Thursday, December 11, 2014

Science Fiction Romance Brigade Showcase: Preview of Grand Master's Pawn



SFRB Showcase

For December's Showcase, I am sharing an excerpt from my WIP for release early in 2015. The story will be in Kindle Scout on Dec 13th.

 

Grand Master's Pawn

Concept Cover
Protagonists: Newly graduated from the Space Academy, Violet Hunter is an empath, illegally trained by the White Mother Tingu. Her secret task is to discover the rogue Grand Masters who are disrupting galactic civilization. 

Antagonists: In the scornful words of Mother Tingu, “The twelve Grand Masters comprising the Council are the most powerful beings in the galaxy, or so they claim.”

Acknowledgement: My notes for this story go back several years, but I credit our Nebula Nights party for crystallizing the character of the Grand Master in my mind. Think Darth Vader with hair. Or see the concept cover showing Durer with the intense eyes of an artist in a self-portrait.

In this excerpt, Violet is a candidate for selection as the pawn of a Grand Master. As a pawn, she will travel to exotic planets on missions, following, and sometimes defying, the Grand Master’s orders. For many weeks, she only sees his avatar.
Her Grand Master's avatar


Excerpt:
        An artificial voice called, “Candidates will walk onto the stage, one at a time, and stand still for evaluation by the Grand Masters.”
        Violet compressed her lips, resolving to take her chance, and stepped forward. She stood erect and stared bravely at the row of lighted spheres. An uncanny vision wavered before her eyes, and she tensed, holding her breath in awe. The hazy image focused into a semicircle of twelve fantastic people seated on ornate thrones, human men and women and alien creatures. Their eyes glowed in the bright colors she had seen on the spheres. One alien was a mass of writhing tentacles, while another resembled a green gelatinous blob. One humanoid woman was dressed in red robes, and another in a green gown, and two men were clad in somber black robes.
       In the midst of these amazing sights, her attention was caught by a dark man in blue robes seated at one end of the semi-circle. He had a grim saturnine face with the hooked nose of an eagle. His eyes were half lidded. While she watched, he turned toward her, his eyes opened and blue beams flashed out, piercing straight into her face. She stared boldly into those laser blue eyes. Yet in the next moment, his eyes slid slowly past, and she doubted he had even noticed her.
       The eerie vision of the twelve entities vanished from sight as swiftly as it had arisen. Violet was bitterly disappointed; she wanted to inspect the Grand Masters more closely. Perhaps one or more of the strange beings in her vision was the source of the evil influence she sought to destroy. 
        Violet blinked, returning to the cold reality of the interview room with the lighted spheres topping each tall cylinder. The mechanical voice called, “You have been chosen.”
        Violet smiled, raising her fist in triumph. She had achieved the first step in her risky task. 
Cover for Kindle Scout


Comments are welcome.

If you want to read more, check
https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1PP0XPW0JBQ38
  from the 13th. If you enjoy the first 2 chapters, please vote for this book. Thanks!

  

Please return to read more Showcase excerpts.


 

10 comments:

  1. The link for the Kindle Scout doesn't work for me. Loved the excerpt, though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristina,
      The link won't work until Saturday according to their message.

      Delete
  2. Traveling to exotic planets - sign me up! :) Enjoyed the excerpt. I just voted!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you!
    I've learned a lot from your advice on g+

    ReplyDelete
  4. Replies
    1. Thanks! If not, I'll self-publish
      I had a problem trying to comment on your excerpt - very intense emotions

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Thanks!
      A lot of good stories appear in the Showcase

      Delete
  6. Makes me wonder in a way if what she saw of those 12 people was even real.

    ReplyDelete