Category Archives: SciFi

Trapped in Nowhere: Flash Fiction Friday Post

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Space Freighter

Space Freighter

This story is based on one I wrote in January 2015. See “Escape”.

“I’m sorry! The frackin’ console was exploding and the Orion was gaining. There must have been a malfunction.” Pete Ostrander slammed the lid of the console down. Smoke and scorch marks marred the edges and around the buttons.

Captain Jan A’Mungo pulled her afro down, pulled all the loose hair back and tied it up with an elastic. She was sick of the tendrils falling into her eyes.

“Not his fault, Jan.” Jack Ender entered the bridge. “The cargo’s secured. That last jump was a doosey but everything is in good shape. The Orion had us in a corner.”

Jan’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t try and sweet talk me Jack. That was FUBAR and you know it.”

“Come on, Jan. This is a rust bucket and we were up against a state of the art Galactic patrol vessel. We’re lucky we came out the other side.” Pete gently touched a button and winced. The monitor he wanted came on without exploding. He released his breath.

“Report.” Jan tugged her tunic down and got back into the command chair. “Where are we?”

Pete tapped the buttons on his console. Screen after screen came up and went. He scratched his chin and the week old beard. “Um, nowhere.”

Both of the others turned to stare at him.

“Well, of course we’re somewhere.” He shrugged. “I just don’t know where that is.”

Jan gripped the armrests on her chair and took a deep breath. She counted to ten. Then she turned to her husband. “Please explain.”

“I tapped in the coords for Epsilon 4. But the console was sparking all over the place what with Ho blasting us to crap. So now, here we are.” Pete rubbed an ear. “If I get lucky, I can figure out what was damaged and trace us back.”

“Into Captain Ho?” Jack ran a hand through his cropped black hair.

Pete shook his head. “I don’t think so. He’s probably long gone. We left in a hurry and he probably didn’t have time to calculate our jump.”

“Apparently neither did we.” Jan’s eyes narrowed again at her husband. “You can get us back?” She watched as her husband pressed a finger to the spot between his eyes. She knew from experience he was about to tell a tale.

“Um. Sure. We can get back.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “I’ll check our inventory.” He got up and left the bridge.

Jan waited until Jack was gone. Pete was fussing with his console. “You don’t have a clue. Do you?”

He ran the heel of his hand across his cheek. “Well, no. But I will. Really.”

Jan got up and put a hand on his shoulder, her cheek next to his. “I believe you. Get it done.”

He gave her that lopsided grin that had attracted her to him in the first place. “Sure, Captain. I’ll get right on it.”

She cuffed him, gently, in the head. “Good. I’m gonna take a nap. Call me when you have something.”

#

Eight hours later, showered and with a food pack in hand, she re-entered the bridge. Pete had the lid of the console up. Jack was missing. “How’s it going?”

“Jack went to bed about 4 hours ago.” He shut the lid of the console. His blond hair stood up in every direction and his eyes had dark circles under them. “I think I have it.”

She sat in her command chair and popped the top on the food. The smell of beef stew filled the bridge. “What do you have?” Jan spooned a mouthful and waited.

“Well.” Pete rubbed his eyes. “I traced the jump record back to the attack. The last fifteen seconds before the jump I can see where there’s a power surge in the jump circuits.” He arched his back and stretched his neck back. “Anyway. I think I know where the surge sent us. If so, we have a new, uncharted jump point.” He arched an eyebrow.

Jan blinked, the stew forgotten in her hand. “A new jump point. One the Galactic Patrol doesn’t know about.”

Pete grinned. “If we can get back.”

Jan’s hand covered her mouth, eyes wide. “Our own, secret, jump point.” She dropped her hand and grinned. “Can you get us back?”

“I think so.”

“Make your notes and go get some sleep. We’ll do this when you’re rested.”

#

Eight hours later, they were all in their seats on the bridge, strapped in and ready. “Proceed when ready.” Jan nodded and smiled at her husband.

He turned to his console. She could see his shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath. “Commencing jump sequence.”

“Jump sequence commencing. Proceed.” Jan gripped the arms of her command chair. She didn’t know if they were going to make it back to known space or leap out farther into uncharted space.

Jack as usual, joked. “Saddle up boys and girls. It’ll be a ride.”

Jan rolled her eyes just as Pete hit the button. The ship shook as space blurred and time seemed to slow to a crawl. It felt like forever between breaths. After what seemed like an eternity, they popped out into real space. The stars aligned.

Pete studied the monitors closely then turned his chair to face the rest. “We made it. We’re just outside of Talia system.”

Jack whooped, unbuckling and leaping out of his seat to embrace Pete. “I knew you could do it!”

Jan winked at her husband. “Better mark the spot. We’re gonna want to know these coords.”

Pete gave her a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am. Right away, ma’am.”

“Prepare to jump to Onyms system. We have a cargo of weapons to deliver.”

Jack bowed to her. “Yes, oh great queen of the spaceways. We hear and obey.”

She snorted. “You’d better.”

They all laughed and got to work. The rebellion had a new weapon. A secret jump point. Jan grinned. This might even get them some parts and repairs.

Thank You!

993 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

Author Interviews: L. H. Whitlock

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Bailey Lyndsay Author Pic

Today’s author is L. H. Whitlock, a SciFi author. Here’s a little bit about her.

L. H. Whitlock began her writing adventure when she moved to Colorado with her husband. She has always loved stories and has been an avid reader for most of her life. Her fascination with science and astronomy started in school and only grew as the years went on. Most of her inspiration comes from day to day interactions as well as movies, game’s and articles. When not writing, Whitlock is playing with her two dogs, Skip and Peaches, or running and kick boxing at the gym.

Matched

So now that we know a little about you, let’s talk!

1. Let’s start with something fun. What’s your favorite hobby?

Besides writing, my favorite hobby is kick boxing or taking my pups to the park.

 

2. If you had the opportunity—who would you like to spend an afternoon with and why?

One of my favorite authors is Christine Feehan. I would love a chance to chat with her and pick her brain.

 

3. Coffee, tea, soda or something else?

I love my coffee, especially a vanilla latte.

 

4. What are you working on right now?

I’m currently working on polishing up my next release, the first book in The Miners of Zalma series. It’s due to be released at the end of June/ early July.

 

5. How would you describe your writing style?

I mix lots of action with some spicy romance. I also like throwing in a few twists to keep readers on their toes.

 

6. Do you have any advice for a person just beginning their writing career?

My advice is to keep writing. It can be hard to keep pushing forward and learn, especially if you run into a harsh critique. So, no matter how hard it is, or how terrible someone makes you feel, keep writing. Critique groups also helped me learn a lot about writing and push me to keep coming out with new stuff.

 

7. Do you immerse yourself in new situations for writing ideas or do your ideas come to you through your normal, day-to-day life?

Most of my ideas come from documentaries, science articles or places on earth. I am always reading for inspiration.

 

8. Where can we find you on the interwebs?

I am on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LHWhitlock/ and on amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01F4IG8VW

Thank you, L.H. for a lovely chat.

Readers, to find more L. H. Whitlock, please visit her pages.

Fun at MysteryCon: Monday Blog Post

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AZMysteryCon.com Friday Night Book Selling

AZMysteryCon.com Friday Night Book Selling

Newest News:

I’m back from the MysteryCon in Scottsdale. We had a good time Friday evening with an author signing. Lucky us, we were right across the lobby from the Happy Hour so a lot of people came in and talked with us and I even sold a few books! Yay!  A lovely young woman won the first bracelet on Friday night.

Saturday was more about presentations with the book selling room opening from noon to four, when the con was over. I had a lot of fun getting to know the other authors and met a few that are scheduled to come to the July Payson Book Festival. I have a lot of swag and won 2 bottles of wine! On my second bracelet? No one signed up for the giveaway. That’s okay. I have it for the book festival.

Now it’s time to get some books ordered for July.

Giveaways:

SpringIntoReadingGiveawayPromo

The Spring Into Reading giveaway closes in about 10 days. I have links to it on my facebook, twitter, and website pages. This giveaway I offer a free ebook or for second prize, a $5 Amazon card. There are other prizes as well. Over a hundred prizes plus a grand prize. It’s not hard to enter and there are multiple ways to enter. You could easily win a prize. If you haven’t entered yet, please enter today and every day.

Shout Out:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Author L. M. Hinkey

A shout-out goes to my next author interview, Lynne Hinkey. Lynne’s interview will appear on Wednesday, the 8th. Yep! This Wednesday. Don’t miss out on Lynne’s interview and a little bit about her. Can’t wait? Check out her site: http://www.lynnehinkey.com

Garden News:

Last week I bought some hot and sweet green peppers and put half in the garden the day before I left for MysteryCon. Bad time to plant, it’s been 99 – 100 degrees here (it was 115 in Phoenix!) but when I got home, the plants were mostly fine. I suspect chipmunks, one has been investigating my back yard for the last couple of weeks, ate my hot chili pepper plants! I hope they got heartburn. Anyway, the little buggers left some stem and leaves so maybe the plants will recover.

The soil was bone dry when I watered Sunday morning so I watered heavily and planted bean (pole string and yellow beans), butternut squash, and Swiss Chard. I suspect I’ll have to protect the seedlings when they pop up. Birds, especially like sprouted bean seeds.  So now the garden is fully planted. The tomatoes I bought from the garden club are doing fine, blossoms and tiny green tomatoes are evident. The zucchini I bought has lost the tiny zucchini and the original leaves but new leaves and blossoms are evident so I just have to wait a little longer.  How’s your garden doing?

Where Will I Be?:

pbflogoorig1446X1253pxcroppedcontrast

July 23rd is the Payson Book Festival, partly funded by the Arizona Humanities. I’ll be at my table all day, ready to talk to YOU! I hope you can make it as we will have over 70 authors attending as well as music, food, author presentations and workshops. It will be stupendous! www.paysonbookfestival.org and click on the Meet the Authors tab.

FallFest2016

9th annual Fall Festival in Pine, AZ. October 8th and 9th. http://pinestrawberrybusinesscommunityaz.com/fallapple.html. I’ll be there all weekend as part of the local author book signing. My hubby will be there as part of the chili cook-off at noon. There are also crafters and a very excellent antique show scheduled, not to mention musing and food!

Want more details about these events? Click here for more information.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up prizes on both the regular and the Brown Rain newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. My next newsletter is being drafted so sign up today. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. I’d love to see you there.

Newest Book Release:

I’m in the middle of the Zoe Ohale re-write. If you’re a Brown Rain Series fan, I think you’ll like Zoe Ohale. Just 17, Zoe has been an orphan living on the streets of Baia Mare since she was 12. Street smart and fiercely independent, Zoe has been offered the chance to move back into legal society by the police officer that arrested her a few months ago. But first, she has to help protect the little kids in her group, help her friend save her father from assassination, and find a criminal ring that just stole all of the physical credits being delivered to the Planetary Bank of Baia Mare. The book, the first of a series, should be out in August, if I can find time to work on it between the Book Festival and the Fair.

Kindred Spirits released on March 14th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads  or Chatebooks today! You can also see all of my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

 

Feel free to share this blog post with others who may be interested.

We All Have to Start Somewhere: May Merry-Go-Round Blog Post

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The_Bad_Seed_Cover_for_Kindle

Whoa! Interesting topic. I published my first book, The Bad Seed, in 2012 and I haven’t gone back to look at it since. I’m a little nervous. Here’s the first page.

The front and back doors burst open in an explosion of sound.  Willa turned to look, her eyes wide and mouth open, knife still in hand, as men in black burst into the kitchen from the back hallway and from the living room. 

In shock and hardly breathing, she stood in front of the stove with the knife in the air.  They were all shouting, “Drop the knife! Drop the knife! Drop it!”  She finally regained enough presence of mind to drop the knife.  One of the men came rushing at her from the morning room, around the kitchen island and pushed her to the floor.  Before she knew it, he had a knee in her back and both hands pulled painfully behind her.  The handcuffs were tight and cold. 

She tried to relax even with all of the boots milling around her head.  Two of the SWAT team lifted her by her arms to stand.

Willa looked frantically around the room at all the men, “What’s going on?”

“Are you Wilhemina Hayes?” the one in charge asked as he stepped in front of her.

“Yes,” Willa tried to get her fear under control.

He read from a sheet of paper, “You are under arrest for violations of the USA Patriot Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2011, “otherwise known as the PIRA Extension Act of 2011.”

He read Willa her rights then looked around the room, pointing at one of the team members. 

“You, bag up this stuff on the stove.  Mrs. Hayes, do you understand your rights as I’ve read them to you?”

“Yes,” She didn’t think there was any point in dragging this out.

He turned to go to the front door.  “Come along with me Mrs. Hayes.”

 

To be honest, I’m pretty impressed! The opening is actually from later in the story, but I wanted to start the story with a bang and create the tension and reader concern for the main character right off of the bat.

I still want to do that but after my second book, I haven’t used that method of creating that first page hook again. Somehow I have the feeling it’s unfair to the reader to give them a scene out of sequence. I know it’s done in movies and on TV all the time but for some reason, I just don’t want to do that in my books.

The rest, the grammar, punctuation, point of view, and other technical stuff, are pretty good for a first book. I didn’t head hop or change from 1st to 3rd person, and with just one exception in the snippet, stayed in active voice. Yay!

There was some telling and not showing, but overall that first page looks pretty good. I guess I did a fair job after all, no need to be nervous.

What do you think? Were you hooked? Want to read more of the story? It’s up on many of the major ebook retailers. Available in paperback as well. You can use the links below to search for it.

Kindred Spirits released March 14th! I’m so excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads  or Chatebooks today!  You can also see all of my books on https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

 

The Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour is sponsored by the website Forward Motion (http://www.fmwriters.com). The tour is you, the reader, traveling the world from author’s blog to author’s blog. There are all sorts of writers at all stages in their writing career, so there’s always something new and different to enjoy. Check out the rest of the tour starting at http://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/favorite-conventions-2016-merry-go-round-blog-tour/.

Winner! Monday Blog Post

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HONORABLE MENTION

Newest News:

I’m am so pleased to announce that after four years of trying, I’ve won an Honorable Mention with the Writers of the Future contest with my science fiction story, Eavesdroppers. The logo at the top of the page was sent to me after winning and I’ll be getting a certificate in the mail from them sometime soon. I’ll share that, too, when it arrives.

Writers of the Future is THE contest for science fiction and fantasy authors. Many of the biggest names in the genres have won this contest. This just doubles my determination. If I can do it once, I can do it again. So stay with me!

Giveaways:

SpringIntoReadingGiveawayPromo

The Spring Into Reading giveaway closes in June. I have links to it on my facebook, twitter, and website pages. This giveaway I offer a free ebook or for second prize, a $5 Amazon card. There are other prizes as well. Over a hundred prizes plus a grand prize. It’s not hard to enter and there are multiple ways to enter. You could easily win a prize. If you haven’t entered yet, please enter today and every day.

Shout Out:

Bahn Bonnie Cover Bumblefoot

I’m giving a shout out to my friend Bonnie Bahn. I’m hoping to interview her on this blog in the future. Right now she’s re-writing Bumblefoot and creating a new cover for it. She can be found on Twitter at @BonnieBahn or on her website at bonniebahn.wordpress.com so watch out for her re-release announcement. Follow my blog so you don’t miss out on this and other special features.

Garden News:

I have broken down and planted my seedling tomatoes in my garden. The rest I’ll give away. I also planted my basil. The reason? The weather went from cold to hot in a day. Also, a volunteer tomato plant has sprung up. I figure if the weather is right for the volunteer it’s good enough for my seedlings. I need to get my trellis set up and buy some Early Girl tomato plants to finish my tomato garden. Other plants? Beans and peas, peppers, butternut squash, zucchini and yellow squash. All of those do really well here. The peach tree, despite the cold, is heavily laden with peaches while my two apple trees have one apple between them. Interesting. How about you? What do you plant?

Where Will I Be?:

Mystery Con Flyer

June 3rd and 4th I’m at the Scottsdale MysteryCon, Death and Deception in the Desert. I’m giving a presentation there at 3pm on Saturday on writing a mystery. The conference is just two weeks away! Tickets for both days are only $39. I do hope you can make it to that one. Here’s a flyer telling all about it. Register in advance on the site so we know how many are coming to lunch, then email me or comment here that you registered. I’ll put your name in for a drawing of a special prize on both Friday night and Saturday at my presentation. The prize? A bracelet, hand made by me, with Kindred Spirits as the theme. I’m the last presentation of the day on Saturday in my room, so if you want any of my books autographed, buy them at the book seller and bring them to the presentation. Can you make it?

pbflogoorig1446X1253pxcroppedcontrast

July 23rd is the Payson Book Festival, partly funded by the Arizona Humanities. I’ll be at my table all day, ready to talk to YOU! I hope you can make it as we will have over 70 authors attending as well as music, food, author presentations and workshops. It will be stupendous! www.paysonbookfestival.org and click on the Meet the Authors tab.

Want more details about these events? Click here for more information.

Newsletter Sign Up:

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up prizes on both the regular and the Brown Rain newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. My next newsletter is being drafted so sign up today. Be prepared for fun and contests!

Newest Book Release:

Kindred Spirits released on March 14th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads  or Chatebooks today! You can also see all of my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

Malwhere: Friday Flash Fiction Post

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ancient_mainframe_computer_by_mistgod-d58t3st via DeviantArt.com http://www.deviantart.com/art/Ancient-Mainframe-Computer-317125757

ancient_mainframe_computer_by_mistgod-d58t3st via DeviantArt.com http://www.deviantart.com/art/Ancient-Mainframe-Computer-317125757

“What do you mean?” Bethany had been debugging the system for the last twelve hours. Management was calling down to the fourth level basement where she worked outside the data center every ten minutes. Billions of dollars were flying out of the corporation’s accounts.

“I mean, it’s an AI, it’s reprogrammed itself. I told you this might happen.” Jan flopped into the chair beside her best friend. “While you’ve been chasing bugs in the code, I’ve been tracking the malfunctions. I think the AI is doing it.”

Bethany scrubbed her hands through her pixie-cut blond hair. She’d warned her boss. Messing around with AI computer infrastructure was a bad idea, she’d told them. But they didn’t want to listen. It would be cheaper to let an AI run itself than to pay people to run the system. “Fewer errors,” the CFO had said in the meeting where they decided this course of action.

“But…” she’d opened her mouth.

The VP of IT shut her down. “I think that’s sufficient, Bethany. The matter is decided.”

“I know you told me. I told them. They decided they’d take the chance and save money on staff.” She sank back into the chair. “So what can we do?”

“You’re the boss. You tell me.”

Bethany shot Jan the evil eye. “We tossed a coin, Jan. don’t get all indignant with me.”

Jan waved her hand in submission. “Fine. I think we should pull the plug.”

The lights on the front of the outward facing server flickered. Bethany’s eyes grew wide. “Did you see that?”

Jan nodded. They both got up and went out into the hall and found a corner where the cameras couldn’t see them, or hear them. “What the hell! The damn thing is already aware.”

Bethany slumped against the wall. “I’m going in there and disconnect the power. You stand in the hall with the door open. If something goes wrong, run to maintenance, tell them to cut the power to this whole floor.”

“They won’t do that without permission from management.”

“We’ll see.” She pushed herself off of the wall. “Let’s go.”

Jan held the door open as Bethany marched down the long lines of server racks to the back of the room. Every server was connected but all she needed to do was disconnect the primary, the server that controlled all the rest. She reached for the plug with her bare hand but half an inch from the wall, she stepped back and looked around. There was a safety board hanging on the wall. She pulled the heavy-duty rubber gloves down and put them on then went back to the plug. The camera in the ceiling corner turned in her direction. “Here goes.”

She grabbed the plug and pulled. Lights began flashing and an alarm sounded but the servers all kept working. “Damn. The AI’s transferred itself. I’ve got to pull them all,” she shouted so Jan could hear. Bethany began pulling the power cords randomly so the AI couldn’t tell which one she’d pull next. Down to the last three plugs the power panel exploded in a shower of sparks that sent her flying down the server aisle.

Jan screamed. “Bethany! Are you all right?”

Scrambling to her feet, Bethany ran for the door. “Let’s get to maintenance.”

On sub-floor one, the ran into the power room. Two guys were responding to the alarms indicating a problem on sub-floor four. “Cut the power to that floor,” Bethany gasped. “The AI is out of control. Shut it all down.”

“We can’t do that.” The older of the two men stared at her. “There’s a couple of billion in computers on that floor.”

“They run the whole place,” the younger guy nodded. “We’ve been told.”

“And I’m telling you,” Bethany struggled to catch her breath from running up three flights of stairs, “the whole thing just tried to electrocute me. Shut. It. Down.”

“They aren’t listening, Beth,” Jan said.

“Keep talking to them. I’m calling management.” She stepped away from the men and dialed her phone. “Boss,” she said when he picked up. “We have to shut the AI down. It just tried to kill me.”

“What?”

“It tried to kill me. It’s out of control. I’m in maintenance. They have to shut sub-level four down. Right down.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re not shutting it down.”

“You have to. If this gets outside the building the whole international computer network will be infected. We don’t know what will happen.”

“I’m sending security.”

“Thank you, sir. You’re doing the right thing.” She hurried back to the maintenance men. “My boss is sending security. You’ll have to shut it down.”

It was only a couple of minutes before five of the building security officers were at the door. “Thank goodness you’re here. You’ve got to…” Two of the officers grabbed her as two more pushed by and grabbed Jan. “No! Not us, the maintenance men. Stop!” She screamed as they dragged her and Jan out of the room.

A month later it was over. The two women huddled in a basement outside of the city. The AI had opened all of the prison and jail doors right after it had taken down the entire financial infrastructure.

They heard it called Malwhere, just before most everything had crashed. “Good name for it,” Bethany told Jan as they made their way to Bethany’s great-grandparent’s house in upstate New York. They helped great-granny get the house stocked as best they could. Granny told them to get guns and as much ammo as they could buy. Some of the neighbors Granny trusted were also there. It helped as they held off marauders.

The AI wasn’t dead—it was reconstructing, Bethany heard from people fleeing the cities. It was making the world into the image it thought best. She wondered if Malwhere was looking for her. She checked her rifle’s load. If it was, it was going to meet some resistance.

 

 

Thank You!

994 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

Red Cadillac: A Friday Flash Fiction Story

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Red Cadillac by Partywave http://www.deviantart.com/art/red-1959-Cadillac-tailfins-138267320 by Partywave titled red 1959 Cadillac tailfins

Red Cadillac by Partywave http://www.deviantart.com/art/red-1959-Cadillac-tailfins-138267320 by Partywave titled red 1959 Cadillac tailfins

They’d followed the song from clear on the other side of the Milky Way. The rhythms of it enticed them. They moved in a way that no one of their species had ever done. The scanners couldn’t help but pick up the signals from the planet from far outside the solar system. The aliens had to dial the scanners back to sift the tsunami of signals pouring past them.

“It’s like they’re all screaming into the universe!” The ship’s Captain shook his head over the stream of data the ship was gathering.

“It’s too much, Sire.” The lead cultural scientist had bleached white with the stress of trying to make sense of the signals. “There’s no reason. It floods out from every part of the planet as though they can’t wait to have someone find them.”

“Aren’t they aware of all of the life forms out here? Some are quite dangerous.”

“I cannot tell, Sire.”

The Captain was perplexed. “What do you mean?”

The scientist sagged a little more. The Captain was certain that this form wouldn’t last too much longer.

“Sire, I cannot tell what’s real and what isn’t.”

“Real? What do you mean?”

“They have real and they have what they call fiction. The song we followed was fiction.”

The entire staff blanched. “We’ve been following this signal for hundreds of light years! What do you mean it’s not real?”

The scientist sagged more. “No, sire. The signal is real. The rhythms are real. What the story says is not real. It’s…” the scientist struggled to create a name for the concept. “It’s a Fiction.” He stumbled over the translation of the word into his own language. It had taken him the entire trip to understand and the concept was so foreign, it was killing him.

“Chief Scientist. You are not well.”

“No, Sire. I am not. This concept is too dangerous. I beg you not to approach this planet. It will kill us all.”

The rest of the staff gasped, in their own way. The Captain shook his appendage. “We’ve come all this way. We must find this Red Cadillac.”

The scientist shook its tentacles and left the briefing room. They found him the next ship’s morning, a deflated, dried sack on the floor of the linguistics lab. He was mourned with appropriate ceremony and stored in the ship’s vault for return to his family.

“Do not be afraid,” the Captain intoned at the memorial. The song they were chasing played softly in the background. The Chief Scientist was a noble being. He will be sorely missed but the search must continue.”

A few solar days later, the ship hovered outside of the orbit of Pluto. The entire ship was listening to the sounds of the planet the recordings called Earth. The music had changed. It was both more and less melodic. The magnet, Red Cadillac, still played from various parts of the wet, blue globe, but there was more. Each of the crew had a new favorite. Something that appealed to them and them alone. Conflicting tunes blasted from every cabin, mixing in the corridors in such a cacophony that the Captain had to have the new Chief Scientist develop a method for each crew member to listen to the sounds in a way that didn’t intrude on the others.

When they reached the satellite of Earth they hid behind it, out of detection range of the primitive’s search capabilities.

The Captain was astounded. “They send their signals of this “music” out into the universe but lack the most basic of detection or defense?” It didn’t matter to him. The scan of the planet proceeded. They accessed all of the Earth’s databases. The goal was finally achieved.

The modification unit went to work. Lots were drawn. The four lucky crew members were chosen and modified and the appropriate clothing and credits manufactured. The stood in the transporter, stomach’s quivering. The Captain stood before them. “You’ve been equipped with our best recording devices. We salute you.” He came to attention and saluted with both appendages. “We’ll be watching.”

The landing party descended and made the transaction. The old human they contacted was grateful for the credits. She wept with joy, actually. From the ship the Captain suspected they’d paid too much but no matter. It was just paper after all. The landing party climbed into the vehicle and maneuvered it with only minor mishaps onto the nearest travel lane. By the time they reached what the humans called an interstate, they had all the experience they needed.

They found a local radio station and tuned in. They’d just reached cruising speed in the 1959 red Cadillac when the song played.

“Going to Memphis, going down on Beale street

I have all the pretty girls just looking at me

My top let down and my hair slicked back

Tell me the southern girls, they like it like that…”

The entire ship fell silent as the music played on every speaker.

They’d made it. These humans had so much more to offer! It was hard to tell what they could do or couldn’t! They’d make wonderful trading partners. That was after the “fictions” were separated from fact.

The Captain watched the videos carefully. One was particularly disturbing, The Day the Earth Stood Still. He studied that one, especially. It was old. Recent scans confirmed that the human military had advanced. The problem was the attitude. War of the Worlds was another. The humans seemed hostile. He’d have to think about the best approach.

No matter. The landing party was recording everything. That alone would pay for the trip. The Captain settled back into his command chair. It would go just fine. He was sure of it.

Acknowledgments: Johnny Rawls and his song: Red Cadillac from the album, Red Cadillac.

 

Thank You for reading! I’d love to hear your comments.

970 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html

Crazy Week: Monday Blog Post

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Baby Plants

It was a crazy week for me last week. All day meetings, volunteering, a trip to Scottsdale for a workshop on Screen Writing, it seemed never ending. That of course, affected my writing. I continued to work on my Camp NaNo novel, Mystery at the Book Festival, but made barely any progress on it. As of today, I’m just reaching 35K to my goal of 50,000 words. The challenge ends on Saturday. So I have to write about 3K words per day every single day for the rest of the week (also the month!) to reach 50K. I can do it if I put my mind to it. Cross your fingers for me.

The Spring Into Reading giveaway is in full swing. I have links to it on my facebook, twitter, and website pages. I offer a free ebook or for second prize, a $5 Amazon card. There are other prizes as well. Over a hundred prizes plus a grand prize. It’s not hard to enter and there are multiple times to enter. You could easily win a prize. Enter today and every day.

Butterfly002

The picture at the top of the page is of my tomato seedlings. The weather continues to cycle through mild and cold so I’m not sure when to plant. Friends of mine in southern Arizona are already harvesting their tomatoes! I plan on visiting the local garden shop to get some lettuce and Swiss chard. I should also get my peas and beans into the ground. None of these will be harmed by a little cool weather. The roses have been blooming long enough that I now need to go out and dead-head the spent flowers. It’s good to get away from the computer, even with my high word count goal, and get some sunshine and fresh air. It always helps me clear my mind and recharge the creative juices.

RD Teaser 3

Yesterday I did a special blog post bragging up my author friend Mistral Dawn. Her new book, Rainbow Dreams, is just out and as a science fiction fan, I’m stoked! Anyway, check out yesterday’s blog post with all of the links to buy Rainbow Dreams and the first chapter, free!

Where will I be? Here’s the scoop.

June 3rd and 4th, I’m at the Scottsdale MysteryCon, Death and Deception in the Desert. I’m giving a presentation there as well on writing a mystery. Tickets for both days are only $39 and Friday night is open to the public for Author Signings. I do hope you can make it to that one. Here’s a flyer telling you all about it. Register in advance on the site and mention that you heard about the event from me. I’ll put your name in for a drawing of a special prize on Friday night and/or Saturday. The prize? A bracelet, hand made by me, with Kindred Spirits as the theme. I might even make two and have a giveaway both Friday and Saturday. What do you think?

July 23rd is the Payson Book Festival. I’ll be at my table all day, ready to talk to YOU! I hope you can make it as we will have over 70 authors attending as well as music, food, author presentations and workshops. It will be stupendous! www.paysonbookfestival.org and click on the Meet the Authors tab.

Want more details about these events? Click here for more information.

Click here to sign up for my newsletter. If you are a Brown Rain series fan, I’ve created a list just for you! If you join my regular newsletter, that’s all right too as I’ve put sign-up prizes on both. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. My next newsletter is being drafted so sign up today. The YouTube video I just made about Kindred Spirits will be in the newsletter. Just a note. I’m going to be sending out newsletters more frequently. Be prepared for fun and contests!

Kindred Spirits released on March 14th! I’m pretty excited about it. You can buy it and my other books at: Apple, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Gumroads  or Chatebooks today! You can also see all of my books on www.ConniesRandomThoughts.com. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads. It’s a big help to me in the book rankings each vendor uses to promote the books on their sites. Thanks in advance.

Mistral Dawn Publishes Rainbow Dreams

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An author friend of mine, Mistral Dawn, has just released her fantastic new book, Rainbow Dreams and I wanted to share this new Science Fiction book with all of you. I’m going to let Mistral speak for herself.

RD Teaser 3

Hey Everyone!!! 🙂

 

Guess what? It’s finally here!! Rainbow Dreams is now out! What’s it about?  I’m glad you asked!  Here’s the blurb:

 

Have you ever had a terrible secret you didn’t want anyone to know? Petri does and it may get her killed. Life is hard on Upworld, especially for the residents of Under City, and it’s even harder for those who don’t fit in. Petri has always been different and now those differences may cost her life. Her one hope is to leave the only home she’s ever known while evading the mob that’s calling for her blood. But Petri has never been outside of her sector of Under City, never mind off the planet. And the laws of Upworld forbid people like her from leaving. Will Petri overcome the odds and make good her escape? Maybe…with a little help from her friends.

 

Sound interesting?  You can download it in seconds from the following merchants:

 

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E1INIQE/

 

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rainbow-dreams-mistral-dawn/1123649619?ean=2940152964004

 

ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/rainbow-dreams/id1101890767?mt=11

 

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/628561

 

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/rainbow-dreams-2

Rainbow Dreams Fullsize

Now allow me to take a moment to draw attention to that amazing cover. The wonderful and talented Julie Nicholls created it, and I think she did a fantastic job of capturing Petri’s likeness. If you’d like to see more of her incredible work, check out her website here:

 

Artwork by Julie Nicholls

 

Okay, okay, I know, enough stalling.  If you’re as excited as I am about this story, I know you’re all ready for a peek:

Rainbow Dreams Chapter One

Lightning bolts of fire and ice shot up and down Petri’s spine as she moved over the human man on the bed. Her short, slender body bowed with the sensations that washed over her. His lust was like a fountain of cold water on a hot day, and she was parched. It had been too long; she needed this. Desperately.

Looking down at him as she slid her body onto his straining cock, she smiled. This client had wanted to be blindfolded; he said he enjoyed the mystery. There was more mystery in Petri than most humans would know what to do with, so that was fine with her. With him blindfolded, she didn’t need to be careful to keep her own eyes shut. This was going to be a good feed, and there was no way she could have kept her eyes from glowing.

The man moaned in pleasure. Being fed upon felt as good for humans as feeding did for Petri. None of her clients knew she sipped from their energy, their life force, when she fucked them. All they knew was that she was one hell of a talented dolly. A win-win for all involved.

This client was a regular; Petri had shown him many times how good it could be with her. Some of her regulars came to crave her, almost like the dream dust that was sold in the club below. They were guaranteed repeat business, and she always made sure to show them a good time. After all, that was her job.

The energy of the man’s lust filled Petri as she glided up and down on top of him. She shivered. It was renewing, rejuvenating. She couldn’t get enough. A few grains of dust remained on his upper lip as evidence of his earlier indulgence in some of the chemical delights that were available at Abracadabra.

It was clear her client was high long before Petri started feeding. Before she blindfolded him, she had noted the man’s dilated pupils and the flush of pleasure on his face. She had no doubt the management of Abracadabra would go to great lengths to make sure he received the maximum enjoyment possible during his visit. There was a reason it was the hottest nightclub in this part of Under City.

The club specialized in hedonism in all its forms. Drugs of every description, games, gambling, and other, darker pleasures could be found within its walls. House dollies, little more than sex slaves, waited to fulfill the customers’ every desire. Freelance dollies, like Petri, rented space to ply their trade as well. The house allowed it because the dollies offered the club’s clientele more variety and were motivated to attract business. Once a patron had satisfied their lust, they often wandered downstairs in search of other entertainments.

Leaning down, Petri pressed her cat-like mouth to her client’s lips in a sizzling kiss. Their tongues tangled as he responded, and she undulated her hips against his, faster and faster. The drugs he had consumed tainted his energy, giving Petri a pleasant buzz. She never took dust herself since it interfered with her ability to control her power, but she enjoyed the effect when one of her johns indulged. As their sex intensified, Petri drank deeper, swallowing down the man’s whimpers and sighs of ecstasy as she swallowed his desire.

Lost in the haze of feeding for the first time in days, Petri didn’t realize it at first when the man suddenly went still underneath her. His penis remained stiff and eager inside her, and she continued to ride it, draining his energy. It was only when the cold, clamminess of his skin penetrated the pleasurable trance she often sank into when feeding that she realized that she had gone too far. Her heart skipped a beat.

Swinging her leg over him, she clambered off his body and knelt beside him on the bed. She grabbed his shoulder, shaking him, but there was no response. He was as still and cold as death.

Petri’s breath froze in her chest as she tried to suppress her rising panic. She slapped him, hard, across his face, trying to provoke a response. There was nothing. Leaning down, she put her ear against his chest, listening for something, anything. Any sign that a spark of life remained in the man. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she might have heard a faint fluttering within.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and put her hands on his chest, fingers splayed. She had never done this before, but her instincts said it might work. The process of drawing energy from others had come automatically when she reached physical maturity. It was as natural as breathing to her. But reversing the flow of energy… That was something else altogether. She forced herself to focus; all she could do was try.

Reaching down into the well of energy within her, Petri tried to snag a wisp of it. It was like trying to catch fog. Gritting her teeth, she concentrated and managed to grab a small piece of the mist and tease it up, out of herself and back into the man. It flowed at a slow trickle, but it did flow. The man took a deep breath and Petri slumped in relief.

Before she could stop him, or even turn away, the man reached up and snatched the blindfold from his face. When he saw her glowing eyes, he shrieked, “Mgeni!”

Petri swore. She knew she didn’t have much time. Sitting up, she sucker-punched her client hard in his stomach. The man folded over, clutching his gut, just like she knew he would. As her former client coughed and wheezed, Petri scrambled into her tight, red mini-dress and stiletto pumps and clambered out the window. She couldn’t risk trying to make it through the crowded club below; she needed to be gone before the man recovered enough to sound the alarm.

As she scurried down the fire escape, Petri cursed herself. She should have known she needed to be more careful. After having gone without feeding for several days, she shouldn’t have broken her fast in such a public place. At least he wasn’t dead. That was the one thing that might save her. If she had killed an Upworld client in Under City, the houses would have banded together and hunted her no matter where she went.

The funny thing about Under City was it could be a wild, crazy place, but only within certain parameters. In some ways, it was as restrictive as the world above. Upworld citizens were fair game for cons, beatings, muggings, pick-pocketing, and many other crimes. As long as the citizens left Under City breathing, the houses would look the other way. After all, most people from Upworld came to Under City for the thrill of danger, so, in many ways, the underworlders were just giving them what they paid for.

But too many deaths were bad for business and that the houses would not allow. The only reason an Upworld citizen could be killed in Under City with the blessing of the houses was if the citizen killed an underworlder without paying for it first. Life was cheap in Under City, but it wasn’t free. And no one left Under City without paying their bill. No one.

Even though the man was alive, Petri’s life was still in danger. She had survived thus far in Under City because everyone thought she was a Human/Paka hybrid. Half-breeds weren’t especially loved, even among the generally open-minded underworlders, but they were tolerated. Arcanum, on the other hand, were universally despised, and the glowing eyes and energy draining power were unmistakable. Petri was now a marked woman, and it wouldn’t be long before half the underworlders in the Southern sector were howling for her blood. She needed to get away.

The problem was where could she go? Each sector of Under City was isolated from the other sectors, and the only way to get from one sector to another was to travel through Upworld. And the only way underworlders were allowed into Upworld was if they had a pass. Even if she did manage to get to another sector, that would only be a temporary reprieve. Word would travel and her appearance was too distinctive for her to be able to disappear into a crowd of strangers.

No, the only possible way for her to survive was for her to find passage off-world. Petri grimaced. She might as well wish for the planetary presidency.

The moment she reached the ground, Petri looked both ways down the alleyway she was in. Everything seemed normal. The bass from club Abracadabra throbbed through the street, lending the night a syncopated heartbeat. The fast food dollies who worked the crowd outside the club seemed to be doing a brisk business. The groans and gasps of pleasure from their johns blended with the music.

Other than the regular street activity, nothing was happening. Maybe the hottest club in the sector wasn’t the worst place this could have happened. At least, she was central. It wouldn’t be hard to get anywhere in the sector from here; if she could only decide where it was she should go.

Hiding and lying low were out of the question. There were too many people in Under City who would be thrilled to earn a couple of easy creds by informing on her. Which also made going home impossible; that was the first place they would look for her. The distant rumble of a subway broke through her temporary paralysis and got Petri moving.

But she didn’t run. Running in Under City was never a good idea. Running meant trouble and attracted attention. Predators chased those who ran, and Under City was full of predators.

Neon signs glittered in the night, advertising the wares to be found in the many businesses in this central part of Southern sector. Outlines of naked men and women, frothing drinks and steaming food, new hairstyles, and more had been recreated out of glowing lights and buzzing bulbs. Abracadabra wasn’t the only purveyor of pleasures in the area; there were others, though each was smaller and had a narrower focus than the popular club. Brothels, restaurants, bars, dust dens, casinos, gaming establishments, salons, and chop shops abounded. This part of Under City existed to cater to the whims of the rich, and there was nothing subtle about the offerings that were available to those with money.

Shops of all kinds welcomed customers from Upworld with open arms. Clothing, children’s toys, vehicles, sex aids, personal electronics, game programs, jewelry, and domicile furnishings could be purchased right next to each other at any time of the day or night. “Come In!” flashed their advertisements. “Good Deals!” “Low Prices!” “Rare Merchandise!” A constant siren song of the consumerism that ruled the underworld.

There were also businesses with darker, less obvious entryways. The snuff industry was alive and well in Under City. Upworld citizens who had the creds could indulge their most twisted and violent fantasies, and there were snuff houses that specialized in providing those services. Fights, snuff porn, torture, cannibalism—it was all available for the asking. And no matter if a citizen wanted to watch, participate, or direct, their most hidden desires could be satisfied by the snuff houses. Customers were only limited by their bank accounts, and the grinders waited to clean up the mess afterwards.

Petri ignored all the enticements and offerings and tried to keep her mind away from where she might end up if she failed in her escape attempt. A short, brisk walk brought her to the transit station just as a train pulled up to the stop. It wasn’t a perfect solution, it wasn’t even a good solution, but at least it was a stopgap that might give her the time she needed to formulate a plan. Being a moving target was better than being a stationary one.

She hopped on the train and found an empty car. As she dropped into a seat at the back of the car, she sighed. It had started out as such a good night.

 

Looks like Petri’s night has taken a bad turn, huh? Want to find out what happens next? Head to your favorite online merchant and download your copy now! 😉 Thank you all for stopping by today and for checking out my first sci-fi novel!! Happy reading! 🙂

 

Thanks Mistral. I’m so happy to help you spread the word about your new book.

 

One Fast Beer: Flash Fiction Friday Post

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Beautiful Blue Earth by kittenKiss www/deviantart.com/art/Beautiful-Blue-Earth-12142830

Beautiful Blue Earth by kittenKiss www/deviantart.com/art/Beautiful-Blue-Earth-12142830

 

“One fast beer and that’s it, Pete.”

“What’s the hurry, Dave? Ya got a hot date?”

Pete didn’t have a clue. Sure, I worked with him at the factory—mindless work that just needed a strong body. But after work, well, yes, I did have a hot date, so to speak. “Like I could get a woman to pay any attention to me on our pay.”

Pete laughed and smacked me on my shoulder. “You got that right.”

At the bar, Pete called out, “Two cold ones, Danny.”

Danny waved and pulled two beer glasses down from the shelf. We stopped in here every day after work. He knew our routine. While Danny pulled our drafts, Pete stopped to joke with one of the guys we worked with. I went to our stools and sat down. I checked my watch. I could spare about ten minutes, no more. That’s when Pete walked up and swung a leg over his stool.

“Checking your watch? Holy crap, Dave. This is the highlight of our day. After this I get to go home to my shrew of a wife and eat her crap cooking and watch boring TV. Enjoy yourself a little.”

Danny placed the beers in front of us. We picked up the glasses, foam still sliding down the outside, and drank. I will admit there’s nothing like the taste of a cold beer after work on a summer afternoon.

“Ahhhh,” Pete put his glass down. “That hits the spot.” He looked at me. “You doin’ anything for Easter?”

I was but I couldn’t tell him that. “Nope. My sister asked me over for ham dinner but I don’t think I’m gonna go.”

“You should go, man. Don’t sit around the apartment all day doin’ nothin’.”

He looked like he was going to say something about Brenda but changed his mind and picked up his glass and drained it. Pete waved at Danny. “Nother round.”

Danny waved and I checked my watch. I really had to go. “Not for me, Danny.” I drained my glass and stood up. “See you tomorrow, Pete.”

Pete spun around on the stool. “You’re really leaving?”

“Yep. Gotta go. See you at work.” I hurried out the door and turned left. Three building’s down I turned into the alley and hurried to the end, turning right, then left again. I was at a warehouse. I put my palm to the hidden lock and the door opened.

“Bout time.” Sheila was using her tentacle with the ultra-fine fingers, to work a lock. “If we don’t finish this in time the whole planet is going to blow.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I slipped work gloves on and tapped the device in front of me. A pleasant chime sounded and the whole thing opened up. The interior glowed green from the power source. I’d been working on this thing since Brenda died. Sheila had felt bad. It was her ship that had killed my wife. She decided to pay me back by offering to teach me some new tech. Something I could sell, later, making me rich and helping Earth at the same time. It didn’t make up for Brenda, but it had been an accident so I took the offer.

Problem was her people didn’t think she should have done that. They had issued an ultimatum. Wipe my brain or they’d wipe out the Earth. Seemed a little drastic to me but they had their own form of the Prime Directive. We were finishing the gadget in front of me—a power generator that could power a house, a car, a ship, anything. No more reliance on fossil fuels or radioactive elements.

Sheila finished working the lock and handed it to me. “Your turn. Once it’s done, you can plug the generator into the shield and the Earth will be saved.”

I put the lock on the power coupler and closed it up. It only took a moment to walk it over the car-sized shield generator and plug it in. Sheila came up beside me on her walking tentacles. “You ready?”

I nodded, my finger over the start button. “What if it blows up? You said you’d never built one of these with this particular power source.”

She moved her other four tentacles in her form of a shrug. “Well, then they won’t have to do it for us then, will they?” Shiela had a wicked sense of humor.

I punched the button. The shield generator began to hum. The indicator lights flashed red, yellow, then green. The hum hit a higher pitch and that was it. No explosion, no whump. “Is it working?”

“Give it a second.”

We waited. A minute later Shiela’s communicator buzzed. “Cvr, Zhlh.”

In English, the voice I recognized as her Captain said, “What have you done!?”

Shiela grinned. “I made them a shield so you couldn’t blast them to rubble.”

“You did what?”

“Yeppers. This is a sovereign planet. You can’t go around blasting them because you feel like it.”

“You gave them tech! The Prime Directive clearly states…”

“Nonsense,” she interrupted. “They had all of the materials already on the planet. I just showed one person how to assemble it.”

The next transmission was garbled. Then the Captain said, “You have to surrender yourself.”

“Have you seen their oceans? I’m starting a bed and breakfast somewhere around their island of Fiji.”

“The oceans here are full of trash.”

“Not for long. That’s what they’ll be using as a power source.”

“Zhlh, come home.”

“Good bye, Captain.” She turned off the communicator.

“A bed and breakfast?”

“Sure, I’ll get word out. We love visiting other planets. You all might as well get in on the travel rush.”

I pulled off my gloves. Things were going to get interesting on Earth.

 

 

Thank You!

966 Words

Find more of the Forward Motion Flash Friday Group here: http://www.fmwriters.com/flash.html