Dragons of Vkani is published

Dragons of Vkani, the sequel to The Lady is Blue is available from Amazon.

 

Blurb

This Science Fiction story is set on the two remote planets of Eden and Vkani. Peaceful Eden has an independent colony of Terrans and a small population of Atrapako. The alien Atrapako sport spiky crests, sharp claws, and scales covering massive humanoid bodies. Their scales come in one of four colors, representing their traditional class system. The meeting and adventures of the Blue, Sa Kamizan Veedak, and Dr. Lucy Stannis are described in the first Book “The Lady is Blue.”

The happy family life of Sa Kamizan and Lucy Stannis is interrupted when the Space Traders bring a distress signal from his sister, Veela. They must travel to the hostile Atrapako planet of Vkani to rescue Veela, the Dragon Lady of Ravenak.  In a break from strict tradition, Sa Kamizan befriends two Reds, the Ziggurak brothers, who become valuable members of his rescue team. The rescue mission is combined with a scientific expedition led by Dr. Jun Danzho and Te Tamarkis Varenne to probe the Deadlands for evidence of Lucy’s hypothesis of an ancient nuclear holocaust. The rescue teams encounter new friends and deadly foes in the hostile, barbaric environment where warlords wage battles amid ferocious sandstorms. In their search across the inhabited continent, Sa Kamizan demonstrates his prowess with a sword, while Lucy employs explosives, and, of course, the dragons.

Snippet for SFR Brigade Presents

Titbit for your amusement. This story is intended to be a comic Space Opera.

First meeting of main characters. The heroine in her guise as the thief, Grey Kat, has been dragged into a spaceship.

Two armed men escorted her to a large cabin. A tall man stood by a table displaying galactic charts. Strikingly, he was clothed entirely in black. He wore black leather boots, black gloves, and even his face was wrapped in folds of black cloth, exposing only his piercing green eyes under a black turban. She stared at him curiously. Sexy outfit, she mused. But, why did he cover his face?  Was it a cultural obligation, or was he hiding some hideous deformity?

He scrutinized her small figure with equal intensity. He saw a slim woman with alert tawny eyes and brown hair, wearing coveralls of a nondescript brown. He spoke in a cool, dispassionate tone, “My men say you are the cunning thief who stole secret codes from the Emperor’s Revenge. Where are the codes?”

She stared back in silence, tilting her chin in defiance.

“I am the Black Hawk. You are on my ship, the Rogue Star, and utterly in my power. I recommend you tell me what you know.” His deep cold voice sent a shiver down her spine. 

Please Comment: What do you think he is hiding?  (Hint, I have two alternative versions, so it's easy!) I'll tell you if you guessed one of them. 


Check out the other snippets

Titbit from The Wizard Strange

A 90-page coming of age novella in the realms of magic: The Wizard Strange.
Available from Amazon. 

A fairytale novella of how an evil King is destroyed by a resolute young woman. 

The untrained young witch, Rosemary, sets out on a quest to destroy the evil forces of the looming Shadow King. Can she discover her magic talents and stop Kafkad’s inexorable advance into her peaceful homeland of Peliore?  Where is the once-famous, and now almost forgotten, White Wizard Strange, and does he have the power to destroy the Shadow? 


Snippet from The Wizard Strange

A harsh voice spoke, “What is it you want of me? Ask or be gone!” It seemed to come from all around the room. 

Rosemary shrank back at this sound and wondered if the wizard would be of any help. If he were as bad as the Shadow King her journey would be wasted. This possibility had not occurred to her before and it made her feel more paralyzed than the outlandish words and floating head had done. Then she recalled Emilian, the old nursemaid who had loved the boy Simon Strange, and she resolved to discover if this icy wizard had any humanity left in his heart. 

She regained some courage and said shakily, “I come to ask help, not for myself, but for all the people who are now enslaved by the Shadow King, Kafkad.” 

The cold voice returned, “It is a long time since anyone disturbed my studies. Why should I help you?”    

Suddenly, Rosemary was enraged and exclaimed bitterly, “No one came here because you have kept them at bay with clashing storms and spells of fear. I have come all this way on a faint hope. No other person can help the people of Peliore.” She continued incoherently, “Now, perhaps the Shadow will imprison you too. It is so cold in here, how can you bear it?” She sobbed in her exhaustion and shivered violently. “Are you no longer human that you cannot care?” 

Snippet from Dragons of Vkani for SFR Brigade Presents

From the first chapter of Dragons of Vkani, upcoming sequel to The Lady is Blue.

The Atrapako living on the planet of Eden were exiled from their home planet of Vkani. The aliens are covered with scales, have sharp claws and a spiky crest rising from their heads. Read the first book, The Lady is Blue, to discover how their cultural conflicts with Terran humans were resolved with a peaceful solution and romance!
In this excerpt, the heroine, Lucy Stannis, and her Atrapako husband, Sa Kamizan Veedak, have been summoned to the Space Traders' ship to meet her brother, Jamie.   

Jamie said solemnly, “My sister and my brother, I have stood on Vkani.” Evidently, he shared his sister’s flare for the dramatic line.

Lucy’s face blanched and Sa Kamizan’s crest flared in alarm. He whispered, “Ah! You were right, Lucy!”

“Tell us your story,” Lucy said, cringing with an icy shiver of fear and clutching at her husband’s sturdy arm.

Jamie said, “Three months ago, the Space Voyager Pegasus intercepted a faint signal whispering through real space. Its message will reach Eden in some twelve years’ time. Let me play it for you.” He switched on the com and a woman’s voice spoke in Kavkani, the native language of the Atrapako. The undulating crackle of static added a sinister overtone.

A soft, urgent voice said, “Sa Kamizan Veedak, if your fortunes have led you to a safe haven amongst the stars, we beg for your help. We are besieged and desperate. Your sister, Te Kamizan Veela, Lady of Ravenak.”

Sa Kamizan hissed, “It is the voice of my young sister, Veela.” He gazed wide-eyed at Lucy, announcing with a stubbornly resolute expression on his blue scaled face. “I must travel to Vkani and rescue her!”

Constructive comments are welcomed!

Snippet from The Lady is Blue

The Lady is Blue ebook is only 99c at Amazon

Sa Kamizan is about to reveal an Atrapako secret.

     Immediately the car stopped, Lucy leaped out and ran to the door. The alien was faster. Sa Kamizan was just behind as she reached the door and he put an arm out to block her passage.  Lucy’s pulse was racing. She leaned against the wall giggling. Next time she would wear the needler. 

     Sa Kamizan did not touch her. He waited until her laughter subsided and said quietly, “I do not mean to scare you. Will you let me enter and listen to what I have to say?  It is important.”

     Lucy was more exhilarated than afraid. The cool night air had cleared her brain. “Very well, I will listen to you. First, you must switch off the flitter engine; otherwise you will not be able to leave easily.”

Upcoming snippet for SFR Brigade Presents

Short excerpt from Dragons of Vkani, upcoming sequel to The Lady is Blue. will appear this weekend for SFR Brigade Presents.

Snippet from The Wizard Strange

Snippet from The Wizard Strange

The untrained witch child, Rosemary, has set off n her quest to destroy the Shadow King, Kafkad.  

The ancient shepherd had begun to talk about wizardry and magic powers both good and ill. 

“That Shadow King,” he muttered, “has great powers and grows stronger with every passing day.  Little good will he do for us poor folk.”

Rosemary kept quiet, but listened intently. She was glad to find that others shared her premonitions. 

Then John asked, “Think you that evil Kafkad can be stopped in any way?”

The old woman replied, “This talk of magic reminds me of tales I heard many years ago when I was a child.  People talked of a great White Wizard.  I don’t remember his name.  He was very clever and I am sure he would have fought this Black Shadowed one.”

“Ah yes! I remember.”  Her husband interrupted, “He was the called the Wizard Strange.  He was young at that time, but very powerful.  He would know how to defeat our enemy, if anyone does.”

“Where did the Wizard live?” Rosemary asked.

“He was said to live far beyond the Lonely Mountain. No one knows what became of him. It was long ago,” replied the shepherd.