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.”

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.

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...

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.

My World And Welcome To It, IV

Bloodsport. I love bloodsport. We all do.

The 'drome in Huziil is, in my opinion, the prettiest on Xia'saan. At night after the moons have risen, it glows like an ice palace lit from within. Seating is by lottery and if the Dark favors you, you'll draw one close enough to the field to watch the action live. If not, you'll just have to be satisfied with the holos. My favorite game is qint. Four warriors, eight swords. The warriors win points not just for each cut, but also for their skating style. It's beautiful to watch. Sometimes--not often--the judges declare a match to the death instead of to yield. When that happens, you should see the chits fly! The betting board lights up like fireworks. I once made enough to take a three Maqu-standard month luxury cruise to Sydara and still had enough left over to buy a new flitter when I got back.

If You've Read This Far...

then by now you have undoubtedly realized that the purpose of this exercise is to unabashedly promote my novel, The Alien Within. The voices you've heard--excuse me, read--are not characters in my story, but they could be. Perhaps they will be. The Alien Within is the first of a series that will end when I run out of ideas. Or publishing contracts. Whichever comes first.

TAW is the story of a werewolf who falls in love with an alien. Taken aback? That's the reaction I've seen in most people who've asked about it. Or not, for that matter. Funny thing is, I've been told that when it comes to the fantasy and science fiction genres, the twain shall never meet. I didn't know that before I wrote my story, so I did it. Judging by the comments from and conversations with my beta readers, the marriage works very well, indeed.

I'm boring myself with all this blatant self-promotion, and you too, I'll bet. Unless you're an agent or publisher, I'm going back to the world where I'd spend all my time if it wasn't for my day job...and the rest of the mundane.

P.S. I really like that sadistic s.o.b. of a vampire. He is ever so much fun.

My World And Welcome To It, III

My rebirth into a vampire was the best thing that could have happened to me.

I'll never forget that night. The men were away hunting when our village was raided. We were snatched out of our homes and herded into the village center. They killed all the elders, then shackled us--the women, children and the few men who'd stayed behind--and marched us through the countryside. Many of us died along the way, including both my babies. My twins, in their sixth year.

We finally reached the sea where the biggest ship I'd ever seen lay at anchor. The night before we were to sail, my grandfather came to me. I thought I was seeing a ghost. He'd disappeared on a hunt many years before. He told me what would happen to us and said he could save me. But I had to trust him. I said yes--what else was I to do? The last thing I remember before blacking out was the sting of his teeth piercing my neck. I don't remember much after that, just bits and pieces, like a dream. The only thing I really remember was my thirst. How it burned!

Then I just seemed to wake up. Grandfather was by my side, holding my hand. A crowd of strangers surrounded us. They stared at me. I was afraid but Grandfather held me, stroking my braids. I felt so weak. He told me many months had passed since he took me away and I was now a vampire. The people around us--vampires too, for the most part--were my new family. I was still frightened but they were very kind, feeding me from their bodies until I was strong enough to manage on my own.

Some vampires hypnotize unwilling humans to make them docile but I've never taken blood from a human who wasn't willing to share. There are many vampires who feel the way I do, though you wouldn't know it from all those horrible stories humans tell about us. Ah, well. Humans are what they are, and always will be.

It's funny, but almost three centuries later I still find it ironic that I had to die in order to live.