Last weekend, I was so happy about my new release, Rescuing Mara's Father, only to come crashing down when I started rereading the Amazon ebook. Errors! Errors, I thought I corrected. Discovered I'd uploaded the wrong file! Ack. All is well now. Uploaded the right file, and Amazon said they'd send an email to purchasers that a new file is available. Whew. Crisis over. Lesson learned.
I'm sharing snippets from my Middle Grade/YA science fiction adventure, Rescuing Mara's Father. The narrator is Mara, an almost 15-year-old girl who lives in a mining outpost on the Outer Rim. This snippet takes place shortly after last week's. After Mara and her friend Jako win their fight with the Dunpus brothers, her father takes her home to tend her wounds. He holds her for a moment.
Please excuse the creative punctuation, necessary to keep this within the guidelines. It's also edited from the original.
Abruptly, he pushes me away and stands, I want him to come back, to hold
me again—to be the warm, loving Father he used to be. He doesn’t. “I concur
with your little friend—you did well, however you could have been killed. Those
Dunpus boys are mean, the father meaner—stay away from them.”
“But they were beating up Jako, it wasn’t fair.”
Father walks over to the stove and lifts the lid of the large pot, “You
have a good heart,” He stirs the stew, “You are very much like your mother. She
would have been proud of you.”
He rarely talks about my mother, who died giving me birth. When I used to
ask about her, he would get such a pained look in his eyes I always backed off—this
time, I can’t let the opportunity pass, “Please, Father, tell me about her.”
Rescuing Mara's Father is available in digital format at:
Available in Print: Amazon
3 friends, a hidden starship, a quest
Her father is gone! Taken by the Queen of Compara’s agents. Mara has to rescue him before the Queen tortures and kills him.
Instead of the kind, loving father she’s always known, he’s become demanding, critical, with impossible expectations—not just as Father but also as the only teacher in their frontier outpost. Mara would rather scoop zircan poop than listen to another boring lecture about governments on Central Planets. Give her a starship engine to take apart or better yet, fly, and she’s happy. Now, he's gone.
Never mind, they’ve had a rocky road lately.
Never mind, Father promised she could go off planet to Tech Institute next month when she turns fifteen, where she’ll learn to fly starships.
Never mind, she ran away because she’s furious with him because he reneged on that promise. Father is her only parent. She has to save him.
Along with her best friend, eleven-year-old Jako, and his brother 15-year-old Lukus, Mara sets off to find her father. An old spaceport mechanic and her mentor seems to know why the Queen captured Father. In fact, he seems to know her father well. But, does he tell her everything? Of course not. He dribbles out info like a mush-eating baby. Worse, he indicates he’ll be leaving them soon. And Lukus can’t wait to get off our planet. Mara’s afraid they will all leave her, and she’ll be on her own. Despite her fears, she has to rescue her father.
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She has the right idea, I think. Strike while the iron's hot and the memories are close to the surface.
ReplyDeleteYep. She has to try.
DeleteI think in many ways, her father is proud of her, too. He just doesn't show his emotions as well. Great snippet!
ReplyDeleteYou're right. He's had a lifetime (Mara's) of doing what he thinks is best but not explaining. She never questioned him before. Like most kids her age, she's also testing limits. Understandable from a teen's pov, frustrating from a parent's.
DeleteThat little excerpt draws me in to want to know much more.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got the file issue sorted! I always worry about that kind of stuff.
Thanks, Nick. Yeah, I really freaked last weekend, but Amazon came through.
DeleteSuch a good story!
ReplyDeleteI would have freaked out too, Diane. Good recovery.
Yep--I'm TeeKay on Amazon reviews. :-)
Also, no snippet for me this week. :-)
DeleteThanks again for the great review. Too bad about no snippet. I like that story.
DeleteIntriguing twist when he suddenly mentions her mother.
ReplyDeleteLater on in the story the reason he mentions her is clear. Thanks for stopping by, Aurora.
DeleteI wondered about her father's sentence, "She would have been proud of you." Isn't he also proud? I know father/daughter relationships can be tough, but I hope he gives her the support she needs. Great snippet! And congratulations on your release!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jenna. He is proud of her but unsure of how to reveal that. Some men have difficulty expressing how they feel. My dad never said he was proud of me. He showed it, but never said it. I think Mara's Father is somewhat like that.
DeleteWhat a place to stop! I want to know if the father will share more about the mother today...sorry to hear about the book errors but I'm glad it all got fixed. Enjoyed the snippet...Best wishes and a hug!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, veronica. Next week, he will tell her more.
DeleteSounds like the ice might be breaking just a wee bit? Poignant snippet.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. Hitting the publish button is always so nerve-wracking. Speaking of mistakes, I posted an excerpt this week but then forgot sign up. I'm at www.alexisduranblog.com
Been there, Alexis. I'll stop by. Thanks for your comments.
DeleteHow upsetting to upload the wrong file. I would have been frozen with fear. Good for you to be level-headed and fix it right away. The book sounds intriguing. I've been following your blog and twitter feed. I just joined your Facebook page and will tweet about this post. Thanks for this opportunity. All the luck with your new release!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Victoria. So great that you're following me. Support is wonderful.
DeleteShe has no idea how difficult that question would be for him to answer! What a great read, so filling with surprises.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Nancy. I wonder if you find it as hard as I do to reply to snippets from books you've read. It's so hard not to spill the beans. :)
DeleteI don't blame her for wanting to know more, and it seems like a good time for it.
ReplyDeleteI hope he'll share more memories of her mother. I sense her longing for more but it might be difficult for him.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your release! and I'm glad to hear you got the 'hiccup' worked out. It seems that publishing never runs smooth and problem free. Good luck with it!
ReplyDeleteDiane, you are always right on target. Nifty story.
ReplyDelete