What Makes Me Write a Series Instead of a Standalone Book? by @CarmenWBuxton

by Carmen Webster Buxton

Many readers love books that occur in a series. For some genres, it’s almost required. For mystery writers, it makes a lot of sense to create a detective—either a pro or an amateur—and then write each book about a different crime, but with the same protagonist. The detective can travel, so setting can vary, and other characters can be added as needed. With other genres, it’s not nearly as common to have the same protagonist in every book. 

I created my own universe with my ThreeCon books, but those books are a series only in the sense that the rules of my made-up history of Earth and the galaxy apply to all the books. Specific galactic-level events are referenced in several books, but no character appears in more than one book. 

Previously, the only series I had published where the same characters appeared was the two Haven books, The Sixth Discipline and No Safe Haven. Both books are set on the planet Haven, with a nine-year gap between the end of Book 1 and the start of Book 2; both stories have many of the same characters in common. The reason there are two Haven books is because when Ran-Del’s story started in my head, it spread to encompass other story lines. When I was done writing the first draft, the page count was much too big for one book, so I split the story in two. I could do that because there was a logical breaking point, with enough resolution to end that book, but one big outstanding question remaining for Book 2.

But now I’m publishing Book 2 of what will be a 3-book science fiction romance series, all three books set (mostly) on the planet Wakanreo, and all three involving the same characters.  As with the Haven books, these books weren’t conceived as a series. It’s merely that once the characters existed in my head, they kept doing stuff, so I kept writing it all down.  I actually had a very rough draft of both Alien Vows (Book 2) and Alien Skies (Book 3) finished before I published Alien Bonds (Book 1). I had to do a substantial rewrite of Alien Vows because of the changes I had made when rewriting the first draft of Alien Bonds. Once Alien Vows is out, I’ll be doing the same kind of rewrite on Alien Skies.

Some romance writers create a series where the books share a theme, like a common setting, or all being tied to one occupation (such as Mindy Klasky’s baseball-themed Diamond Brides series). Others might be family-oriented, with brothers as the protagonists (brotherhood seems to be the most common family relationship on which to base a romance series; a search on Amazon for “romance series brothers” yields many surnames including: Hunter, Bradford, Beckett, McGavin, Cocker, Cynfell, Stone, and Darcy).

Romance is tricky to write with the same characters in a series, because the plot is focused so much on the development of the relationship between the two main characters. If the relationship already exists when the story starts, can you still call it a romance? I think so, but the relationship still needs to be each story’s focus, and it needs to develop or change in some way.  Certainly, Diana Gabaldon manages to keep the relationship front and center in her Outlander series, in spite of the ground (and time) her characters cover.

My readers sometimes express in reviews their hope that the book they are reviewing will be the first in a series, that those characters’ stories will continue. Usually, I have to tell them no, because if the story is over in my head, then it’s over. But with the Wakanreo books, I can finally say yes, the story will continue! 

Bio:  Carmen Webster Buxton spent her youth reading every book published by Ursula LeGuin, Robert Heinlein, and Georgette Heyer. This combination of far-future worlds, alien cultures, and old-fashioned courting customs influenced her writing and that shows in most of her books

Links:

Carmen's blog/website: http://carmenspage.blogspot.com/

Carmen's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Webster-Buxton/e/B004V8MM8U/

Carmen on ​Twitter:​ ​ https://twitter.com/CarmenWBuxton ​

Carmen's ​Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/carmenwebster.buxton

Buy link for ALIEN BONDS, my latest release   ​: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07959BHM4

When Series Collide @CynthiaSax

by Cynthia Sax

Dark Warlord, the sexy SciFi Romance story I contributed to the Alien Alphas box set, spans two series – the Dark Thoughts series and the Barbarian Warlord series (to be expanded and re-released in 2018). Since the Dark Thoughts series is a spinoff of the Cyborg series, I guess you can say it involves that third series also.

Dark Warlord is a standalone story. You don’t need to read the Dark Thoughts series to enjoy it. But if you have read that series, there is a returning character you’ll likely enjoy seeing again. You’ll also get some of the casual ‘throw-away’ references in the story.

As a reader, I LOVE when two series written by the same favorite writer collide. I find out more about both worlds. I witness how the characters from the two series interact. Sometimes we get updates on favorite characters from previous stories. It gives even more fullness to the setting and storylines in both series.

In SciFi Romance, it makes sense to me that multiple series would overlap. All of the characters in my current series are living in the same wonderful universe at the same time. The Chameles from the Barbarian Warlord series are super skilled alien warriors. It is logical that the Humanoid Alliance from the Dark Thoughts series would take the genetic makeup for a Chamele warrior and genetically enhance it, making that warrior even deadlier.

From a writing point of view, crafting overlapping series is more difficult in some ways and easier in others. We have to keep track of where each series fits in the larger universe, be conscious of how actions in one series might affect other series. That can be challenging. On the other hand, when we write a scene like the Cantina scene in Star Wars, we already have a host of alien species to casually feature. I know how a Chamele (one of my alien species) looks and tends to behave because I’ve written an entire series about them. That’s an easier scene to write.

And it means more to me as a reader. If I know, for example, that two species don’t get along and are in the same closed space, I anticipate that a fight will break out. I’m waiting for it and I get a thrill when it happens.

What are two series (by any writer) you would like to see collide?  

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Alien Alphas: Twenty-Three Naughty Sci-Fi Romance Novellas

Fierce warriors. Savage barbarians. Powerful warlords.

All ready to claim their mates.

Alien Alphas is a collection of panty-melting sci-fi romances featuring dominant alien heroes, penned by New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling authors. This decadently naughty box set includes twenty-three ALL-NEW, stand-alone novellas full of hot alien alpha males, breathless passion, and reluctant surrender. Take an exhilarating trip beyond the stars with this limited time only bundle that’s sure to leave you turning the pages late into the night.

Featured authors: Cari Silverwood, Cynthia Sax, Renee Rose, Lee Savino, Addison Cain, Kallista Dane, Maren Smith, Ava Sinclair, Sue Lyndon, Emily Tilton, Ashe Barker, Korey Mae Johnson, Grace Goodwin, Ivy Barrett, Jane Henry, Jaye Peaches, Katie Douglas, Lili Zander, Loki Renard, Maria Monroe, Megan Michaels, Myra Danvers, Sara Fields, and Sophie Kisker

Publisher’s Note: The stories featured in this collection involve MF and MFM pairings. They include spankings and sexual scenes. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this box set.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0785FQ2BH/

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/alien-alphas-grace-goodwin/1127581629

Kobo:  https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/alien-alphas

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=wURBDwAAQBAJ

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1321113956

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About Cynthia Sax

USA Today bestselling author Cynthia Sax writes contemporary, SciFi and paranormal erotic romances. Her stories have been featured in Star Magazine, Real Time With Bill Maher, and numerous best of erotic romance top ten lists.

Sign up for her dirty-joke-filled release day newsletter and visit her on the web at www.CynthiaSax.com

Website:  http://cynthiasax.com/

Newsletter:   http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/

Facebook:  facebook.com/cynthia.sax

Twitter:  @CynthiaSax

Blog:  http://tasteofcyn.com/

My Five Guidelines for Writing a Successful Series

by Corrina Lawson

I naturally write series books.

I suspect it’s because I loved reading series when I was growing up. From Walter Farley’s Black Stallion, to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan books to J.R.R. Tolkien’s work, and eventually to Anne McCaffrey’s Pern and Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigans, when I loved something, I wanted more.

As I revised my “Books” page on my website recently, I realized that there are now six stories in my Galaxy Award-winning Phoenix Institute series and I have ideas for several more. I decided if the series was to continue, I needed to codify my guidelines for keeping the stories fresh and fun. Here are my top five:

One: Never hold back anything for the next book.

If the story requires something to happen, let it happen. Don’t think “wait, if I do that, I can’t use X character for the next book” or “hey, let me save that big fight for the next book…”

No. Treat every book as if it might be the last book. Resolve the elements that need resolving in this particular story. If you need to kill off somebody, kill ‘em. If you need to give a character a happy ending and send them off into the sunset, do that. Give your readers an emotionally satisfying catharsis. Don’t make them wait until the next one.

Two:

When building your storyverse, always keep in mind that many other people besides your characters will be living in it.

Filmmakers do this with production and art design, creating the spaces for the actors to live in. Don’t neglect this even if your books are contemporary.

Don’t overthink it, either. It’s not necessary to put every element of what you’ve imagined in your story. Sometimes it’s enough to just toss off lines about untold adventures, as Watson was wont to do in Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes tales. Sometimes it’s making sure your spaceport contains separate spaces for military and civilian vessels.

But always consider how your characters live in their world, even the minor ones.

Three: Don’t let your series characters overwhelm the characters of any particular story.

You know readers loved the hero and heroine of the first book but you’re working on the second story and they just don’t fit. That’s okay. It’s nice if other series characters are useful and integral as supporting characters but if they’re not essential, they drag your story down. Your readers were hooked on the first book because they loved the story. Give them another great story and they’ll come back. (I have a favorite character that I keep writing out of stories because he threatens to take them over. No! Back to your HEA!)

Four: Each book should be, as much as possible, an entry point into your series.

I’m one of those weird people who will read a series out of order. I just received an omnibus volume of Steve Miller and Sharon Lee’s Liaden Universe. The three books inside are recent but I had no trouble walking into their wonderful world. If I had to start at the beginning of the Liaden stories(there must be over 20!) I would despair. But they made it easy for me to walk through the door. How to do this? One of my tricks is to use beta readers who haven’t read the other books. (Yes, George R.R. Martin is an exception to my “rule.” There are always exceptions, which is why I call these guidelines. )

Five:

Mix up the kinds of stories told in each book.

Phoenix Rising is a classic “becoming a hero” story. Phoenix Legacy is a dark redemption tale. Ghost Phoenix is my international adventure story inspired by Indiana Jones adventures. Phoenix Inheritance brings the focus back to the very personal. And the two novellas featuring Al and Noir, Luminous and Ghosts of Christmas Past, are my urban fantasy ala Batman tales.

I’m reasonably certain that my author voice comes out in each story . I’m equally sure readers are going to find common elements that, as the author, I never notice. But I get bored writing the same plot, over and over. I bet readers get bored with similar plots too. As long as I don’t genre-hop too widely and start adding elements that won’t fit (I doubt spaceships carrying aliens will ever show up at the Phoenix Institute), I’m guessing that readers appreciate some variety.

As for the next book?

I sense it’s time for reckoning with my current bad guys.

Time for the big, fiery, world-changing confrontation and a reset of the board.

Because maybe that’s bonus rule six: Don’t get stale. Up the stakes every so often.

There's something to be said for series

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I love reading series. For me, it's all about the world building. As the books progress it's so easy to put yourself back there in that world with those people. An excellent example is Anne McCaffrey's wonderful Pern series. In our SFR patch I like Linnea Sinclair's Dock Five books. There's a gritty realism about that boondocks space station. As you learn more and more about the place you can imagine it growing from a service dock for space ships, to a freighter terminal to a way point for travellers to a sleazy hell-hole offering all the attractions and distractions three different humanoid alien species could possibly wish for.

When I read the author's descriptions of Dock Five I always think of Singapore back in the old days when it was the very epitome of a den of iniquity. Strategically positioned at the end of the Malayan Peninsula, this island city was a port city receiving trade from Europe going to China, and vice versa. It attracted honest traders, not so honest traders, and all the people offering services to sailors. Food, prostitutes, arms, drugs, smuggled goods, and maintenance and repair for ships. And it was a place where people didn't ask too many questions. 

Put old Singapore into space and you've got Dock Five. You've still got the dank alleyways, seeping sewage, creaking roofs, dark and dangerous bars. Just different, because the sewage flows through corroded pipes and there are escalators with treads missing if they work at all. The alleys are metal canyons between cobbled-together modules. And little dives catering for all kinds can be found everywhere.

So if anyone ends up at Dock Five, you know what they're in for.

The space station plays an important role in all the books. But having once established place, an author can then start to add characters. The main characters in the first two Dock Five books (Gabriel's Ghost and Shades of Dark) were Sullivan and Sass, but they get no more than a mention in the next two books. The author took a minor character from those two stories and wrote a whole book about him. Hope's Folly follows the fortunes of Sass's ex-husband, Admiral Philip Guthrie, who we met in GG and SoD. And then the next book (Rebels and Lovers) tells the story of Philip's younger brother, the seriously geeky Devin Guthrie. While Dock Five is just the starting point for HF, it's a vital component of RaL, where you hear every creak and rattle of the antiquated piping, smell the smells, and watch your footing on the stairs.

I've done a similar thing in my PtorixEmpire series, keeping the setting (a universe where the alien Ptorix are the main players) and adding characters. Senior Commander Brett Butcher played a minor role in the first two books, The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy and The Iron Admiral: Deception. Now he stars in his very own book, Crisis at Validor, where readers will get to learn a lot more about the alien Ptorix who play a major role in all four books.

Do you have a favourite series? Tell us about it and why it's a favourite.

Keir - #cover #reveal & re-release #scifi #romance

After over a year's absence Keir is back, and even better than before!

Blurb:

A demon waiting to die...
An outcast reviled for his discolored skin and rumors of black magic, Keirlan de Corizi sees no hope for redemption. Imprisoned beneath the palace that was once his home, the legendary 'Blue Demon of Adalucian' waits for death to finally free him of his curse. But salvation comes in an unexpected guise.

A woman determined to save him.
Able to cross space and time with a wave of her hand, Tarquin Secker has spent eternity on a hopeless quest. Drawn by a compulsion she can't explain, she risks her apparent immortality to save Keir, and offers him sanctuary on her home-world, Lyagnius. But Quin has secrets of her own.

When Keir mistakenly unleashes the dormant alien powers within him and earns exile from Lyagnius, Quin chooses to stand by him. Can he master his newfound abilities in time to save Quin from the darkness that seeks to possess her?

Expected release date - 7th May 2015. If you'd like a copy to review for the release day, please feel free to Contact Me! Add it to your Goodreads shelf here (or check out the previous reviews to see if it's something that would interest you). 

Keir is Book One of the Redemption series and part of the Travellers Universe. Expect the sequel and a side story from the series late 2015/early 2016!

The Importance Of Story Theme

Theme is one of the cornerstones of good fiction. When done well, it's practically invisible. I'm a big fan of it, and identifying theme is now part of my writing process. It didn't used to be though. I'm going to share what I've learned about themes and how to identify them in your writing.

The overarching theme of my A'yen's Legacy series is a dual one: the importance of knowing and being who you are, and what does it mean to be free. The funny part? I didn't do it on purpose. It took me almost three books to see what I was doing and move to where I could do it intentionally.

Writing My Name Is A'yen was a healing process for me, after going through the worst two years of my life. Who I had been no longer existed, and this worked itself out in the novel as A'yen lost who he used to be and had to find a new identity. Again, I didn't do it on purpose. My Name Is A'yen was written because it was easy and pouring out of me, not to explore a particular theme.

As I started on the second book, I still wasn't thinking in terms of theme, either for The King's Mistress or A'yen's Legacy as a series. At that point the series title was The Lokmane Chronicles. Yeah, it's awful. A'yen's Legacy is a much better one. And you know what it does? It conveys the series theme. The King's Mistress, book two which came out on 1/20, is part of the book's theme conveyed in the title.

In TKM, A'yen is struggling to reconcile who he's found out he is with the person he's always been. A snarky smart-ass is the last person anyone expects to lead an enslaved people group into freedom. His wife and owner, Fae, is also struggling with moving from her position as the king's mistress to the king's wife and eventually to being queen. It's all about identity and how it can both change and stay the same.

In the third book, To Save A Life, the theme is a little more in your face. It's all about how every life has value and is worth fighting for. Doesn't matter what the person's done, they still deserve to be free. Everyone A'yen loves is under attack and he chooses to defend them all. Because they're all worth saving. While writing this one is when I started purposely looking at theme and how best to incorporate it.

In 2014, everywhere I turned in my writing circles I ran into theme. One of the writing blogs I read focused on theme in 2014 and I learned so much by doing the exercises and asking myself the questions presented in each post. Go over to Helping Writers Become Authors and have a look through the theme posts if you want hands-on help exploring theme and learning how to identify it in your writing.

I also stepped back a little and took a look at my writing as a whole, encompassing every single thing I've ever dabbled in and every random scene I've ever written, to see what themes were hiding there. Yes, I'm going to tell you what I found. Variations on identity and what does it mean to be free, along with family is the most important thing.

The identity one is the one I can't figure out where it came from. I'm one of those people who's always known who I am, always been comfortable in my own skin, and not afraid to march to my own beat and blaze my own path. My identity is not something I've ever struggled with in a huge way, even while navigating the hardest two years of my life. I didn't lose who I was, I lost my dreams. Yet it's something I keep writing about, over and over and over. And I never get tired of it. There is so much you can do to explore identity and all its facets and variations.

My secondary theme, what does it mean to be free, also shows up in just about everything I've ever written. This one I'm pretty sure I know where it came from. I live in the American Deep South, where the ramifications of slavery and Reconstruction are a part of daily life. History has always been my favorite subject, and one of my favorite time periods is the 1850's, 1860's, and 1870's. Over these three decades, America as a nation was struggling with what freedom meant and what it should look like. This is a time frame I know a lot about.

I've done extensive research on slavery, Reconstruction, the fallout of Reconstruction, what the federal government did wrong in freeing the slaves and how it continues to affect life in the Deep South, and I worked at a plantation turned museum for three years. Getting paid to research! It did not surprise me at all to start writing about slavery 3,000 years in the future.

The third theme, family is the most important thing, is one I've never wondered for a moment where it came from. I'm blessed to be in an intact, strong, close family where we help each other. I also consider my parents and siblings my best friends. Growing up, our cousins are who we spent the most time with. We're not as close now as adults, but whenever we're together we have so much fun.

As I continue to write, I continue to explore new variations on these three themes. It never gets old, and I never feel like I'm repeating myself. Each set of characters gives me a new lens to explore through.

Take a look at your writing and see what themes you like to write about. I'm also curious if anyone has already identified a favorite theme or something you find yourself writing about, so leave a comment and tell me what it is.

Rachel Leigh Smith writes romance for the hero lover. She lives in central Louisiana with her family and a half-crazed calico. When not writing, which isn’t often, she’s hanging with her family, doing counted cross-stitch, or yakking about life, the universe, and everything with her besties. Her debut novel, My Name Is A'yen, is available at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Google Play, and iBooks. The sequel, The King's Mistress, released 1/20.

She blogs sporadically at www.rachelleighsmith.com, hangs out on Facebook, and can sometimes be found on Twitter, @rachelleighgeek. You can sign up for her newsletter here.

SFRB Recommends 27: Dignity #sfrom #sfrb #scifirom

Blurb 

Lady Felicia Sorensen, a brilliant microengineering student, finds herself pressured to date Emperor Victor Sinclair, for he has fallen madly in love with her! Despite being showered with extravagant gowns and attention, she longs for a fascinating life as a scientist, instead of the stressful and dangerous destiny of an Empress The social pressures of being the Emperor's Betrothed, from gossip and manipulation to an assassination attempt, cause her to weigh her love for him against her personal goal, to do research in her own lab someday. Will Felicia choose her Imperial lover and tough out the extreme political and social pressures with the supreme ruler of the Empire, or will she choose her goals and help thousands, millions, possibly billions of people through her intellectual achievements?

The review

Dignity is the first of Eva Caye's nine book series “To Be Sinclair”. I should explain that I acted as one of the beta-readers for the eighth book, Morality, and was interested enough to go back to the beginning of the series. 

Dignity is a romance in a science fiction setting. Everything that happens in the plot revolves around the relationship between thirty-one year old Emperor Victor Sinclair and his paramour, Felicia Sorensen. When we meet Victor, he is despairing of ever finding the woman to help him secure his dynasty.

Felicia is something of a maverick. Although of high-born status, unlike her female peers, she has no interest in pursuing a suitable mate and becoming, effectively, the manager of a household. She wants to be a scientist, and do something to improve the lot of humanity.

Introduced to Felicia, Victor finds the young woman refreshingly different. Felicia, for her part, is well aware that a relationship with the Emperor may well mean the end of her ambition to be a scientist. The story evolves as Felicia learns more about Victor, while at the same time growing to a greater understanding of how she might fit into his life as Empress, without giving up her own goals.

The juxtapostion between the essentially solitary role of a scientist and the glaringly public life of the Emperor's fiancee is taxing. Felicia constantly struggles with her ambitions and her feelings for Victor. Increasingly, her position in Victor's life attracts envy, duplicity and hate, emotions Felicia must learn to deal with.

The characterisation is excellent. I liked Victor and Felicia, and wanted their relationship to work, despite the trials. It was nice to see that neither was perfect, tripping and falling and making mistakes. The subsidiary cast – quite a few – were sufficiently fleshed out, with plenty of jealousy, back-biting, and plotting, as well as support from friends and family. Both main characters develop and grow, and the ending is as satisfying as one expects from a romance.

I found the world building to be an interesting mixture of high tech, low tech and no tech, ranging from space travel via wormholes, to computer systems which seem to be no better than we have at present, through to hand-written letters on exquisite paper. But then, the feel of the society smacks of Georgian Britain, with high-born ladies vying for eligible men of rank. Indeed, the author's writing style is more reminiscent of an earlier time. There's a formality about it. For instance, Lady Brighton, who runs the hostel for young ladies where we first meet Felicia, is frequently referred to as 'the good lady', and the author tends to use the word 'for' instead of 'because' or 'since', a rather old fashioned construction. Although we're in (mainly) Felicia's head, often the narrator steps in to explain something, or to summarise a discussion, telling instead of showing. That said, there's plenty of exquisite detail to bring the scene to life. I particularly liked the descriptions of Felicia's gowns, which she wears to various court functions. She has no interest in fashion, so Victor commissions the dresses for her, sometimes to make a point to an audience, sometimes to make a point to her. The security arrangements surrounding an Emperor and his court are detailed and totally convincing. Privacy is hard to come by in that world.

On the down side, I did occasionally raise an eyebrow over some situations where Felicia's reaction seemed over the top, but I could put that down to different social mores. I also felt some of the computer security issues were far too simple, but again, I was prepared to shrug and move on.

There are a number of low-key sex scenes in the book, nothing much more than suggestion. However, the author has included a short story at the end, something she calls an Easter egg. It's fun – but it's hot. You have been warned.

The verdict

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's leisurely reading, not a full-on, action-packed space opera. But it's a book I kept going back to, and something with sufficient depth to make me think I might well read it again. If you like series, then after you've finished this one, there are eight other books as Victor and Felicia's family grows and matures.

You can find Dignity at:
 Amazon
 Smashwords
 ARe

Learn more about Eva and the series at her website or find her on Facebook

It's Release Day! Ice and Peace is Here!

A New Threat?

The second book in my romantic and exciting series Cold Warriors is now available.  Here's a quick look!

The Cold Warriors Universe Book Two- Ice and Peace

A New Threat? After a long and vicious war, peace is on the horizon for Earth and its allies. However, a series of mysterious attacks on several secret military installations causes hostilities to rise once again.

Redemption. Having left under a cloud of disgrace, retired Marine Colonel Medoro Keegan is called back to duty.

Bound. His wife Caitlin, the only surviving member of her team, chooses to embrace life, albeit grudgingly, as a cryo soldier. Seen as sub-human, she is forced to serve a planet that denies her rights as a person.

Driven. Guided by their sense of duty and belief that some things are bigger than them, they are determined to risk it all.

Hope. The cost of war is high. Can their love and marriage survive? Or will it be killed off by the very same mission that brought them together?

Genre: Sci-fi romance, military romance, interracial/multicultural, futuristic, end of the world

Heat level: 2

Word count – 43k

Cover art by LFD Designs

~Excerpt~

Caitlin was a sight for sore eyes. She was beautiful. Her petite frame was perfectly accented by the curves of her figure. And her brown eyes and coffee-brown skin was smooth, creamy.

Standing at attention, she did not meet his gaze. Though it was customary not to do as a sign of military courtesy, he could tell she was not doing it for that reason. Her gaze was different. Circling her, he tried to see if he could catch her watching him out of the corner of her eye. In fact, she appeared to be staring blankly ahead.

Peering directly at her, he spoke in a soft tone. “At ease.”

She relaxed.

“Cate. Can you hear me?”

“Yes, sir,” she responded mechanically.

Pain pierced his insides. She was definitely not there. Keegan placed his hands on his hips and hung his head in defeat. The one thing that was supposed to go right did not. For whatever reason, they had placed her in a deeper state of mental control than she’d ever been in. He controlled the hostile emotions brewing with him. Touching her face gently, he felt her icy skin.

This is unacceptable! Not here. I will not let this happen here. Not under my command.

“Chief, listen up,” he said in an authoritative tone. He knew in this state, it was the only way he could speak to her and still have her respond.

“Yes, sir.” Her gaze became even more distant.

Her response fueled his anger. “You are going to hightail it down to the doc and receive a full examination. Tell him it is based on my orders. He will know what to do. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

Knowing that she was under the influence of cryo neurotransmitters, Keegan figured the only way to combat it was to get someone to reverse it. They usually wore off once she was away from the stimulus triggers for a long period of time. But considering her stimulus triggers were high-ranking officers in uniform and combat situations, being around here meant she was going to be in a drone zone for a very long time. The last thing he needed was a zombie on board, especially one in charge of the lives others.

Only the jerks in psyche warfare thought doing this to someone would be a good idea. As long as he was running the ship, none of that would be allowed. There weren’t going to be any super zombies soldiers on board his ship. And he’d rollover in his grave before he let them do it to his wife.

“After you come back from the doc, you will report to me, understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are there any questions?”

“No, sir.”

“Dismissed.”

She did an about face before leaving the room. Keegan clasped his hands behind his back. In the blink of an eye, his joy had turned to sorrow. Now faced with the responsibility of looking after his wife, he wondered how could he handle the burden of command and still protect the woman he loved.

-End Excerpt

I know you will love reading it as much as I loved writing it!

Ice and Peace is Available at all fine e-book retailers including ARe-https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-iceandpeace-1245582-143.html and Amazon-http://www.amazon.com/Peace-Cold-Warriors-Universe-ebook/dp/B00DZV25QS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374248311&sr=8-3&keywords=clare+dargin

And don't forget the award winning first book in the series: 

Available Now wherever books are sold!