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.

  Book Four of the Clan Elves of the Bitterroot series picks up several years after the other three, and involves a climate/earth shift crisis in the Montana mountains:

The strong Earth energies that support the Clan Elves of the Bitterroot have gone awry for unknown reasons, and the powerful forces at work have not gone unnoticed by the outside world.

When a paranormal investigator looking for a story to save her career is told a fantastic tale by the juvenile and disobedient elf prince Elliun, his young albino elf bodyguard Max must try to fix the mistake.

Can Max get  humans, mages, and elves working together in time to save the land before the energies spin out of control? Or is this the end of the elven world in the Bitterroot Mountains?

I’ve posted previous snippets from this book introducing readers to the paranormal investigator, Chiara diLuna, and I think people are still prepared to like her.

Today’s snippet, though, goes back to the close relationship between humans Lane and Crispy, who are friends of the elf queen, as they’re on their way to warn the clan about the investigator’s arrival. Both of them grew up in foster care, and they have some…issues. But this bit tends to define how they feel about each other:

***

“You can do anything—you have the protection of the elves and the magic laptop. You can even kill evil elf usurpers! And you’re just….” Crispy struggled for the right words. “You’ve always taken care of me, Lane. Even when I was at my most lost, you could always find me. Whatever life gives you, you always throw it back in its face. Nothing ever gets to you.” A small smile came to him. “I want to be you when I grow up.”

***

This pair are some of my favorite creations ever, and they’re in every book of the Clan Elves series. I confess Lane actually took over THE ELF MAGE. But how else can you deal with a Kevin-Smith-like computer geek with a passion for Creamy Cupcakes and a tolerance for all flavors of crazy?

Find out more about THE ELF GUARDIAN here or at my other blog, Lyndi Alexander and her Worlds of Fancy . It’s available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, Smashwords, Apple iTunes and more!

For more delicious snippets from authors around the world, stop back at Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday and enjoy!

Whatever was about to happen, Astan was sure she was at the center of it. He’d discovered over the years that Djana and the women didn’t gather without good cause.

            Why does Nana push me toward this girl?

            One of his grandmother’s favorite sayings came to mind: The best weapon against ignorance is the search for knowledge.

            Astan set his mind and his heart on that search, and went back downstairs. He pulled a chair away from the table, turned it so he could straddle it, and studied his grandmother intently.

            She was smiling before she even looked in his direction. “So, you finally want to know who she is. It’s about time.”

What he discovers changes his future forever, and indeed, the future of the whole elf clan.

Read another excerpt here, and see the book trailer here.

Here’s the blurb:  Clan Elves of the Bitterroot – Book I:
At her friend’s coaxing, Jelani tries on a real glass slipper left lying on the sidewalk. When she steps into the shoe it shatters, cutting her foot. As blood trickles to the pavement and mingles with the broken glass, dozens of two-inch high creatures emerge and then scurry away into the shadows. As if that was not bizarre enough, soon sheis approached by two mysterious and very handsome men claiming (of all things) to be elves who need Jelani’s help to rescue their queen. More revelations come, threatening to unravel the life of this sassy barista from Missoula, Montana. Jelani must come to grips with the idea that elves are not just creatures from a fairy tale. They are alive and living in the forests of the Bitterroot Mountains….

  THE ELF QUEEN is followed by THE ELF CHILD, THE ELF MAGE, and coming in 2013, THE ELF GUARDIAN, all from Dragonfly Publishing. You can order them at any online book distributor or a print copy at your favorite indie bookseller!

 Learn more at Lyndi’s other webpage: http://lyndialexander.wordpress.com

For more great science fiction and fantasy snippets, visit the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday page–always someone new to read. You might discover your favorite new author!

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. :)

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!