADS 

SOUNDTRACK

1. Because of you—Kelly Clarkson

2. Dash—Hey! Say! JUMP

3. Dedication—Vitas

4. Down to earth—Justin Bieber

5. Everything has changed—Taylor Swift

6. Fall—Justin Bieber

7. Heartless—Kanye West

8. Heart Attack—Demi Lovato

9. SUPER DELICATE—Hey! Say! JUMP

10. Where are you now—Justin Bieber

Character Bios

Averie Teh: 18-year-old Singaporean protagonist. Daughter of Archangel Lucifer (antagonist). No one out of the ordinary in general. Untrusting, forthright, brave enough to stand up to her beliefs.

Takahashi Sasuke: A Japanese boy. Averie’s classmate and love interest. Grandson of Archangel Israfel. Drummer in a boy group. Radiant, down to earth, an incredibly nice person.

Lucifer: Antagonist. Fallen angel. Averie’s father.

Ms. Evaline: Antagonist. Lucifer’s servant. A teacher whom Averie referred to as Ms. Psychotic. Emotionally unstable.  

Sir Albion Demeter Savant: 70-year-old nephilim who defeated Lucifer during the upheaval in Heaven many years ago. Son of Archangel Michael. Lucifer’s worst enemy.

Atward Baptiste Savant: Reincarnation of Archangel Israfel. 23 years old. Grandson of Sir Albion. Half French half Scottish. Accomplished singer and musician. Similar personality as Sasuke.

Asa Savant: Twelve going thirteen. Grandson of Sir Albion. And extremely thoughtful boy who was mature way beyond his years.

GIVEAWAY

• 10 eBook Copies of Don’t Just Speak Love Ebook

RAFFLECOPTER CODE

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Book Blitz for These Convergent Stars by Janine A. Southard!!

Title: These Convergent Stars  

Author:  Janine A. Southard

Published:  October 2013

Word Count:  25,000

Genre: Science Fantasy / Science Fiction

Synopsis:

300 years ago, Earth was destroyed, but the Terrans aren’t giving up. Maya Qaitra is a special type of Terran, created to sniff out biologically compatible species. But Maya’s talent comes with a hefty cosmetic price: half the time, she looks like a mountain lion.

On a space station over the planet Elsajh, she’s mistaken for a local shapeshifter and goes with the flow. After all, how better to observe a new species and culture? While impersonating her alien look-alike, Maya stops an invasion and becomes a populist hero. Sure, that seems great, but her mistaken identity stirs trouble for her and her doppelganger. If she’s not careful, she could get her whole species banned from Elsajh forever.

Amazon | GoodReads

About the Author:

Janine A. Southard writes speculative fiction and videogame dialogue from her home in Seattle, WA. She sings with a Celtic band and is working on the next book in the Hive Queen universe. She's also been known to read aloud to her cat.

The cat appreciates all of these things. Maybe.

Amazon Author Page | Twitter | GoodReads | Website

THE EXCERPT:

Excerpt # 1 from These Convergent Stars by Janine Southard:

Our transport rattled me around in my zero-g harness as we attempted to dock with the E-Tee space station. We might have standard-sized Terran docking gear, but that means nothing these days. Terran made goods are a scarce resource in low demand. If we hadn’t been Terrans ourselves—of various flavors—you can bet we’d use something else.

Now, think about this for a minute. I was floating in zero-g, sleeping untethered by gravity. I’d chosen a light harness for my sleepbox, enough to keep me from flying off into the lurking bulkheads. After a few hours of bumping around when the ship went one way and inertia took me another, I wasn’t going to notice one more bump against the harness.

But when we docked with that station I got more than a gentle nudge. Not because of the pilot, don’t get me wrong. No, the problem came from the way I’d managed twist my safety belt so hard it tried to choke me. Sadly, I’d managed to turn myself around like this more than once before.

I transformed into my leonine form immediately, hands squaring into paws and arm muscles lengthening. My breasts flattened against my rib cage, my throat curved into a C. I poised claws over the harness belt closest to my face. Except... I was already in deep with the Quartermaster. Last time I’d cut myself out, he’d vowed finality. Actually, it went like this:

Me (Mahdan 1st Class Maya Qaitra): (sheepishly) Um.

Quartermaster: (not happy) What’ve you done now, slitty?

—Note: I let him get away with calling me slitty because he was justifiably mad. But I still narrowed my unmistakable, slitted cat eyes at the slur.—

Me: You know how two weeks ago, shiptime, I got all tangled up in my sleeping harness and used my claws to get out?

Quartermaster: (exceedingly not happy) You did it again, didn’t you? This makes number five. Y’know, our last Mahdan didn’t cause problems like that.

—Note: Their last Mahdan was the most boring old lady ever. She’d been in the service long enough to make S-class, but that was pure seniority. If she’d found ten viable worlds to seed in her entire life, I’d eat my zero-g harness. The one I’m still stuck in, and that would be really irreparable.—

Me: I’m really sorry.

Quartermaster: Fine. I’ll send my kids up with a new one, but this is the absolute last time!

Much as I’d prefer to avoid trouble with the Quartermaster, this harness was a fluffin’ Gordian Knot, and good old Alexander created a precedent for that. And I, like Alexander, had better things to do. Like get breakfast before we finished docking.

A few quick slashes through the fraying mesh weave—I keep these babies sharp—and I was free. I could talk to the Quartermaster after our rest stop. Hopefully he’d be too hung over to remember that he’d sworn to leave me in permanent free fall if I ever destroyed his precious resources again. Trouble successfully deferred.

I shifted back out of my leonine form before I got to the doorway of my sleeping cell. Transforming in zero-g is the best. No gravity to pull your spine out of alignment when you go from four legs to two. Nope, you can just articulate through the vertebrae, like a comfortable stretch. Now hominid, I splayed my fingers all the way out and fisted them again. Fingers take some getting used to after you’ve been leonine.

Sure, I could’ve stayed in my fingerless form a while longer. I spent so much time in it those days that it felt more normal than my hominid form. Plus, a tail and a feline center of balance do help a lady maneuver through zero-g hallways... but they also lead to one’s tail being pulled by prankster shipmates. There is nothing funny about pulling a cat’s tail. Nothing.

“White stars and black space!” I caroled to my fellows on third watch when I entered the restaurant. They used to call it the mess, but when I first got assigned to this ship, I couldn’t resist. You can’t call a place a mess and then not make one! Food flying everywhere, tables overturned, chefs with storage bins on their heads. My company commander learned right quick about calling things by proper names.

“Green grass and cool water,” Simpson replied. At least someone had learned that planets were more my thing than ships and stations. Simpson was an apprentice pilot, and everyone knows pilots are crazy. Crazy enough to befriend the only creepy shapeshifter on the ship.

I grabbed a cereal sphere and filled it with kibble. Trust me, the dry cat food is the most edible thing at the restaurant. Sometimes my shipmates tried to steal it, and the cook had been known to mash it up for side dishes. I was just the only one who doesn’t have to sneak it.

I glided to join Simpson and resisted the urge to toss kibble at him. After all, the restaurant wasn’t a mess anymore. Before I could convince myself that swatting my breakfast made me a benevolent Mahdan—one who shared her breakfast with those unfortunates forced to eat scrambled protein and cardboard carbohydrates—Commander Asti’s voice came over the PA.

“All right, everybody. We’re safely docked and I want you all to take some off-ship rest. We’ll be here for a week. Work out among yerselves who’s gonna stay with the ship to watch our cargo.” Crackling silence. “Except Mahdan Qaitra. You go out and meet people, figure out where we’re goin’ next. I don’t wanna hear from you till it’s time to bounce.” Momentary pause. “Well? What’re you waitin’ for? Hop to it!” Muttered, but clearly heard: “Disgraces to the service.”

Simpson grinned at me. “Off you stalk then. Scat, little kitten.”

I transformed, professionally quick, and flicked a blond paw at his breakfast. His grin broadened as he pulled it out of my reach, and I retaliated with a hiss and a leap—careful to keep my claws sheathed and my rotation slow—that flipped the pair of us over and over through the air in mock-wrestle.

As we rolled toward the door, I positioned myself to sail out of the restaurant, saucy tail shake in my wake. Third watch laughed behind me, amusement flowing more freely now that I was gone.

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