Sci-Fi

Back to Aeva for Novel November

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Eight years ago today, I posted a meme about NaNoWriMo pulling me away from my work in progress. That WIP was Aeva. I was supposed to be finishing it, and a shiny new story kept stealing my time. (Here’s the proof.)

This year, it’s the other way around.

I’ve signed up for ProWritingAid’s Novel November, and I’m spending it on Aeva: The Inheritance, book 2 of The Last Hope series. Last year I used Novel November to push through a round of edits on The Republic of McCoy. This year it’s a draft, two actually. I’m aiming for PWA’s full 50,000 words: about 35,000 to finish book 2, and the rest to get a head start on book 3.

Book 2 picks up right where Aeva: The Last Hope left off. Aeva is on her way to Earth, a planet that isn’t sure it wants her. Meanwhile, out on Pfore, Maya’s story is only getting started.

If you haven’t read book 1, it’s on Kindle+ now.

I’ll check back in December to let you know how it went. Are you doing NaNo this year? Tell me what you’re writing.

40 Words Friday: No. 21

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“Astraea,” he said, so slowly and breathtakingly that Astraea bit down on her lip to keep from saying something stupid like, “You say it so lovely. Say it again.” He rolled her name around before adding, “What a beautiful name.”

Aeva: The Last Hope Is Now on Kindle+

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My space opera novella Aeva: The Last Hope is now on Kindle+, Amazon’s new name for Kindle Unlimited as of this week. If you’re a member, you can read it free. If not, the ebook is $2.99.

And it comes with something new: a playlist. Every song is matched to the chapter where it plays, from the opening track as Rowen finds the missing cargo ship to the last song at the end. You can listen along here: Full Playlist: Aeva: The Last Hope.

If you haven’t met Aeva and Rowen yet: a virus is destroying an alien species’ ability to have children, human women are being used as surrogates, and a captain who’s just lost everything is assigned to help a genetically engineered survivor recover her memory before interrogation day. What she remembers could cost her life, and Rowen has to decide how much he’s willing to risk to protect her.

And yes, there’s more coming. I’ll be drafting Aeva 2 this November.

Read Aeva: The Last Hope on Amazon

40 Words Friday: No. 20

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As the spaceship prepared to land on planet Kuvso, the twenty-two-year-old Emperor from Earth watched the AI soldiers’ line up in preparation to receive him. He had never seen a world where robots ruled and controlled who their Queen married.

40 Words Friday: No. 17

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A group of soldiers stood in a loose circle, their voices a mix of excitement and nerves. An older, more seasoned soldier offered words of wisdom as they exchanged hopes and fears, forming bonds that would carry them through the journey ahead.

40 Words Friday: No. 16

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She was one of them—a droid, yet her gaze stirred something deep within him and made his heart skip a beat. Torn between love-at-first-sight and a trick of the mind, he found himself questioning the world he lived in.

40 Words Friday: No 15

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Queen Azalea, with her pink curls cascading down her shoulders, sat on her ivory throne and pondered. She sought a worthy consort to ensure her lineage. Her heart yearned for true love, but her duty to her kingdom came first.

40 Words Friday: No. 13

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In the grand ballroom, Princess Arabelle twirled with her robot companion, Aegis-9. Their dance was a fleeting rebellion against her arranged marriage. As the final note played, she said, “I’ll always remember you, Aegis,” before stepping into an uncertain future.

40 Words Friday: No. 10

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The city sprawls below, it’s neon-lit streets winding like circuitry. Towering structures of glass and steel loom over the landscape. Their sharp edges softened by flickering holographic displays. The pulse of the city and its infinite possibilities hung in the air.

40 Words Friday: No. 9

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In the pouring rain, they stand in the dim alley. She glares at him, eyes filled with tears. “Why did you do it?” she whispers, her voice raw with loss.

He hesitates, jaw clenched. “Survival,” he replies, then walks away into the ashen wasteland.