Dangerous Beauty (Pride of Uttor #2)


by Tali Spencer (Goodreads Author)


3.83 of 5 stars3.83 · rating details · 6 ratings  · 4 reviews


Once the Kordeun family ruled Sebboy…now they are imperial captives of the Uttoran Emperor. Devout and studious, Endre Kordeun loves his family and will do anything to free them, even if that means pretending he’s gay so he can pass
messages to his father’s shady allies. With his golden good looks and a
beautiful male courtesan posing as his lover, Endre finds Uttor’s decadent
society more than willing to believe his ruse.
But when a passionate kiss from a dark, gorgeous man unlocks feelings Endre
had been hiding even from himself, lies start to unravel. Arshad, prince of
Tabar, is Endre’s match in every way…including a shared love for science and
celestial mechanics. Going forward with his charade will be dangerous, and not
only because he might be discovered. In that event, even his own father would
kill him. How much is Endre willing to risk for love?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17282749-dangerous-beauty

Paul Harrison always wanted to play Hamlet, but he never expected he’d live
the role first.


In the aftermath of a family tragedy on 21st century Earth, Paul discovers
he’s the clone of Sean Lyon, his great-great-grandfather and a famous TwenCen musician. Suspecting his mother’s death was no accident, Paul comes up with a plan to trick the answers out of the great-uncle who had him cloned. But in order to make his plan work, Paul needs help from Sean himself—and Sean’s time is running out in the TwenCen universe next door. Although Paul’s family lives
on the spaceship that travels between the universes, he’s never been allowed on TwenCen Earth. Now, with the help of his friends, his disguise-creating holoprojectors, and a quantum quirk, Paul must make his way to Sean while
evading other time travelers who fear he’ll change the history of the TwenCen
universe. If Paul is to achieve justice, he must not only risk his own life, but
the wormhole connecting the universes. “To be or not to be” was a simple
question in comparison....

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17303140-twinned-universes

For a select few people, friendship lasts forever. Nicky Fusco and Frankie
Donovan were friends like that, but that was years ago. Now Frankie’s a
detective in Brooklyn’s Homicide department, and Nicky is a reformed hit man.
But when Frankie gets in trouble—and the law can’t help him—he turns to Nicky.



The problem is that Nicky promised his family, and God, that he’d go
straight.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17411046-murder-has-consequences

At last! A sequel to 'Morgan's Choice'.


When Morgan Selwood and Admiral Ashkar Ravindra travel to Morgan's Human Coalition to learn more about the origin of Ravindra's people, their
relationship is soon sorely tested. Morgan is amongst her own people and Ravindra is overprotective and insecure, afraid of losing her. But not everyone is keen to welcome Morgan home, not when they'd gone to all that trouble to get rid of her in the first place. Soon Morgan and Ravindra have a rogue Supertech on their trail with only one goal – kill Selwood.

Together, Morgan and Ravindra follow a tenuous trail back into humanity's
past, to the time historians call the Conflagration. But what begins as an
innocent archaeological investigation escalates into a deadly peril for both humans and Manesai when Morgan and Ravindra are thrust into the middle of an unexpected conflict. And that rogue Supertech's still out there, itching for revenge.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17340875-morgan-s-return

Isn't that a brilliant picture? Come on, it's the sea! In actual fact it is missing a vital component - a humpback whale. Which is the shot I was aiming for in brilliant sunshine and not being able to see what the heck I was shooting. So I missed. Which resulted in a lovely picture of...sea.
So my finger hovered over the delete button as 'boring picture' and then I thought, hold on. Do you see the patterns there? Do you see the colors and shades and... Without blowing it up and truly looking at it, it is a pretty boring picture, but there is something about a relatively somnolent ocean which is immensely calming.
This is when I, as an author, start going - what-if? Because I don't just see 'the sea' I start wondering, what lies beneath it?
That curiosity is what drives me. And the point of this post. I postulated, what if the world fought back? Thus 'The Warriors of the Land" was born. When you read the news and see all the 'natural' disasters going on. The tsunamis, the earthquakes, the droughts etc etc, you wonder, is this Earth's way of 'naturally' reducing the population which is out-growing the world? What-if the world decided to create its own warriors? What if a world was simply the memories of all those who had lived? Not a god, but the thoughts of many.
Fast-forward to the future where man has explored the stars; has learned how to seed (terraform) a world. Watch that world run amok and create.
This is "Voice of the Land". Science fiction/imagination/speculation.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Voice-Land-Warriors-ebook/dp/B00BOB964A/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_t_1_JCEX

And there was me asking for reviews and I received my first one for "The Voice of the Land", which I am shamelessly going to post because, well, wow. Thank you, Elizabeth!


 Format:Kindle
  Edition

Highly original and a must read. On the one hand is Steven   Caragan, who is not a 'person'. He is a clone owned by an Earth consortium and   he has been conditioned to have no feelings, only to obey without question. But  he does have feelings and a friend in the form of another clone, who commits  suicide. Now Caragan is dispatched to find out what drove his friend to this  unthinkable act.

On a planet the natives call Cavan, Caragan finds a  planet so in tune with its spirit that even the plants turn against him. There  is no escape without a change so profound that Carogan must embrace all he has  been conditioned to repress, or be driven insane. The high priest of the Cavalana is the catalyst to force Caragan to change. Can he evolve, or will he  die? Read on to find out.

I cannot say more without giving spoilers, for  this book is filled with so much that is wonderful. I think the scene that is  fixed in my mind is the trophy hanging on the wall behind the desk of the man  who owns Caragan. Without words, this speaks volumes. Highly recommended. 
 
 

One of the things I failed to do with "Games of Adversaries" was to ask people for reviews. Yes, yes, I know! I should be totally organised and all that, but for goodness sake I am a WRITER.
Brave New World in the publishing industry where now nothing comes to you unless you ask.

So I am asking.
What I would like are genuine reviews. By that I mean, how you truly feel. What captured your interest about the world, the characters, the situations. The kind of reviews that make people 'think' about the book.
Of course, I will provide you with a copy to review, which will be an e-book. I only have limited copies to give away, so don't hang around :) Please let me know in comments or email me at danceswithwolfhounds at yahoo dot ca
Thank you!

How many of us truly follow our dreams? How many of you have sat down and said, I'd love to...? But then done nothing about it? How many of you have uttered 25 excuses why you *couldn't* follow that dream?

I was thinking about this after my son passed away, because as cliched as it is, life really is too short, especially to dream and do nothing about it. When you see a young life disappear; a life that should have been so much longer than yours, then, yes, it makes you stop and think. When it is someone who should have long outlived you, especially then.
That place you always wanted to go to but never could afford? You probably could if you really really tried. That car you wanted, that place in the country, that book you wanted to write? Yes, you can. The only thing holding you back is yourself.
It is like telling someone you love them but not showing it. Talking about it means little unless you truly mean it.
Losing a child doesn't suddenly make you wise and all knowing, but it does make you stop and think and reassess.
I've followed my dream of publication with far more determination that I ever had before, because suddenly I thought, there really isn't that much time and if I don't do it now I never will. Did I ever tell you it scared the pants off me? It did. That exposure to the public eye. The idea that people could tell me my work was bloody awful, that I wasn't 'good enough', that people might think, who the heck does she think she is?
Well I can tell you who I am, at least a part of me, and that is an author. It is only one part of many. But I did it. I became what I'd always wanted to be. With a lot of help and encouragement, and whether I am a success or failure, I still did it.
So no matter what you dream about, go do it. It may take you a while, you may have to work your socks off, but if you truly want it. Do it. Don't wait. You never know what may be around the corner.

Today's photo: Hawaiian sunset - Susan Curnow

Why am I so exicted about the launch of "The Voice of the Land"? Because I already have quotes such as this:  Truly extraordinary, in concept and execution. Congratulations, Susan Elizabeth Curnow.

The Voice of the Land tells the story of Steven Carogan, a clone bred to serve where humans are often too afraid or ill-equiped to go. Indoctrinated since birth, Carogan is sent to the world of Cavan after another clone returns and commits suicide. Carogan's master is incensed at such bad payback for his investment.
Cavan was terraformed by an Earth company, meant to be both harvest and sanctuary for Earth's over-populated masses, but Victor Grantham, head of the Terran Population Control Board, has other ideas. But then, so does the world.
Given choices for the first time in his life, Carogan is torn between loyalty to those who bred him and the opportunities Cavan presents to him. The enigmatic priest and warrior of the Land, T'saquin Mrthfar never bullies Carogan into making a decision. He lets the world do it for him.
Cavan's natural wildness could well be destroyed by man. Three races vie for its ownership. Will any of them win? And how did the land's defenders, the cavalana, even be born?

http://www.amazon.com/The-Voice-Land-Warriors-ebook/dp/B00BOB964A/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1362440306&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Voice+of+the+Land

In anticipation of the launch of "The Voice of the Land" and with me being in such a good mood, I asked my publisher to make "Games of Adversaries" free for a short time.

It will be free on Smashwords:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/260984 and 0.99cs on Kindle for the next little while. http://www.amazon.com/Games-of-Adversaries-ebook/dp/B00AGO0UR8/ref=la_B00AGPU3NI_1_1_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1362350549&sr=1-1
That's a heck of a url - hms.  Anway!

If you do download my book for free I would really appreciate a review. I've never really asked before. I've had great feedback on the novel, so I know readers loved it, but very few reviews. And while that doesn't matter to me, it is enough to know people loved it, it does matter for 'getting the word out' so that more people might enjoy my writing.
At the same time, us authors love feedback on what we write. Even one short line, it doesn't have to be in detail, but other readers also truly appreciate being able to see what others think.
So go grab "Games of Adversaries" and by the time you've read it "The Voice of the Land" will be out imminently,  and you'll know exactly where to go.

It is a rare thing for me to blow my own trumpet, but, damn, "The Voice of the Land" is good. I can say that after having read it eleventy zillion times.
Usually the àrtist`is inclined to fiddle. You know, that one more brushstroke to make it perfick, kinda of attitude. This time I am merely nodding and going, uh huh, that is good.
Therefore, I am going to give you sneek peek.

An extract from Chapter 3

 


Noise could drive a man mad. Creatures cackled, whooped and sung in continuous cacophony. Plants dripped in torpid heat, their huge blossoms leering like over-painted whores. Shrub interlaced plant, and insects the size of dinner plates fluttered their wings with a come-hither flamboyance.

Was this terraforming run amok? Carogan glanced at his wrist scanner. The numbers showed him nothing he could interpret. Not where he stood, not where his ship waited, not where danger might hide. Why would anyone in their right mind want to colonize this sweating, teeming, uncivilized continent?

More importantly, why had Victor Grantham chosen him for this mission? Did he think that because he and Jon had been close, Carogan would search out reasons forJon’s death more diligently? 

Carogan paused by a giant fern. Water dripped on his already soaked flight suit, the momentary coolness welcoming. He pulled out a canteen and took a sip of tepid energy drink. Sentient jungles, aliens, and an operative who had cut his wrists on his return home. Harvey’s death had shocked him, the copper scent of blood lingering in Carogan’s memory. Death felt different when it was a friend.

 A monkey cackled as it ran nimbly along swaying branches high above Carogan’s head.

Mutations. Carogan recalled Harvey’s body within the ship. He hadn’t  noticed any mutations then. Harvey’s only wounds had been those on his wrists. Yet he’d seen the results of forensic scans. Harvey’s physiology had been altered dramatically. He’d wanted to ask Forsyth about those mutations, but the doctor had never given him the
opportunity.

Carogan had read up on Bluesher. Its flora and fauna should have been as Earth-like as those that once lived upon that world, so it was these aliens, these desmondis, who troubled Grantham.

The cackling monkey lobbed a missile at him. Carogan ducked as an over-ripe fruit splattered against a nearby tree, leaving a rank smell of rot behind.

“Hilarious,” Carogan muttered, and promptly tripped over a root the size of a heating duct. He straightened up, cursed, and brushed off an army of ants from his hands. An ant the size of a bee bit him. He shook it off and stomped on it for its temerity. The monkey hooted in glee and threw another fruit, gaining a direct hit on Carogan’s chest.

Carogan lifted his gun and followed the monkey’s movements through the sights, finger hovering over the fire button. The little black-and-white creature scuttled to safety behind a canopy of leaves,  its long tail waving like a flag. About to lower his gun, Carogan hesitated, staring at a dark shadow by a tree trunk. He didn’t remember it being there on his first pass. When nothing moved, he lowered his gun. As he walked through the jungle, he became convinced something watched him, and not just animals. Bird-like shadows rustled overhead, and the monkey’s laughter sounded too human.

Sweat dampened his suit further. He glanced at his scanner once more. Bodies. Lots of bodies showed on the read-out. Animals or aliens? A scan of surrounding jungle revealed more meaningless numbers.

The monkey’s distant laughter disappeared. Nerves taut, Carogan listened to the absence of sound. Even the insects ceased their hum.

A ghost wind came to fill the vacuum, rising up and down, howling between trees, rustling and whispering secrets. Carogan raised his gun and used the sights to scan the area as leaves danced on sunbeams. He pressed a button on his belt, and a light-shield surrounded his body, camouflaging him to match his surroundings. He crouched down in leaf litter, waiting in shadows as the susurrus of leaves chattered louder until they became a wail infiltrating his mind.

Sound that hurt, which made him want to cover his ears, though he resisted the temptation as a great howl filled the air. A flurry of wings, the rustle of membranes, as a vast flock of creatures descended into the glade where he’d just stood. His heart beat overtime, his fingers tightened on his gun. Coincidence? Or had they known he was here?



Today's photo - Hawaii - road to Pali Lookout. Susan Curnow