Please welcome today’s guest, Ellora’s Cave author, Nina Pierce! ~DD

I’m not sure what it is exactly about science fiction that totally intrigues me. Perhaps it’s the fantasy of anything goes or the what if of alternative reality. Whatever the draw, I find stories about the future just suck me right in.

I’ve watched i-Robot, Logan’s Run, Star Wars and X-Men countless times. I’ve read Anne McCaffrey’s “Freedom” series until the pages were dog-eared. And don’t even get me started on Star Trek. I can name an episode from the original series after watching 5 seconds… okay 10 seconds…of any clip. So to set my stories in a new world just seemed natural for me. I love creating places that either don’t exist or occur in the natural world that’s been changed and imagining the things that could be.

My newest novel Healer’s Garden takes place in an alternative future…a world where a virus released during the melting of the polar ice caps in the late 21st century killed off nearly all human males and a large portion of the females. It’s now the 23rd century. Sperm is no longer viable for artificial insemination, cloning has not been perfected and infants that are born rarely survive. Woman outnumber men fifty to one, but they are genetically superior having been born with advanced gifts of telekinesis, visions or the highest honor—healing.

The situation is dire. In order for the human race to survive the government has stepped in and built breeding facilities where every woman is expected to reside for two years in hopes of procreating. Men of acceptable genetic viability are raised to work as breeders at these facilities known as Gardens.

And this is where my story begins.

Healer’s Garden is the story of a gifted Healer who has managed to hold off her obligation to the Garden. But Jahara Hriznek is nearly twenty-eight and no matter how prestigious her position, she can no longer put off the inevitable. She must now mate with a male—a distasteful task.

Jahara doesn’t want to enjoy the sinful rapture only Brenimyn brings to her body. Brenimyn has no intention of dousing the flames of desire licking at them until Jahara is completely his—body, mind, and heart. But when the government finds their loving relationship a threat to the natural order, there may be more than their stubborn wills at stake.

Please enjoy this excerpt from Chapter One:

Jahara Hriznek’s life was over. The evidence weighed heavy in her hands. In the time it had taken to do the retinal scan, her future had been stolen from her.
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Yesterday’s winner will be named at the end of this posting. ~DD

This popped up in my inbox this morning. Don’t you just love Google Alerts?

From Night Owl Reviews, 5 out of 5 stars: “… This is one hot book. This is my first m/f/m, m/f/m/f, f/f, and m/m all in one book! And whoa nelly, this was a smoking hot story….”

Ahhh, feels good. Yesterday, I added a scene to Fun with Dick and Jayne during edits. I added 700 words to First Knight and shipped it to my EC editor. Cross your fingers she likes my little medieval vampire story. Then I worked on editing what I have so far of Beloved Captor. I hope today that I get some serious pages under my belt.

I thought you might like to see what Samhain is working on for the cover of my print release in October. The book will include Saddled, Unbridled and Unforgiven. What do you think?

Okay, I’ll stop teasing. The winner of yesterday’s contest (by random number generator) is…Rasha! Be sure to stop by tomorrow. My guest will be Ellora’s Cave author, Nina Pierce. Y’all have a terrific day!

Tonight I’ll be chatting live at Writerspace—at 8 PM ET with the Ellora’s Cave Authors, then at 9 PM ET with the After Midnight Authors! Join me if you can!

If you post a comment today, you’ll be in the running
for a free download of this book!

This excerpt is from the first short story I wrote for publication. Something short, sassy and in first person. It was released by the Wild Rose Press in 2007.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Caught in a sudden thunderstorm on a lonely stretch of Texas highway, I pull into a dingy little diner to wait out the rain, never dreaming the cowboy of my dreams would follow me inside. Now I have a couple of choices, play it coy and safe? Or go for the big brass buckle…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lightning clawed the dark like a crow’s foot, illuminating thick thunderheads that glowed yellow-green and ominous. The color of the sky before a tornado twisted its nasty tail.

Glad to be out of the rain and safe from the jagged, streaking light, I shivered against the cool vinyl booth as another flash lashed out like the end of a whip, lighting the horizon so intensely that for a moment the darkened parking lot was bright as high noon.

That was when I saw the large pickup roll in, pulling a horse trailer. It ground to a halt beside the diner’s plateglass window. The driver wasn’t going to bother trying to park it in the flooded lot.

I heard the muffled slam of the truck door, but the end of the lightning strike flickered out, plunging the parking lot back into darkness. The driver would be soaked before he even hit the door. Only twelve feet, but the rain was coming down in sheets. I’d been lucky, arriving before the worst of the storm struck. Mostly dry, I’d peered through the window at the deepening night, waiting for a lull. I’d read the clouds as well as any West Texas native and headed to the nearest shelter. The tiny diner with its 70’s style brick façade, split vinyl bench seats, and peeling, laminated counter tops was a welcome haven. The attached string of motel rooms was part of Plan B if the storm didn’t wane before midnight.

My arrival had been nearly forty minutes ago. Except for a bored waitress smoking a cigarette at a far table, I was the only occupant. Until now.

The door squeaked open, and a cowboy strode inside. He pulled off his cream-colored hat and shook dark brown hair like a dog, sending droplets of water lashing against the glass door. His white T-shirt, soaked almost to transparency, clung to the hills and hollows of sharply defined muscles along his chest and abdomen.

Setting his cowboy hat on the table, he sank into a booth near the door, his expression a study in irritation. Dark brows drawn in a fierce frown, his lips crimped in a thin line.

The man needed a reason to smile.
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Not the most productive week ever. I did manage to write the last three chapters of what was supposed to be a quickie for EC, but is now nearly a novella. I still have 1000 words to add during final revision. I started a short story, but I’m not feeling it, so I need to proceed with caution on that one. I don’t want to get too far along, then decide to scrap it. I’ve done some thinking about my big book and made some notes for a couple of scenes, but I stayed away from it last week. This week is when I hunker down and begin the long haul to the end.

So this week, I will finish the quickie-novella. I have to do first round edits on Fun With Dick and Jayne for my editor—she wanted me to work on the transtion leading into the last scene of the book. The Plotting Bootcamp winds down, so my online life will uncomplicate. But most of all, I want 50 pages of the big book under my belt before I enter February. So if you see me slacking off, kick my ass!

This week on the blog, I want to come back with blurbs for Bad Moon Rising for you to vote on what happens in the next chapter. I’ll do a flashback excerpt and give someone a chance to win the book. And I really should pull an excerpt from something you haven’t seen yet to give you a sneak peek. Any preferences?

And just a quick note. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a short story for Samhain’s Valentine free reads series. My story, Love in Bloom, will be available for download on February 7th! Yeah, I know it’s a corny title, but it suits the story—you’ll see!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! ~DD

I have the five-year-old underfoot today. Why do I keep thinking she’s six? She corrected me. I’ll be busy until I unload her later this afternoon, so here’s a question…

If you could experience a sailing adventure/cruise on any river, lake, or ocean in the world, what body of water would you choose for the trip?

I think I’d like to float the Yangtze River. It stretches from Tibet through China and I’ve been dying to see that side of the world. Don’t be shy with your answer. You could choose a rowboat on your grandpa’s pond.
😉

For any writers out there, I’m blogging at Novelists, Inc. today and talking about one of my favorite productivity games, Timed Writing. If you’ve got time, I’d love for you to stop by. Here’s the link: NINC Blog

Yesterday, I finished the rough draft of what was supposed to be a quickie for Ellora’s Cave. Now, I’m only 1000 words away from a novella, so I have to go back through with thoughts of expansion. Shouldn’t be hard. I usually just add to the sex.

Still haven’t heard from Teresa, my “Quick Contest” winner.

Can you say, going, going, gone? 😥

And thanks for the help brainstorming yesterday. You are a wicked, kinky group of ladies. I’ll think about your suggestions and craft them into short blurbs for you to vote on. In the meantime, yesterday’s winner (by random number generator) is…Aimee!

Today’s horoscope. “Helpful is practically your middle name. Improve your karma by lending a hand.” I have the organizer lady coming back today. Shouldn’t she be lending the hand?

My bookshelves have been cleaned, and boxes of my own books consolidated. Sheesh! I have a huge stack of books I don’t need and should give away. So if you help me today, one lucky winner will get her choice of two books from this list:

* Texas Men
* Alluring Tales: Hot Holiday Nights
* Wild, Wild Women of the West 2
* Into the Darkness

And what do you have to do to win? Well, you know I have a lot on my mind with the new book, so I really don’t want to think that hard about what should happen next to poor ole DiDi in Bad Moon Rising (your free serialized story). I want you to tell me what should happen next in the story. It could be something big or small, sexy or not. I’ll take all of your suggestions and think about it, then come back and let you vote. And it might be a good idea for you to read the two chapters of the story first!

The winner (by random number generator) of yesterday’s quick contest is…Teresa W! Teresa—congrats and email me!