Friday, August 30, 2013

Liza O interviews the book Escape Zulaire by Veronica Scott

Today, I'm interviewing the book Escape Zulaire by Veronica Scott. 

Space Rep: I bet it only accepted this interview to escape from the planet Zulaire. It's a planet, right?



Liza: I've no idea. Let's transport the book over and find out.

Here it is. Welcome Escape Zulaire. Mind if I call you Zu?




Book: Whoa! It worked!


Space Rep: Don't get too excited. You've arrived at a junker ship that couldn't outrun a space dust bunny. So If you'll answer the mostly hairless primate's questions we'll transfer you to something more obliging for escaping.


Book: Deal. But are you hanging about to translate the primate's babble.  Primates don't hear me unless it's an 'audio' book. *snorts in contempt*


Liza: Before you get yourself transported back to Zulaire, you should know I hear books just fine. So answer my questions and I'll transport you wherever you want to go. Oh, I'm calling you Zu. End of discussion.


Zu: Whatever.


Liza: Finally, an agreeable book. So tell us about yourself.


Zu: First of all, you did NOT retrieve me from a Zulaire penitentiary library. And yes Zulaire is a planet. So please stop thinking until I tell you what to think. 


Liza: I have no trouble not thinking. You wouldn't believe how often people say I'm thoughtless or that I've lost my mind.


Zu: That doesn't surprise me in the least. Now sit and I'll tell you what is going on in Zulaire.


*Liza and Space Rep sit on the less-than-clean spaceship floor and stare attentively at Zu the book*


Zu: We begin with beautiful female, Andi Markriss, having a less than enjoyable time as the houseguest of the planetary high-lord.


Liza: Ah, so she wants to escape Zulaire.


Zu: Her company sent her to represent them at a political wedding, so she can't leave. 


Liza: I hope she behaves better than me at weddings. I think I've caused a stir at everyone of them.


Zu: She's fine, but my hotshot Special Forces Captain Tom Deverane barges in on the night of the biggest social event of the summer and insist she come with him at once.


Liza: I usually don't argue when they send security to remove me--keeps me from getting arrested.


Zu: Well, as I said, Andi is not the problem. She's doing her job to perfection and isn’t about to offend her high-ranking host on Deverane’s say-so—no matter how sexy he is, or how much he believes they need to leave now.


Liza: You didn't mention he was sexy. Tell me more about sexy Deverane.


Zu: Deverane was thinking about how to spend his retirement bonus when HQ assigned him one last mission: rescue a civilian woman stranded on a planet on the verge of civil war. 


Liza: You didn't tell me there was a civil war. Why are these people having parties during a war. That never goes well. 


Zu: Andi was not aware the political instability had become so serious.


Liza: Oh...Wait! Why did they send someone to pluck her out of trouble? Is she someone important?


Zu: Someone has pulled some serious strings to get her plucked out of the hot zone. But you'll have to read the book to discover who. 


Liza: *huffs* So what does Deverane think about Andi, who refuses to be rescued?


Zu: Deverane’s never met anyone so hard-headed—or so appealing. 


Liza: The 'I don't know whether to strangle or kiss you' feelings happens to me a lot.


Zu: The mission proves more dangerous than Deverance expected.


Liza: Does he pick up the wrong fork while dining?


Zu: Close. Rebel fighters attack the village and raze it to the ground. Deverane escapes with Andi into the wilderness.


Liza: The party is clearly over. So now she's away from her job responsibilities does she start to value sexy saviors a bit more?


Zu: In fact, she does. On their frantic journey through the wilderness, Andi finds herself fighting her uncomfortable attraction to the gallant and courageous captain.


Liza: Why is she struggling? Go for it! Life is too short. He's sexy and a hero, what more do you want?


Zu: Stop yelling at my heroine. She has good reason to resist. Deverane’s not the type to settle down, and running for one’s life doesn’t leave much time to explore a romance.


Liza: *grumbles* I would make the time.



Zu: Water under the bridge, for soon Andi is captured by the rebel fighters.

Liza: Crap. But Deverane will save her, right?

Zu: ehhhh

Liza: What? He's got to save her!

Zu: Deverane has discovered that Zulaire’s so-called civil war is part of a terrifying alien race’s attempt to subjugate the entire Sector. 

Liza: Okay, but he'll be able to save her after he saves the world, right?

Zu: *shakes head* If he pushes on to the capitol Andi will die. Deverane must decide whether to save the woman he loves, or sacrifice her to save Zulaire.

Liza: She really should have taken the time to dance the tango with him.

Space Rep: Your babble fish should translate that as 'copulate'. Liza resists speaking plainly in these matters.


Zu: Thank you for explaining. I was very confused how an archaic Earth dance movement would change their terrible situations. 


Liza: So what happens next? And don't say--


Zu: You must read the book to find out.


Liza: Crap. Space Rep, find me the buy links. While we are waiting, can I peek beneath your covers for a glimpse of your words.


Zu: I suppose. Just behave. It's a wedding.



Excerpt


This is the most absurd thing I’ve ever done as Assistant Planetary Agent for Loxton Galactic Trading - standing in as a bridesmaid in a borrowed puce dress because some other girl failed to show up.  Andi Lockriss sighed, feeling the garment binding too tight across her chest. I didn’t mind representing the company as a guest, but this is way outside the line of duty.

Early afternoon on Zulaire was too warm for an outdoor ceremony but the Planetary High Lord’s spoiled daughter Lysanda didn’t care to be ready any earlier in the day. Her guests’ comfort wasn’t a consideration.

An inch at a time, Andi shifted from her assigned spot into the shade cast by the towering stone pillars. How did I get talked into this? Oh yes, Lysanda wept and her mother made vague threats about her husband reviewing our shipping contracts. As the musicians played, Andi turned, watching Lysanda pace toward the dais in time to the music, smiling for her groom-to-be.

 The local priest took a deep breath and launched into a lengthy blessing, invoking the deity and relating the history of the planet’s three Clans - Obati, Shenti and Naranti. Andi chanted along with him, under her breath. Overlords, Second Class and Neutrals, as her boss had told her when she arrived on Zulaire six years ago. Easy to keep them straight that way, he’d said, but don’t ever slip and use the nicknames out loud.

      “This young pair from two of the highest families will cement our peace,” the priest proclaimed, lowering his arms and beaming at Princess Lysanda and her intended. “Their offspring will embody the union of Obati and Shenti blood.”

      Applause from the crowd, led by the bride’s mother, made the officiant blush. As he bowed, Lysanda blew her mother a kiss.

      That ovation will spur him to more oratory for sure. Andi smothered a sigh, wiggling her aching toes, held too tight in the borrowed silver sandals. I thought the last three weeks of engagement parties, picnics and games out here in the summer compound were endless but this ceremony tops them all.

      “The bride and groom will now light the symbolic candles.” The priest led the pair to the side altar, where a trio of candles – blue, green and ivory – had been set into massive golden holders. Representing the three Clans, the candle ritual reinforced the political symbolism of this ceremony. Everything symbolic on Zulaire came in threes, Andi thought, watching the couple light each candle in turn.

Sneezing violently as the slight afternoon breeze carried colorful but pungent smoke from the burning tapers in her direction, she earned herself a glare and a hissed “Shh!” from the woman standing next to her. After taking a deep, cleansing breath of the fragrant bouquet she’d been clutching, Andi gave the other attendant a faint smile.

Tuning out the priest’s new recitation of more sacred writings, especially since the man had a nasal voice and a tendency to repeat himself, Andi studied the intricate carvings in the shiny black stone wall of the pavilion across from her, details brought to clarity by the slanting sun’s rays. 

Lysanda had argued long and hard with her mother earlier about allowing Andi to substitute for the unaccountably missing hand maiden. Only the fact that without Andi to partner him, an important groomsman would be omitted from the ceremony, swayed the decision. Good for Loxton’s business networking that I’m here. The Planetary Lord’s family owes me personally now for preserving the precious symmetry of Lysanda’s wedding party, at the cost of my aching feet. With a flash of amusement at the ludicrous situation, Andi smiled. Lucky for the princess I accepted the invitation on behalf of Loxton, not my portly boss.

The bas-relief on the back wall across from Andi depicted a stylized sun above a giant, multi trunked malagoy tree – each trunk symbolizing one of the three Zulairian tribes – Obati and Shenti locked in an eternal struggle to rule the planet, jockeying back and forth for thousands of years of bloody history. All the while the Naranti stayed neutral, filling a perpetual peacemakers’ role, as their god Sanenre had legendarily decreed.  Symbolic of their Clan’s allotted role in the planet’s history, the Naranti trunk was at the center of the tree, supporting the other two.

      A skillfully carved herd of three horned urabu grazed beneath the sheltering arms of the malagoy, the alpha buck depicted in a watchful stance, stone face staring at the occupants of the dais. The image of these legendary creatures, with their sweeping triple horns, was to be found everywhere on Zulaire, even on the Planetary Lord’s Seal. Beloved symbol of the god Senenre, legendary bearers of good fortune and blessings, the gazellelike animals were extinct now of course, hunted for the ivory of their sweeping horns.

Lysanda and her betrothed were repeating vows after the priest.

Apparently as bored as Andi was, Sirala, the youngest attendant at her sister’s ceremony, just a toddler really, came across the platform with unsteady steps, reaching for Andi, her favorite playmate of the last few weeks. Missing her nieces and nephews, who lived far away in her own home Sector of the galaxy, Andi had been happy to skip a few adult entertainments to amuse the young ones of the house during her stay.

After a quick hug, the child plunked herself at Andi’s feet, leaning against her legs. Pulling the flower garland from her glossy curls, Sirala picked the petals off the blossoms while humming the processional tune offkey. The priest began to wrap up, raising his voice to override the toddler’s song. Andi stared out over the crowd.

Quite a few empty chairs. A surprising number of high ranking Obati guests had failed to arrive, which drove the bride’s mother into an angry tirade shortly before the ceremony. The failure of the missing bridesmaid and her family to show up had created another firestorm. Lady Tonkiln had a long memory for social slights.

It’s been an odd summer, that’s for sure. Andi herself would be glad to see Fall arrive, when business always picked up and she could get back to the office, dive into the complexities of intergalactic trading and leave the socializing to others. And decide if it’s time to leave Zulaire for another assignment. Six years is too long to stay on one planet, if I want my next promotion. I wish I didn’t love it here so much.
 Copyright 2013 by Veronica Scott

Liza: Oh, that was a fun read. Space Rep, do you those  buy links yet?


Space Rep: I found one! 

BUY LINK


I also found some stalking links for Veronica



Amazon Best Selling Science Fiction Author

Liza: Well done, Space Rep. You're finally earning your oxygen supply.  Be sure to leave comments. Else Space Rep will go into a depression.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

LIZA SPOTLIGHTS Michelle Brown - The Underlighters

AUGUST 27 OR THEREABOUT. WE HAVE ARRIVED AT UNKNOWN DUSTY BLUE GREEN PLANET....Liza Out 



The Underlighters

Nightmares are bleeding into her waking world. Children are going missing. To save them, she must overcome her wreck of a personal life and a closet full of skeletons. She doesn’t know if the horrors in the shadows are real...or if she is going mad. 

18-year-old Janelle Cohen is an electrician in an underground city. The world above has been swallowed by mind-destroying Dust. Her small life changes forever when a dragon attacks her on the way home from work. 

Her friends worry that she has the Fever, Dust-induced insanity. As more monsters strike down citizens, they change their minds. A terrifying trip to the surface of the world, the ancient and abandoned Up, deepens the nightmare. With no world left above, she and the other Crows cannot afford to fail… 

5 stars: “…You will be rewarded with a dive into the depths of imagination that may leave you questioning, breathless and inspired.” –www.TracingTheStars.com

5 stars: “… Engaging, ground breaking prose that is not afraid to test the reader’s boundaries. “—Sara Celi


5 stars: “…A wonderful read that is full of life, nightmares, fear, and dreams.” –Casey Peeler


AUTHOR MICHELLE BROWN OFFERS A DISTRACTION WITH RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY...Liza out. Prizes appear to be books, necklace and ebooks.

Janelle’s world is about to get very, very dark. Are you ready? On August 30th, nightmares are going to become a little too real for comfort. 
Art by Bonnie Patton, © 2013. used with permission of the artist. http://bpwordeater.com/

*****
Thanks for dropping by the nest once again. Don't miss any of the phuquerie. Find Michelle on TwitterFacebook, and on Tumblr. More interviews and witty commentaries are coming. Keep checking back to see those surprise posts, too. This is your darling SciFiMagpie, over and out! 

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Liza Interviews Maria Hammarblad - Operation Earth

Today I'm pleased to have Maria Hammarblad for an interview. My affiliation with Breaking Space News does mean we'll probably have a few interruptions, but we'll see.

Liza: Maria, welcome. Let's see how far along we can get before Breaking News jumps in with their inaccurate reports.

Maria: Sounds good to me.

Liza: As you know, I require my subjects to answer questions in six categories so we can evaluate them as a well rounded person/alien.


Imagination questions:
Liza: Are you alien or human? 

Maria: I am pretty sure I’m alien. People who get to know me seem to agree. At my last job one of my colleagues kept a list in his desk drawer where he wrote down all evidence of me being non-human. It was funny, but a bit embarrassing when we had visitors and he showed it to everyone but me…

Liza: So why did you come to earth? And why are you still here?

Maria: It’s a horrible mistake. I wasn’t supposed to be on Earth, but I ended up here anyway. I don’t have the means to get home on my own and my own species never came back to pick me up. I used to think they forgot about me, but now I’ve decided that I’m supposed to learn something from my time here. It would be easier if I could figure out what, but one can’t have everything.


Liza: Why do aliens keep visiting Earth? Are we really that interesting?

Maria: Well, yes. Humans are masters of independent thought, for better and for worse. This fascinates other species, especially the ones with hive minds. Humans are the bad boys on the block; infinitely intriguing!

NEWS BREAK! NEWS BREAK! NEWS BREAK! --NO TIME TO FACT CHECK. 

Verifiable proof exists that Maria Hammarblad is an alien, possibly from a hive colony. Since Maria's particles were highly entangled, when one chose to pop over to Earth to check out the largest Ice Hotel in the universe, all the other particles decided to go along for the ride.

Word of Advice: Don't book in Summer.
Upon outstaying her welcome--Hotel melts in the summer, Maria discovered her ship had lost its stationary orbit and crashed to earth, in what's now called Area 52. 

Unable to reclaim her ship, Maria had no choice but to make her home on Earth. 

Liza: There they are. For a moment I thought they'd gone on strike.  

Maria: Umm, I... That's not what I said at all, it's not true. Where do these people do their research?

Liza: Let's move on to the next category:


Scientific Questions
Liza: Go investigate amoebas and find the most interesting to tell us about.

Maria: Amoebas eat brains and look happy while they’re doing it. 
Authentic picture of amoebe. Not doctored.
Human brains are clearly yummy. Don’t worry – I’m a vegetarian – I mean that human brains are yummy to amoebas. I wouldn’t eat either the brain or the amoeba. Gimme some broccoli and I’m happy. Or chocolate…





BREAKING NEWS! - NO TIME TO FACT CHECK.

Maria Hammarblad, alien scientist extradorinaire has discovered why Clowns are so terrifying. They come from a brain eating amoebe. 



Liza: Do you believe in Multiverses? (also known as parallel universes)?

Maria: Definitely. There’s a parallel universe where I’m a hit man, one where I took the crazy scientist route, and one where I’m a pilot. Whatever I might be doing in all the others I’m sure it’s interesting. *fluffs hair* 



BREAKING NEWS--WE QUIT!!! 
Maria Hammarblad is too forthcoming. Nothing left to dig up.

Liza: Thank God for small wonders!  Next topic:

Reader Questions:

Liza: Do you think humor and romance have a place in Sci Fi?

Maria: No. 


Liza: NO?????


Maria: Just joking. Both humor and romance are important parts of life and incorporating them makes stories more entertaining. 



Liza: Next 2 topics: Real life & Writing  -  due to time constraints these answers were cut, but they were very interesting and I encourage you to ask Maria to write to you personally and share them with you.

Maria: Thanks. Very thoughtful, Liza.

 Downright Silly Questions:

Liza:  Tell us the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. (Do not say asking for this interview.)

Maria: I accidentally destroyed a car wash, and that was pretty stupid. I had a mid-80s GMC Jimmy. The car was raised for off road driving and had huge off road tires. Well, it was dirty and I didn’t want to go through the trouble of hand washing it, because it was gigantic.

The local gas station had banners about their brand new no-brush car wash. I went in and asked the woman behind the counter, “Do you think my car would fit the new car wash?”

She said, “Oh yes, it pressure washes all sorts of cars. The big mail trucks, ya know. Just drive right in.”

I drove right in. The car wash started and a large piece of machinery rolled towards the car. I thought, “This looks tight.”

I started the car and got it in reverse just as the equipment reached the car and got stuck on the wheels. A split second later there was a huge noise and sheets of plastic rained down over me.

Going back inside to say, “You know your new car wash… My car didn’t fit there” was one of the most embarrassing things I’ve ever had to do, but I was grateful I asked before driving in. The car wash was closed for almost two months. I did not return to that gas station for years.

Liza: That sounds like something I'd do. Last question: If you had to live on a deserted island with one author, who would it be?

Maria: You, of course. You are resourceful and extremely entertaining! =D

Liza: That sounds like fun. By the time they rescued us, we will have civilized the local rodents and taught them the fundamentals of Quantum Physics.  

Maria: They might not even have to rescue us. We'd build a helicopter out of a palm tree and the rodents would help us power it. We'd probably have to feed them, or at least promise to feed them upon the return to civilization...

Liza: Wow, this was fun. So glad you stopped by. Why did you stop by.

Maria: To talk about Operation Earth.
Liza: Just for the record, this looks a bit frightening knowing you really are an alien.

Here's the blurb:

Seven billion people on Earth go about their daily lives, and no one is prepared when a global EMP slows the world to a crawl. With all our technology incapacitated, everything changes. Within days alien soldiers line the streets, and life will never be the same. Rachael struggles to adapt to the new order, doing her best to keep herself and her cat alive.

On a ship far above the planet surface, Peter just got his new Earth name, and can’t even remember his identity from the last world he visited. It’s another day on the job, one more world on a never-ending list. That is, until Rachael bumps into him, dropping exotic objects all around his feet. His culture taught him females should be obeyed and protected, but he never had an urge to leave himself at a woman’s mercy until now.

Rachael’s neighbor Ryan hounds her to join a brewing resistance movement and make a stand against the newcomers. She still befriends Peter, enthralled by his enigmatic personality and hypnotic golden eyes. Would falling in love with an alien be treason against humanity? When the rebellion gains momentum and open conflict with the newcomers is a fact, Rachael’s personal insurrection might be her doom, or bring salvation to us all.




Liza: Man, am I glad you remembered to mention your book because this sounds really good. Any chance you have an excerpt:

EXCERPT

Far above the Earth, a nearly endless line of men dressed in identical black uniforms moved through a long corridor towards a number of reprogramming chambers. They all stared forward, keeping their eyes on the neck of the person ahead.

No one spoke.

Not a sound could be heard except for the sound of the men's boots on the floor of the ship's interior.

A thick, waist-high tentacle stretched up from the floor. One of the men held his wrist above it, just like the person before him had done, and the person behind him would do. The voice of the ship echoed in his mind.

Peter. Adın Peter olacak.

His name would be Peter. Such an unfamiliar word, and difficult to say. No matter. If the ship chose it, this was who he would be.
Bu, Amerika diye bilinen ülkede en yaygın olarak kullanılan 23. isimdir.

Interesting. Peter was the twenty-third most common male name in a country known as America. That word was also hard to say, but as soon as the new brain-tip was installed, it would be second nature. Not a thing to look forward to, but a necessary step.

He had carried so many names during the years, known and forgotten so many languages he could barely remember his own. Sometimes he tried to think about it, but fighting the information in the brain-tips made his head hurt.

Felsefe yapmanın sırası değil.

This wasn’t a time to get philosophical. It was a time to comply. The queue moved forward. Ten steps, thirty, a hundred. It would be his turn to enter the chamber soon. The memories of the last world visited, Ka'thwuk, would be gone and his mind would be filled with awareness of Earth.

He stepped into the reprogramming chamber, obediently following the line.

Evde kalıp hayatı paylaşacak bir eş bulabilir miydim?

Could he have stayed home? Found a chosen to share his life? No way to know and a futile line of thought.

A tentacle brushed over his hair, and he shuddered. At least he didn't have to connect with the ship. Being a man had many disadvantages, but this was a definite upside.
The tentacle uncovered his old implant and ripped it out, sending blazing pain through his being. Excessive training kept him on his feet, even as his legs threatened to buckle. Then the ship thrust the new brain-tip in, and his stomach flipped over as new and unwanted knowledge forced its way into his mind.



Liza: Okay, I'll stop complaining about my old jobs. Peter has it much worse.

So here are the buy links:



And if you want to legally stalk Maria, here's here links:

Website:                       http://www.hammarblad.com
Facebook:                    https://www.facebook.com/mariahammarblad
Blog:                            http://www.scifiromance.info
Twitter:                       @mariahammarblad
Goodreads:                   http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4114780.Maria_Hammarblad
Publisher's website:       http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com

Maria and I hope you had fun on this very long journey through blogdom. Leave a message and tell us what was your favorite part.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Liza O'Connor Interviews Windmills by Lyndi Alexander

Morning Space Peeps, today I'm interviewing Windmills by Lyndi Alexander.

Space Rep: Hold on, you're interviewing devices used to harness the wind and convert it into a more useful source of power?


Liza: Gad no! Windmills are complete airheads. I'm interviewing a book called Windmills.

Space Rep: What's it about?

Liza: No clue. Let's transport it over and find out. *waits and waits* Space Rep, you haven't been playing with the equipment again have you?

Space Rep: I just tightened up the time continuum a bit.

Liza: Exactly how?

Space Rep: *Jumps up* Oh, look at the time. I have a meeting to attend.

Liza: *frowns at her annoying companion running off* You know, peeps. If you would just sign up for the email version of this blog, I might be able to get a better Space Rep. I'm not even sure we're going to have an interview now. Poor Windmills could be anywhere. Space rule #1: Never muck with the Time Continuum.



Book: Finally! I thought I would never escape the bedeviled machine.

Liza: What happened?

Book: Binders! A space ape speaks to me!

Liza: Yes, that's my special gift. So what happened to you?

Book: My author placed me in what looked like a microwave. I feared her mind has weakened. Next thing I know I'm reliving my life, starting back to when I was a seedling pine tree. 

Liza: Sorry about that, but you are here now, safe and sound. You have a beautiful cover by the way. May I call you Wind for short?

Windmills: I'm rather fond of my full name, and thank you for noticing my outer beauty which reflects my inner being.

Liza: Can you tell me about yourself, I am most curious.

Windmills: My story is of Lin Kwan, a young Chinese girl caught in the middle of world-changing events after a terrorist attack wipes out much of the Caucasian population of the world.

Liza: So this is Earth sometime in the future?

Windmills: In the near future. America has been attacked by a poisonous virus let loose by terrorist. 

Liza: Darn it. I probably don't have a house anymore. And how will my fish survive?


Windmills: While this is a story of survival, my pages do not discuss your fish. I focus on Kwan’s traumatic voyage to a decimated America, accompanied by her sensei Li Zhong.

Liza: What's a sensei?

Windmills: A sensei is an honored master of martial arts who teaches students.
The world she finds in San Francisco would surely tear the heart from a lesser soul, but she’s determined to complete the task her father has set for her. 

Liza: Do we get to know what that task is?

Windmills: Her father has asked her to leave the relative safety of Hong Kong to come to the devastated United States, bringing Chinese herbs to help him develop a cure for the plague

Liza: So what happens where she arrives in San Fran?

Windmills: She finds nurse’s aide Valery Paz, a Latina teen who’s survived the virus that killed her whole family, and who now works on the black market caring for patients who can’t come to the hospitals.

Liza: She sounds nice.


Windmills: Kwan also meets Xi San, a young Chinese man who’s taken on the task of guarding the Pacific Heights neighborhood in which Kwan comes to live. 

Liza: Guarding them from what?

Windmills: The streets are lawless, patrolled by roving gangs, and San, believing he has nothing else to live for, puts his life on the line every night keeping safe those who struggle to remain alive.

Liza: Sounds like a real hero. Hopefully he and Kwan can get together--

Windmills: If they live long enough to do so. 
Gangs aren’t the only menace to peace and peace of mind. 

Liza: What else is going on?

Windmills: A man known only as Gabriel preaches his message of hate and white supremacy, backed up by the evidence of the terror attack.

Liza: I have absolutely no tolerance for intolerance. 

Windmills: That's not all. Kwan has her own problems, as a Chinese spy tracks her to the United States, determined to stop her from giving her father the medicines she’s brought all the way from China–even if it means killing them both.

Liza: Wow! May I peek beneath your covers and read a bit?

Windmills: Just a bit. This is where Kwan and sensei Zhong get ready to leave Hong Kong:


Li Zhong surveyed the docks out of habit, checking for possible threat. He’d worried that his inquiries had triggered some alarm on behalf of his former masters, even though no one had approached him openly. Then, he chided himself for being too paranoid. Even in a crowd this size, no one seemed to be particularly interested in them. Why should they be? An old man and a boy taking the ferry across the harbor. Hardly remarkable. Which is just how I want it.

They boarded the ferry without difficulty, Kwan rushing onto the upper level that provided a better view, taking a seat close to the rail, her pack next to her feet. He hurried to keep up with her puppy-like enthusiasm. The wind blew warm across the water, ripe with the smell of salt air. It felt good to be going somewhere for a purpose.

He wiped his brow on his sleeve and counted the beats of his racing heart, willing it to slow down. You’re getting to be an old man, my friend. His lips clamped together, he stared at the steel-and-glass buildings of the city as the ferry crossed the harbor, using that concentration to calm himself. Kwan needed him.

He had let that thought drive him though the last two months as the details of this grand mission came together. Determined to make this voyage, she would have gone by herself if he had not accompanied her. The idealism of the young—How long had it been since he’d believed that right would succeed in this life, just because it should? Reality was often quite different. What was moral, or right, often surrendered to a less-noble imperative. 
Sometimes, it was a financial cause, but more often a political agenda. Like the intent of those misguided souls who’d launched the SH.

While anti-American proponents around the world celebrated the initial attack, the terrorists had not only killed their chosen target but themselves and a major percentage of the non-white population of the world. Sloppy work. That’s what happened when you let amateurs run the show. 

Another reason why his presence here was necessary. He could only pray that his aging heart would allow him to continue until the journey’s end. The doctors, both Western and Eastern, had warned him of his limited life expectancy. An old stab wound had never quite healed, the legacy of an assassination attempt years before. But Kwan didn’t know this. And he wouldn’t tell her.

Liza: Excellent. Here are the buy links for Windmills.


Liza: Would you like to say anything else before I return you to Lyndi?

Windmills: I would like to share with you a bit about my author.
 Lyndi Alexander dreamed for many years of being a spaceship captain, but settled instead for inspired excursions into fictional places with fascinating companions from her imagination that she likes to share with others. She has been a published writer for over thirty years, including seven years as a reporter and editor at a newspaper in Homestead, Florida. Her list of publications is eclectic, from science fiction to romance to horror, from tech reporting to television reviews. Lyndi is married to an absent-minded computer geek. Together, they have a dozen computers, seven children and a full house in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Liza: You can legally stalk Lyndi here:
Please leave a comment. 

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Liza O interviews the book Ghost in the Machine by CE Kilgore

Today, I'm in interviewing my lifelong buddy, Ghost in the Machine. Turns out he was created by C.E.Kilgore.

Space Rep: How long have you known him?

Liza: Since coding began...

Space Rep: You don't look that old.

Liza: I think I was about 7 yrs old when my dad tried to teach me how to code. And right off I met Ghost in the Machine. So without further adieu let's transport in--

Ghost: Not necessary, I'm here.

Space Rep: He's scary!

Liza: Nonsense. Ghost it's been a long time. How are you?

Ghost: Had I realized you could talk to books, I would have stopped by earlier. 

Liza: So tell me, what have you gotten yourself into now?

Ghost: Serious, trouble. You know I may or may not have emotions now, right? 

Liza: I heard rumors.

Ghost: Well it's true. Ghosts of the past clash with hopes for the future in this first book of the series.

Liza: I love series. 

Ghost: This one is set in a universe where nothing is as it seems at first glance and trust is a highly priced commodity.

Liza: You alway did talk in proud statements. Got any more of those?
  
Ghost: "Love is like a wormhole. You stumble on to it blindly, it sucks you in and takes you somewhere completely unexpected. You can’t fight it, because that would tear your ship apart. You can’t control it, either. All you can do is set your thrusters on glide and let it take you where it's going to take you."

Liza: Now you've intrigued me. Tell me what this book is about?


Ghost: First, let me talk about my heroine, Orynn.

Going against the rules of her Vesparian Sisterhood, which seeks to keep its entire existence a secret, Orynn is thrown into the open by a request for help that she could not refuse.

Liza: So she bravely goes forth, exposing herself to the notice of the universe, to aid someone else?

Ghost: Yes. Seeking to reconcile past mistakes and gain a forgiveness she feels she does not deserve, the control over her empathic abilities is put to the test when the darkness that lives within her spirit threatens to once again destroy any piece of happiness that she allows herself to find. 

Liza: So the real enemy lies within herself. They are the hardest to fight, especially alone. Does she have a hero to assist her?

Ghosts: Of course, a Mechatronic Automaton.

Liza: Never heard of one of those before. Sounds most interesting.

Ghosts: I think him most intriguing.  Ethan defines his world through a set of logically defined values and understandings. 

Liza: Just like you.

Ghosts: Exactly, only encountering Orynn throws his system out of balance.

Liza: Why?

Ghosts: He develops feelings for her. Now he must decide if he should trust these 'feelings' or follow his logic strand which says probabilities of biological specimen falling in love with him is .0000000000000001%, while the probability she is trying to control him for some unknown purpose is 99.99999999999999%. 

Liza: You've some missing probabilities running about, because that doesn't add up to 100%.

Ghosts: Do you know nothing about probabilities? Unknown probabilities exists in all code.

Liza: Sorry, my bad.  Can we return to your story. It sounds very good.

Ghosts:  Should Ethan keep Orynn at a distance despite his want to bring her near, or should he follow the heart he swears he does not have? 

Liza: Do I get to decide? Because I'm voting for the latter. 

Ghosts: No you don't get to decide. I just remember how much you hate questions, you don't know the answer to.

Liza: *growls* You know as a book, I can ruffle your pages in return.

Ghosts: It's not me creating these questions. It's Ethan. As his understanding of Orynn develops, he begins to question all of his preconceived notions about both himself and the universe around him.

Liza: Oh, okay then. I'll leave your pages unharmed....as long as you tell me more about this story.

Ghosts: Well, it turns out Orynn is in serious danger. The First Commander of the Xen’dari fleet intends to track the Vesperian Sisterhood to the ends of the universe and destroy them. 

Liza: Why? What did the sisterhood do?

Ghost: I cannot reveal that. But their past actions has put this commander upon a path of vengeance. He will do everything in his power to burn their world down until nothing is left but ash and the bitter taste of regret. 

Liza: Oh no! What happens next? Can Ethan save not only Orynn but her sisterhood as well?

Ghost: Read the book and find out.

Liza: I will if you'll give me the buy links.

Ghost: As you wish.

Available for FREE at 
Amazon 





Space Rep:Holy Space Crap, It’s Free! The book is free! I can download this one without your permission!

Liza: It's been great meeting you again, Ghost, but it's time to send you back. It' looks like me and Space Rep are going to fight over dibs on this book. 

Ghost: Can I not tell you about my writer first?

Liza: I suppose. Only make it fast. I want to get the book before... nevermind, he's already downloaded it. Tell me about your author.


Ghost: CE Kilgore is a flawed-vision human who has compensated by writing flawless stories. You may take pleasure in her company at the following  links:

Twitter: @ce_kilgore
 Website


Liza: I'm sure CE will appreciate the dubious bio.

Now, Space Peep, While I get lots of visitors, they never leave messages. So your new job is to get peeps to leave messages.

Space Peep: Free kittens and puppies to all who leave messages.