JADRIAN: A BADARI
WARRIORS SCIFI ROMANCE (SECTORS NEW ALLIES SERIES BOOK 3)
By Veronica Scott
Thanks for having me as your guest today! I’m very nostalgic
returning for a visit at Paranormal Romantics since I spent a couple of fun
years blogging here earlier in my career.
I always like to include an element of the ‘inexplicable’ in
my science fiction, something that my hard headed military heroes or the other human
characters can’t explain but accept when they encounter it. I’ve had reviewers
refer to it as my element of mysticism. I just know that part of me craves a
universe where all things cannot be known.
For the Badari Warriors
series, which deals with genetically engineered soldiers created by an alien
race to fight my Sectors civilization, there are various mysteries. The Badari
feel they have ancestral memory, passed down from the race originally used by the
evil Khagrish scientists to be the template for, and DNA donors to, this
twisted science project.
One of the beliefs the Badari hold especially tightly is
that their people worship the Great Mother, a benevolent, nature-based goddess.
She often manifests her presence in dreams. The excerpt below the blurb is one
such dream episode.
The blurb: Taura Dancer has been pushed to her limits by
alien torturers known as the Khagrish and is ready to die when suddenly the lab
where she’s held as a prisoner is taken down by an armed force of soldiers.
The man who rescues her from a burning cell block is Jadrian
of the Badari, a genetically engineered alien warrior with as many reasons to
hate the Khagrish as Taura has. This set of shared past experiences and the
circumstances of her rescue create an unusual bond between them.
Safe in the hidden base where Jadrian and his pack take her,
Taura struggles to regain her lost memories and overcome constant flashbacks
during which she lashes out at all who come near. Only Jadrian can recall her
from the abyss of her visions and hallucinations.
As the war against the Khagrish continues, it becomes
increasingly critical to find out who she really is and how she can help in the
fight. Until she can control her terrors and trust her own impulses, Taura’s
too afraid to pursue the promise of happiness a life with Jadrian as her mate
might offer.
When he’s captured by the dreaded enemy, will she step forward
to help save him, or will she remain a prisoner of her past?
This is the third book in a new scifi romance series and
each novel has a satisfying Happy for Now ending for the hero and heroine, not
a cliffhanger. Some overarching issues do remain unresolved in each book since
this is an ongoing series but romance always wins the day in my novels!
The excerpt:
Being in her own bed in the familiar cave was a balm to her
nerves after the tumultuous events of the day and Taura soon fell asleep,
tumbling into a dream. She stood in the middle of an endless grassy plain,
surrounded by wildflowers. Birds of all colors flew overhead, singing and
chirping with abandon. Feeling something was missing, she put her hand to her neck
and realized Jadrian’s amulet was gone. Spinning in a slow circle, she tried to
figure out which direction she’d come from, so she could retrace her steps in
an effort to find the precious necklace. In the distance a grove of beautiful, tall
trees grew in a perfect circle. She wandered in the direction of the trees,
deciding that was as good a choice as any and wanting to see the glade enclosed
by the sturdy sentinels. In the blink of an eye, Taura found herself walking
past the first tree, strolling in the welcome shade and heading for the sunlit
opening ahead. Now a sense of urgency overtook her and she walked faster
through the ring of trees. As she entered the clear area at the heart of the
grove she caught a glimpse of a woman leaving. Taura only saw her long white
hair and the edge of an elaborately embroidered lavender gown.
“Hello? Wait!” She hastened toward the spot where the other
had exited but as she approached the trees, she became confused and skidded to
a halt. There was no path through the grove she could see. Immense trunks
blocked her progress and no matter how she maneuvered or where she stepped,
Taura was unable to leave the sunlit central area to follow whoever had been
waiting here.
Baffled and frustrated, she retraced her path to the center
of the grassy area and perched on a smooth boulder, which was shaped as if to
be used as a bench. Why am I here?
There was no answer but as she glanced at the grass
surrounding her seat, a flash of bright blue drew her attention. Rising, she
plucked the amulet she’d been seeking from the greenery and placed the black
leather thong around her neck with a sigh of relief. The stone was cool to her
touch, reassuring in its unchanging appearance.
When she raised her eyes to the trees again, she inhaled sharply.
Jadrian stood there, smiling at her. She stretched her hands out to him and
took a step—
And sat up in the bed, surrounded the soft glow of the
nightlight and the sparkling mineral accents in the rough stone walls. A bit
disoriented, Taura stretched and glanced around the chamber. At least it was a peaceful dream.
A few minutes later, she strolled out of the bedroom area,
more rested than she’d been in months. Jadrian was making tea over the fire,
and he glanced up at her approach. “A smooth night then, finally? No dreams?”
Taking the steaming mug from him, she settled on her chair
and leaned against the cushion. “No bad dreams anyway. The last one I had was
lovely.” Since he showed more than polite interest, she described her dream to
him in detail right through to the end, when he’d appeared in her vision. Taura
chuckled a bit self-consciously. Dreams
never made much sense when the scenes were recited to another person. “And then
I woke up.”
Surprised by his silence, she glanced across the fire at him. Jadrian’s
eyes were wide and glowing with golden fire. He’d risen to his feet. Afraid
she’d upset him without realizing it, she set her cup on the nearby rock
serving as a table and reached out to him. “What? It was a good dream, I
swear.”
Author Bio and Links:
USA Today Best Selling Author
“SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happy Ever After
blog
Veronica Scott grew
up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved
ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in
everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own
stories.
Seven time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a
National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud
recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job,
not her romances!
She read the part of
Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “The City
On the Edge of Forever.”
Book one of the series, AYDARR, is currently on sale for $.99!
4 comments:
Always fun to be a guest here - thanks for having me over :) !
We're always happy to have you here, Veronica. I love this series and have started Jadrian. My heart aches for Taura. She is so lost and has such terrible memories--definitely a case of PTSD. I haven't read this excerpt yet. Excellent.
Congrats on your new release!
Great to see you here again, Veronica. Looks like you have a great series on your hands.
Post a Comment