New Novella Release: Pre-Order sale 0.99 by Keri Kruspe

 

I’m so excited to tell you about my newest novella, Claude & Amata, is coming out on October 16^th. I’d like to share with you a couple of reasons why this short story is special to me. 

One, it's more of a love story with a contemporary theme than what I usually write. It takes place on Earth rather than on another planet or outer space. It’s also a second chance romance I’ve been itching to write. Not only because Claude is in his fifties, but for Amata who's loved and lost loooong before she met Claude (about 200 years).

Second, (shh, now don't tell anyone what I’m about to share. This has got to be our little secret…) but I based Claude on an old boss of mine. He was tough, shrewd, and handsome, like Sean Connery back in the day. I'd only intended for Claude to be a minor character when I first introduced him in the series starter Alien Legacy: The Empath, but sometimes these folks take over no matter what your intentions are! And believe you me, Claude had no trouble strong-arming himself to become more than what I planned.

The best news is the Pre-Order sale going on right now. It’s only 0.99¢ until the 17^th. After that, it goes to its regular price of $3.99.

To help tempt you, below is a snippet from the book below. Sit back, enjoy a sip of your favorite beverage and enjoy!

Outside Claude's townhouse in Langley, Virginia, the icy winter wind howled and cried throughout the evening air. Inside, the room was dark, with flickering flames of a steady fire in the stone hearth casting dancing shadows against the deep reds and oranges of the mahogany paneling. The crackle of the fire with its woodsy scent brought subtle comfort to his weary mind.

He settled in his favorite leather recliner, feet up, with a glass of Hennessy cognac in his hand. It had been months since the attempted alien invasion ended. On the surface, things seemed to have returned to normal. Whatever normal meant anymore.

As he stared into his cognac, he couldn't help but reminisce about its original purpose. He had high hopes when he bought it, that he’d be celebrating its smooth flavor with a loved one as a symbol of something momentous. He chuckled. That all seemed pretty hollow right about now. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and allowed the warmth of the fire and the aroma of the rich alcohol to envelop him.

Memories of his past crept into his thoughts. The people he used to know and the risks he'd taken for or with them. The hard decisions he made over the years that got him where he was now. And the heavy personal price he paid for them all.

Bottom line, he was tired. So tired.

This morning, he’d resigned from FEAR, the First Encounter Alien Resistance section he'd overseen at the CIA. He’d stayed on at the agency for the last six months to help Director Obsidian (aka Jazmi Tiamat) delete as much evidence of the alien invasion as possible. While conspiracy theories abounded, most of humanity ignored them and went about their daily lives, none the wiser.

Then, about four weeks ago, the director submitted her own resignation.

He guessed her pregnancy had something to do with it. But more than likely it had to do with her being half alien and wanting to work with those aliens from Akurn before they moved out of Transkip range of Earth.

The CIA offered him his own directorship, but he’d turned it down. His mind wasn’t in the game anymore. The thought of resuming his former life held little appeal. He sat back with a grunt. No, he was too busy pining over a woman he could never have. He closed his eyes and visualized the last time he’d seen her.

Amata. Pale, delicate skin, alabaster-white hair in a sassy cut that lovingly framed her jawline. Her intelligent, blue-green eyes belied her innocent-looking features. She appeared as if she was in her early to mid-twenties.

But he knew she was much, much older.

He’d asked her about her age once.

Her only response was a mysterious smile with a brief explanation of how her lifespan was connected to her planet’s orbit and not Earth’s. She then whispered, “Every woman has to have some secrets.”

“Honestly, Claude. I can’t believe you’re just sitting there mooning over a woman and not going after her.” A soft feminine chuckle. “That’s so unlike you.”

Everything within him stilled. He hadn’t had a dream about his late wife Barbara in a long time. After she’d died years ago of brain cancer, he used to dream about her all the time. If he was the romantic type, he’d give in to the notion her spirit visited him.

“Barbara. Where have you been?” He grabbed the plain gold wedding band around his left finger and rolled it. That nervous habit was hard to break. Was he reacting like this because Barbara was here, or because he hadn’t thought of her since meeting the enticing Amata?

Beyond Boundaries: Discover the Enchanting Universe of Qhasheik's Pod by Keri Kruspe

 

This month I wanted to spotlight my latest release, the novella Qhasheik’s Pod.

This book is special to me since it’s my first attempt at writing a novella. I’d never published a short story around 30,000 words before and was worried I’d screw it up. To make it more challenging, Qhasheik’s Pod is a love story different from anything I’ve written before. It explores a throuple relationship between one female and two males—all aliens.

Nary a human in sight.

Good thing my characters made it easy. 

The trio was first introduced in Alien Legacy: The Vampire. There we find they raised the heroine of the story, Jelena, and ended up a predominant part of it. They’re also have a huge part at the end of the series in Alien Legacy: The Mage.

By the time that series ended, there were still some unanswered questions involving our three lovers. How did they meet? Did they fall in love right away? How did they all end up in the hidden city on the moon?

That’s just some questions about these guys that I deliberately left handing when the series ended. Not to mention how I couldn’t get the three of them out of my mind. I swear they forced me to sit down and write their story.

Nagging little buggers.

Ah, well. Let me introduce the main characters of Qhasheik’s Pod to you. Best way to start is with Qhasheik himself.

Qhasheik

Qhasheik, a male Ibbin from Peinuewei, is the captain of the merchant spaceship, Phytro. He and his crew of three other males are suddenly caught in a massive power wave that threatens to destroy them. Desperate for a way out, they spot a rogue planet and hastily head towards it in hope of making a safe landing. 

Sadly, their journey ends in disaster. When Qhasheik regains consciousness, he discovers instead of safely landing, his ship is destroyed on a planet called Akurn. And him the only survivor. Taken into custody by the strange-looking aliens, he’s sold into slavery.

I found Qhasheik to be an unforgettable protagonist. He's a smartass who doesn't fear the opinions of others, confident in himself and his decisions. But, while he might appear to be invincible, there is a chink in his armor. With his home planet gone, he struggles to come to terms with the overwhelming grief of losing his people. And as the sole Ibbin on Akurn, he finds his solitude crippling, at times more than he can bear.

That is until he meets Abiditan.

Abiditan

            Abiditan appears to have it all. The second-born son of a high-ranking family on the rogue planet Akurn. He has wealth, is handsome beyond belief, and considered being one of the key minds in the nobility.

            He’s also labeled unclean, an outcast. The Akurns are a bigoted society where anyone who doesn’t fit into their idea of perfection runs the risk of being executed. Even with something as small as having been born with two separate eye colors. One eye is a normal blue green hue of an Akurn but the other is steel-metal gray. Even this minute deviation is considered an abomination, especially among the upper class. He may have the unwavering love of a doting family, but the longer he stays on Akurn, the more he not only puts his life in danger, but those of his loyal family as well. In a desperate attempt to avoid execution, he fakes his death and joins other rebels from Akurn to start up a hidden city underneath the Earth’s moon.

            There he meets and falls in love with Qhasheik. They form a tight bond and are positive life couldn’t get any better. That is until they meet Katsuki. 

Katsuki

            Katsuki comes from the planet Runihura, a matriarchy society that is first introduced in Chloe’s Turn. She comes from a successful family that owns and operates a mining colony on one of their moons called Narkata. We meet Katsuki coming back from a vacation on a pleasure planet with her college bound daughter when their spaceship suffers unexpected engine problems. She and her daughter would have died in space if it weren’t for a rogue planet answering their stress call.

To their horror, they find themselves on the infamous planet Akurn known to be a highly patriarchal society that refuses to provide women, especially aliens like Katsuki and her daughter, any rights. Both are arrested and sold into slavery for being unclaimed females. To make matters worse, the Akurns separated them. Just before Katsuki is sold into the pleasure houses infamous for their brutality, she’s given the opportunity to join some Akurn rebels to create a hidden society on Earth’s moon. Now, with some semblance of freedom, she believes she’ll have the resources to find her daughter.

            After settling on the moon city, Katsuki stumbles on Qhasheik and Abiditan. From the moment she meets them, she knows they are her aruu, her eternal mates. 

            Qhasheik claims his two companions are now part of his “pod”, a bond the Ibbin’s calls their immediate family.

From There...

            The series that this novella stems from finishes with the liberation of all Akurns from the harsh monarchy of Sub Prince Murduk. At the request of the ruling galactic government called the Federation Consortium, our three heroes are instructed to take the vile villain to Katsuki’s matriarchy home planet for sentencing.

            And that’s when the fun begins….