Saturday, June 30, 2018

Clans of Kalquor 12: Alien Outcast Preview






An impossible dream...



              As soon as they returned to their own ship, Nako and Terig went in search of Ulof and Piper. The hour was late, and the pair had agreed it might be fun to spend some of their sleeping hours in more active pursuits.
              Nako felt badly that his Imdiko was missing out on the pleasures enjoyed by his clanmates with the Earthling beauty. Ulof was too unsure of himself to attempt to seduce Piper on his own.
              My Imdiko deserves a woman like her. The thought startled Nako as he moved down the corridors. Was he thinking of sex, or was that stray notion indicative of more?
              “She’s amazing,” he ventured to Terig.
              “No shit. Ulof won’t know what hit him.” Terig laughed as they reached their quarters and checked the interior. “He’s not here. Let’s see if she’s already asleep or helping him in the kitchen.”
              Piper’s quarters were closer, so they went there next. She wasn’t in her room.
              “On to the kitchen,” Nako said. “I wonder what we should do with her once this matter with Maf and the death ship is dealt with?”
              “I assumed you’d hand her over to Kalquor before you take us back out to refuse the Empire our glorious presence once more. Or were you thinking of bringing her with us?”
              “What if I was?” Nako stopped in the middle of the corridor.
              Terig halted as well, his eyes rounding in shock. “Fuck, Nako. I was joking.”
              The Dramok tried not to show his disappointment. “Yeah, it’s a dumb idea. Never mind.”
              “No, wait. Don’t drop a bomb like that on me and then walk off. Are you thinking of clanship?”
              “Hell, Terig. She’s only just showed up. Of course I’m not talking about that.” Nako ignored how his pulse had quickened at his clanmate’s words. “But if she stuck around…if things went well for say, a few months…well, who could say what might happen?”
              “Hmm. I can’t deny the idea has appeal. Beyond sex, I’m attracted to her for several reasons.” He considered and shook his head. “This is no life for a woman. Especially not someone who’s gone through what she has. Piper deserves a real home. She deserves happiness, and she’s not going to get that stuck on this raider, avoiding the authorities.”
              Terig’s good sense deflated Nako’s pleasant fantasy. “You’re right. She rates far better than what we can offer.”


Releasing July 3. (No pre-orders.)


She escaped to Kalquor to warn the empire…but did she bring its destruction instead?

When a rogue Kalquorian raider snags a Bi’isil cruiser in Empire space, the outlaw crew is hoping for supplies. Instead, they find a Tragoom and an Earther woman with a dire warning: Bi’is is set to unleash a fatal plague on the Kalquorian Empire.

Piper Warren, with the help of her friend Ob, has faced death to save the Kalquorians from utter destruction. Instead of help, she stumbles on a ship filled with men who swear no loyalty to anyone but themselves. Can she convince them to set aside their lawless ways to save their people?

Captain Nako turned his back on Kalquor after Fleet Command decommissioned his raider. Abandoned by his government, he swears he will never lift a finger to aid them, not even against the traitor Dramok Maf and his fleet. With the new Bi’is threat, if Nako doesn’t do something, the empire will fall and its people will die.

Nako’s Nobek clanmate Terig is as fierce as they come. However, his shameful past destroyed a once-promising career, and leading his men into battle can only end in defeat.  But how can he refuse when utter annihilation is racing straight to Kalquor?

Dual breed Imdiko Ulof is a terror to anyone who crosses him. Leaving broken bodies in his wake, the ex-convict struggles with equally broken dreams. No one can tame him, until a beautiful Earther and an unlikely new friend show that belief has the power to heal all wounds.

The survival of Kalquor depends on this unlikely band of misfits. Clan Nako learns that love for an Earther woman can make heroes out of outcasts…until they discover that Piper harbors dark, deadly secrets of her own.

Friday, June 29, 2018

Question of the Week

Q: Is there any chance that the detailed Clan's page might make a return? I find it very helpful when I occasionally mix up names or can't remember details from an older book.

A: Unfortunately, the blog already verges on being too unwieldy to manage, the biggest reason I pulled that section in the first place. I don't have any plans to bring it back at this time. I'm glad you found the old page helpful. Perhaps the Books of Kalquor section with its links could be of use?

Thanks for the question!

Do you have a question for me? If so, leave it in the comments section, and I might answer it in a future blog.

Please note, I may not answer some questions because they could give away some upcoming plots in future books.

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

WIP Wednesday: Alien Outcast




He still couldn’t believe she intended to kiss him, not until her lips fluttered against his. Even then, he couldn’t find the strength to respond. Only when her tongue wet the slit between his lips did Ulof move.
              He crushed her to himself, animal desire making him perhaps too forceful. Not with lust though, at least not at first. It sprang from a more innocent hunger to touch someone who cared for him, who saw something good in him. He raged with the need to find shelter in kindness.
              Ulof opened to Piper, and her tongue forged into his mouth, setting his senses alight. Erotic longing rushed in then, making him hard and aching. He felt all too well the slender figure in his arms, her body so vulnerable to him, so helpless should he decide to take her, to bludgeon her with his craving.
              With a low cry, Ulof jerked away, releasing Piper. “You need to leave. We can’t do this.”
              The glazed look in her eyes faded, replaced by confusion. “Why not? I’ve been with your clanmates. I want you too, Ulof.”
              I want you too, Ulof. The statement echoed in his brain, and a sob of desperate yearning broke from his throat.
              He shook his head desperately. “You couldn’t. Not me. I can’t—Piper, I’ve never had sex with a woman. I don’t know how to be with one. I’m afraid I might hurt you.”
              On the heels of his admission, Ulof burned with humiliation. While sexual encounters with Kalquorian and Earther females were a rarity for any raider crewman, Ulof wasn’t aware of any who’d not had some sort of intimate familiarity with women of other alien species.
              “Ulof. Am I your first? What a gift that is.”
              He cringed as she came close, not trusting her tender expression. “It’s not a gift. It’s stupid. I haven’t got any idea of what I should do with you.”
              “Hush. I’ll show you what to do. Come here.”

Releasing July 3 (No pre-orders).


She escaped to Kalquor to warn the empire…but did she bring its destruction instead?


When a rogue Kalquorian raider snags a Bi’isil cruiser in Empire space, the outlaw crew is hoping for supplies. Instead, they find a Tragoom and an Earther woman with a dire warning: Bi’is is set to unleash a fatal plague on the Kalquorian Empire.

Piper Warren, with the help of her friend Ob, has faced death to save the Kalquorians from utter destruction. Instead of help, she stumbles on a ship filled with men who swear no loyalty to anyone but themselves. Can she convince them to set aside their lawless ways to save their people?

Captain Nako turned his back on Kalquor after Fleet Command decommissioned his raider. Abandoned by his government, he swears he will never lift a finger to aid them, not even against the traitor Dramok Maf and his fleet. With the new Bi’is threat, if Nako doesn’t do something, the empire will fall and its people will die.

Nako’s Nobek clanmate Terig is as fierce as they come. However, his shameful past destroyed a once-promising career, and leading his men into battle can only end in defeat.  But how can he refuse when utter annihilation is racing straight to Kalquor?

Dual breed Imdiko Ulof is a terror to anyone who crosses him. Leaving broken bodies in his wake, the ex-convict struggles with equally broken dreams. No one can tame him, until a beautiful Earther and an unlikely new friend show that belief has the power to heal all wounds.

The survival of Kalquor depends on this unlikely band of misfits. Clan Nako learns that love for an Earther woman can make heroes out of outcasts…until they discover that Piper harbors dark, deadly secrets of her own. 



Releasing July 3 (No pre-orders).