Teaser Tuesday with Steven Donahue

Today's Teaser Tuesday is with Author Steven Donahue.

Enjoy! 

Blurb:  Twelve-year-old Amy Sutter steals the experimental spacecraft Liberty Bell to rescue her father and his colleagues from alien captors called the Crownaxians. She is pursued by Lt. Yale Brown, the officer in charge of the ship’s security, who has orders to bring back the Liberty Bell at any cost.

Excerpt:

Amy Sutter tightened her grip on the yoke as she stared at the monitor on the console. Sixteen oval-shaped, purple objects dotted the screen. She took a deep breath, targeted one of the alien ships and fired her first missile. The enemy craft exploded and created a fireball that destroyed the ship beside it. Amy smiled and wiped some sweat from her forehead. The other ships began firing missiles at her as she turned the Liberty Bell to the right and dove hard toward the surface of the planet below. A proximity alarm sounded behind her as the missiles flew over the top of her ship. Amy then pulled back hard on the yoke and lined up her next shot.

She waited until the enemy fleet got closer before she fired the laser cannons mounted on the outside of her 150-foot long spacecraft. She obliterated two more vessels before the Liberty Bell took a direct hit of laserfire on the portside wing. The shielding held but the concussion of the blow caused Amy to smack her head against the console. Thankful she was wearing a helmet, Amy shook off the momentary dizziness and tried to line up another shot. Before she could, three more laser blasts wiped out her cannons. Two more blasts caused another alarm to blare. Amy looked at the console and saw that her life support systems were failing. However, her engines were still online. She sent out a distress call as the enemy ships started to surround her. She then steered the ship away from the fleet and initiated the Sprint Drive system. The Liberty Bell bolted through a gap in the enemy’s formation and the crafts disappeared from the ship’s radar as they fell far behind the spaceship.

Amy let out a sigh and quickly searched the digital maps for a suitable planet to land on. Before she could find one, the Liberty Bell began to violently shake. The temperature inside the cabin shot up. Before she should shut down the Sprint Drive, Amy heard a loud explosion behind her. Then all of her instruments stopped working and the cabin grew dark.

The exasperated pilot unbuckled her safety belt and flipped a switch on a side panel. The door over her head opened and the twelve-year-old girl climbed out of the simulator and down a ladder to the concrete floor. She took off her helmet and looked at her reflection in a small window on the simulator. She brushed back a lock of her dark brown hair and saw a welt forming over her right eye. Amy shook her head and smiled at her clumsiness. “Serves you right for sneaking in there,” said a voice behind her. Amy turned around and saw Lt. Yale Brown marching toward her. The officer had a clipboard in her hand and a relaxed look on her face.

Amy shrugged. “I got four of them this time,” she said. “Then the Sprint Drive exploded as I was getting away.” She handed the helmet to the lieutenant and walked with her toward the equipment storage room. Around them other pilots were training for various missions, while security officers stood guard at the building’s four entrances. Amy glanced at the busy soldiers and noticed their tense expressions.

“You can’t trust that engine,” said Yale. “They haven’t perfected it yet.” At 5’10”, the twenty-eight-year old woman towered over her young friend. Yale’s frame was lean and strong as a result of her military training and her short blonde hair fit neatly under her green cap. She wore a camouflage shirt and matching pants, standard issue for Union soldiers, and no makeup. Her light green eyes had a tendency to change colors in differently lighted rooms.

They reached the door to the storage room and Yale unlocked it by running a blue key card with a magnetic strip along a black keypad. Amy followed the lieutenant into the room and watched Yale tuck the helmet on a shelf next to other flight gear. Then she turned to face Amy. “Should I even bother asking how you got into the machine?” she asked. She put her hands on her hips and smiled.

Amy reached into her pocket and pulled out another blue key card with a magnetic strip. She waved it in front of Yale’s face. “Just got to have the right tools,” she said. Yale glared at her and yanked the card out of the girl’s hand. The lieutenant stuffed the card in her shirt pocket and pointed to storage room door. “I’m going, I’m going,” said Amy. The girl tiptoed past her friend and watched the lieutenant lock the door.

Yale chastised the guards on duty for letting Amy slip past them, before she handed another officer the clipboard. Then she escorted the girl out of the facility and they walked side-by-side toward the adolescent’s living quarters. The crisp morning air was a delightful change from the normally arid atmosphere on Paldor, a small hot planet just outside the Milky Way. The Sutter family resided in building 400, in one of the more elegant homes in the 23 square-mile Pioneer Settlement.

A fighter jet flew overhead. Amy squinted at the tail markings for Earth’s Union Defense Fleet. She thought about their ongoing war against the Crownaxians, an alien species that no surviving human has ever seen. The highly intelligent warriors attacked a human settlement on the planet Blaros. More than 3 million people were killed in the attack and eight years later the human death toll had skyrocketed past 29 million, with no end in sight.

            Amy knew that Earth’s overpopulation and dwindling natural resources forced mankind to seek shelter elsewhere among the stars. However, the Crownaxians refused to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict, which had forced the Union to institute martial law on all human colonies. The five major settlements on Paldor all fall under the jurisdiction of Gen. William Knox, a 55-year-old career officer. Amy had heard rumors that the general had become overly cautious, sending out only defensive patrols, and that some of his subordinates had lost faith in him.

Yale and Amy walked into Amy’s home and found Clayton Sutter sitting at the dining room table. The diplomat was typing on a laptop computer. His chestnut brown hair was prematurely receding toward the top of his skull and his fierce brown eyes stared intently at the screen in front of him. Amy said a quick hello to her father and tried to duck into her bedroom, but her mother spotted her in the hallway.

Pam Sutter’s hazel eyes widened as she put her hand on her daughter’s chin. “What happened to you, young lady?” she asked, shifting her gaze from Amy to Yale, who was still standing behind the girl.

The lieutenant spoke first. “I’m afraid she bumped her head while running a program in the flight simulator,” said Yale. She tightened her fists as she glanced at Clayton. Amy watched her dad rise and walk toward her. He put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder and looked at the bruise. “I promise this won’t happen again,” said Yale.

Clayton shrugged and turned toward his wife. “It doesn’t look too bad to me,” he said. Amy let out a sigh of relief. Then she saw him turn and glare at her. “But you shouldn’t have been in that simulator,” he said. His face reddened. “What were you thinking?” He moved his face close to hers. “This base is not your playground. You cannot go wherever you want any time you want to. There are a lot of dangerous places that you need to stay away from. I want you to promise me that you will follow the rules from now on,” he said.

Amy nodded, having heard this before, and forced herself not to blink. “I will, Daddy. I promise,” she said. She opened her arms and wrapped them around him. He hugged her back and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he let go and sat back down at the table. Pam crossed her arms over her chest. Amy knew what she was waiting for. “I’m sorry,” said the young girl. “It won’t happen again.”

Pam looked at her watch and sighed. The auburn-haired woman was a few inches shorter than Yale, but Amy found her far more intimidating. She was a meticulous and ambitious physician with a strong need for order and discipline. Pam tended to be less affectionate than her husband, at least toward her daughter, who frequently felt uneasy around her.

            The doctor glared at Yale. “I hope this breach of security is not commonplace, lieutenant,” she snarled. “I’d had to think what a spy for the Crownaxians could do if given the chance.”

            The lieutenant cleared her throat. “I assure you it is not,” she replied. “And those responsible will be punished.” She glanced at Amy, who offered a sympathetic shrug.

            “I have to go to work,” said Pam. Then she addressed her daughter. “There’s an ice pack in the freezer. Put it on your bruise for twenty minutes, then take it off for twenty, then put it back on for twenty more,” she said to Amy, without looking at her. “It will help keep the swelling down.” Amy watched her grab her physician’s bag and move toward the door. Pam stopped by her husband and kissed him on his forehead. He looked up at her and smiled. “I should be home by six,” she said.

He kissed her goodbye, and then continued typing. Yale held the door open for Pam, and then followed the woman out. Amy noticed the pained look on Yale’s face and she wondered if her friend would get into trouble for her stunt. After the door closed, Amy went into her bedroom and quietly shut the door behind her.

She flopped down on the bed and quickly forgot her mother’s medical advice. Instead she stared up at the stars and planets painted on the bedroom ceiling. She silently counted each star and gave each one a name, something she always did when she was trying to calm her nerves. Then she thought about the Union Academy again. It would be two more years before she would be old enough to apply. Not that she thought she could get in. Amy knew that her math grades weren’t high enough and that her language skills needed to improve. Still, she hoped that she could follow in her parents’ footsteps and graduate from the academy someday. Then she would study for her pilot’s license and try to get a job on a real spacecraft.

After dozing off and dreaming about the academy, Amy awoke to the sound of someone knocking on her door. She sat up and told the visitor to come in. Amy brightened when she saw Madison walk through the doorway. The 6’6” robot closed the door behind it and walked to the middle of the room. A briefcase dangled from the robot’s left hand. The sleek, dark green metallic machine was modeled on the human form. “I’m sorry I’m late,” it said. “Suzy Porter asked me to stop by and replace the Science data file she lost over the weekend.” Amy smiled at the familiar brass sound of her friend’s voice. Madison rested the briefcase on the desk that sat four feet away from the top of Amy’s bed. The robot took out a mini-comp and turned it on.

Madison was the first fully automated, sentient being to successfully emerge from the laboratory of a Union science group headed by biologist Stanley Greenland. Unfortunately for the group, they were not unable to duplicate that success with later models, nor were they ever able to explain why the androgynous Madison worked and those that followed didn’t. Amy believed that it was because Madison had a soul, an opinion not shared by anyone else.

Originally conceived as a supersoldier for the Union Defense Fleet, Madison was reassigned to Paldor after several Union Council members lost faith in Greenland’s work. The constant setbacks became too disheartening for the biologist, who then decided to retire after the Council cut off his funding. With no teachers living in the Pioneer Settlement, Madison was reprogrammed to tutor the students of various ages who resided with their parents in the small hamlet. Since none of the other kids were Amy’s age, Madison taught her privately. Amy felt honored to be among the robot’s pupils but she still wished that she could attend a regular school on Earth. Her father’s numerous assignments kept them moving from place to place and the Sutter family hadn’t been back to Earth in nearly four years.      

“We are going to start with Algebra today,” said Madison. The robot pulled a chair away from Amy’s desk, placed it against the wall and sat down in it. Another chair was pressed against the desk.

Amy plopped down in the empty chair and rolled her eyes. “Algebra is so boring,” she said. “Can’t we start with something else?” She picked up a pencil and started doodling on a small pad of paper. Without thinking, she began to sketch the outline of a spacecraft. Although she had never seen the real Liberty Bell, Amy could imagine what it looked like from having been in the simulator. When she finally realized what she was doing, she filled in the details of her sketch from what she thought the outside would look like.

“Please turn on your tutor-comp and go to page 43 of the math section,” said the robot. “We have a lot to cover this morning. Your last test score was very disappointing.” Amy frowned and put aside the sketch. She picked up her tutor-comp and sighed as she searched for the page. “Look at the first problem and tell me how to begin.”

Amy did as she was told and the duo spent the next hour deciphering the mysteries of Algebra. Then they moved on to History, Science, English and Social Studies. After the lessons ended, Madison packed up its teaching materials, while Amy sat on the bed and stared at the stars on her ceiling. “Why did this stupid war have to start?” she asked, looking over at the robot.

Madison zipped up the briefcase and sat down on the bed beside her. “You know all about that,” it said, shaking its head. Amy shrugged. “I don’t have anything new to tell you. Blaros was attacked and the Union fought back. It certainly is a terrible thing, this war.”

“Have you ever seen a Crownaxian?” asked Amy. The robot shook its head no. Amy leaned against the wall. “I know, I know, no one has ever actually seen one. But I hear that they want to take over every planet in the universe. And nobody can do anything to stop them.”

“Where did you hear that?” asked Madison.

Amy crossed her arms over her chest. “From some of the other kids. They say the Crows are mindless killing machines, just bred for war. And they’ll eat anything, even each other.” Amy grimaced. “That’s so gross. I hope I never have to see one of them. If I did, I think I would just die.” The words slipped out before she realized the gravity of them. “Oh, I don’t mean like the people at Blaros. I know that was tragic and all. But I’d be terrified to come up against a Crow unless I had a laser gun in my hand.”

Madison stood up and grabbed the briefcase. “I wonder what their children say about humans,” it said. The robot extended a hand and helped Amy stand up. The cold, metal surface of the robot’s hand made her shiver. She quickly let go and led the instructor to the door. Amy exited first and Madison followed her through the living room to the front door. Clayton walked over from the kitchen and thanked Madison before the robot left.

Author Bio: Steven Donahue was a copywriter for TV Guide magazine for 14 years. His first novel, Amanda Rio, was published in 2004. It has received critical acclaim from reviewers for Amazon.com and thebestreviews.com. Steven currently resides in Bucks County, PA with his wife, Dawn. He has two novels coming out in 2013: The Manila Strangler (Rainstorm Press) and Amy the Astronaut and the Flight for Freedom (Hydra Publications).

Links:

 http://www.stevendonahue.yolasite.com/  

http://www.amazon.com/Astronaut-Flight-Freedom-Steven-Donahue/dp/0615837638/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374192398&sr=1-1&keywords=amy+the+astronaut

Special Guest Blogger Dianne Gardner

Today's Special Guest is Author Dianne Gardner.

Enjoy & Comment!

What a wonderful experience! The research, the manuscript, the illustrations, and the friends I made! Take a peek at The Making of The Dragon Shield!

Dragon Shield is Live!

Making of The Dragon Shield

Ian's Realm: The Dragon Shield Book II

As a young man, Ian returns to the Realm to search for his father, and to fight against the tyranny that has befallen his friends. But the Realm is a different place, the forest is dying, the Kaermperns have lost the shield that protected them from the dragon, and Ian has a hard time proving his allegiance when trouble follows him through the portal. His struggle to do right buries him in confusion, and he must fight his own will to prove his integrity.

One would think that the term ‘research’ means to sit down with dusty old books piled to the ceiling (I’m getting a vision of Gandalf in the library of Gondor right at this moment), looking for facts written on some old crumpled paper. Sometimes that’s where research takes you. More often it gravitates you into a labyrinth of websites all connected throughout cyberspace with no real destination available, only more links.

Or you can research the fun way, like say, get to know some people that actually do the things you are writing about. Spread the word about your work in progress and the next thing you know you’ll be spinning a web of exciting experiences.

Speaking of which, I wonder why people are so secretive about their work in progress? I find if I talk about my ideas people come along side of me and help. Let them be part of the action, oftentimes what they have to offer is invaluable..

In any case, here is what my experiences were while writing The Ian’s Realm Trilogy.

From exploring a mile long lava tube under Mt. St. Helens, to constructing an ethnic yurt, or climbing aboard a tall ship and sailing the sea, and meeting some wonderful people in the process.

Here’s a little picture journal for you to enjoy. And then I hope you enjoy the books too.

 My thanks to Robert, Crystal and Stuart Odekirk for their warm hospitality and willingness to contribute to the Ian's Realm Series. Today,  my husband and I along with my granddaughter got a step by step instruction on the setting up of a traditional Mongolian Yurt. The yurt, for those of you following the story, is the central dwelling places of the primitive tribes of the Northern People of the Realm.

In the story The Tale of the Four Wizards-Meneka, we'll see the these yurts constructed for the first time.

And book 3

Rubies and Robbers 

"They peered out at the bay from behind the boulders. Well protected by the towering cliffs that formed the concave inlet, and where Aspen Creek trickled into the salty water, moored the Galliot. It’s mast and mizzenmast poked at the night in rhythm to the gentle rocking of the waters. The taste of salty air settled on his tongue as Ian listened to the night sounds; the creek splashing into the bay, the waves rolling gently on the sand, and the creaking of the ship, groaning as though in agony."

 -Rubies and Robbers, Book 3 The Ian's Realm Saga

 What's so exciting about research for Rubies and Robbers is that I was recently invited to chaperon an Educational trip for my granddaughter's class on the Hawaiian Chieftain, a gorgeous tall ship berthed at Gray's Harbor, WA, that does Educational Voyages for schools and other organizations. The wealth of information I learned on the trip is going to be slipped into Ian's voyage on The Treasure Seeker a Galliot owned by the unscrupulous seafaring mercenaries in the third and final book of the Trilogy.

Ian's Realm: Rubies and Robbers

In this third and final installment of the Ian's Realm Series, Ian has proven his abilities as a warrior and now the most dangerous battle begins, the battle against the power of evil. Ian must unravel the secrets of the mountain and discern who his real enemy is, the enemy both without and within. He tackles with the twelve year old boy who seems to hold the fate of the entire Realm in his hands, and yet the pressing Songs of Wisdom call for compassion in his dealings. Ian leads his men in the fight against the powers of darkness. But he must also be willing to sacrifice everything he ever hoped to have in order to save those he loves.
                 
Rubies and Robbers has ships. Tall ships. And for the illustrations and references you may see some paintings designed after these photos. Many many thanks to the crew of the Hawaiian Chieftain for their help and permission to use the many images I acquired that day. What you see here is only a taste.

“Do you see that boat?”

They looked out across the bay that glistened with the reflection of a thousand stars. Ian pointed at the southeastern shore. A seafaring vessel, its ebony profile barely visible against the deep blue of the ocean, sail glowing against the night sky, inched its way across the waters.

“It’s loaded with guns and ammunition, all of which will be ours by the time it arrives at Moor Cove.”

“Interesting. We’re hijacking the boat?” Jeppe groaned. “I remember the last sailing adventure we were on.” He made a face.

Do you really want to be in a Triberr Tribe? YES YOU DO!

I'm all about giving back. While I'm not the best person to ask about editing, I do know Social Media. I've put together this little instruction guide for Triberr and hope you all get some use out of it.

I've included my own personal Tribe, so if you'd like to join, please feel free...but you can find many publishers and other authors on Triberr looking for bloggers to promote.

If you have questions, shoot me an email and Happy Tribe-ing!

Triberr http://triberr.com/ is a blog amplification service that will help get your blog a bigger audience.

First you need a blog and your RSS feed, you can normally find this information in the settings of your blog.

You also need a Twitter or Facebook account. I suggest only using Twitter because when you join a Tribe, you can have up to as many as 50 blogs, and if you approve all posts, you will have 50 posts on your FB page.

After you have your Twitter & Blog information ready, log into Twitter, then go to the Triberr website and click Member Login, then Sign on with Twitter. It will set up automatically, but ask you for an email address too. Twitter will ask you if you want to connect Triberr to Twitter, allow access.

In settings, set up all your information, then click the TRIBAL STREAM. This will direct Triberr how to post your approved feeds. I suggest setting for an hour or more between posts, this will give your Twitter and nice stream of posts throughout the day with only spending two minutes setting it up now. Set up everything else in the section as you see fit.

Then click the My Blog tab. Set up your blog here with the RSS Feed.

My Social networks is where you would link your Twitter and/or Facebook to the Tribe.

Now, find tribes.

You can search for Tribes or use this link to join mine: http://triberr.com/pages/tribe-overview.php?tid=44815 (I just started it, so there may be no one there yet!)

Click FOLLOW. It will then ask you if you want to be promoted to a member, click YES.

At the very TOP of the webpage, you will see the HOME section, this is where you will see all the blogs from all the people in the Tribe. Unless you have a premium account, you will have to approve the posts you want to promote. You do not have to approve all of them if you feel the topic isn’t for your followers, but that is up to you. There is also a settings tab here for you to adjust the timing of your sent posts.

When you log in each day, you will see a list of blogs for your approval. You can also leave comments and messages to people within Triberr.

In the My Posts section, you can see how many times your blog post was sent out and check other stats as well.

You can also see which ones were sent, and resend blogs a second time for more exposure.

The Triberr posts from your blog will look similar to this: Teaser Tuesday with Erin Danzer http://goo.gl/Wj9Ot9  via @jennnixon

When you check your Mentions section in twitter, you will see how many times that post was sent by other Twitter friends. 

It really helps get your name out there!

Teaser Tuesday with Erin Danzer

Today's Teaser Tuesday is with Author Erin Danzer.

Enjoy!

Blurb:

Fifteen-year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Lambert wants to get out from under her older brother’s shadow. When Ronnie gets a tattoo and then is struck by lightning, she suddenly finds herself able to see and hear things in shadows that don’t appear to others. Then Ronnie meets Gavin Clearwater, the hot new guy in all of her classes and finds out he can see and hear the same things she can.

Gavin tells her about the Spiral Defenders, a group of warriors that travels through space and time to defend the planets of the Spiral. After meeting the Commander of the Spiral Defenders and realizing his intentions might not be pure, Ronnie struggles between following her destiny to become a Spiral Defender and trying to regain the life she had before being struck by lightning.

Excerpt:

Ronnie said good night and watched her mom walk down the hall that led to the master suite at the back of the house. Then she decided her mom had a great idea and pulled out her phone as she walked upstairs. She knew Andi would still be up; she had promised to call when she got home. She walked into her room and dropped her phone when something moved on her bed. Her eyes widened as the black shadow crossed the room with amazing speed and a human hand covered her mouth to keep her from screaming.

“I’ll let you go if you promise not to scream,” Gavin said in a low voice. She nodded.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she hissed as soon as he took his hand away. “Were you following me?”

He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, I was following you. I managed to slip by while you were making out on the porch and get passed your mom to get up here before you,” he pointed out. “Try again, Princess.”

She glared at him, a little unnerved by his close proximity. He may have removed his hand but he hadn't stepped back and she was starting to feel nervous having him so near. He was close enough to kiss. She closed her eyes as she realized this and wished he would move away. She didn’t even want to think about what that thought said about her.

“Problems, Princess?” he asked, a smirk evident in his voice. Her eyes flew open and she glared at him.

“Yeah, you,” she growled. “Why are you here?”

He finally stepped back, his trademark smirk in place as he looked her up and down. Ronnie tried not to squirm under his scrutiny. Her heart pounded as something she refused to acknowledge flashed in his eyes. He took another step back and she could breathe again. She stepped into her room enough to close the door behind her and then flipped on the overhead light, blinking in the sudden brightness. When her eyes finally adjusted, she saw that Gavin had reclaimed his place on her bed, sprawled over her pillows in a way that was entirely too inviting. She continued to glare at him.

“You know, I thought you had a good time tonight, Princess,” he commented. “You don’t look very happy.”

“I’m not; I had to come home and find you here. And you still haven’t told me why you’re here. You can’t just show up out of thin air.” She ran a hand over her hair and started pulling out the bobby pins that held it in place. She needed something to do before she entertained the thought of choking Gavin and throwing him out. He really knew how to ruin an evening. She crossed the room to sit at her vanity table and laid down the pins in her hand. She knew Andi had used close to two dozen; this was going to take a while.

“Consider me your guardian angel; I just wanted to make sure you got home all right,” he finally told her as he sat up.

“Well, I’m home safe and sound so you can leave.”

Buy Links

Amazon:

 http://www.amazon.com/Into-the-Spiral-ebook/dp/B00AA1O63Q/

AmazonUK:

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Into-the-Spiral-ebook/dp/B00AA1O63Q/

Add it to your Goodreads TBR list!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16283279-into-the-spiral

About the Author:

Erin Danzer wrote her first book at 10-years-old for a Young Authors competition, where she was awarded Into the Spiral is the first of a four book series. In addition to her novels, Erin writes a monthly short story serial, The Cassandra Serafin Chronicles, posting alternately on her blog and in Literary Lunes bi-monthly online magazine. Erin resides in Racine, Wisconsin, with her husband, two children, and their cat.

an Honorable Mention and discovered a passion for the written word. She’s written several novels and short stories since that spark ignited.

Social Media Links

Website: http://erindanzer.com

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/ErinDanzerYAAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/erindanzer

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3336797.Erin_Danzer

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/erindanzer/boards/

SUMMER BASH FREE EBOOKS!

I'll be back to blogging soon, I promise. In the mean time, check out Hydra Publication's FREE EBOOKJ Summer Bash, (they will be publishing Tiva Boon!) http://www.hydrapublications.com/hydra-summer-bash/