Today’s snippet is from my science fiction/space opera TRIAD. Here’s the basic story:

After five years of silence, the Arkosian space pirates are back to terrorize the sector where Trezanna Len fights to save her Solarii colony, a small group of Terran descendants settled on the planet Induna. To survive, the Solarii need assistance soon.

Trezanna could ask for help from the neighboring group called Dragonfleet, but its cruel leader Estrella Drake has been on a rampage to annex Solarii space. Estrella would never agree to an alliance with the Solarii. Or would she?

***

So for awhile, she agrees to an alliance. Things seem good. People relax and drink tea. But then….

SNIPPET:

The attack came without warning, without even a hint of danger. Estrella’s DragonFleet warriors appeared fully Veiled already over the base, strafing the compound with brutal rounds of laser fire.

“Battle stations!” Caught in his seat in the command center, Julian McKinley was the first stunned officer to react. “In case anyone hadn’t noticed,” he muttered. He sent the call basewide, then his feet hit the floor for the hangar bay.

Catava Rolon, hair wrapped tight, all business now, met Trezanna Len at the entry to C Wing as Trezanna exited the Commons, yanking on a leather flight jacket over her soft blue blouse.  “Is it Estrella?” she asked as the two of them ran the long way around.

 “Of course. She’s probably had this up her sleeve for some time, just waiting for an opportunity to use it as the Khimeyr’s welcome mat.”

***

Don’t they say women in the military work better together?

Or maybe Miss Estrella Drake just has some serious mental health issues. (I’d vote for this one!)

For more information on TRIAD, see my other blog or Amazon.com.  For more great snippets from sci-fi and fantasy authors from around the world, visit Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday this Saturday and every Saturday!!

Today’s snippet from me goes back a couple of years to one of my favorite books, THE ELF MAGE. The book is the third in the series, and begins in tragedy. The newborn son of the Elf Queen, Jelani Marsh and her consort, Astan Hawk, has been abducted, and the clan is in chaos. Jelani and Astan have left the clan lands, hiding in a cabin that belonged to Jelani’s human father until they can decide what best to do. But one thing they agree on in perfect clarity:

***

What to do? How would they find him?

            Holding her cold hands near the edge of the cookstove’s blue flame, she stared at the water, watched the bubbles come to the surface in the small pan, the steam rising above it. Her arms ached to hold Elliun. She sensed Astan behind her just before his arms encircled her waist, pulling her close to him.

            “We’ll find him, denami.”

            The emotions swirling in her gut lay far from his comforting reassurances; her instincts cried out for violence.  “We’ll find Grigor, too, and we’ll destroy him for real this time.”

            His voice in her ear held an edge of cold ice. “He will not live.”

***

The tale continues through the winter lands in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, as they track their missing son and others seek to either build the clan back together or tear it down once and for all.

Is it enough to say that the solution to the whole mess comes at the hands of one Kevin-Smith like computer geek and his World of Warcraft avatar? Perhaps.

For more information on this series, click the tab above.

Still working on the Horizon Crossover series–but I expect to turn book two in to my editor this weekend (Yay!), and I’m so grateful she has been understanding of how my life has changed this year. Book three, HORIZON DYNASTY, is underway.

Let’s hope everything is back on track. Relationship and health issues and legal issues just…suck.  :)

For more fascinating snippets, do stop by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Saturday site. Each week there’s a whole new buffet of bites and bytes all for your reading pleasure.

Lane moved toward the door faster than he could remember moving anywhere for a long time, stopping short when he caught sight of Astan, holding an unconscious Jelani in his arms, both of them wet and dirt-streaked. “Come in, come in.”

            He and Kevin took the woman from Astan, the two of them half-tripping over each other as they carried her into the living room. It was Iris’ turn to vacate the couch so they had somewhere to put Jelani.

            “Iris?” Astan asked in bewilderment.

            “Oh, honey, here’s your baby—he’s safe.” Iris handed the baby to his father, who stumbled, mouth gaping in shock.

            “Germs!” groaned Crispy, still hiding in the kitchen. A roll of paper towels flew in from the kitchen. “Wet wipes.”

Have you read the Clan Elves’ series yet? Three books are in print/in ebook form now, and the fourth volume THE ELF GUARDIAN will be released in the next several months.

The series is geared for both YA and adult readers, with plenty of action, an unexpected love story, mystery, suspense and whimsy as well. The varied cast of characters, flawed, broken, yet also heroic, rising above their limitations to overcome magical odds they never imagined they’d encounter, are inspiring, and some of my personal favorites.

Have you heard of Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday? It’s a wonderful place to become acquainted with a number of new writers brave enough to put snippets of their work out there for people to read. The description on-site is ” a close-knit group of friends and colleagues working together to support and encourage one another and promote the science fiction and fantasy genres.” I’ve made new writer friends through the site for sure, and I invite you to come check it out every Saturday! This week’s posts will be found here, and will take you into the farthest reaches of space and the wildest places of fantastical imagination. Bring your hot beverage choice and settle in for a delightful buffet of snippets. :)

EXCERPT:

Concentrate, damn it. If you don’t get this right, those old witches will eat your liver or something. Turn you into a newt for real this time.
He bent down with a grunt and set the running computer on the bare dirt. Connected to the magic of the clan lands, it immediately whirred into a higher gear, and he could sense it was doing something. Now he had to see if it was doing what was needed.
“Hear, o elf clan of the Bitterroot, hear your technomage at work holding up his end of the bargain. Ah…Presto chango, Shazzam, Abracadabra, A la peanut butter sandwiches, hickory, dickory dock, shazbot, um, make it so!”
Having exhausted his repertoire of magic incantations, he stepped back, held his breath and waited.

Find out more about THE ELF QUEEN, THE ELF CHILD and THE ELF MAGE at the tabs above, or at http://lyndialexander.wordpress.com. You can buy the books at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and a host of other sources–find them at Dragonfly Publishing, Inc.

Find more great science fiction and fantasy snippets at Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday’s main page. I love this group of authors–what great imaginations!

Lane Donatelli, a World of Warcraft addict and child abuse survivor, has a laptop that has been infused with magic by little Max, an albino elf of the Montana clan. When his elf friends are threatened by a Big Bad in the forest, Lane resolves to use his online skills, if he can. It happens in a way he never anticipated….

He was on his feet in a moment and the two of them followed Max into the living room. There, in the center of the small space, stood a seven-foot tall green Orc with every one of those teeth he’d warned Max about. “Sweet Jesus,” Lane said.
Just then, the bathroom door opened and Crispy walked out, wrapped in his thick blue terry bathrobe that covered him from throat to ankles. When he saw what was between him and Lane, he stared, his eyebrow snaking up in annoyance.
“Don’t worry, Crisp,” Lane said, but the words didn’t come out in his voice, from his mouth, but instead, they came from Xiomar, in a deep booming voice that reverberated off the walls.
“Really? Smelly green monsters? I’m not cleaning it up when he poops on the floor.” Crispy turned around and walked to the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Find more snippets from other wonderful authors at Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday!