WeWriWa 02/23/2020

New snippets every weekend – pop on over to find them!  Snippet Sunday has another group of amazing authors as well.  Enjoy!

You know what happened in The Wildblood: Trilogy One, but what are the stories you don’t know? Outliers explores parts of The Wildblood world kept hidden, the stories yet to be told.

A generation after World War 3, children of the survivors struggle to overcome the all-too-human penchant to fight with each other. The only thing more dangerous than the people you don’t know, are the people you do know.

The first book follows former members of Teams Two and Three as they attempt to protect the secrets of The Vista and its Altered, the genetically engineer humans, while remaining loyal to the oaths they swore to protect their home. The Vista is no longer alone in the world, and the world is a complicated place.

This novel is a segue between The Wildblood: Trilogy One and the upcoming stand-alone novels.

For this week, we listen in on a conversation between Capt. Shannon Allen (the Altered one), and Maj. Mick Ballentyne (not his real name!)  They are about to attempt to break into a sealed Security cache that hides an old military facility.  No, they don’t have permission from anyone.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“You’ll think I’m making it up, if I tell you,” Shan answered, “because I can hear it.”

The idea of synesthesia was nothing new to him, and it was apparently prevalent among the Altered.

“You’ve seen me out at night, watching meteor showers when they have star-gazing parties in the park – I hear them as well as I see them and I can hear Rock Creek as clearly as any of us can see it, especially once we get clear of the ridge.”

“Can you hear other places?”

“Not all, or even most, but when we were staying in Estes Park, we flew in closer to Rocky Flats, and that was a whole new experience.”

“Why would you want to be close to that particular place?” he wondered.

“The point is, a few places have a particular sound and that one is null, like all the sound waves got absorbed by the blast.”

“Not to mention dangerous and possibly radioactive.”

“It was neither.”

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Because you’re this far, a sneak peek at a possible cover for Outliers.  Now I need a tagline, an ending, an editing (or 4), minor stuff like that.  The graphic is a link to my website, where you can find all my books currently available.

WeWriWa 12/09/18

Aha!  You caught me not be ready for a blogpost.  Shocking, isn’t it?   I should have a release date for Bloodlines next week at this time.  That’s about it, editing that & getting a few words down for Tau Scorpii.

Catch up with snippets by amazing authors willing to share them, at WeWriWa & Snippet Sunday.

Tau Scorpii

When Taryn rescues another human from a marauding band of Caeruleum, she is reunited with clansmen long believed dead. It puts her at odds with their new chieftan, as well as her own partner, a powerful privateer. They discover, they have a more imminent problem, and must unite to survive.

The weather is changing. They’ll have to fight other species for control as migrations begin, food becomes scarce, and border wars erupt across the territories. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.

Tau Scorpii A, a massive red giant star in a binary cluster with Tau Scorpii B, a yellow dwarf. The solar system is populated by more than thirty planets, at least one habitable. Called Sedna by the SolTerrans that live there, named for a planet in their ancestral system. The desert is a dangerous place for alien species – and on Sedna, they’re all alien species.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A small band of curious humans have made their way into uncharted lands.  They avoid a confrontation with their foes, the race of Caerule, but the reasons are murky.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

“Something scared them,” Taryn pulled her garb tighter around her, feeling the wind shift again. 

“They were scared off by the dust storm, out in the High Desert,” Garrett said.

“We need to ride on,” Aiden interrupted.

“If something frightened the Caerule into running away, we should figure out what it was,” Skye argued.

“Yeah, that’s what,” Aiden insisted, looking back the way they’d came from, at clouds, dark and rolling in fast, creating an ominous wall of dust that was on them before they could move.

Except it wasn’t dust. Only one of them knew what to think of it, as the storm engulfed them.

“Rain,” Taryn said, turning her face upwards, as water fell from the sky.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

There it is for the week.  I’m not certain if I’ll have posts over the next couple of weeks, but I will be back.  The graphic takes you to my website, where you can find The Books.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

 

WeWriWa 11/25/18

Holidays make me forget what day of the week it is.  Luckily, the tv was on, and the wrong programs were showing up for a Friday night.  It’s Saturday, duuuh.

So, check out Snippet Sunday & WeWriWa for entertaining blog posts and fantastic snippets from some amazing authors.

Let’s see, I need an entertaining and fantastic snippet now . . .

 

Blurb – Tau Scorpii

When Taryn rescues another human from a marauding band of Caeruleum, she is reunited with clansmen long believed dead. It puts her at odds with their new chieftan, as well as her own partner, a powerful privateer. They discover, they have a more imminent problem, and must unite to survive.

The weather is changing. They’ll have to fight other species for control as migrations begin, food becomes scarce, and border wars erupt across the territories. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.

Tau Scorpii A, a massive red giant star in a binary cluster with Tau Scorpii B, a yellow dwarf. The solar system is populated by more than thirty planets, at least one habitable. Called Sedna by the SolTerrans that live there, named for a planet in their ancestral system. The desert is a dangerous place for alien species – and on Sedna, they’re all alien species.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Our heroes are going out in the wilds, to see if there is anything to see.  Of course, it’s not that simple.  Sometimes, they don’t know who is the more dangerous enemy – the other species on Sedna, or the planet itself.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Fine,” Taryn announced, getting annoyed quickly. “Flatrock goes north over four hundred miles, and east, over a hundred and eighty, or so we’ve been told. No one from Freeport has gone across it since we’ve been a village, so maybe it goes on for a thousand miles, or ten thousand. Find your way back without me.” It was a challenge, not a threat, and they looked around for a few moments, pointing in different directions, Taryn shaking her head. “You’re both wrong, I told you, it’s easy to get lost up here.”

“Is that how you ended up at Highmarch?” Garrett asked smugly.

“Yes, it is, and I’ve ridden the paths here for years. It’s not exactly flat, but it has few landmarks.”

“Great,” Skye muttered, as the wind started again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Naturally, the plot thickens.  I have no idea when this will be an actual book, springtime is looking good for it.  While you’re waiting, I have a post-apocalyptic series that will be wrapping up with book 3, in a few weeks.  They are on sale at Amazon right now, FYI.

The Vista: Book 1 of The Wildblood
What happens, after the end of civilization?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W6R8WNM
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-vista
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1012282167
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-vista-s-a-h…/1126903613
https://www.books2read.com/u/3nkaPm
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/686260
http://www.topaz08.com/TheVista.html

Renegades: Book 2 of The Wildblood
Uncontrollable. Unpredictable. Dangerous. The Wildblood. 
Now, Team Three know what they are.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYNY774
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/renegades-15
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1162143226
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/renegades-s-a-h…/1126903604
https://www.books2read.com/u/bzpepn
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/686275
http://www.topaz08.com/Renegades.html

Bloodlines:Book 3 of The Wildblood
Failure is not an option.
Coming Soon!
http://www.topaz08.com/Bloodlines.html

Before Team Three, there was The Blackout.
Backlash, prequel to The Wildblood
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0104VMFI4
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/backlash-39
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1012444527
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/backlash-s-a-ho…/1127070486
https://www.books2read.com/u/3JBdB3
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/686270
http://www.topaz08.com/Backlash.html

The Wildblood – No one remembers what started the war, the big one. Civilization stopped, and what came next was fueled by rage and fear.

Twenty years on, a tiny refuge, a place called The Vista, may be one of the last vestiges of humanity. Isolated, guarded, and hiding a dark secret, the people have survived World War Last, and they are content with that. Their children, however, are not. The search for others will send them out into a world they know nothing about, where the line between enemy and ally is blurred.

All are available in paperback and eBooks – www.topaz08.com

WeWriWa 11/11/18

At least WeWriWa keeps me writing – even if it’s only 10 sentences a week!  That’s a joke.  Want to catch more snippets?  Check out the WeWriWa page, there are some awesome authors hanging out there.  Sunday Snippet too!

 

Ok, let’s do this all over again!  I’m writing a book.  Nifty, huh.  This one, The Myth of SolTerra, (possibly Tau Scorpii Book One) is a Sci-Fi Romance.  Please forgive my creative punctuation.  I’m keeping it to 10 sentences, and I won’t lie, this is a first draft and my punctuation is pretty questionable at this point anyway. 

 

Blurb – Tau Scorpii

When Taryn rescues another human from a marauding band of Caeruleum, she is reunited with clansmen long believed dead. It puts her at odds with their new chieftan, as well as her own partner, a powerful privateer. They discover, they have a more imminent problem, and must unite to survive.

The weather is changing. They’ll have to fight other species for control as migrations begin, food becomes scarce, and border wars erupt across the territories. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.

Tau Scorpii A, a massive red giant star in a binary cluster with Tau Scorpii B, a yellow dwarf. The solar system is populated by more than thirty planets, at least one habitable. Called Sedna by the SolTerrans that live there, named for a planet in their ancestral system. The desert is a dangerous place for alien species – and on Sedna, they’re all alien species.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

He circled the pair, taking into account everything, stopping in front of Taryn, “Have you changed your name again?”

“Not yet,” she said quietly, “I might have to. There’s a migration happening.”

“I am aware, no thanks to you.”

“The Caerule are south of the Highmarch.”

“Now that, I didn’t know,” he peered at her, expecting her to have more to say. “I leave for a few days break, and I come back to find you, moving mercenaries into the city.”

“An enemy of an enemy.”

“If you believe that makes him our friend, I’m sending you home to go back to school. I don’t want to bury what’s left of your family, stop being impulsive, you know where it leads.”

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

Bloodlines: Book 3 of The Wildblood is at the editor/beta readers, although I’m missing my actual editor now.  I’m not certain how this will effect my release date, but I promise to let you know when it’s happening.  If you’d like to catch up on the series, follow the graphic right to my website.  PS – yes, The Vista has a new cover.  Apparently, the previous one offended a big retailer who shall remain un-named.

WeWriWa 10/21/18

WeWriWa – check it out.  There’s a great group of authors sharing their snippets and insights into the writing process.  Be afraid!  And Snippet Sunday on Facebook is awesome, too, stop on by.

Blurb – Tau Scorpii

When Taryn rescues another human from a marauding band of Caeruleum, she is reunited with clansmen long believed dead. It puts her at odds with their new chieftan, as well as her own partner, a powerful privateer. They discover, they have a more imminent problem, and must unite to survive.

The weather is changing. They’ll have to fight other species for control as migrations begin, food becomes scarce, and border wars erupt across the territories. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain.

Tau Scorpii A, a massive red giant star in a binary cluster with Tau Scorpii B, a yellow dwarf. The solar system is populated by more than thirty planets, at least one habitable. Called Sedna by the SolTerrans that live there, named for a planet in their ancestral system. The desert is a dangerous place for alien species – and on Sedna, they’re all alien species.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I hate to reuse a snippet, but I’m writing ‘The Scene’ in Bloodlines, and things have been pretty hectic here this week.  Everything is ok, just crazy busy.   So, I leave you with my favorite scene in Tau Scorpii (so far).  It’s on deck now, due out early next year.  Take a peek.

 Taryn and Skye knew each other when she was a child and he was a warrior in her clan, but than was quite a few years ago.  Things have changed, and they’re both coming to terms with that.  It’s not going to be easy, or simple for them, that’s not how my characters go.  Skye feels guilt over events of the past.  Taryn has other feelings, about current events.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  “Say that again,” he challenged, cutting in front of her to make her stop, leaning close to make it private.

  She didn’t waver,“Let it go, there’s nothing you can do to change it.” Then she fiddled with the collar of his dusty jacket, pretending to brush it off. Neither of them even blinked. Taryn pulled him forward and kissed him, brushing her lips over his for a few lingering moments. “I know you were a good man, show me who you are now.”

  “You might not like who I am now.”

  “I was going to say the same thing. I’m not your princess,” Taryn used a childhood fairy tale to make her point.

  Skye had been read the same stories when he was young, “I’m not your knight in shining armor.”

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

  Yep, they have issues.  Pretty soon, those are going to multiple, but that’s how it goes, right?  Up next, the weekly batch of promos.

Backlash is currently free!

 

You can find the rest of the series here, and other retailers for Backlash as well.

 

 

 

And a preview of Tau Scorpii Book 1.

#8Sunday WeWriWa 8/06/17

Check out the amazing authors sharing their creations at the WeWriWa blog. So many great books!

This snippet from Bloodlines is a polite conversation, with a lot of layers to it. Wade is letting his partners eavesdrop. Things are about to get intense.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The flood of information Wade was processing threaded back to Shannon. She offered no response, physical reaction, or otherwise. Later, she would have an opinion, she always did, it was part of her job. Further on, at their quarters, Mac merely blinked and missed what Cassie had been saying about their dry supplies being packed and ready in the storage area.

“Why are you telling me this, now?” Wade wondered.

“Because we both know, the chance of Vance letting this go, of letting you and your team move beyond his range of influence, at this juncture, are slim. That stunt you goaded him in to last week was a test of our defenses,” DeTessa explained.

“And the enemy of my enemy, is my friend.”

She peered at him. “That would be a fatal flaw in your reasoning, Cmdr. Wade.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It’s not a dystopia, it’s not a utopia – it’s their home, and they’d do anything to protect it.

The Vista: Book 1 of The Wildblood
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W6R8WNM

The Vista: Book 1 of The Wildblood introduces Team Three – they’re young, ambitious, and at the forefront of a movement to discover what is beyond The Vista. They also believe they are genetically enhanced, a practice outlawed long before they were born. Venturing beyond their valley draws the attention of someone dangerous, someone that shares their past and wants to control their future, or destroy them because of what they might be.

~~~~~

The Wildblood Series

No one remembers what started the war, the big one. Civilization stopped, and what came next was fueled by rage and fear.

Twenty years on, a tiny refuge, a place called The Vista, may be one of the last vestiges of humanity. Isolated, guarded, and hiding a dark secret, the people have survived World War Last, and they are content with that. Their children, however, are not. The search for others will send them out into a world they know nothing about, where the line between enemy and ally is blurred.

All my books are available in paperback and eBooks – http://www.topaz08.com

#8Sunday WeWriWa 07/02/17

The WeWriwa page. Check it out. A whole batch of authors, sharing snippets of their work. Visit their blogs, you won’t be disappointed.

One of my characters, who isn’t quiet or shy by nature, has been being silent and sulking. No, not women problems. Problems about survival and other post-apocalyptic concerns. I finally weaseled 3 pages out of him. 3 whole pages!

Back to the action now. This is Wade and Shannon reuniting after some months apart. Bloodlines: Book 3 of The Wildblood, autumn 2017!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He’d known she was standing behind him before anyone looked up. Angry, certainly. Other than that, it remained to be seen.

Shannon kicked the back leg of his chair, forcing the front legs to the floor, making him sit up and pay attention.

“Where have you been, the past six months,” she glared at him, arms crossed. If he hadn’t shaved off his dark hair, leaving only a shadow, if he wasn’t hiding behind mirrored glasses, smoking a cigar, and drinking a tall glass of whiskey, she’d have found him faster. It was a holiday of some sort, and there was close to a hundred people crowded into the casino, at this ungodly hour. “Geoffrey,” she added. Wade – probably not the name he was using now.

“Geoffrey,” one of the card players snickered, cutting it off as she shot him a look.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bloodlines: Book 3 of The Wildblood will be available this autumn. Catch up on the series now.

The Vista: Book 1 of The Wildblood
What would you do, to protect your home?

Renegades: Book 2 of The Wildblood
Uncontrollable. Unpredictable. Dangerous. The Wildblood.
Now, Team Three know what they are.

99¢ always.
Before Team Three, there was The Blackout.
Backlash, prequel to The Wildblood.

All are available in paperback and eBooks – http://www.topaz08.com

~~~~
The Wildblood Series

Twenty years after civilization stopped, a tiny refuge, a place called The Vista, may be one of the last vestiges of humanity. Isolated, guarded, and hiding a dark secret, the people have survived World War Last, and they are content with that. Their children, however, are not. The search for others will send them out into a land they know nothing about, where the line between enemy and ally is blurred.

#8Sunday WeWriWa 06/18/17

The WeWriwa page. Check it out.

This week, a bit of a conversation between Mac and Ballentyne, his 2nd in command, in Cody. Sometimes, we all need reminded, they survived WW3.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“The purpose of Cody has always been to protect The Vista. I don’t see that changing, but we can grow here, we can be safe here, we can do this.”

“You had something cooking, when you petitioned Command to get separation from The Vista,” Ballentyne said. “I just didn’t know what.”

“That happened as soon as we got here.”

“Barely five months ago. How long have you known about The Sixth, really?”

“We’ve known for years, someone was watching us – maybe it was them, or Skolkovo. Maybe it’s a group we haven’t crossed paths with, because we’ve been blind until recently. There could be a million people, out in the east.”

“There’s not,” Ballentyne said after a moment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Yep, things are about to get interesting for them. With a little luck and some uninterrupted writing time (HA!), this will be off for its first edit in 4 weeks. Wish me luck. I’m sure I’ll have a big promo thing going, too. Check back soon for details.

Here Again

I’ve been horrible at keeping up on social media the past few weeks.  Editing is occupying all my waking moments.  The good news is, Renegades will be released soon.  Autumn, this year.  The other good news is – The Wildblood series is going to print!

Wooo!  I actually have a copy – a real, live paperback – of Backlash.  It’s so cool.  It’s also available through Amazon.  The Vista will be following along shortly, and of course, Renegades.

As for other projects, there is a SFR creeping around the corner, demanding I let it out.  More on that, as it moves along.

I’ve also been playing with the idea of novellas in The Wildblood universe.  There are so many stories.  We’ll see.

That’s it.  I have to hit the books again.  Plus, go pet my shiny new paperback.

 

SFFSat! and a Release Date

It’s that time again! Check out the wonderful authors showcasing some of their works here.

My snippet – this is a draft and is subject to revisions, of course. Team Three is neck-deep in hostile raiders and the concern is about how a rookie might react to the events transpiring. Backlash is the prequel to The Vista and tentative release date is June 22, 2015.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Officer Allen, I’d prefer if you take my car and go watch the access road for our reinforcements,” Wade told her.

She squinted at the fading fire beyond the trees. “No, Wade, I can’t,” Shan told him, quietly enough Green barely heard it.

“Are you sure? One of them will talk. It could get bloody here and I don’t want that blood on your hands.”

“It’s your call,” she told him. “If I left and more of them showed, that would be my responsibility; leaving you without backup.”

“Never a word, not even to Mac.”

She tilted her head, signaling she understood.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Vista is available now at
Amazon and Kobo