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Channel: Escapee – Ed Hoornaert (Mr. Valentine)
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Effing Feline keeps it simple

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I, Effing Feline, am going to keep this holiday season simple — and the Simple Truth is that Christmas is for cats. Here’s proof:

In Mr. Valentine’s recently released sci fi romance novel, Escapee, enemies have invaded the mining moon where Catt Sayer, a civilian pilot, makes her living flying supplies on a decrepit airship. A lone survivor, Captain Dukelsky, who wants her to fly her airship to the far side of the moon to attack the enemy’s base.

To avoid this suicide mission, Catt jettisons the cannon he planned to use for the attack — thus killing the last military option he had. He’s totally dependent on Catt’s hospitality and piloting skill; his only alternative is to leave the airship for the moon’s unbreathable air. The man of action has no actions left, and thus no purpose. He withdraws into himself — and that affects her deeply.

If he’d argued or ranted, the anger he roused would’ve insulated her from her own guilt, but silence . . . ah, silence was much worse. Silence gave her time to think. To realize the enormity of what she’d done. To make her wonder if she would ever grow up enough to stop rebelling against patroons. To wallow in the realization she was no longer the innocent party, put upon to do the impossible. She was now the wrongdoer.

She wanted him to speak so she could answer and explain herself, yet she dreaded what he’d say — and so she avoided him, doubling the unlikelihood of them talking out their concerns. They existed in separate bubbles of silence, sharing only the air they breathed, more isolated than if they existed on separate planets.

Night came. Darkness swathed the cabin, thanks to the howling storm. But even in the dark, she imagined his gaze boring into the vulnerable tissues of her heart.

Effing Feline here again. It’s disgraceful, really, how cats got edited out of the Christmas story. Cows, sheep . . . sure they were there — but what about the cats who kept mice from taking over the animals food? CATS WERE THERE! Furthermore, a tabby brought frankincense for the baby, a Siamese brought gold, and a manx brought gold. It’s the Simple Truth. Just ask your own cat!

Be sure to check out the other great writers in Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.

Escapee

Book 2 in the Repelling the Invasion series

A Disillusioned Soldier
Hector Dukelsky, an upper-class career officer, yearns to fight a righteous war instead of defending corporate interests on Banff, an isolated mining moon torn by volcanoes. That dream seems dead when his entire command is slaughtered while he’s on leave. He returns to smoldering rubble, with no chance to survive let alone strike back at the enemy.

A Pilot with a Chip on Her Shoulder
Catt Sayer, a working-class fugitive from the law, earns a meager income carrying supplies on a decrepit airship, but her hard-won career vanishes when invaders capture Banff. While searching for survivors, she rescues Hector and flies him to safety. But he doesn’t want safety. He wants her to risk her life on a hopeless trek to attack the enemy headquarters.

A Dying Moon
Catt is sure Banff will kill them long before the enemy can, yet she agrees to Hector’s mad scheme, certain he’ll quit after experiencing one of the moon’s eruptions or ferocious storms. But he doesn’t quit, and his noble dream—and his love—conquer her heart. She pits her life and love against Banff’s lethal environment, even though the only reward for success will be the opportunity to face 10,000 enemy warriors.


Effing Feline sits on Buddha’s lap #wewriwa

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Photos: DepositPhotos

I, Effing Feline, love the extra laps that Christmas brings. Ed’s children have come home for Christmas from Toronto (2 of them) and Amsterdam, traveling over 10,000 miles one way just to let me sit on their laps. I heartily approved — and I’m a connoisseur of the very finest of human laps!

Today is the next to last snippet from Ed’s recently released sci fi romance novel, Escapee. 

The lone army survivor of an enemy invasion, Captain Dukelsky, wants Catt to fly her airship to the far side of the moon to attack the enemy’s base. To avoid this suicide mission, she jettisons the cannon he planned to use for the attack. The man of action has no actions left, and thus no purpose. He withdraws into himself — and that affects her deeply. But during the middle of the night, he finally opens up about his deeper reason for wanting to fight the invaders. (Edited slightly from the published version.)

“I need to strike a meaningful blow against the enemy, because this is something I’ve wanted for years now without quite realizing it.”

She answered slowly, not sure she could bear to hear this: “What was it you wanted?”

“A righteous war.”

“I don’t understand.” Why’d she say that? She didn’t want to know, didn’t want to learn about him so he became more than a stick figure, a symbol of every patroon who had made her family’s life miserable.

“My parents and grandparents and great-grandparents were all soldiers, and along with my mother’s milk, I drank in the glory of duty. But the thing is, duty isn’t all glory. When you’re a soldier, the cause you serve is chosen by politicians and senior officers for reasons of policy, not morality. Until the Proxies invaded, I was supporting Banff’s big mining companies, not defending the homeland or fighting for good over evil.”

Effing Feline here again. I’ve gotta hurry away now. So many laps to purr on, so little time!

Be sure to check out the other great writers in Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.

Effing Feline’s holiday wishes to one and all:

“Merry Christmas and bah humbug.
Now get this stupid hat off me!” 

 

Effing Feline say “woo hoo!” #wewriwa

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I, Effing Feline, look forward to leaving dusty old 2018. I’m allergic to dust and Mr Valentine, my pet human says dust makes me sneeze in the cutest little way. A majestic feline like me hates doing anything in a little way.

But there’s another reason I look forward to the new year. Stay tuned and I’ll tell you after this word from our sponsor.

Brace yourselves, folks and pull out your hankies, because this is the last snippet — the very last — from Ed’s recently released sci fi romance, Escapee. So use that hankie to wipe away your tears at that sad thought. Or blow your nose — whatever. Here is why Catt agrees to fly Hank on a suicide mission to attack the invader’s HQ. Edited to fit the guidelines.

Catt took a deep breath, the kind she used to take before skinny dipping into a cold lagoon, and spoke in a brusque voice. “I’ll take you to Norquay, or die trying. Uh, I guess I shouldn’t have tacked on those last few words. What I’m trying to say is, I’ve always responded to injustice by running away from it, but maybe I should take a stand. You know, fight a righteous war. Good against evil.”

“Or die trying?”

“Mere existence is overrated. A person has to have something to live for, and for me, it’s been keeping this tub flying and supporting my mother and sister. With no one to carry supplies to or buy fuel from, I won’t be able to do either. I’m not a hero or anything, but it’s just that . . . well, I guess I need a new goal in life.”

Effing Feline here again. I said I’d tell you the other reason I’m looking forward to 2019. You see, all year long I’ve been stashing bits of catnip when Ed wasn’t looking — and since he’s nursing a broken rib, he won’t be able to move fast enough to keep me from indulging. Come New Year’s Eve, I’m gonna get smashed. Or, as us cats say, CLAWED! Woo hoo!

Be sure to check out the other great writers in Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday.

Escapee

Book 2 in the Repelling the Invasion series

Catt Sayer just wants to survive.  The working-class fugitive delivers military supplies on a decrepit airship, but her hard-won livelihood vanishes when invaders overrun her harsh moon. Even worse, an idealistic, upper-class officer wants her to risk her life on a hopeless trek to attack enemy headquarters – manned by 10,000 soldiers.

 

 

 

Free? Really? #mfrwauthor

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Free? Really?

Looking for some great books to read this weekend? Let me draw your attention to a pair of giveaways from Prolific Works (aka the website formerly known as Instafreebie).

The Science Fiction Romance Giveaway includes my own award-winning novel, Escapee.

Catt Sayer just wants to survive.  The working-class fugitive delivers military supplies on a decrepit airship, but her hard-won livelihood vanishes when invaders overrun her harsh moon. Even worse, an idealistic, upper-class officer wants her to risk her life on a hopeless trek to attack enemy headquarters – manned by 10,000 soldiers.

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The Portals – First in series giveaway, sponsored by Australia’s Patty Jansen, whom some of you may know, features Alien Contact for Idiots, the first book in my science fiction series of the same name.

What’s a woman gonna do when she’s quarantined with an out-of-this-world alien?

After Ell Harmon, a take-charge Seattle biologist, makes first alien contact, she finds herself quarantined with a prince from the future. Is he the man of her dreams? Or a conqueror with unimaginable weapons? She’s about to find out. The hard way.

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