Alien Mate Experiment by Zenobia Renquist (New release spotlight, excerpt) ADULT title

I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post from author Zenobia Renquist, who shares a little insight about her new story...



ZR:  Romance and I were estranged for two years. It was hard to see the HEA through the mire of life. And then I read Alien, Mine by Sandra Harris and Rescued by an Alien by Amanda Milo. There were a bunch of other books I read too, but those two resonated with me. Suddenly, I wanted to write a story with an alien hero who wasn’t just a tall human in space. He needed to be other. Very other.

My first thought was a reptile. You can’t get much more other than that. Well, you can but I wasn’t going to go that far. My brainstorming session turned in a writing session, and the next thing I knew, I was writing the entire story to the detriment of all else. Nothing was more important than finishing this book, and that included making dinner. There were a lot of insta-meals and delivery pizzas that week.

Yes, I said week. It took me a week (give or take a day or two) to finish Alien Mate Experiment. That was how badly I wanted this story to be written. It was amazing to feel that pull again after so long without—the absolute need to write about these two characters and how they ended up together. Romance returned, and it brought book ideas with it. Lots and lots of alien abducted women and strong, alpha Paranormal men who will have their books written in the near future.




*************************************



Alien Mate Experiment
by
Zenobia Renquist
is an ADULT title


- Genre: SciFi Alien Abduction Romance
- Price: $3.99 (ebook), $11.99 (print)
- Release Date: 19 Nov 2017
- Length: 69,800 words, 186 pages
- Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63475-058-5
- Print ISBN: 978-1-63475-059-2



Blurb:

Abducted from her world and dropped onto his, she’s as alien to him as he is to her. That doesn’t mean they can't have some fun with their differences.

Semeera needs a plan for starting her life over. After divorcing a controlling husband, she’s ready to enjoy freedom at last. Too bad she gets abducted by aliens before she can decide her next move.

Captain Kader is an alien warrior trapped in a dead-end assignment where he will never see battle again. There are no more challenges to his life, no chances for glory. And then a dangerous experiment brings him an unexpected visitor who changes everything.

They are as different from each other as night and day, but those differences only entice Semeera and Kader into finding out just how physically compatible they are. What should have been a little fun causes the resurgence of a disease long thought extinguished.

If Semeera triggered it in Kader, will others succumb? And will the scientists be able to get past Kader to find out? Most importantly, can a beautiful black woman really love an alien male with scales, claws, and a tail?



Excerpt:
 
Instead of the elevator, they headed left through a different door and walked… and walked… and walked… and good Lord, how big was this fucking ship?
 
Semeera didn’t ask the question aloud because she’d been the one to ask for an alternative to the elevator. She just hadn’t known she would be walking a marathon instead.
 
Captain Kader said, “The main thoroughfare of the ship is built on a spiral around the perimeter.”
 
She stopped and slumped against the nearest wall, catching her breath. “I give up. Let’s just use the elevator. I’m too out of shape for all this walking.”
 
“I could carry you.”
 
“Don’t tempt me.”
 
“It is no hardship. You weigh next to nothing.”
 
Semeera gave him a huge smile. “You are so good for my ego.” An ego that had been trampled too many times by her ex’s callous comments about her eating less and exercising more so she didn’t crush him—his phrasing—when she rolled onto him in bed.
 
The first time he’d said that to her she should have divorced him. Insensitive asshole. She’d almost developed an eating disorder because of him. And she blamed him for her post-divorce weight gain because she’d eaten everything she’d been denied to celebrate. And lots of it.
 
Captain Kader extended his hand.
 
She shook her head and straightened. “Nope. I’m good. But thanks for offering.”
 
“You’re welcome.” He gestured to the side. “The elevator is this way.”
 
Once they were inside, with her clinging to his arm once again, she said through clenched teeth, “I will not be able to continue doing this—riding this elevator—after lunch. Fair warning.”
 
“Noted. I shall carry you then.” 

“You don’t—”
 
“I will not allow you to overexert yourself. Nor do I want Doctor Gyan berating me for causing you harm.”
 
She met his determined green gaze and almost melted into a puddle of lust on the spot. Of course she wanted him to carry her. She was ready to climb him right then, but for different reasons. “Well, fine. If you’re gonna be all logical about it,” she said in a mock huffy tone as the elevator came to an abrupt halt.
 
“I shall.”
 
She gave his arm a squeeze before letting him go and stepping into a gym. “Wow.”
 
The equipment and the people using it were impressive. The usual suspects of treadmills and weight machines were present. But the people using the treadmills were running at speeds that made their legs blur and the weights on the machines were massive.
 
“I’m pretty sure everything in here can kill me.”
 
“I agree. Please refrain from using them.”
 
“Hey!” She smacked his arm and then regretted it as the sting radiated through her hand. Shaking it out, she said, “You’re supposed to be encouraging and tell me all I need is time to get used to it as part of my acclimation.”
 
“I would rather be realistic. Your first assessment is an accurate one. You will not be allowed to use any of the machines.” There was a finality in his voice that left no room for argument.
 
“Not even the treadmills?”
 
He glanced at them and then smirked at her. “They don’t go that slow.”
 
“Wait a damn minute. I am not slow.”
 
“Whatever speed we were walking earlier, if not slow, is not a speed the treadmills go.”
 
She laughed. “Fine. Fine. Whatever. But I’m not slow. Your legs are just a lot longer than mine, making you naturally faster.”
 
“This is true of all khartarns, which is why no machine made for us will ever be slow enough for you.”
 
Still laughing, she said, “I take back what I said about you being good for my ego.”
 
“Your ego should not be so fragile that the truth hurts it.”
 
She sobered with a small nod. “You’re right. It shouldn’t.”
 
Captain Kader’s expression turned worried. “Artist Sssemeera, my teasing went too far. Forgiveness.”
 
“No, you don’t have to apologize. It’s not you. Just old ghosts haunting me.” She inhaled a cleansing breath to banish her demon ex’s admonishments to eat less and exercise more and then looked around as a familiar scent hit her nose. “Is that salt water I smell?”
 
“Yes, the heated pool.”
 
“You have a saltwater pool?”
 
“This way.” Captain Kader led her deeper into the gym to the pool.
 
The massive pool. She really needed a new word to describe everything the khartarns had. Their height dictated everything be big compared to what she was used to, but this pool was at least twice the size of an Olympic one, and appeared way deeper.
 
Several people swam laps, streaking through the water with their bodies stretched out and their arms at their sides, almost resembling thick snakes.
 
“They’re fast.”
 
Captain Kader regarded them. “Are they?” His tone was less than impressed.
 
“You saying you’re faster?”
 
“Yes.”
 
His superior tone shouldn’t have pricked her nerves, but the earlier banter about the exercise machines was still with her. She put her hands on her hips and gave him a look of challenge. “Prove it.”
 
Without the least bit of hesitation, Captain Kader stripped down to shorts that resembled boxer briefs—YOWZA!—and leapt into the pool, barely causing a ripple. He slid through the water like a bullet. Not only did he catch up to the other swimmers who were past the halfway point, he lapped them and was headed back to her before they’d even touched the far edge of the pool.
 
He surfaced and gripped the edge of the pool, looking up at her. “Satisfactory?”
 
Eyes wide and still trying to process what she’d just seen, she said in a breathy voice, “Amazing.” Goosebumps prickled her skin, and she hugged her arms. “Oh my God, that was beyond… anything. Do it again.”
 
He pushed off the wall and was off with serpentine grace. Even with the slower start, he still shot through the water and made it back to her at the same time as the swimmers he’d lapped the first time.
 
They stared at him in as much awe and admiration as Semeera did. Some voiced words of praise that Captain Kader ignored as he stared at her. Waiting. But for what?
 
If she said to do it again, would he? But that was silly. He couldn’t be trying to impress her. And to prove that point, she held up one finger and asked, “One more time?”


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Author Bio

Zenobia Renquist (aka D. Reneé Bagby) is an Air Force brat turned Air Force wife, she was born in Europe, has lived in Japan and in several states of the US, including Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, California, Maryland and Hawaii.
She moved a lot in her younger years and remembers all too well being the new kid in fish-out-of-water situations. But those experiences only made her better able to adapt, as well they gave her a love of travel, preferring road trips over flying.
Turning her favorite pastime into her career, Renee loves to build worlds and torture her characters for the enjoyment of her readers. She can’t fill everyday with writing alone, and also enjoys watching anime, reading manga, crocheting, knitting (yarn and mail), and binging shows on Netflix. She’s a Whovian (David Tennant for the win!), a trekkie (DS9 because Odo rocked), and a fan of pretty much every Marvel live action movie and DCU animated movie.
She has a wacky imagination and tends to write all over the place. In order to keep up, she only asks one thing—Leave Your Reality Behind to Discover Different and Unique Romance & Erotica.

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Rarity From the Hollow by Robert Eggleton (guest post and spotlight)

Author Robert Eggleton is back to share a guest post on...

“what a long, strange trip it’s been” – Grateful Dead

My Journey as a Children’s Advocate and Debut Novelist

by Robert Eggleton

I’m a retired children’s psychotherapist and have worked in the field of children’s advocacy for over forty years. Rarity from the Hollow is my debut novel. Although I’ve dreamed of becoming a famous author since early adolescence, most of my writing has been nonfiction within my field. In 2002, I accepted a job as a children’s psychotherapist for an intensive day treatment program at our local mental health center. Many of the kids in the program had been abused, some sexually. Part of my job was to facilitate group therapy sessions.

One day in 2006, during a group therapy session, I was sitting around a table used for written therapeutic exercises, and a little girl with stringy, brown hair sat a few feet away. Instead of just disclosing the horrors of her abuse at the hands of the meanest daddy on Earth, she also spoke of her hopes and dreams for the future: finding a permanent and loving family that would protect her. This girl – her resiliency and determination -- was inspiring. I began to write fiction in the evenings and sometimes went to work the next day without enough sleep. I balanced my two compelling interests, writing fiction and child welfare, by deciding to donate half of author proceeds to the prevention of child maltreatment.

Looking back, I got lucky. Two or three query letters to publishers and six months of editing later, the original edition of Rarity from the Hollow was published by a traditional eBook publisher in 2006. My luck didn’t hold. A month after its release, Fatcat Press went defunct. Dozens of queries to publishers later, my debut novel was out-of-print until the project was picked up in late 2012 by a traditional small press, and a month of more editing later, Rarity from the Hollow was released as an eBook and paperback.

That’s when the real work began – self-promotion. I had no idea what I was doing. The original edition of my novel had received a few glowing reviews, including one by The Missouri Review, a few blurbs by prominent authors, and, I guess that I thought that the book would be somehow “discovered.” I soon realized that Dog Horn Publishing, while it had paid for all costs associated with release of my novel, had next to no advertising budget. In hindsight, I made one mistake after another for the next several months without much progress. I self-promoted on blogs that didn’t have a specific thread for that purpose, wasted time submitting review requests to abandoned blogs using an outdated list of book reviewers….

Next, my project hit a major glitch.  Although I was learning from my mistakes – my pitch for a book review continued to improve, and I began to also request that book bloggers consider other options to promote my project if they were too busy to review: spotlights, author interviews, guest posts and articles, and on May 29, 2015, Rarity from the Hollow received the first of a long string of glowing reviews by independent book blog reviewers. http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/05/review-rarity-from-the-hollow-robert-eggleton/ But, this review also noted “confusion” and head hopping. I was confused by the reviewer’s finding. Upon investigation, I discovered that, due to a formatting error, the italics for the internal dialogue in my story had been omitted. The Dog Horn editor commented on Amazon about it. He took full responsibility for the error and publicly committed to correction of the problem.

On June 13, 2015, another glowing review of Rarity from the Hollow was published but with a similar finding about attribution of head thoughts. https://ghbooks.wordpress.com/2015/06/13/rarity-from-the-hollow-is-rare-indeed/ And, on July 19, 2015, another high praise review was published in the last issue of the print-only Tales of the Talisman  Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 4. This time, the editor of Dog Horn Publishing emailed the editor of the magazine to explain the situation – that what had been reviewed was an Advance Review Copy (ARC). It didn’t make a difference. The last issue of the magazine was already at the printer. From that point on, I modified my already too long pitch for a book review to include that my novel was an ARC and why.

Despite the formatting problem, the ARC of Rarity from the Hollow was awarded two Gold Medals by major book review organizations, was named one of the best releases of 2015 by a Bulgaria book critic, was a Top Pick for 2016 on a book blog, and received twenty-six five star reviews and forty-three four star reviews by independent book review bloggers on Amazon. After a decade of trials and tribulations and another round of editing, the final edition paperback version of Rarity from the Hollow was released on November 3, 2016. The eBook was released on December 5, 2016.

During my long journey as a debut novelist, I’ve decided to give up more times than I could count. Each time, I’ve remembered the determination of the real-life Lacy Dawn, the girl that I met in the group therapy session who inspired the creation of my protagonist. Then, the 2016 U.S. Presidential Primaries heated up and I realized that Rarity from the Hollow was the first, perhaps the only, science fiction adventure to specifically predict the rise of Donald Trump to political power -- parody with no political advocacy one side or any other. I knew that its readers find out how Lacy Dawn convinced Mr. Rump (Bernie Sanders) to help talk Mr. Prump (Donald Trump) into saving the universe. My story felt too important to just walk away from. It includes pressing issues that are still being debated today, including illegal immigration and the refuge crisis, an issue that several European commentators have compared to cockroach infestation; extreme capitalism / consumerism vs. domestic spending for social supports; sexual harassment….

Mr. Prump in my story was a projection of Donald Trump based on the TV show, The Apprentice. The counterpart, Mr. Rump, was based on my understanding of positions held by Bernie Sanders as I wrote it. Part of the negotiations in the story occur in the only high rise on planet Shptiludrp (Shop Until You Drop), a giant shopping mall and the center of economic governance, now easily identifiable as Trump Tower. The allegory was not addressed by ARC reviewers of the novel because so few people worldwide considered Donald Trump to be a serious political contender until the primary elections in the U.S. The parody is obvious now that Donald Trump has become a household name.

While I included no political advocacy in Rarity from the Hollow, both the 2017 House and Senate versions of the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act have caused me to feel great personal concern. Given the deep cuts in Medicaid that have been proposed and which will, if implemented, further victimize child victims, the nonprofit agency to which half of author proceeds are donated for the prevention of child maltreatment – this agency needs all the help that it can get, especially now. How could I give up without feeling very guilty?

Last, of all the wonderful contributors to this project over the years, the great reviews – two book reviews touched my soul. No, I didn’t mean that these two reviews most touched my heart, or that they were my favorite reviews of Rarity from the Hollow.

On January 6, 2017, the first review of the final edition of Rarity from the Hollow was published, five stars. The closing lines were: "…Brilliant satires such as this are genius works of literature in the same class as Orwell’s 'Animal Farm.' I can picture American Lit professors sometime in the distant future placing this masterpiece on their reading list." https://marcha2014.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/5-stars-for-rarity-from-the-hollowby-robert-eggleton/  A couple of months later: “…It feels timeless, classic and mature in way that would ensure its longevity if more people knew about it… a distinctive approach to the adult-fairytale/modern-retelling sub-genre…I would even say it could be read in a college setting both for the craft itself and its unique brand of storytelling. The premise is brilliant." https://taylaroi.wordpress.com/2017/04/04/rarity-from-the-hollow-by-robert-eggleton-a-revised-book-review/  

The ending of one long, strange trip represents the beginning of another. Rarity from the Hollow now has 102 reviews on Amazon, none of which were posted by friends or family – all by book bloggers.  

For a limited time, the eBook version of Rarity from the Hollow is on sale for $2.99 and the Paperback is on sale for $16.99.


Author's proceeds contribute to the prevention of child maltreatment: http://www.childhswv.org/

                                                      

   

Blurb

Lacy Dawn's father relives the Gulf War, her mother's teeth are rotting out, and her best friend is murdered by the meanest daddy on Earth. Life in the hollow is hard. She has one advantage -- an android was inserted into her life and is working with her to cure her parents. But, he wants something in exchange. It's up to her to save the Universe. Lacy Dawn doesn't mind saving the universe, but her family and friends come first.

Rarity from the Hollow is adult literary science fiction filled with tragedy, comedy and satire. A Children’s Story. For Adults.

“The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in years.”

—Temple Emmet Williams, Author, former editor for Reader’s Digest

“Quirky, profane, disturbing… In the space between a few lines we go from hardscrabble realism to pure sci-fi/fantasy. It’s quite a trip.”

—   Evelyn Somers, The Missouri Review

. "…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy…what I would have thought impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse…tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…profound…a funny book that most sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy." -- Awesome Indies (Gold Medal)

“…sneaks up you and, before you know it, you are either laughing like crazy or crying in despair, but the one thing you won’t be is unmoved…a brilliant writer.” --Readers’ Favorite (Gold Medal)

“Rarity from the Hollow is an original and interesting story of a backwoods girl who saves the Universe in her fashion. Not for the prudish.” —Piers Anthony, New York Times bestselling author

“…Good satire is hard to find and science fiction satire is even harder to find.” -- The Baryon Review

"…Brilliant satires such as this are genius works of literature in the same class as Orwell’s 'Animal Farm.' I can picture American Lit professors sometime in the distant future placing this masterpiece on their reading list." -- Marcha’s Two-Cents Worth

"…I know this all sounds pretty whack, and it is, but it's also quite moving. Lacy Dawn and her supporting cast - even Brownie, the dog - are some of the most engaging characters I've run across in a novel in some time…."  -- Danehy-Oakes, Critic whose book reviews often appear in the New York Review of Science Fiction

"… The author gives us much pause for thought as we read this uniquely crafted story about some real life situations handled in very unorthodox ways filled with humor, sarcasm, heartfelt situations and fun." -- Fran Lewis: Just Reviews/MJ Magazine

Half of author's proceeds are donated to Children’s Home Society of West Virginia for the prevention of child maltreatment

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About the author:

Robert Eggleton has served as a children's advocate in an impoverished state for over forty years. Locally, he is best known for his nonfiction about children’s programs and issues, much of which was published by the West Virginia Supreme Court where he worked from1982 through 1997. Today, he is a retired children's psychotherapist from the mental health center in Charleston, West Virginia, where he specialized in helping victims cope with and overcome maltreatment and other mental health concerns. Rarity from the Hollow is his debut novel. Its release followed publication of three short Lacy Dawn Adventures in magazines. Author's proceeds support the prevention of child maltreatment.

 

Alien in Chief by Gini Koch (review)

Alien in Chief

by Gini Koch

Blurb:

As Kitty can tell you, it’s not easy being the wife of the vice president—especially not when he’s an alien from the Alpha Centauri system. But she and her A-C husband, Jeff, have learned how to roll with whatever life and the bad guys throw at them—they think.

When the Alpha Centauri Planetary Council requests a visit with the president and vice president, things look politically dicey. When the most dangerous prisoners in the most secure supermax prison escape with ease, things look bad. But when the Mastermind releases a virus that kills people in a week, things go to Defcon Worse fast.

Now it’s up to Kitty to save everyone important in the U.S. government—including her mother, her husband, and herself—before the virus spreads through the rest of the country, and then the world. Plus she’s facing invisible attackers, crazed assassins, a teenager in hiding, the most dangerous train ride ever, the disappearance of her beloved flyboys, and a mysterious alien who could be an enemy or the ally she needs.

And this time, the Mastermind’s made it very personal. Either he’s going down...or Kitty is.

****************

My review:


4.5 out of 5 stars

Alien in Chief by Gini Koch is book 12 in the ‘Alien’ series.  Kitty and her husband are settling into the vice-presidency roles so of course additional challenges have to disrupt everything!  A mysterious bow-wielding assassin, a train trip to Florida to greet a visiting alien delegation, and all of the mayhem and chaos that goes with thwarting the Mastermind and other enemies provide plenty of opportunity for moves and counter-moves that mobilize allies and enemies alike.  

The wonderful blend of reality and fantastical science fiction adventures provide hours of entertainment in this series that continues to ramp up the excitement while exploring how aliens can get well-assimilated into Earth politics.  The hints being delivered through song choices, the escalation of events that will alter the tenor of human and alien relations, the challenge of trying to defeat the Mastermind without losing allies, the fortuitous provision of an essential piece of equipment that didn’t even require discussion with the refrigerator, plus the use of Poof Approval for vetting folks all add up to another wacky and exciting chronicle of the adventures of Kitty Katt-Martini and hubby and VPOTUS Jeff. 

A train ride to rival any trial under fire, enemies galore, and biological warfare add up to a plethora of changes and unexpected events that aren’t all resolved by the end of this book.  One definitely needs a quick breather to catch up on things, and woe betide you if you forget who is on which side.  Of course, what was true yesterday may not be true tomorrow, so the best thing is to dive in and hang on for a totally wacky ride…but better if you have read the rest of the series so you don’t have such an intense case of whiplash.  This is another fun and hair-raising set of adventures featuring an intrepid and occasionally klutzy but loyal and protective woman who finds a way to utilize all of the resources at her command in order to save the day.  Warning, tissues should be close at hand…if only to deal with the fallout of infectious disease…and I am very relieved that I already have the next book in the series waiting to be consumed!

A copy of this title was provided to me for review which has been offered to Night Owl Reviews 


Previous title in the series:

Alien Separation

Next title in the series



Camp Alien