#WeWriWa - MISSION TO NEW EARTH: Sleeping Like a Baby

Each weekend the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm sharing snippets from my science fiction romance, Mission to New Earth. Three teams are about to launch from Titan (Saturn's moon) beyond our solar system on Christmas Day. The mission: to colonize 3 new planets. The narrator, Sara Grenard, is one team's leader. This snippet begins after the celebration (last week).

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

Marsh sprawled beside me. As usual, he took up three-quarters of the bed—all relaxed, snoring loud enough to wake the dead, the hard planes of his face softened in sleep. He slept like he didn’t have a care in the world, as if he wasn’t going to be crammed into a tube tomorrow and turned into a humongous ice cube for three years.

I, on the other hand, hadn’t even closed my eyes since we turned out the lights—fear slithered through my consciousness, FEAR in capital letters. Despite all the simulations, despite the training, even though I calmly accepted our mission, I was terrified.

Too late to back out now, as if I would.

Excitement and wonder pushed down the fear. I reminded myself that out of the hundreds of thousands of applicants, I was chosen to lead our team on the adventure of a lifetime.

That the people of Earth depended on us.

Earth’s overpopulation and dwindling resources force the United Earth Space Agency to expedite exploration of new planets for a possible new home. When new crises ensue—a giant tsunami and the threat of nuclear winter—the timeline changes. Eight years of training crammed into four. Sara Grenard and her team prepare for launch, but are they ready for the one-way trip? Will the Goldilocks planet prove just right for Earth’s inhabitants? Before time runs out.

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

#WeWriWa - MISSION TO NEW EARTH: Friendly Rivalry

Each weekend the Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm sharing snippets from my science fiction romance, Mission to New Earth. Three teams are about to launch from Titan (Saturn's moon) beyond our solar system on Christmas Day. The mission: to colonize 3 new planets. The narrator, Sara Grenard, is one team's leader. 

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

         On the evening before our last Christmas in civilization, we celebrated with the other teams, a party that combined Earth’s December celebrations with decorations from Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Mawlid an-Nabī, Dhanu Sankranti, Bodhi Day, even Omisoka because none of us would be here for New Year’s Eve, and the secular symbols made sure those who didn’t follow a religion weren’t left out.

I watched my team, as well as the other two, eighteen of us who were to embark on an epic journey—the laughter was a little too loud, the gaiety forced, not aided by alcohol that we couldn’t have—we mingled, chatted about irrelevant topics, but none of us broached the crises on Earth, or our responsibility to save the people.

Yuri and Kaito cornered me near a viewport.

“What do you think, Sara-san?” Kaito’s black eyes twinkled, “Does your team have the Right Stuff?”

I chuckled, “You bet—and yours?”

“But of course.”

Yuri’s belly laugh made me smile, “Neither of you have as great a team as I. We will reach our new home first, even if Sara has a head start.”

“Whoa, my planet is farthest away.”

“Yours is closest, Yuri,” Kaito said, “It is only fair you go last.”

“That means we will get there first,” Yuri smirked.

Earth’s overpopulation and dwindling resources force the United Earth Space Agency to expedite exploration of new planets for a possible new home. When new crises ensue—a giant tsunami and the threat of nuclear winter—the timeline changes. Eight years of training crammed into four. Sara Grenard and her team prepare for launch, but are they ready for the one-way trip? Will the Goldilocks planet prove just right for Earth’s inhabitants? Before time runs out.

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and holiday season.

#CoverReveal: Corruption by Nick Wilford @NickPWilford

I'm helping my friend, Nick Wilford, share the cover for his upcoming release. Corruption is the second book in the Black & White series. Here's the info. Doesn't this sound interesting?

Corruption (Black & White #2)

Release Date: 11th February 2019

Cover design: germancreative

Blurb: Wellesbury Noon and Ezmerelda Dontible have found themselves in a position where they can make their native land somewhere that lives up to its name: Harmonia. However, they’re setting their sights further afield for their number one task: eradicating the disease that has plagued the neighbouring country of Loretania for generations and allowed the privileged Harmonians to live in a sterile environment.

After dispatching a team of scientists to Loretania, armed with cratefuls of an antidote and vaccine and headed up by their friend, Dr George Tindleson, Welles, Ez, and Welles’s brother Mal – who grew up in that benighted nation – start to worry when they hear nothing back, despite what they had agreed. Commandeering a fishing boat to follow the science team over the sea, they soon find that, while the disease may be on the way out, a new kind of infection has set in – the corruption they thought they had stamped out in Harmonia.

Can they get to the root of the problem and eradicate it before even more damage is done to an innocent people?

*** Warning – this book contains themes that some sensitive readers may find upsetting. ***

Pre-order links: Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / Kobo  

Add it on Goodreads

Black & White, the first book in the series, is free. Good holiday gift for yourself and a great way to prepare for Corruption.

Black & White (Black & White #1)

Cover design: germancreative

Blurb: What is the price paid for the creation of a perfect society?

In Whitopolis, a gleamingly white city of the future where illness has been eradicated, shock waves run through the populace when a bedraggled, dirt-stricken boy materialises in the main street. Led by government propaganda, most citizens shun him as a demon, except for Wellesbury Noon – a high school student the same age as the boy.

Upon befriending the boy, Wellesbury feels a connection that he can’t explain – as well as discovering that his new friend comes from a land that is stricken by disease and only has two weeks to live. Why do he and a girl named Ezmerelda Dontible appear to be the only ones who want to help?

As they dig deeper, everything they know is turned on its head – and a race to save one boy becomes a struggle to redeem humanity.

Buy links: Amazon US / Amazon UK / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iBooks

Add it on Goodreads

About the Author

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those rare times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer's Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Amazon

#WeWriWa - MISSION TO NEW EARTH: Are They Ready? #sfr

The Weekend Writing Warriors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm changing gears for the next couple of weeks by sharing snippets from my science fiction romance, Mission to New Earth. Three teams are about to launch from Titan (Saturn's moon) beyond our solar system on Christmas Day. The mission: to colonize 3 new planets. The narrator, Sara Grenard, is one team's leader. 

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

We were about to leave on an adventure of a lifetime. Giddiness raced through me and with it the ever-present trepidation. Were we prepared for all eventualities? What if—

I had to stop speculating on the dangers of our mission.

Speeding down the corridor, I passed holiday decorations. The festive trimmings brightened the gray walls. I hoped the modules deposited on Serenity had a better paint job. Serenity—our hope for the future of our new planet. After screwing up Earth, humankind had the chance to do it right this time.

Earth’s overpopulation and dwindling resources force the United Earth Space Agency to expedite exploration of new planets for a possible new home. When new crises ensue—a giant tsunami and the threat of nuclear winter—the timeline changes. Eight years of training crammed into four. Sara Grenard and her team prepare for launch, but are they ready for the one-way trip? Will the Goldilocks planet prove just right for Earth’s inhabitants? Before time runs out.

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

#WeWriWa - ONE RED SHOE: A Visitor With A Walther PPK

Is it the weekend already? Here I am with the Weekend Writing Warriors where we share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

I'm sharing snippets from my romantic suspense, ONE RED SHOE. Last week, Sam rushed back to his hotel room only to find the door unlocked.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

“Hello, Samuel. Long time no see, as you Americans say,” Yuri Grashenko sat in the corner of the small room, his smile as deadly as the Walther PPK in his hand, “Please return what you stole from my employer—he is most unhappy.”

“Why you talk nice to thief?” the male voice came from behind.

Sam spun low with a move he hadn’t forgotten from his college basketball days, he slammed into the newcomer as a bullet from the PPK slammed into the wall where Sam’s shoulder had been seconds before. One good thing, Yuri wasn’t trying to kill him—not yet, anyway.

Sam and the newcomer rolled down the dark stairs in a tangle of arms and legs. Jesus, the guy was big. Elbows and knees wreaked as much havoc as the wood steps—Sam  was going to have bruises on bruises.

His dad was right. Sam should have gone to work in the steel mill. Shoveling slag had to be easier than this.

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

ONE RED SHOE is available at:

Amazon: http://a.co/d/gqi3A9E

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. 

IWSG: End of the Year

Happy Insecure Writers Support Group Day. IWSG is the brainchild of Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Thanks, Alex, for starting this group and keeping it going. 

Thanks to this month's awesome hosts: J.H. Moncrieff, Tonja Drecker , Patsy Collins, and Chrys Fey!

Congratulations to everyone who entered NaNoWriMo, whether or not you officially "won" (by writing 50k words). Congratulate yourself. You have more words written now than you did at the end of October. Consider yourself a winner. I do. 

I hope you’ve had a great month and a terrific year. We’ve all had our ups and downs. Winter in Michigan is so dreary. It really got to me in February. My daughter gave me a “happy” lamp to boost my intake of Vitamin D. Despite the emotional aspect, when I feel "down" I don’t want to move. I veg out in front of the TV. Not moving is bad for my back. Then, moving is painful because I’m stiff. A vicious cycle. So, I’m determined to move more and write more.

Despite the rough beginning, 2018 has been pretty good. I released one new book, Numbers Never Lie, a Romantic Suspense, re-released One Red Shoe (another romantic suspense) in ebook form (I need to get it out in print), and released two books that had been ebooks only as print ones: Romance Rekindled and Mission to New Earth. When I released the last two novellas, I hadn’t planned on putting them in print. But, as I did more book events (11 this year), I realized I should offer less expensive books as well as the longer novels.

What’s left for this month? Since 2013, I’ve been a regular contributor for The Roses of Prose blog. In December, each author posts a 3-day holiday short story. Mine will be up starting this Saturday, December 8^th. I hope you’ll check it out.

Something I realized while doing the book events is that people are more willing to buy for their kids (and grandkids) than they are for themselves. I have a YA science fiction story in my computer that I’ve done nothing with. My plan for 2019 is to refresh and publish it. 

Here's my dilemma: my earlier books are spicy (R-rated) while my more recent books aren't but still are more for adults. For a YA, should I develop a new author persona (I have the domain name) along with a new website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.? Rick Riordan and James Patterson write both adult and YA books under one name, so why am I concerned? Am I being overprotective of my (future) young readers? I'm really interested in your opinion.

I hope you’ll enjoy the holidays.

Click here to find others on the Insecure Writers Support Group Blog Hop. Or go to IWSG on Facebook to see who’s blogging today.

Holiday #Giveaway -- Constance Bretes

My friend Connie Bretes has a giveaway via her newsletter each month. Check out all the great stories, including one of mine. Romance Rekindled (a spinoff of my Alex O'Hara novels) started as two holiday short stories. What's better than one short story? Two. What's better than two short stories? A novella. And that's what those stories became. A mother and daughter who find love again.

Abby Ten Eyck likes her life the way it is. She runs a successful business, has a well-adjusted teenage daughter, and has managed to keep men at bay since her divorce fifteen years ago. Just before Christmas, she’s hit with change. Her mother decides to sell the family home. Then she’s arrested, with an unknown man. Could this new man in her mother’s life create more upheaval? Or could his handsome son be just what Abby needs to revive her dormant feelings?

Sam Watson embraces the transition from frenetic Wall Street to a small Michigan resort town. His health is worth moving close to his dad who seems over the moon in love. But it’s the daughter of his father’s girlfriend who fascinates him. Abby Ten Eyck reminds him of his driven self. He must help her slow down before she burns out. Like he did.

Amazon  ~  Amazon UK  ~  iBooks  ~  Kobo  ~  Smashwords  ~ Nook

Check out Connie's newsletter for descriptions of all the stories and enter the Rafflecopter below. The drawing takes place on December 22. A nice present for yourself.


Christmas Wishes Romance Ebook Giveaway

Happy Holidays!

#WeWriWa: ONE RED SHOE - An Unlocked Door

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors where authors share an 8 - 10 sentence snippet. Be sure to visit the other authors. You can find them here.

Sorry I'm late getting this up. I'm sharing snippets from my romantic suspense, ONE RED SHOE. Last week, we left Sam in Smolensk, Russia, copying a mafia kingpin's files.

Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited some from the original.

Intel this dangerous couldn’t wait for the normal fourteen-hour transport home—the hearing was next week. What he just read would send shockwaves through Washington, through the country. He had to report this to the Director now then upload that file to the agency.

An hour later, he raced up the worn wooden stairs of the shabby hotel. He’d contacted the Director who insisted that the package be hand-delivered. While that seemed odd to Sam, considering the tight time frame, the Director said the intel was too sensitive to trust to the Internet. He ordered Sam to meet him in New York City. Now he had to grab his gear and get the hell out of Dodge before Korioff discovered the little surprise in his computer.

Sam unlocked the hotel room, realizing too late that it wasn’t locked.

It Happened One Night meets Knight and Day.

Daria Mason’s life is too predictable. Nothing ever happens in her small Iowa town where everybody knows everybody else. But when she travels to New York City looking for a little excitement, she never expects to bring home a wounded spy.

From the moment agent Sam Jozwiak steals intel vital to US security from a Russian Mafia kingpin, Murphy’s Law takes over. No matter how he covers his tracks, the kingpin’s assassins find him. What’s worse than getting shot in the butt? Accepting help from an Iowa tourist.

Sam and Daria flee cross country with the assassins right behind them. Sharing danger and excitement—and a few kisses—with Sam soon has Daria convinced he’s the man for her. He thinks she’ll be better off once he’s out of her life for good. With their lives on the line, can she convince him they belong together?

ONE RED SHOE is available at:

Amazon: http://a.co/d/gqi3A9E

Smash: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/901383

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-red-shoe-4

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-red-shoe/id1439298014?mt=11

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors.