An Interview with Veronica Scott about Star Cruise Songbird
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl welcomes back author Veronica Scott to talk about one of her older sci-fi romances, Star Cruise Songbird.
Welcome again Veronica to The Adventures of the Everyday Fangirl and thanks so much for taking the time out your busy schedule to help us get to know about Star Cruise Songbird.
What does the title of this novel, series or set of stories signify?
So far I’ve written seven stories in the STAR CRUISE series, most of which occur on the interstellar luxury liner Nebula Zephyr. (One is a prequel before the characters go to work on the ship.) It’s along the lines of the love boat of the stars as a new couple takes front and center each time but the crew is always there. STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD, which is a novella, was the fourth book in the series and was originally written for the second Pets in Space® anthology.
Grant Barton, the hero of this book is a former Special Forces soldier and has an alien warbird from his home planet, which also served with him in the military. This character combination represented a nod from me to Andre Norton’s famous Beastmaster (the novel not the movie), who was always one of my favorites among her heroes, and his eagle.
Karissa Dawnstar, the heroine, is an interstellar rock star, worn out with touring and being compelled by her manager and an airtight contract to perform other promo activities. The manager controls every aspect of her life. She’s fed up and wants to walk away from it all. She’s traveling aboard the Nebula Zephyr to return to her home planet and perform at a huge concert but along the way she has to do a performance on the ship and film a music ‘trideo’. Grant is assigned as her bodyguard and of course…the inevitable happens and they fall in love but there are many obstacles to the Happy Ever After.
What prompted you to write in this genre and who or what inspired you to?
Speaking to the rockstar romance element of this story, I love the genre with a wild passion, in books and in movies and I always thought I’d like to write one, but I primarily write scifi romance. So I decided to write my rockstarstory and place it into my own futuristic world. I had so much fun doing the research, watching a number of documentaries and concert films, and reading accounts of life on the road. Karissa has her own story of course but she’s going through many of the classic rockstar tropes. Success isn’t always what a person expects it to be. And it’s very challenging for Grant to step out of his world into hers.
As far as scifi romance itself, I grew up devouring science fiction of all types and wanting to tell my own stories with a lot more romance involved. Andre Norton was a particular favorite of mine as a Young Adult reader (but of course there was no romance in her books). I’m drawn to the infinite possibilities inherent in scifi and the fact that as an author I’m not at all constrained by the realities of life on Earth. But there must be romance or I’m not interested in writing it.
A recent fun development is that I’ve joined the social media platform Tiktok and I’ve been making video book trailers to showcase my backlist (fifty books and counting!) to a new world of avid readers. The trailer I did for STAR CRUISE SONGBIRD really garnered a lot of attention, lucky for me. Here’s the link if your readers would like to view it for themselves (you don’t have to be a member of Tiktok to watch it): https://www.tiktok.com/@veronicascottauthor/video/6990679582340861190
Of course recently scifi romance has received a great deal of public attention as a result of readers on Tiktok discovering and championing Ruby Dixon’s Ice Planet Barbarian series, which has been amazing fun to watch. The whole phenomenon certainly encouraged me to give Tiktok a try and I’m enjoying it immensely.
What is the best way for readers to interact with you? I’m pretty active on social media, especially twitter and Tiktok, but also Facebook. I also maintain a blog and there is a ‘contact me’ e mail there. Thanks for having me as your guest and giving me the chance to talk about one of my favorite books!
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 official audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
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Interview with Author Veronica Scott About CAMRON
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl welcomes back author Veronica Scott to talk about her newest release in the Badari Warriors series, CAMRON.
What does the title of this novel, series or set of stories signify? Do the names of the characters in your novel have some sort of significance or importance to you?
I’m pretty basic on my book titles for the current series, the Badari Warriors. Each book has the name of the hero, which in this case is Camron. The Badari were genetically engineered by alien scientists, using bits and pieces of DNA from various species but the dominant set of humanoid DNA gives the Badari a form of ancestral memory (and some other attributes like their own language), so they know they’re men and not merely lab experiments. This frustrates the alien scientists, who use a numerical designation for each man, but the Badari rely on their self-knowledge as a strong core of resistance. This is the eighth generation of the experiment, so Camron is ‘820’ to the aliens and regarded by them as an animal, but nothing can impair his deep seated dignity and sense of self-worth.
If I was giving the novel a more descriptive title, I’d probably call it ‘something something hunted’, because Camron and the human heroine Gemma are turned loose on the planet’s surface with a three hour head start and then the top alien security officer plans to hunt them like big game, as a trophy for his private exhibit on the home world. Of course nothing is fair about this hunt, but once again the aliens underestimate both Camron and the human, as they’ve done to their regret in earlier books with other pairs. There are a number of old movies featuring this hunt trope, which I’ve enjoyed, and I always wanted to write a book featuring this aspect of danger…so now, with CAMRON, I have.
What prompted you to write in this genre and who or what inspired you to?
I love science fiction because literally anything is possible and a story can be set anywhere I want to place it. And of course, there must be romance! When it comes to this specific subgenre of the genetically engineered hero or heroine, I’m inspired by Lora Leigh and her Breeds series, and Laurann Dohner and her New Species series. Christine Feehan’s Ghostwalker series also has major elements of this type of situation. I love all three series, but the authors can only write so fast and I always want more to read, so that was certainly a factor in writing my own variation. Of course being me, I wanted to put my soldiers in the far future, on an alien planet and make it adjacent to my already existing Sectors scifi romance universe. There are a lot of intriguing aspects of the basic situation as I’ve laid out the worldbuilding, which includes hundreds of human colonists kidnapped by the aliens for more experiments; an ancient alien Artificial Intelligence hiding on the planet; the Badari goddess or Great Mother, who adds that mystical or fantastical element I like to use sparingly in my SFR; several strains of Badari…just endless factors that allow me to have fun storytelling and which hopefully the readers enjoy. In the last book, KIERCE, the hero was an actual shifter, due to manipulation of his special DNA by the aliens, versus only having some of the feline, wolflike or reptilian traits as the others do.
What kind of research did you have to do for the novel, series or set of stories that was different from others?
I tend to research things as they come up in the course of a story. I’m more into the action, adventure and romance than setting forth a lot of “could be future science” discussion. They have blasters, they use blasters, no one ever explains how they work. (I deliberately use the term blasters because it’s a retro scifi term and I always wanted blasters in my books!) It helps that my alien scientists have their own science and technology and I feel no compunction whatsoever to explain any of it. Believe it or not, I’ve researched things ranging from strip poker variations to bad reactions to blood transfusions to facts about tigers for this series.
What makes you laugh?
I’m not a big laugher. I’m more of a chuckle here and there. For me probably it’s a clever turn of phrase, light sarcasm or a humorous moment unexpectedly. At one point in CAMRON, the heroine Gemma tells him, “I feel like a naked elf having a spa day…” and I’ve had readers tell me they enjoy her sense of humor throughout the book.
Some of Sandra Boynton’s comics make me smile. Robin Williams was a once in a lifetime funny man. Georgette Heyer’s Regency novel “Cotillion” makes me laugh out loud in places. In classic scifi, Eric Frank Russell and Christopher Anvil could bring on the grins and chuckles at times. My toddler grandson can always make me laugh with the way he looks at the world and processes things!
What makes you cry?
There’s a really emotional scene in the third Badari book, TIMTUR, where someone dies during the night (not the hero or heroine!) and I cried buckets of tears while I was writing it. Really took me by surprise because I’ve never cried before or since over my own writing. Death or a long term parting is a trigger for me in a book or a movie I’m reading or consuming, probably because I’m a widow. That’s one reason I stick firmly to romance because there’s always an HEA. SPOILER: When the Master Harper Robinton died in Anne McCaffrey’s excellent Dragonriders of Pern series, I cried my eyes out. She wrote it well, there was no other outcome possible for him at that point…but I HATED it anyway. I’ll never be writing a scene like that for any of my major characters. Nope. Not happening.
Is there anything else you want to add about the story, series that has not already been mentioned?
This is the eighth book in the Badari Warriors world (and the seventh book in the numbered series) and each novel has a satisfying Happy for Now ending for the hero and heroine, not a cliffhanger. Some overarching issues do remain unresolved in each book since this is an ongoing series but romance always wins the day in my novels!
BADARI WARRIORS Timeline:
AYDARR
MATEER
TIMTUR
JADRIAN
DARIK
GABE
KIERCE
CAMRON
And Books 1-3 are available as a boxed setHere is the blurb for CAMRON: Dr. Gemma Madarian is far from her home in the human Sectors, kidnapped along with hundreds of other humans to be used for horrifying experiments conducted on a remote planet by alien scientists.
She and another prisoner, Camron of the Badari, are the only survivors of a deadly crash landing. She’s paired up with the genetically engineered soldier by their mutual enemies and sent fleeing through rough country, hunted for pleasure by an enemy officer and his ferocious trackers.
The enemy wants a triumphant kill. Gemma and Camron want to survive.
Camron never dreamt of having a mate but Gemma shatters his preconceptions and makes him desperate to do everything in his power to save her life and claim her for his.
There’s no help or refuge to be had in the desert where they’re fleeing for their lives.
Or is there?
Will Camron and Gemma live to fight another day and explore the growing attraction between them, or will ancient secrets and bitter rivalries end their bid for freedom?
What is the best way for readers to interact with you?
I’m on Facebook and Twitter almost all the time! Too much, no doubt…
You can also stay up to date on all my releases by signing up for my Newsletter or visiting my Blog.
Thanks for having me as your guest!
Thanks Veronica for the interview!
About Veronica Scott
USA Today Best Selling Author, as well as the “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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can learn more about Veronica Scott by checking out her Blog, her Amazon Author Page, and by following her on Twitter or Facebook.
Guest Post: A Peak at the next BADARI WARRIORS Novel: GABE
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl welcomes back author Veronica Scott as a guest blogger to talk about her newest release, GABE.
Take it away Veronica!
A Peak at the next BADARI WARRIORS Novel: GABE By Veronica Scott
Thanks for having me as a guest! Always thrilled to have a chance to talk about how things are going with the writing and the books!
I had a special thrill recently when AYDARR, book one of the series, won the I Heart Indie contest in the SF&F romance category.
GABE is the fifth book of the series, although – why did I do such a confusing thing?! – TIMTUR actually came out in mid-October under the In the Stars Romance label and is book 2.5 of the entire line of Badari adventures. His story fell between the events in MATEER and JADRIAN on the series timeline. So if you missed the story of how Timtur the healer and Lily the human teacher became mates, please do go pick that title up from your favorite ebook seller.
But getting back to Gabe, he’s a human, kind of devil-may-care ex-military guy and a supporting character since book one of the series. I have a special fondness for him and I always knew I’d give him his own book. There’s a special twist to the story, relating to who his mate turns out to be. The reveal comes pretty early in the book but SPOILER alert:
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER: Keshara, the heroine, isn’t human. She’s a Badari woman!
The very fact that everyone has been so adamant all along in the series that there are no Badari females, that the evil alien scientists never created any, has been tantalizing to me as the author. I had to ensure there ARE Badari women just to confound everyone on the planet. But they needed a good solid backstory of how they came to be and how Gabe of all people meets them. I had great fun writing this book and I hope the readers will enjoy seeing the events unfold.
Now enjoy this excerpt of GABE!
Setting: Keshara is on the run, escaping from her home, and sees Gabe’s flyer crash. She debates whether to go investigate…
Deciding not to risk herself in the storm for mere curiosity’s sake, she prepared to return to the cozy den when a flash of lightning illuminated the sky and she caught sight of a new problem. A man was falling, clinging to a strange harness. He seemed to be fighting whatever was slowing his fall, and it was clear to Keshara he was descending much too fast.
Heart pounding, hand on the hilt of her knife, she watched him attempt to blunt the shock of hitting the ground by allowing his body to go limp. As he collided hard with the muddy, rock strewn ground near her den, she winced in unwilling sympathy. Through the driving rain she watched him, but he made no attempt to rise. After a minute, she heard an exclamation of pain and a few words with the force of a curse.
Enemy or not, Keshara didn’t have the heart to leave the poor man to die in the cold rain. She could at least go check out the situation, see if he had any chance to survive his amazing fall.
Adjusting her rain cape, knife at the ready, she crawled from the tunnel, rose to her feet and ran to where the man lay. Cringing as thunder boomed overhead, she prayed the lightning would hold off. The man lay on his back, one arm flung over his eyes and, as she drew close, she froze in astonishment.
He had no large crest of red and yellow hair and his skin tones were pale. He wasn’t Khagrish.
He was of some species unknown to her, similar to her own perhaps.
Groaning, he attempted to sit up but cut the move short with a jerk as he realized she was nearby. He fumbled at his hip as if searching for a weapon that was no longer there, lost in the turbulent fall perhaps. Then he spoke in a variation on her own language, the secret tongue the Director was unaware the sisters all knew. His accent was odd, some of the words made no sense, but the general meaning was clear.
“Well, you’re the last thing I was expecting.” He managed a lopsided grin despite obvious injuries, blood welling from a bad cut on one thigh and another on his head. He swiped moisture from his face. “Can we get out of the rain before we do introductions?”
Tongue tied, she stared at him. His face was undeniably handsome, although set right now in lines of pain, radiating from his eyes and lips. He was probably the same height as she was, well over six feet, and since his odd uniform was plastered to his body by the rain, Keshara could tell he was solidly built, with the muscles and sinews of one who was a deadly fighter. And what the wet fabric outlined between his legs was impressive as well. Her primary knowledge of males was gleaned from study modules, and observing the few Khagrish men left at the Retreat. This man put them to shame with his physique.
Thunder crashed again and lightning stabbed a tree at the far end of the meadow, throwing massive sparks high into the air and breaking her concentration. “We’d better get inside,” she said in her own tongue since he obviously understood the language. Reflecting on his aborted search for a weapon, she showed him the knife. “I’ll help you, but don’t think me easy meat for your taking.”
“Aww, seven hells, lady, if you’re what I think you are, you have better weapons than that.” His smile, although strained, was warming. “Do you have a shelter?”
###
GABE (A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL): SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES BOOK 4 is available through the following outlet: Amazon, Apple Books, Nook, Kobo and Google Play
Gabe Carter, hotshot pilot and ex-Special Forces soldier, is far from his home in the human Sectors, kidnapped by alien scientists to be the subject of horrifying experiments. Shot down by the enemy over desolate territory far from his Badari allies and gravely injured, Gabe’s only hope is a mysterious woman on the run herself.
Keshara has to decide whether to abandon the human to die of his injuries on a windswept mountain top or give up her own quest for freedom and take him to a place he can be helped. The undeniable spark between them complicates matters.
His attraction to her is off the charts but when she betrays him to the Khagrish enemy, Gabe doesn’t know what to believe. Trapped inside an alien lab bursting with mysteries and lies, his only hope may be to trust her…again.
Because the renegade alien scientist running her own private experiments wants to use him to accomplish her goals and perpetuate the evil, no matter what she has to do to ensure his compliance. Keshara’s life hangs in the balance and Gabe has to make a choice.
About Veronica Scott
USA Today Best Selling Author, as well as the “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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can learn more about Veronica Scott by checking out her Blog, her Amazon Author Page, and by following her on Twitter or Facebook.
Guest Post: Veronica Scott Talks About Darik
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl welcomes back author Veronica Scott as a guest blogger to talk about her newest release, DARIK.
Take it away Veronica!
DARIK (A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL): SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES BOOK 4 By Veronica Scott
Thanks for having me as a guest one more time so I could once again update how things are going with the series! I’m happy to say that book three, JADRIAN, and now book four, DARIK, have been among the bestselling titles of my entire author career and I’m so very grateful to the readers for taking the time to find my series and enjoy the adventures and romance.
I had a special thrill recently when author Laurann Dohner, whose New Species series is a huge favorite of mine, said on my author page about DARIK: “It’s an awesome book and series. I’m hooked!” I was floating on air, let me tell you!
Darik is the fourth book of the series and focuses on a soldier in the pack which was created with canine DNA influences. I wanted to tell a story about a ‘lone wolf’ Badari warrior, sent off on a solo mission and enjoying time away from the pack. He thinks he’d be happy to have a mate someday maybe, but he’s not in any rush. So of course he promptly meets the human woman he suspects is his mate, but she’s a prisoner of the evil Khagrish scientists, held for much of the book in a basically impenetrable underground lab.
I had a lot of fun with this one and threw in some nods to a few of my favorite scifi movies, like “Aliens”, “Puppet Masters” and “Outbreak” but remember, I’m writing romance so the on the page gore level was kept low and of course there’s a Happy For Now ending. (It’s HEA for Darik and Nicolle but as far as the arc for the entire series, things are only HFN because the bigger challenges of defeating the enemy still exist.)
I’m working on book five, Gabe, now and this one will spring a huge surprise on the Badari and the humans. But no spoilers!
I released Jadrian, book three, in May. The books can be read in any order but the series does build upon itself with each successive book.
For now, enjoy this excert of Darik…
Setting: Nicolle is trapped inside a zoolike, outdoors portion of the alien lab complex. Darik and his metallic Artificial Intelligence companion are outside the force field barrier. This is their first meeting:
The pretty stream flowed through a meadow. The berries had lured Nicolle here as the Khagrish rations upset her stomach but, apparently, the wild animal had been breakfasting on the berries as well.
And now it wants me for a meal too.
Raising its outsized head, the predator sniffed the air and took a step in her direction. Rising to its hind legs and towering over her, the animal roared a challenge before dropping to all fours again and coming toward her, moving faster as it approached.
Frozen, hand clenched on the nearly useless forked stick, Nicolle had a vague idea of throwing herself into the creek or falling to the ground and playing dead.
A roar sounded from behind her, across the water, maybe even from outside the force barrier. Startled, she screamed and slipped on the mossy rocks, barely keeping her footing. The animal in front of her rose to its full height again, bellowing and displaying an impressive array of sharp teeth, as well as yellowed claws on its massive front paws. Nicolle cowered, but the beast wasn’t paying any attention to her now. All its attention was on whatever was beyond the stream.
The next roar from behind her was even more impressive. It sounded almost…human?
Ears flattened, the beast pivoted, dropped to all fours, and scrambled away from Nicolle as fast as it could go, bushy tail tucked away between its legs.
Breathing shakily, she steeled herself to turn, hoping this new threat was outside the force barrier and couldn’t get in.
Having wheeled to face the other direction, at first she couldn’t believe her eyes. Nothing but one man stood across the force barrier from her. Granted, he was incredibly tall and well built under his camouflage uniform, but there was nothing about him to suggest the ability to utterly terrify a creature like the one recently slavering to eat her. Had the beast been frightened off by the sight of his lethal pulse rifle? But then who or what had been roaring? “Thank you,” she said, her vocal cords barely working. “Who are you?”
“A friend.”
Thank the Lords of Space—he speaks Basic.
He looked her up and down critically. “Are you ok? No wounds?”
She dropped the stick into the water, wrapping her arms around herself in an effort not to shake so hard. “Just scared. Can you—can you get us out of here?” Nicolle sank onto the nearest boulder as her legs gave way from reaction to the danger so recently averted.
Brow furrowed, he glanced at the oddly colorful small orb floating in the air beside him and shook his head. “Not today. How many of you are there?”
“Twenty, including me. We arrived late yesterday, shipped from the lab in the flatlands.”
“Originally from the Amarcae colony in the Sectors?”
She blinked in surprise at how well informed he was and nodded. “Most of us. How did you know?”
“We must retreat,” said his metallic companion in a warbling birdlike voice, moving side to side as if nervous. “The other humans approach. We must not be detected.”
“I have to go,” the man said, slinging the pulse rifle over his shoulder. “Promise not to mention me to anyone. I’ll see what I can do about calling in a rescue, but it’s complicated. The Khagrish can’t know I’m here, so you can’t even tell the other prisoners. Not all humans can be trusted.”
She ignored his slur on humans’ integrity. “I swear not to talk about you, but please, please help us. These aliens conduct experiments—”
“I know all about what the Khagrish do.” He seemed reluctant to abandon her, taking two steps in the direction his metal companion had gone but then turning to face her.
Hoping knowing her name might make her plight more difficult for him to ignore, she said, “I’m Nicolle, by the way.”
Darik is available via Amazon, iBooks, Nook, Google, Kobo
Nicolle James is far from her home in the human Sectors, kidnapped by alien scientists to be the subject of horrifying experiments. Her only hope might be a mysterious soldier she’d glimpsed outside the laboratory fence. She’d managed to sneak a few words of conversation with him when her captors weren’t watching but now the aliens were taking her inside the lab to begin the experiments.
Darik, a warrior of the genetically engineered Badari pack, is on a solo recon mission to check out a mysterious new lab high in the mountains. His orders are strict – do not engage. But when he has a chance meeting with the woman who might be his mate, he vows not to abandon her, orders or no orders.
Can he get inside an underground lab, find Nicolle and rescue her without getting captured himself? And when he learns the lab’s deadly secrets, can he get word to his pack about the new dangers?
Because the ruthless alien scientist running the experiments wants to get her hands on him too and will stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
About Veronica Scott
USA Today Best Selling Author, as well as the “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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can learn more about Veronica Scott by checking out her Blog, her Amazon Author Page, and by following her on Twitter or Facebook.
Guest Post: MATEER A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl welcomes author Veronica Scott as a guest blogger to talk about her new book, Mateer.
Take it away Veronica!
MATEER (A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL): SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES BOOK 2 By Veronica Scott
Thanks for having me as a guest again so I could check in and report the progress on my new series. As I talked about last time, writing an actual, sequential series with an overarching plot arc was new for me, versus doing standalone scifi romances set in the same universe.
Mateer is the second book of the series and focuses on the first ranked enforcer or lieutenant of the Alpha Aydarr, whose story took front and center in the first book. Now Mateer is trying to figure out what it means to be a free man (although still subject to Pack rules of course) and also grappling with confusion over the whole idea of finding a mate. He knows he longs to find the one woman meant for him – he likes what he sees going on between Aydarr and Jill – but he’s not too sure how to go about it. There are only a few human women in their sanctuary valley as yet and none of them inspire the feelings he believes he ought to feel. Nor are any of them drawn to him as more than a friend. And then he gets captured by the Khagrish scientists again…
I enjoyed working with these concepts, while advancing the big plot arc addressing how and when the humans and the Badari might rid the planet of the enemy and win true freedom. Can they ever figure out a way to call in the Sectors authorities to assist? Will the colonists ever get home? I do have it mapped out in my head in broad terms and of course each book has an HEA ending as we go. No cliffhangers.
I’m working on book three, Darik, now and this one will solve one major problem that the Badari and the colonists have been facing. But no spoilers! I’m hoping to get Darik out in early April. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy this excerpt from Mateer!
Setting…The alien scientists have put the humans and Mateer into a large, outdoor Preserve temporarily, for their own reasons, having to do with Mateer and Megan.
The sky gradually clouded over as the day wore on, and then the first fat drops pelted down.
Mateer appeared out of nowhere and jogged the length of the column, giving encouragement. “Not too far now, the rain will increase intensity gradually, but there’s no time to waste.” He made sure to speak to each individual then he came to her. Again Megan had the flutter of nerves in her gut, eagerness to talk with him, coupled with the bitter knowledge of Lampergg’s plot. And how complicit in this idea is Mateer? After all, he didn’t have to tell her about the scheme. Surely if he expected to benefit from it in some way—easier treatment for himself, other rewards—he’d have kept the theory to himself.
He leaned close to her. “We have to move faster. I’m going to get you to safety then return to assist the others as best I can.”
Before she could say anything, he’d whisked her off her feet and was sprinting ahead of the column, carrying her as easily as if she were a feather.
“Put me down,” she said, giving his chest a shove. Her palm ached as if she’d slapped a stone wall. Mateer was warm, hard muscle everywhere. “This is embarrassing. Grown women don’t get picked up without their permission and carried off in real life. People will want to know why you did this.”
He didn’t slacken his pace or agree to her demand, only held her tighter. “Why do you care what others think? This is between you and me. My highest priority, according to my alpha and his mate, is to ensure your safety. No one here has authority to overrule those orders. None has authority over you—I know humans don’t live in a pack structure. Time is of the essence for getting you into a secure shelter. The storm may become more violent without warning. It’s been known to happen, including swirling high winds sweeping even the most massive trees out of the ground before them.”
“That’s not what you told Harker and Walt.” She closed her eyes and gasped as he leaped across a crevasse and kept going. “Did you lie to them?”
“I don’t owe the full truth to anyone outside my pack and allies with whom we have a treaty. Your group has yet to earn the Badari trust.”
“Some code of ethics you’ve got there.”
“You have no idea what the Badari endured at the hands of the Khagrish. We have our pack rules for a reason.” His voice was steel but matter of fact. “And I’m obeying specific orders to keep you safe. Your sister is a soldier so you ought to understand the situation.
She could see his jaw was clenched and decided not to push the topic further. Besides, the rain was indeed coming down harder, and she clung to him as closely as she could. “You will go and help the others though, won’t you? A few of them are still sick from the stasis syndrome and I’m their only doctor. I never would have left them, given the choice.”
While not giving an inch or apologizing, Megan was relieved to hear Mateer show concern for the others in his next remark. “It’s my responsibility to protect those weaker than the Badari, after I’ve carried out my orders relating to you.”
A few minutes later, they arrived at a towering rock formation jutting incongruously from the grasslands. Megan thought she’d have known it was artificial even if Mateer hadn’t told her the Khagrish built it. Taking care not to bump her head or elbows on the rocks, Mateer ducked into the entrance of a cave. A fire was already blazing in a fire pit in the center of the large room and, as soon as he set her on her own feet, she instinctively drew closer to the warmth and light.
Intending to thank Mateer, she swallowed hard and forgot what she’d planned to say as she observed the way his soaked jumpsuit was plastered to his body, outlining all those muscles and his generous endowments clearly. Megan realized she must be in a similar state, if a bit drier since he’d shielded her. Closing her eyes for a second, she asked, “Will you guide the others to safety here now?”
“Yes.” He hesitated. “You’ll be safe from the storm, and no predators will be out in this weather. I’ll only be gone as long as it takes to escort your friends here.”
“I understand. Go ahead, do what you need to do to help my people.”
Megan Garrison, a doctor at the Sectors Amarcae 7 colony, goes to sleep one night as usual only to wake up in her nightgown, strapped to a table in an alien lab, destined to be the subject of terrifying experiments. Granted a brief reprieve, Megan and the other kidnapped humans are released in the middle of a forestlike enclosure on this unknown world and told to survive as best they can for now.
Her only hope is Mateer, the genetically engineered alien warrior imprisoned with the humans. He knows more than he’s sharing about this planet, their captors and the fate of other humans, including perhaps her own sisters. Turns out everyone from her colony has been kidnapped by the Khagrish, a ruthless race of alien scientists. Working for enemies of the human-led Sectors, the Khagrish have created the Badari to be super soldiers.
Mateer, a tough Badari enforcer, now a rebel, is captured while infiltrating the lab to help his pack bring it down. He’s also been ordered by his leaders to search for Megan and save her life at all costs. Tortured by the enemy, he’s offered one chance at survival – convince Megan to become his mate and assist the Khagrish with further experiments.
As the situation at the lab grows worse, Megan struggles against her deep attraction to Mateer, while she does her best to shield the other humans from the terrible Khagrish experiments. For his part, Mateer knows she really is his fated mate and despairs of being able to keep her safe, as the rebel attack is delayed and she fights the truth of their bond.
Will they be able to work together to defeat Khagrish plans and preserve human lives until the promised rescue happens? And what of their future together – will Megan accept Mateer as her true mate, or walk away if she’s freed?
Mateer is available via Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, B&N
Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily 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.
Three 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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can learn more about Veronica Scott by checking out her Blog, her Amazon Author Page, and by following her on Twitter or Facebook.
AYDARR Guest Post by Veronica Scott
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl welcomes author Veronica Scott as a guest blogger to talk about her new book, Aydarr.
Take it away Veronica!
AYDARR (A BADARI WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE NOVEL): SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES BOOK 1 By Veronica Scott
Thanks Patty for having me as a guest so early in the New Year and giving me a chance to talk about my new venture into writing an actual series!
In mid-2017, I decided I really needed to try my hand at a series with an overarching plot arc that had to be resolved over the course of the books, versus ‘just’ telling standalone stories set in my interstellar Sectors civilization. The Sectors novels all fit within the same world building but I’m not really trying to resolve the bigger intergalactic issues in each book. There I’m focusing on one hero and heroine and their unique challenges wherever they may be. (I’ll still be writing Sectors novels too though because I have so many stories to tell.)
So then I had to ponder what might make an interesting series for the readers and I know I’ve always been fascinated by genetically engineered warriors, like Lora Leigh’s Breeds or Laurann Dohner’s New Species. I can never get enough of those books! I started thinking what if the alien enemies of the Sectors had created a race of such soldiers, who I named the Badari– how would these warriors gain their freedom? And to up the stakes, what if these mad alien scientists also kidnapped an entire Sectors colony of humans to experiment on as well?
Oh so many plot ideas came to me (always a good sign for an author)! And I could pretty easily see a 3 to 5 book plot arc involving the human colonists and their natural desire to escape and get back to the Sectors, while partnering with the Badari to take down their mutual captors. I can also see associated, standalone books later, if the readers want to have more Badari adventures. I had so much fun writing this first book, Aydarr, and the reader response has been very gratifying. I have the second book, Mateer, at the editor now and I’ve just started working on book three, which – breaking news – is entitled Darik.
As a special treat, below is an Excerpt from Ayadarr
Setting: Jill has just awakened and is trying to find shelter from the storm:
The ground gave way under her feet. She teetered on the edge of the sinkhole or pit, but her precarious state of vertigo betrayed her. Screaming, she half slid, half fell into the deep hole, debris raining down with her.
Scrabbling at roots embedded in the wall as she fell, the flimsy vegetation snapping off in her hands, Jill managed to partially break her fall. Landing in a substantial mud puddle, she rose to her feet, staring upward, realizing there was no easy way to climb from the pit. At least the rain was tapering off.
A rumbling sound like an engine behind her made her pivot, to find two huge, faceted glowing eyes staring at her from a tunnel opening into the hole. A giant body lurked in the gloom. The creature blinked and emitted the sound again. Jill retreated one step at a time to the opposite wall of the pit and snatched a loose rock from the small debris pile at her feet. Whitened bones were mixed in with the rocks on the pit floor next to the rainwater puddle. She shuddered and gripped her rock hard enough to make her hand sting.
The creature watched her and moved forward a bit from the tunnel, the front segment of its body sinking onto the ground, while the rest remained in the tunnel. The segmented body expanded like a child’s toy as the predator closed the space between them. Opening an outsize mouth, revealing a yellow, forked tongue, the animal hissed and reared as if preparing to charge at her.
Jill shouted defiance in a combination of rage and fear, and threw the rock hard, striking one glowing eye in the center, shattering the facets. She dodged as the predator made a high pitched sound like an exploding generator and lunged toward where she’d been. As she scrambled in the slick muddy water at the bottom of the trap, she searched for another rock, finding only small ones. She gathered a handful of them as better than nothing and spun around as the half-blind animal tried to locate her.
With a hoarse yell, a man jumped into the pit from above and landed between her and the predator. He didn’t seem to have a weapon but, as the lightning flashed, briefly illuminating the scene in stark white light, Jill gaped. Were those talons? He glanced over his shoulder at her briefly as if to see how she was doing then made a dash at the animal, slashing its neck before dancing away.
Jill moved along the pit wall as the man and the beast fought. Mud dripped from the sloping side of the hole. Resting her palm on the damp dirt, she felt vibrations. There’s another one tunneling towards us. No matter how brave and strong this guy was, he couldn’t defeat two of the animals. Frantically, she searched for more rocks, trying to pry a likely candidate out of the wall with her fingernails. I have to help.
“Incoming! There’s another one about to pop out of the wall,” she yelled. Hefting the rock she’d dug from the muck, she took a few steps forward, waited for the right moment and threw the stone at the first beast’s remaining eye, striking a glancing blow on the brow ridge above the glowing orb. The warrior took advantage of the animal’s distraction to open more gaping wounds along its upper body with the lethal claws he bore.
Something in the rapidly rising water brushed against her leg. She jumped sideways, but not fast enough. As the unseen predator made a stinging bite on her calf, Jill nearly toppled over. Unable to see below the surface of the roiling water, she hurled her handful of rocks a foot or so away from her body, hoping to drive away this new menace.
Before she could find more rocks to use as weapons, another man lowered himself into the pit on a rope, reaching for her and speaking urgently in Basic as he gestured. “He can’t fight them off forever – we need to get out of here. More beasts will arrive soon, attracted by the vibrations signaling prey.”
Figuring whatever might happen later, getting out of the trap was the best plan in the short term, she stepped closer. The newcomer grabbed her by the waist, and unseen comrades above hauled the two of them out of the hole at a surprising speed. Her second rescuer handed her off to another man and hastened back into the pit.
She sank to the wet grass, shaking in reaction and feeling the pain now from her cut foot, the mysterious bite, and the effects of the fall. With a fresh rush of fear, she glanced at the strange men surrounding her. Most were ignoring her, facing away as if watching for an attack, although all of them were oddly weaponless. She’d expected to see spears and knives at least. Then again…Had the one who’d jumped into the pit really had claws?
One man stood next to her, as if appointed as her personal guard.
A final animalistic shriek rose from the depths of the pit then the two individuals who’d come to her rescue climbed out.
The one who’d jumped in to help her first came to her side, picking her up without a word and took off to the south at a dead run, the others following them.
“Nice shot with that rock, by the way,” her captor said.
Ayadarr is available at: Amazon | B&N | Google | Kobo | iBooks
Jill Garrison, a maintenance tech at the Sectors Amarcae 7 colony, goes to sleep one night as usual only to wake up in her nightgown stranded in the middle of a forest on an unknown world. There’s no time to think as she’s stalked by carnivorous predators and rescued by genetically engineered warriors calling themselves the Badari. Turns out they and she, along with her whole colony, are now prisoners of the Khagrish, a ruthless race of alien scientists. Working for enemies of the Sectors, the Khagrish have created the Badari to be super soldiers.
Aydarr, the Badari alpha, isn’t sure he can trust Jill but his attraction to her is undeniable. He impulsively claims her as his mate to prevent her death at the hands of the Khagrish.
Can he continue to protect her from the experiments already underway? Will his claiming her put his pack in jeopardy from their alien masters?
As Jill searches for a way to rescue her fellow humans and get them all to safety, she finds herself falling for Aydarr, despite the secrets he’s keeping. She has a few of her own.
The situation becomes dire when Aydarr and his pack are sent offplanet on a mission, leaving Jill unprotected, prey for the senior scientist. Can she escape the experiments he has in mind for her? Will she be able to thwart the Khagrish plans and liberate humans and Badari alike? How will she and Aydarr reunite?
Author Veronica Scott
Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily 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.
Three 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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can learn more about Veronica Scott by checking out her Blog, her Amazon Author Page, and by following her on Twitter or Facebook.
Guest Post: The Challenges of Writing Short Stories
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl again welcomes author Veronica Scott as a guest blogger to talk about the challenges of writing short stories for her futuristic universe, the Sectors.
Thanks again Veronica for being a guest blogger today!
Thanks for having me! Always a treat to come and visit the EverydayFangirl Blog and talk science fiction romance!
The Challenges of Writing Short Stories by Veronica Scott
I usually think and write in novel length format, but in 2016 I accepted a couple of challenges to write shorter, for three very different anthologies. The collections are no longer available, so I’ve put the three stories together in one volume myself now and released them under the very unwieldy title Star Cruise A Novella: Stowaway Plus Rescue and Token Short Stories. I thought it was really important to be clear that the book doesn’t contain three novel-length works. But wow, what a title, right?
I thought I’d talk a little bit about the stories and why I wrote them. First of all, if I’m going to come up with a 9k to 25K story that has a beginning, a middle and an end, plus the HEA, I needed to work within my already established futuristic universe, the Sectors. This allowed me to show new readers a bit of my worldbuilding by giving them the feeling there is a well-defined setting, and people who have read my books will feel right at home and perhaps see some familiar characters in supporting roles. To that end, two of the stories involve the crew of my luxurious interstellar space liner, the Nebula Zephyr. Of course I’m also hoping new readers will want to dash off and read more Sectors stories after finishing these!
Pauline B. Jones and I had the idea to create an anthology that blended pets into stories of scifi romance and adventure, which became the award winning Pets In Space, with seven other terrific authors. For that project, I wrote Star Cruise: Stowaway and created one alien pet, added in a ship’s cat, and took off with a romantic suspense story. (The blurbs are given below.) I had so much fun writing this and became so intrigued with the addition of a major interstellar crime syndicate to my Sectors, that I wrote another full novel, Danger in the Stars (which released in April), and am now working on a second novel that explores some other aspects of romance and adventure the mob and the captive empaths provided. So as an author, I think taking the time to do this novella really worked for me, and readers were very kind with their reviews. We are doing a Pets In Space 2 this year, by the way with a slightly different mix of authors.
Star Cruise: Rescue was for an anthology with mostly or all Science Fiction Romance Brigade authors and there was no central theme, so I brainstormed what kind of mischief my crew members might get into if they spent an evening on a planet. Fortunately around this time I read an article in Business Week of all places, discussing curated events for the very wealthy. I had an ‘a ha’ moment about how the bored, rich ‘Socialites’ traveling on board the Nebula Zephyr might end up taking a crew member with them to such an exclusive event and the trouble that might ensue.
The third anthology was Dealer’s Choice, for the 2016 RT Booklovers Convention and was a limited edition paperback, only handed out at Linnea Sinclair’s Interstellar Bar & Grille event. (I was a co-host.) There was no way I was going to miss a chance to be in an anthology with Linnea Sinclair and to have my story edited by her as part of the process! She gives great notes by the way. The unifying theme of the collection was to involve a scifi casino as the setting. Now I do have a casino on the Nebula Zephyr, but for some reason I wanted to write a story in the style of a classic Western, where the hero rides into town, gets involved with the local problems, falls in love with a dancehall girl and….HEA ensues. So I put the story on a space station with a casino, but still in the Sectors. The Golden Token is the title of this story.
I find I enjoy writing the occasional short story or novella as a change, and it can be something of a ‘palate cleanser’ for the Muse, before diving back into my longer novels. I was also happily surprised to have the characters in the Stowaway novella prompt me to now write two more novels that hadn’t been on my mind at all. I seem to be able to hit the different word limits of each project, which is satisfying as an author. I think my biggest challenge or frustration perhaps is that I tend to take my time for my characters to reach the point where they experience physical intimacy, so a novella or short story from me doesn’t give the full flavor of one of my novels, which do usually contain a few moderately warm bedroom scenes. (I’m a 3 on a 5 point scale of steaminess.). I’d definitely consider doing another anthology project someday, besides the Pets in Space series.
Thanks again for having me as a guest here and I look forward to guest blogging here in the future!
As a special treat, here is an excerpt from one of the short stories The Golden Token. Charlie has just arrived on the space station and expects to connect with his next ship immediately but learns there’ll be a delay of several days:
He plucked his ticket from the man’s fingers, taking a glance to see how much oxygen tax he was paying. “Wait, there’s some mistake here. I’m not staying on the Station.”
Tongue between his teeth as he concentrated, the station agent reviewed the information on the screen before him. “You’re hopping a ride on the Centauri Dawn to your destination in Sector 46, right?”
“Yes, but she’s supposed to be docking later today.”
The clerk shrugged. “Updated info as of an hour ago. Ran into some rogue comets. She won’t be here for three days. Be glad she’s coming at all, would be my advice.” A small alarm sounded and the man held up one hand. “Hold on, this could be your lucky day.”
“I fail to see how.”
“Says here you’re arrival number one hundred for this cycle and entitled to a golden token, redeemable at the Hall of Good Fortune.” He handed Charlie a large, fake gold coin, embossed with a dragon on one side and blank on the other.
Astonished, Charlie flipped the coin over. “You must be kidding me. Nobody uses metal money these days, not even in a backwater Sector like this.”
The clerk said, “That’s for gambling at the Station’s casino, up on Level A. Only place to get drinks, gamble, have some fun. Depending on your preferences, of course. The menu’s not as extensive as it used to be in the old days. Kumisarc Corporation’s always cutting back.”
In an effort to stem the tide of the now-garrulous agent’s information, Charlie asked, “This station got a hotel?”
“Temporary housing only for non-residents, rents by the day. I can reserve you a unit.”
Charlie scanned the lobby. There were a few seats on the far wall and he knew he’d seen some in the arrival area.
“Security don’t allow vagrants,” the man said as if reading his mind. “No camping out in the waiting areas. Even with a valid transfer ticket.”
He stifled a growl of irritation, drumming his fingers on the counter. So far this station was a racket, trying to separate him from his credits and doing a good job of it. “How much for the room?”
Not surprised to be quoted a predictably exorbitant price, Charlie set the useless coin on the counter while he transferred the credits, got his code key strip and picked up his bag, ready to make the best of his unexpected layover.
“Hey, don’t forget the token.” The clerk held it up before tossing it to him. “This plus a few credits’ll get you a drink or a spin of the roulette wheel. Not good for much else.”
Charlie made a one-handed catch and slid the disc into a pocket on his utility pants.
“No open carry weapons, by the way,” the clerk said, leaning over the counter. “Gotta keep them stowed in your baggage. Security does a body scan before anyone gets into the casino. They get real upset if they see weapons. Had a few incidents with hotheaded miners over the years, trying to settle their personal grievances with blasters. Tempers are short these days.”
I hope you enjoyed this sneak peak!
STAR CRUISE A NOVELLA: STOWAWAY PLUS RESCUE AND TOKEN SHORT STORIES is available via Amazon, iBooks, B&N and Kobo.
Star Cruise: Stowaway: Cargo Master Owen Embersson is shocked when the Nebula Zephyr’s ship’s cat and her alien sidekick, Midorri, alert him to the presence of a stowaway. He has no idea of the dangerous complications to come nor does he anticipate falling hard for the woman whose life he now holds in his hands. Life aboard the Nebula Zephyr has just become more interesting – and deadly.
Star Cruise: Rescue: When a shore leave excursion goes terribly wrong for Mira Gage, a member of the Nebula Zephyr’s crew, Security Officer Clint Miltan races the clock to find her before the ship leaves orbit and abandons Mira to her fate. Clint’s got more than a professional interest in Mira, but will he be able to save her from the aliens holding her prisoner?
The Golden Token: Sectors Special Forces operator Charlie McBrire had a few days to kill on a layover at Space Station 47. He never expected to find himself in the middle of a miners’ rebellion, fighting to save the life of a casino dancer he just met but can’t imagine living without.
Author Veronica Scott
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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can learn more about Veronica Scott by checking out her Blog, her Amazon Author Page, and by following her on Twitter or Facebook.
Star Survivor Guest Post by Veronica Scott
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl welcomes author Veronica Scott as a guest blogger to talk about her latest story, Star Survivor.
Take it away Veronica!
Star Survivor Guest Post by Veronica Scott
Thanks for having me as your guest! I always love visiting your blog to talk books…
What does the title of this novel signify?
Star Survivor is the sequel to Wreck of the Nebula Dream, which has been my most requested sequel in fact. Twilka and Khevan were secondary characters in the first book and people definitely wanted to know what happened to them next. That kind of reader interest is a high compliment to an author, let me tell you. But also a challenge to “get it right’, which I hope I have. This book is a standalone story but a reader will probably enjoy it even more if they’d read Wreck first. Wreck of the Nebula Dream was my 2012 SFR Galaxy Award-winning, “Titanic in space” novel, inspired by the sinking of the Titanic, but set aboard an interstellar cruise liner in the far future. It’s not a spoiler to say Twilka, the heroine in this new book, is definitely a survivor, not only of the wreck, but also of other events in her life. She’s stronger than she ever understood.
One of my jumping off points for this story was the realization as an author that a person will probably only ever have one “Titanic” type of event in their entire life (except for certain real life crew members of the Titanic but that’s not my story today). Then life goes on. So I thought about what changes surviving the catastrophic wreck of the Nebula Dream would have made to someone like Twilka – rich, carefree and previously sheltered from consequences – and then how she’d go on afterward. I looked into the stories of real Titanic First Class passengers who survived the sinking and what they did next, which was interesting and illuminating, as far as choices for Twilka.
The hero in this book is Khevan, the D’nvannae Brother – he’s sworn to serve an alien goddess, as either a bodyguard or a deadly assassin, at the whim of his Red Lady. At the end of Wreck, he and Twilka were together…but again, I had to consider what might have happened to him after the first few weeks of relief at surviving…
So, lots of good, rich character-based possibilities for me to explore!
Do the names of the characters in your novel have some sort of significance or importance to you?
When I was writing Wreck, the name Twilka struck me as appropriate for someone who was a Socialite, as they’re known in the far future. It sounded like a carefree person and I enjoyed the sound of the syllables. I was also inspired by a fashion layout photo I clipped from a magazine at the time and the name seemed to fit the model. (I wish I had the rights to share the photo but alas….). I was satisfied that the book’s cover model (whose name I don’t know, sadly, as it’s a stock photo) represented Twilka as she is at the time this story begins. I like the depth of personality in her eyes, and the strength and determination I feel she projects. Excellent for my heroine.
Author Veronica Scott with cover model Vikkas Bhardwaj
The name Khevan was chosen as a nod to the person I thought at the time in the late 1990’s was the partial inspiration for his character but as Wreck went through various drafts over the years, the character morphed and changed to become ‘himself’. Pretty much totally different from who I’d envisioned at the start. Strong characters tend to do that to an author – take on a life of their own! Be it noted that ‘Khevan’ isn’t the original real life person’s name either, but an altered name that reminded me at the time of the individual. The name of his D’nvannae Order is drawn from a family name, heavily revised, which is an old Celtic warrior name. So there you have that
The book cover model, Vikkas Bhardwaj, pretty much embodies the way I visualize Khevan, I do have to say. The cover art is by the fabulous Fiona Jayde. I actually met Vikkas at the RT conference last year and he’s amazing – a lovely person and someone who definitely has the height and the build to be a D’nvannae Brother.
If you wrote the first draft of Wreck of the Nebula Dream in the 1990’s, why such a long time until it was released in 2012?
I had a fulltime day job at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, plus I was a widowed single mother, so while I wrote my science fiction romances whenever I had spare time, I didn’t start making a concerted effort to become published until late in 2010. (Carina Press released my first book in January 2012.) Wreck was my first independently published novel, timed to release on the 100th anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking. Then it’s taken me four more years to figure out the plot for Star Survivor!
Star Survivor by Veronica Scott
iBooks | Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble
Here’s the story for Star Survivor:
The survivors of a terrible wreck meet again—but this time only one can survive.
The long-awaited sequel to The Wreck of the Nebula Dream…
They survived an iconic spaceship wreck together. She never expected to see him again … especially not armed to kill her.
Twilka Zabour is an interstellar celebrity. She built on her notoriety as a carefree Socialite who survived the terrible wreck of the Nebula Dream, and launched a successful design house. But now the man who gave meaning to her life, then left her, is back–this time for the worst of reasons. Will he kill her … or help her survive?
D’nvannae Brother Khevan survived the Nebula Dream in the company of a lovely, warm woman, only to be pulled away from her, back into his solitary life in the service of the Red Lady. Now Twilka’s within his reach again–for all the wrong reasons. Khevan will do everything within his power to discover why Twilka has been targeted for assassination, and to save her.
But Khevan is not Twilka’s only pursuer. Will allies Nick and Mara Jameson arrive in time to aid the couple, or will Khevan and Twilka’s ingenuity be all that stands between them and death?
Author Veronica Scott
Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily 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.
Three 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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can learn more about Veronica Scott by checking out her Blog, her Amazon Author Page, and by following her on Twitter or Facebook.
Veronica Scott Talks Pets In Space and Shares an Excerpt
The Adventures of The Everyday Fangirl welcomes author Veronica Scott about the new anthology, Pets in Space. Take it away Veronica!
Veronica Scott Talks Pets In Space and Shares an Excerpt
Pets In Space
I can’t imagine not having pets, whether I’m living here on Earth or in outer space. So late last year author Pauline Baird Jones and I were talking about how much fun it would be to put together an anthology of science fiction romance stories involving pets and Pets In Space was born! I myself have two rescue cats currently, Jake and Keanu, who supervise my writing from the chair next to the desk, so I made a cat one of my two space pets and created an alien pet to be her sidekick.
We also wanted to have the anthology benefit a pet-related charity so we selected Hero Dogs, Inc., which supplies service dogs to veterans. Susan Grant, one of our authors, is a veteran and most of the authors have relatives who served in the military, so it seemed like an excellent fit for a partner.
Space Pets
The human hero is Owen Embersson and I picked that name for him because I was envisioning a big strong, Viking-like ex-soldier to be the cargo master for my spaceship. So I hope the name would convey those attributes to the reader. I recently did a character interview with ‘Owen’ and here’s how he explained his cat’s name:
“She’s pure white, so I named her Moby, after Moby Dick the whale in that old book from Earth. Not that I’ve read it, too long and antiquated. I figured she’d enjoy eating a whale and she was going into the ocean of space. I don’t know, seemed good at the time.”
The alien pet is named Midorri and I simply invented that when she first appeared in my novel Star Cruise: Outbreak as the pampered pet of a princess. I liked the sound of the name!
We also commissioned an artist, Nyssa Juneau, to do sketches of all the pets in the anthology, so here are Moby and Midorri.
I’ll share a short excerpt from Star Cruise: Stowaway, my story in the anthology, where Owen and Tyrelle, the stowaway are discussing pet names. Tyrelle has been held in the sickbay and the two pets have been visiting her (because they have the run of the ship). Turns out Tyrelle can ‘talk’ to the animals.:
Midorri chirruped and slithered to the floor, going to the portal, where she scratched at the door with two of her six feet.
Owen rose to let her out.
Moby promptly entered, jumping to the bed and rubbing Tyrelle’s face, arching her spine and purring loudly.
“When one leaves, the other arrives. You’re the keeper of the animals?” she asked.
“Moby’s mine. I rescued her from kids in a rough port town as a kitten a few years ago and brought her with me to the Zephyr. Midorri belongs to the entire ship, but she spends a lot of time in the cargo bay, with Moby, hunting vermin.” He sat, trapped in the small chair. “The Zephyr’s not infested or anything, we run a tight ship, but there’s always a few space rats.” I can’t believe I’m talking to this beautiful woman about rats.
She laughed, scratching under Moby’s chin for a moment and staring into the cat’s green eyes. “Yes, this one likes you very much and the name you gifted her. Midorri is not the other one’s name, you know, but she told me she doesn’t mind answering to it.”
“I vaguely remember my grandmother telling me a story or a poem from old Earth, something about cats having three names,” he said, the memory surfacing full blown. Thoughts of his grandmother hadn’t crossed his mind in decades, but now he could picture her, smell the cookies she baked, hear her voice. “The one people called them, the one the cats called themselves and a secret name no one ever uses.”
“I like the idea.” Her cheeks displayed charming dimples as she smiled. “Even I don’t know Midorri’s secret name.”
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Anthology Pets In Space
Join the adventure as nine pet loving sci-fi romance authors take you out of this world and pull you into their action-packed stories filled with suspense, laughter, and romance. The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they work side by side to help stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth to finding a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?
New York Times, USA TODAY, Award Winning, and Best selling authors have eight original, never-released stories and one expanded story giving readers nine amazing adventures that will capture your imagination and help a worthy charity. Come join us as we take you on nine amazing adventures that will change the way you look at your pet!
10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.
Star Cruise: Stowaway by Veronica Scott
Cargo Master Owen Embersson is shocked when the Nebula Zephyr’s ship’s cat and her alien sidekick, Midorri, alert him to the presence of a stowaway. He has no idea of the dangerous complications to come – nor does he anticipate falling hard for the woman whose life he now holds in his hands. Life aboard the Nebula Zephyr has just become more interesting – and deadly.
Pets In Space anthology is available 10/11/16 via the following…
- Amazon (TBD)
Author Veronica Scott
Three 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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can connect with Veronica via…
Interview with Author Veronica Scott
It is a pleasure to welcome author Veronica Scott, author of Trapped on Talonque.
Welcome Veronica to The Adventures of the Everyday Fangirl and thanks so much for taking the time out your busy schedule to help us get to know you and your story better.
Thanks for having me as your guest!
What does the title of this novel, series or set of stories signify?
My most recent science fiction romance novel is called Trapped on Talonque, because when I first started writing my stories, I thought I was going to give all of them a title with a verb and an alien planet name. Then after a few encounters with readers who loved the books (yay!) but who were unsure of the pronunciation (uh oh!), I realized maybe that wasn’t the best strategy. I do have a few novels with this naming convention but in the future I’ll probably try to move away from it.
All my scifi romances are part of the Sectors SF Romance series, because my galaxy wide civilization is known as the Sectors. I have another series set on an interstellar luxury cruise liner in the Sectors, which I call ‘Star Cruise’ this-or-that. I think I’ll move toward using the word ‘star’ more in my titles and let the exotic planetary names just reside in the books. My next book is entitled Star Survivors and I hope to have it out before the end of 2016.
What prompted you to write in this genre and who or what inspired you to?
When I was young, my Dad gave me an Andre Norton book to read – Catseye – and after finishing that, I couldn’t get my hands on all her other books fast enough. Then I branched out to read a library’s worth of different science fiction authors. I love the idea of infinite possibilities for adventure and exploration in the galaxy…but with a lot more romance than I found in most SF novels. Anne McCaffrey was another favorite of mine, especially Restoree and her Dragon Riders of Pern series. Since I always needed more books to read and I wanted more romance, I started writing my own. The movie “Aliens” is a good example of what I strive for in my stories – strong heroine, strong hero, mutual respect, danger, adventure AND a love story. I kind of amplify what was hinted at between Ripley and Hicks in that movie LOL.
What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer and do your characters reflect some of these attributes?
I have to write – it’s like breathing to me. I sit down and the words just flow and I lose all sense of time. Which is great BUT in the current publishing environment, there are many other things an author has to do as well, like engaging on social media, doing promo…and I have to be careful that I don’t spend too much time on all the other activities and not enough time ‘just’ writing. I love the social aspects of being an author, especially twitter, but the important thing at the core of all I do is creating the books.
I think as far as my own personality, I’m good in an emergency or crisis, and I tend to write characters who are the same. You can’t hesitate when your spaceship is about to blow up or the space pirates are about to capture you. Take action now, fall apart later, when the danger’s over.
What kind of research did you have to do for the novel, series or set of stories that was different from others?
For Trapped on Talonque, I invented a ritual ball game that the hero must play and win in order to survive, so I did a lot of research into similar games played by the ancients in Central and South America. For some of my other scifi romances I’ve heavily researched the sinking of the Titanic, the cruise industry, life on an aircraft carrier, pathology of deadly viruses, abdominal surgery, the aspects of the goddess Kali…I want to create a world in the Sectors that feels solid and well thought out for the readers, so I absorb a lot of details of our own world and synthesize. And add ingredients from my own active imagination!
What makes you laugh?
I’m a tough nut when it comes to laughing out loud. Kittens or small children playing are always good. Georgette Heyer wrote some side splitting scenes and dialog in some of her Regency novels – Cotillion is one of my favorites, no matter how many times I read it. The early seasons of “The Big Bang Theory” have moments that cracked me up with their sheer absurdity.
What makes you cry?
There’s a death of a much beloved character in one of Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels that I cried over (no spoilers). In the recent season two finale of the show “Killjoys,” I cried when the character of Khlyen died. So I guess death and parting from loved ones are my triggers. I always write Happily Ever After endings for my main characters, by the way, precisely because I don’t handle anything less than that well when I’m reading a book or watching a movie.
What are you a fan of and is this reflected in your writing?
By now you have no doubt gathered I’m a huge fan of science fiction, action and adventure, with a lot of true love and romance. I can’t imagine ever writing a book that didn’t contain these elements! I do write a series set in ancient Egypt and for that I substitute paranormal or fantastical elements for the science fiction but all the rest remains the same.
Trapped on Talonque
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Will an alien sleeping beauty awaken to save him, or destroy everyone around her?
When a Sectors Special Forces soldier and his team crash land on an alien planet, they’re taken captive and given a challenge–win at the violent ball game of sapiche and live. Lose, and they die, sending a mysterious, alien beauty to an even uglier fate. To survive, these soldiers must win the game and find a way to free the dangerous prisoner from her locked chamber.
Nate Reilly and his team are in deep trouble. Prisoners on a backward alien planet, they’re brought before an alien ‘goddess’, sleeping in her high tech seclusion. Nate is astonished when she awakes and establishes a psychic link with him. But her news is not good–he and his men must win a brutal challenge set by their captors, or they will die. She’ll give her aid, but in the end their courage and strength must win the contest.
Bithia sleeps in her chamber, as she has for thousands of years, since her own people unaccountably left her there. Viewed as a goddess by her captors, she must hide her ancient secrets to survive. But only the bravest of men may free her. Can she use her psychic powers to keep Nate and his men alive long enough to help her escape, or will her only hope of freedom die with them?
About Veronica Scott
Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily 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.
Three 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 recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the official audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “City On the Edge of Forever.”
You can connect with her via the following social media sites:
EverydayFangirl.com 