Last but not least, the fourth hero in this story--Melera Shen'zae of Xia'saan. Xia'saan was a warrior planet in the Maqu Galaxy, one of the Fifteen left standing after the first interstellar wars ended. It was destroyed in a surprise attack by the Akkad, the opening salvo in another galaxy-wide war that grows ever more complicated as factions switch sides with the ease of a laser shot. Oops, wrong book.
But that space opera going on in Maqu is the reason why Melera's on Earth. She's hiding from the Vst and the Akkad (they both want her bad) so she can work in peace on cracking the code her now-dead father left for her to solve. After that, she has to find the Xia'saan battlefleet he hid somewhere in the furthest reaches of our solar system. But she's got a bigger problem besides trying to crack a code without a key. While in Maqu she'd been captured by the Akkad and tortured until she managed to escape. Now she has these painful, unpredictable seizures that cause temporary amnesia--so far, anyway. It's during one of these episodes that Parker accidentally runs her down with his car. Not a great beginning for a beautiful relationship, huh? Of course it is. Parker gets to rescue a damsel in distress.
Melera is a study in contrasts. A brazen warrior and consummate assassin, she seems to be made of cast iron. But when we meet her, she's wracked by fear, loneliness and self-doubt. And when she loves, that cold exterior disappears--she's cuddly as a tame crocodile and loyal beyond sense. (Of course, the flip side is betrayal equals dead meat.) Her favorite place to sit is on Parker's lap and when he tells her how badly he'd been used by Garrett and Kurt, she offers to kill both for him.
She's also quite the Wonder Bitch, Kurt calls her. Seems Melera can do anything any zot can do, only better. And then she has her own alien skills on top of that. On the other hand, she's allergic to Earth. Like her seizures, her allergy attacks turn her to jelly. Hard to be Wonder Bitch when your nose and eyes are running like faucets and your head feels like it's about to explode. The cure? Cigars. Weed works too, but smoking it makes her lose control in a way that leaves Parker begging for more. She can't get the hang of the English language (Parker translates for us) and she lisps. Perfection does have its price.
A last thing: one of my beta readers commented that Melera is "royalty but she comes off as Mae West." I wouldn't have said Mae West, but right on target. Aliens don't do things the way humans do.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
The Alien Within: Cast of Characters, III
Ah, Kurt. That sadistic, s.o.b. vampire regent with a twisted sense of humor. The Master of Seattle. And a serious control freak. But that's understandable. Before his rebirth into a vampire, Kurt ruled an entire country instead of a tiny slice of a mid-sized city.
Kurt's not your ordinary vampire regent. Oh, he can read minds, morph, and stuff like that. But he likes to eat and drink (red wine is his thing), and hanging out on the beach under a hot summer sun is pretty close to heaven. No wonder humans don't know he's a vampire. And his human abilities are particularly useful in keeping his colony and the rest of Seattle's zots in check.
So if Kurt's all that and a bag of chips, why's he bothering with Garrett's obsession to turn Seattle into Zot Paradise? To share his powers with her and Parker? Well, anyone can see the benefits of having a zot haven. But where Garrett sees a utopia, Kurt sees an opportunity. He already controls the zots. Why not humans? Call it a bold new era in zot/human relations.
And maybe a bold new era for him and Parker, too...
P.S. The most fun thing about working with Kurt is weaving him into the fabric of the past to make an alternate present. For example, Kurt's ruling over Seattle's entire zot population isn't typical of the relationships in other cities between vampire Masters/Mistresses of colonies and the rest of the zots. Kurt's unique position stems from his being one of the founders of Seattle in the 19th century (though you won't see his name on any memorials). Migrating zots of whatever stripe had to either submit to his rule or take a hike. Many chose to submit. Why? That's another story...
Kurt's not your ordinary vampire regent. Oh, he can read minds, morph, and stuff like that. But he likes to eat and drink (red wine is his thing), and hanging out on the beach under a hot summer sun is pretty close to heaven. No wonder humans don't know he's a vampire. And his human abilities are particularly useful in keeping his colony and the rest of Seattle's zots in check.
So if Kurt's all that and a bag of chips, why's he bothering with Garrett's obsession to turn Seattle into Zot Paradise? To share his powers with her and Parker? Well, anyone can see the benefits of having a zot haven. But where Garrett sees a utopia, Kurt sees an opportunity. He already controls the zots. Why not humans? Call it a bold new era in zot/human relations.
And maybe a bold new era for him and Parker, too...
P.S. The most fun thing about working with Kurt is weaving him into the fabric of the past to make an alternate present. For example, Kurt's ruling over Seattle's entire zot population isn't typical of the relationships in other cities between vampire Masters/Mistresses of colonies and the rest of the zots. Kurt's unique position stems from his being one of the founders of Seattle in the 19th century (though you won't see his name on any memorials). Migrating zots of whatever stripe had to either submit to his rule or take a hike. Many chose to submit. Why? That's another story...
My World And Welcome To It, VI
(Two young men walk into a restaurant with a cozy, homey feel to it.)
“Well, hello there, Vince. I was wondering when you’d get here. Who’s your friend?"
“Hey, Tina. This is Jack. Tonight's his first time.”
“Hello, Jack. Hmm, Jack the Shark. Has a nice ring, don’t you think?"
“Yeah, real funny, Tina. Can we get something to eat now?”
(Tina laughs and walks away.)
“Dude! She’s knows I'm a wereshark. She's a sniffer--I'm outta of here!”
“Yeah, and she knows I'm a weretiger, too. I--"
"What? Aw, Vince--now we're really in deep...come on, let's go!"
"Chill out Jack, will you? Relax--Tina's one of us.”
“Uh?”
“One of us. I mean, you’re always going on about how humans treat zots like shit and all, right? And they do. But not all humans feel that way. Sniffers like Tina and like those plain, everyday ones over there. Humans like them think we zots deserve to be treated...well, like humans. And between them and us, we're doing something about it." (Vince waves at the restaurant crowded with zots and humans.) "Look around you. Every single one of us here tonight is doing something about it.”
(Jack looks stunned. Vince smiles.)
“Welcome to the revolution, Jack.”
“Well, hello there, Vince. I was wondering when you’d get here. Who’s your friend?"
“Hey, Tina. This is Jack. Tonight's his first time.”
“Hello, Jack. Hmm, Jack the Shark. Has a nice ring, don’t you think?"
“Yeah, real funny, Tina. Can we get something to eat now?”
(Tina laughs and walks away.)
“Dude! She’s knows I'm a wereshark. She's a sniffer--I'm outta of here!”
“Yeah, and she knows I'm a weretiger, too. I--"
"What? Aw, Vince--now we're really in deep...come on, let's go!"
"Chill out Jack, will you? Relax--Tina's one of us.”
“Uh?”
“One of us. I mean, you’re always going on about how humans treat zots like shit and all, right? And they do. But not all humans feel that way. Sniffers like Tina and like those plain, everyday ones over there. Humans like them think we zots deserve to be treated...well, like humans. And between them and us, we're doing something about it." (Vince waves at the restaurant crowded with zots and humans.) "Look around you. Every single one of us here tonight is doing something about it.”
(Jack looks stunned. Vince smiles.)
“Welcome to the revolution, Jack.”
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The Alien Within: Cast of Characters, II
Garrett Larkin is a mage and a member of Seattle's Balthus Coven. She's also a lady with a plan. A big one. Through magick, Garrett is going to turn Seattle into a haven for zots, where their kind can be free from human persecution once and for all. But she can't just come out and say so. Witches have a very complicated relationship with other zots. Let's just say that in general, they are disliked at best. They don't get messed with because witches can do stuff like call up demons. And the last thing you want is a demon breathing fire down your neck.
So...a plan to make Seattle into a zot haven. It's a noble cause, especially considering Garrett's entire family died in a zot pogrom when she was just eleven years old. But by the time we meet her, her cause has turned into an obsession. She needs Parker and Kurt's help to make her plan work so she lures the two into her web using sex, lies but no videotape. Does she stop after they end up in that very messy love triangle instead of a cozy little threesome? Of course not.
Garrett, poor thing, has pretty much lost her sense of right and wrong. Will she get it back? Well...
More 2 come, as they write.
Monday, January 28, 2008
My World And Welcome To It, V
Where is that Xia'saan bitch? Where is she? And where is her cursed battlefleet?
I've been searching the galaxy for her. The Akkad--my spies, my suntroops--are everywhere in Maqu. But they haven't found her yet. An entire galaxy...even so, there aren't that many places she can hide. Out of millions of planets, only a tiny fraction are habitable. Of those, an even tinier fraction have starfaring technology. She's untrackable in the interstellar regions but she can't hide there forever. Her ship--eventually she'll have to put in for provisions and repairs. Somewhere. And when she does, I'll take her. Again.
I don't need her battlefleet to win this war. The Akkad is mighty enough to fight on two fronts. But having her fleet will make my victory that much easier. With it, I can handily crush the Vst and the Fifteen. The Vst, those upstarts who demand their economic freedom from the Akkad. And the Fifteen--including Xia'saan--that created the the Akkad as a puppet to feed their bloated ambitions in Maqu. With or without her battlefleet, soon they will all dance to my tune--and the Akkadian puppet will have become the puppeteer.
And her, the bitch-queen--she loved me, once. I know she did. Mark me, she will love me again. Oh, yes. She will. I will make her love me...
I've been searching the galaxy for her. The Akkad--my spies, my suntroops--are everywhere in Maqu. But they haven't found her yet. An entire galaxy...even so, there aren't that many places she can hide. Out of millions of planets, only a tiny fraction are habitable. Of those, an even tinier fraction have starfaring technology. She's untrackable in the interstellar regions but she can't hide there forever. Her ship--eventually she'll have to put in for provisions and repairs. Somewhere. And when she does, I'll take her. Again.
I don't need her battlefleet to win this war. The Akkad is mighty enough to fight on two fronts. But having her fleet will make my victory that much easier. With it, I can handily crush the Vst and the Fifteen. The Vst, those upstarts who demand their economic freedom from the Akkad. And the Fifteen--including Xia'saan--that created the the Akkad as a puppet to feed their bloated ambitions in Maqu. With or without her battlefleet, soon they will all dance to my tune--and the Akkadian puppet will have become the puppeteer.
And her, the bitch-queen--she loved me, once. I know she did. Mark me, she will love me again. Oh, yes. She will. I will make her love me...
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Alien Within: Cast of Characters
Parker Berenson, one of the four heroes in this story, is the alpha of Seattle's werewolf pack. Many of my beta readers liked him best. That's not surprising. He really is a sweet guy--he'll kill you only if you deserve it.
Born human, Parker became a werewolf while in college. How that happened and how he ended up in Seattle is another story. But like I said, he's a sweet wolf, caring, nurturing even, with a well-developed sense of justice and fair play. His biggest fault is that when he loves, he loves blindly. He places the object of his love high on the proverbial pedestal. They can do no wrong and he will not hear anything against them--even if it's true. I suppose you might say he's like the Queen of Hearts, if you're into that sort of thing. His unquestioning love also blinds him to its consequences. And it does get him into trouble. It's how he became trapped in that bitter love triangle with Garrett (a mage) and Kurt, and why his pack is about to turn on him. Question is, does he learn anything from his mistakes? Maybe...and maybe not.
All in all, The Alien Within belongs to Parker. Though told from all four heroes' point of view (and a couple of secondary characters too) this installment focuses mainly on him. I've set the series up in this way because I wanted to give each character a chance to be on center stage. I won't tell you who's next.
More on Parker later.
By the way, I'll mention now that The Alien Within is aimed at the adult reader of fantasy and science fiction. As in Parental Discretion Advised. Just thought I'd let you know.
Born human, Parker became a werewolf while in college. How that happened and how he ended up in Seattle is another story. But like I said, he's a sweet wolf, caring, nurturing even, with a well-developed sense of justice and fair play. His biggest fault is that when he loves, he loves blindly. He places the object of his love high on the proverbial pedestal. They can do no wrong and he will not hear anything against them--even if it's true. I suppose you might say he's like the Queen of Hearts, if you're into that sort of thing. His unquestioning love also blinds him to its consequences. And it does get him into trouble. It's how he became trapped in that bitter love triangle with Garrett (a mage) and Kurt, and why his pack is about to turn on him. Question is, does he learn anything from his mistakes? Maybe...and maybe not.
All in all, The Alien Within belongs to Parker. Though told from all four heroes' point of view (and a couple of secondary characters too) this installment focuses mainly on him. I've set the series up in this way because I wanted to give each character a chance to be on center stage. I won't tell you who's next.
More on Parker later.
By the way, I'll mention now that The Alien Within is aimed at the adult reader of fantasy and science fiction. As in Parental Discretion Advised. Just thought I'd let you know.
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