Friday, November 1, 2013

Happy Holidays! I’m fairly certain now that Halloween is over, it’s officially “The Holidays.” The people at the mall sure seem to think so…. Anyway, there’s news galore to share:

• I updated the Starshine Cover Art (and site background). It contains the same elements, but is softer and more ethereal. I know there’s a good bit of empty space in the middle left of the cover; I don’t want to clutter it up, but I do have some ideas for the space. Let me know what you think about the new design!

• New blog post: Novel Writing Software: A Tool—Not A Crutch

• Part II of Starshine is a wrap! Here’s a little spoiler-free (which was difficult, since anything which may or may not be occurring in the Metis Nebula is quite spoiler-y) excerpt:

~

“Minister, do you have children?”

“I’m a bachelor, so…not as far as I’m aware of.” He smiled.

Miriam didn’t. “I see. You will not have experienced this yourself then—but like many children, my daughter developed a mind of her own before she was two years old and has never lost it. She stopped taking my advice around the time….” A shadow passed across her face she couldn’t fully disguise.

The security office on Le Grande Retraite was as bright and clean as the rest of the orbital luxury resort. A young lieutenant in a spotless uniform greeted her at the entryway with a salute. “Major Solovy. It’s an honor to meet you.”

She leveled a dismissive glare at him. “This is not a social call, Lieutenant. Take me to my daughter.”

His posture wilted as he stammered out a response. “Y-yes, ma’am. We put her in one of the interview rooms. I, um, gave her a juice. And some popcorn.”

She fell in beside him. “And the young man?”

“Uh, he was of age and no laws had been broken, so we weren’t able to detain him.” He stopped in front of a doorway and glanced at her, then hastily opened the door and stepped back.

Alexis tossed a kernel of popcorn in the air and caught it in her mouth. Her feet were clad in braided flip-flops and kicked up on the desk, legs crossed at the ankle. She was all elbows and knees, half a child and half a woman. Her hair was bound in long pigtails draped over her shoulders and down her chest—strange, they somehow made her look older, not younger. Perhaps it was the sharp, spirited fire in her eyes. David’s eyes.

“Mom. Here to throw me in the brig?”

“I am here to take you home.”

~

As always, drop any comments or questions in the comment box at the bottom of the page!

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