Looking ahead to 2024

 

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2024

Jessica E. Subject

I've mentioned in previous posts that I don't like to make resolutions, but I definitely have goals for the new year. While I finished writing two stories this year, only one of them has been published. Either way, the result is far less than the goals I set for myself. Why? I had a hard time adjusting to changes in my life. Just as I was getting used to my oldest child off at school, my dog (who was very much my shadow) became very ill and we had to have her put down. We knew it was coming, but it was still extremely hard for me. A few months later, we brought another dog into our home. And while she is an absolute joy, and my new shadow, she took a lot of time to adjust to living in a house. The first year of her life was spent in a barn, out in the wild, and then at the local shelter. And that emotional roller coaster of all those changes made it hard for me to focus on writing.

By the later half of this year, I was back in the game, able to focus again. I finished writing 4 United, submitted it, and had it release at the end of September. And last month, I finished and submitted another story, which is likely to release in February. I will share more information on that in my newsletter and on social media soon. 

I'm currently in the process of plotting/writing three stories. Two of them are stories that will be part of my Romance Tales from the Quadrants series, and the other is a story that has been stirring in my head and begging to be written. The third one isn't a romance though. It's a futuristic story about a mother's love for her family, but there is no happy ending. I don't know what I'll do with that story, but my goal is to write all three of them by the end of next year. *fingers crossed*

Do you have any goals for 2024? Or are you still focused on 2023 and getting through the holidays? Yeah, I'm still doing that, too. LOL

Happy Holidays, and Best Wishes to You for the New Year!

Transportation of the future

TRANSPORTATION OF THE FUTURE

by Jessica E. Subject

While some members of my family are fascinated by automobiles and other vehicles of the past, I prefer to look to the future, especially concept vehicles from car companies, aircraft, and spacecraft.

Both my previous and upcoming series take place in a part of the universe far from here. And transportation is far more advanced than what we have on Earth. There are hovercraft that run on batteries the way of electric vehicles on this planet. These vehicles cannot leave the planet they are on. In fact, they don't fly any higher than a couple hundred feet off the ground. The space racing jets fly higher in the atmosphere, using hydrogen and ion power cells. While they have the power to leave the atmosphere, they usually don't hold enough power to reach another planet, especially after a race. Then there are the space shuttles, which fly between various planets in the quadrants of my fictional universe.

But what's ahead for the future of vehicles here on Earth?

A couple years ago, when I was writing my Shifter Towers series, I learned about the Hyundai Prophecy Concept EV. And while the company has since redesigned and released it as the Ioniq 6, maintaining the streamlined look that I love, there were features in the Prophecy that I was really looking forward to seeing in a vehicle that weren't included in the Ioniq 6. The most notable being the twin joysticks used to steer the vehicle, taking the place of the steering wheel. Many construction vehicles are already steered in the same way, as well as some helicopters and jets. I think it will be interesting when this way of steering can be found in everyday vehicles.

And last month, I watched a video from NASA about the future of aircraft. Right now, they are working on developing different types of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) working to deliver packages and fight fires to being used as taxis and ambulances. And they are also in the process of building more supersonic aircraft while developing more complex air traffic control systems and collision avoidance systems.

Speaking of supersonic aircraft, startup company, Boom Technology has already received approval to test their XB-1 supersonic jet over the Mojave desert. The XB-1 is designed to travel at Mach 2.2, which is 2.2 times the speed of sound.

Also, did you hear about the office chair that Volkswagen designed? While not destined for production, the electric-motored drivable chair is heated, has LED headlights, storage compartments, and an infotainment system. If it hovered, it would be like the chairs people spent their days in from the movie Wall-E.

So, while we don't know for sure what the future holds (Why aren't hoverboards like in Back to the Future 2 a thing already?), I am excited to see all the different concepts the various companies and organizations are working on.

What kind of vehicles would you like to see in the future?

Read more about the vehicles in my futuristic universe in the Kaddim Brothers series, and my upcoming release, 4 UNITED, the first book in my Romance Tales from the Quadrants series.

  

In the beginning, there was a waterfall ~ Post by Author Jessica E. Subject

IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS A WATERFALL

by Jessica E. Subject

Photo by Jessica E. Subject ~ Duchesnay Falls, North Bay, Ontario, Canada

While celebrating 12 years published last month, I also shared a bit about the story and series I was currently working on. Since then, I have finished revising 4 UNITED, submitted the story, contracted it to Decadent Publishing, finished content edits, and have a cover (to be revealed first in my newsletter). I still have to do line and galley edits. And I don't have a release date yet, but those are coming. I have also started plotting the next book in the Romance Tales from the Quadrants series, 2 FANS. But I've put that story on pause, already having plotted and am now writing a story for a secret group project. It is more paranormal than scifi. I'll share more on that when I can.

But for now, I want to talk about 4 UNITED. I've been working on this story for about a year. A long time to be working on a story for me. But, I had one child go off to college, another child return to in-person learning after 2+ years of online learning, an old, sick dog who we finally had to have put down, and the adoption of a new dog. It was a lot of adjusting for me, especially mentally. And now I can say it's done and I'm moving onto the next story.

In my previous posts, I've talked about pets in sci-fi romance. And I've talked about including water in my stories. Well, 4 UNITED does not have any pets in it. (Though 2 FANS does.) But, 4 UNITED does have water. In fact, the story begins at a waterfall.

Photo by Jessica E. Subject ~ Duchesnay Falls, North Bay, Ontario, Canada

Here's an excerpt from the beginning of 4 UNITED, when two of the main characters are young teens...

It was my last night on Ma’an. Though I didn’t know it at the time. I had climbed up the rocky left bank of Galsana Falls to Pentor Point, the best view of the waterfall and the land below. Nunki sat beside me, both of us with our legs hanging over the edge of the rockface. He was always with me. At thirteen-star cycles, we lived next door to each other, and had spent most of our lives together. I believed that would never change. In a few star cycles, we would marry. And in a few more, we would visit a doctor, and I would be inseminated with Nunki’s sperm plus some from two donors. Because that’s how babies were made on my home planet.

“Do you want an eipa?” Nunki opened a cloth, showing me the sweet and fruity pastry wrapped inside. Probably something his moema had sent along with him.

“No, it’s okay. You can eat it.” As much as I loved eipaes, I didn’t want to eat Nunki’s. Though I was sure he would let me have a bite.

He reached into his sack and pulled out another cloth. “I have two. Moema said to make sure you get one. She made them especially for you, anyway.”

Of course. She always fed me. More so after my poepa died and my moema had been busy planning for his funeral. Maybe she did that so I wouldn’t be sad. The adults I knew on Ma’an were often sad when a relative died. But I couldn’t be sad when it came to my poepa. I barely knew him. He was always at the Official Rotunda for important meetings, whatever that meant. And when he wasn’t there, he traveled off planet to make trade deals with the governments of other worlds within the Quadrants. I guessed communication through the comm system wasn’t good enough, no matter how many times I had sworn I wouldn’t interrupt him if he stayed home. He never used comms to talk to the governments of other planets, or to call home when he traveled. When I did see my poepa, he came for dinner before he took my moema to her sleep pod and closed the curtain. She would giggle and moan his name all night. Then he left the next morning for several more lunar cycles. I knew my l’sida’s poepa better than my own, and he owned a shipping business and made deliveries all across the quadrants. But he still made it home far more often.

My moema grieved with my poepa’s passing, cried a lot when she didn’t think I could see her. So, maybe I grieved, too, but for her. I wanted her to be happy again.

After taking the sweet treat from Nunki, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Tell your moema, thank you. She makes the best eipaes.”

Nunki’s cheeks turned red before he took my hand in his. “We’ll be best friends forever, right?”

I nodded. “Of course.” I’d never doubted the idea. Nunki being in my life remained an irrefutable fact, something that would never change.

And here's the blurb for 4 UNITED...

Why would I ever return to Ma’an?

My moema and I escaped from the planet star cycles ago, to avoid her being forced to remarry after my poepa’s passing. I grew up well far away from there, not worrying about being betrothed to some government official just to bear his children. And now I work for the Universal Space Racer Association, traveling all over the quadrants to decide whether new teams meet the qualifications to join.

I never expected to be on a shuttle, heading back to Ma’an. The new chairman of Ma’an and the USRA assured me I’ll be allowed to leave at the end of my evaluation of the planet, but I have my doubts. I can’t even get out of the assignment. Trust me, I’ve tried.

At least I’ll be able to see more of Deyal, my only family member still alive. Plus, my best friend is convinced the three childhood friends I left behind are my fated mates, two of which are on the team, and the other is my shagard. I’m not ready to commit to one person, let alone three. And polyamorous relationships were banned on the planet long before my birth. But the three of them have grown from the cute boys I remember into sexy strangers.

It’s too bad I have a rule to never sleep with the racers I’m inspecting.

4 United is the first book in Jessica E. Subject’s sweet and spicy Kaddim Brothers spinoff series, Romance Tales from the Quadrants. 4 United features Eta, who escaped Ma’an with her moema just as her hair was starting to turn pink, her three childhood friends who grew up to be very sexy men, an unexpected assignment, fated mates, true love, and other family and friends getting involved to make sure the four of them get their happy ever after. If you like MMMF relationships, second chances at love, friends to lovers, and fated mates, read 4 United today.

Learn more about the USRA and space racing here

Learn more about the Kaddim Brothers series and space racing here

Find the writing playlist for 4UNITED here

Happy reading!

Celebrating 12 Years of Aliens, Clones, Shifters, and more!

On July 1st, it had been 12 years since my first story was published. CELESTIAL SEDUCTION is an MF Alien Romance that I wrote thanks to the prodding from some authors I met through a weekly blog hop called Six Sentence Sunday. It was for a submission call for the 1Night Stand line at Decadent Publishing. I still remember the shock and subsequent emotions I felt when I received the offer of acceptance. My first round of edits made me want to cry. It was extremely colorful, but the colors did nothing to cheer me up. But, I plodded through them and was elated when my story released July 1, 2011. I've written, revised, edited, submitted, had published, and published on my own many stories since then. 

Though my first stories were about aliens, I've branched out a bit, writing about Clones, Far Away Worlds, a Post-Apocalyptic Earth, many Futuristic Militaries, Galactic Royalty, and Zombies! Branching into the Paranormal World, I've told stories of Shifters, Witches, Phoenix, and Gargoyles! My stories have included many pairings, including MF, MM, FF, MMF, MFM, and relationships involving non-binary characters with more to come. In some worlds, I've written about some males (omegas) who are able to get pregnant.

Most of the time, when I write a series, I stick with the same type of story throughout the series. If it's MF Aliens, that's all you'll get. If it's MM MPreg Shifters, you'll have plenty of them. But, with my new series (I've just completed the second draft of the first book), the only commonality is the area of space it takes place in, and the idea of space racers (a spinoff of my Kaddim Brothers series). The first book is a MMMF Polyamorous SciFi Romance. Another is an NB/F Online Dating SciFi Romance. There's an MF One Bed SciFi Romance. A M/DemiF Action/Suspense SciFi Romance. And the last I have planned is an FM MPreg SciFi Romance. Those are just the main characters. On our own planet, things aren't as binary as some would like to believe. And I want to show the diversity in my own universes. I hope you're excited to take the journey through the quadrants with me in Romance Tales from the Quadrants!

  

About CELESTIAL SEDUCTION:

At the end of his obligated commitment to the Space Service, Frey Berger decides to stay on Earth to further experience human emotions rather than return to Ginnun where his intended has already mated with another. Looking for real love and someone to accept him for what he is, Frey enlists in Madame Evangeline’s popular dating service. Although he does not understand the concept of a one-night stand, he hopes to find his perfect mate.

Carrie Cooper’s husband divorced her for someone who could provide him with children, leaving her with little self-confidence and no desire to let a man hurt her again. Her best friend convinces her to join a dating service, claiming Carrie needs to get laid, while not winding up with a broken heart since her date requires no commitment after the night is over.

Although several misunderstandings nearly derail them before the date has even begun, Carrie and Frey end up becoming closer than they ever believed possible. Still, Frey will need to convince Carrie that her perfect mate isn’t human at all, and that one night can lead to a forever love.

Available WIDE!

Amazon US | Universal Book Links

Enjoy an excerpt!

“I’m not exactly like you and most of the people on Earth. I’m….different.” 

“Like a demon or a guardian angel?” 

He laughed. It sounded forced, but he needed to stay focused on healing Carrie rather than mating with her. “No, you’re thinking paranormal. Try science fiction.” 

She began to squirm under him, but he didn’t need to restrain her. “A….clone? Artificial intelligence?” 

He finished healing her and lay down beside her. His thumb ran across her lips, wanting to taste them again, but knowing he probably wouldn’t. “Try alien.”

Pets in Sci-Fi Romance by Jessica E. Subject

 

PETS IN SCI-FI ROMANCE

by Author Jessica E. Subject

In my house, we've recently adopted a new dog after our other dog passed at the beginning of the year. As someone whose lived with some kind of pet for the majority of my life, it was hard for me to live without one. I've had dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, fish, ferrets, and a newt. Right now, we have our dog (a big puppy), and a green frog that adopted our pond last spring as it's home. We did our research, and helped it hibernate over the winter. We were so happy when we saw her this spring.

 

That got me thinking about the pets in my stories. In sci-fi romance, they can be anything, from pets we know on Earth to one's created from an author's imagination. I don't have many pets in my stories. And I'm not sure why. In the story I'm writing, circumstances don't make caring for any pet possible for the characters. Though, I want to write a pet into the end of the story. That's usually when I can add them, is at the end when the MCs lives are more settled. I'm going to try really hard to add pets into this shared universe series though. I already have many ideas for the next stories. And who knows? I may find a way to add one in earlier to my current WIP.

If you've been visiting this blog for a while, you've probably heard of the Pets in Space anthologies. Some of our authors have contributed, and we've had many guests on here with stories in the anthologies. All these stories have pets in them, from common to fantastical.

I do have one story where the one LI's pet introduced the couple in the first chapter. It was part of the second anthology, Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, which made the USA Today bestseller list. In my story, Vilarra's pet is a tibbar, which looks like a cross between a ferret and a rabbit.

Here's more about GIB AND THE TIBBAR...

A dedicated Defender to the core, Gib is willing to go to any planet the Galactic Alliance sends him. That is, until he’s sent with his squad to Hemera for their Alorama ceremony, far from any threat of Erebus invasion and with no chance for promotion.

Vilarra has lived on Hemera all her life, working hard in the kitchens of the royal palace until she achieved lead hand. But learning of the universe beyond her world reveals her insignificance and shreds her sense of accomplishment and purpose.

With the help of a furry, little tibbar, Gib is determined to win the affection of Vilarra, prove to her how significant she is to him and the people who depend on her. But will his personal mission be cut short before he has the chance to win her heart?

*Formerly part of USA Today Bestselling Anthology Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2.

GIB AND THE TIBBAR IS AVAILABLE WIDE!

Books2Read Universal Buy Link

Enjoy an excerpt from GIB AND THE TIBBAR...

A high-pitched squeak sounded, and Gib’s surveillance partner returned to reaching for the branches. The little creature stood on its hind legs below Zair’s bench, peeping as if telling him off.

Gib couldn’t hold in his laughter. Not just at the other Defender’s reaction, but also the thoughts running through Zair’s mind, thoughts he’d failed to block in his fear.

“It’s not going to eat you.” Gib shook his head, wondering how his squad mate could see the creature as dangerous. “Would you please get down from there? Defenders are supposed to be brave and fierce. Right now, you’re neither.”

“Go to Gaspra, Mingot. And stay out of my head.” He yanked his plazer from his hip holster and aimed it at the critter. “If I don’t destroy it, it will bring death to everyone on this planet.”

Stepping into the line of fire, Gib yanked the weapon from his squad mate, thankful the safety remained on. “You’re being ridiculous. Besides, if you fire your weapon, you’ll cause a panic. The Hemera will think Erebus have arrived.”

The frightened Defender shook a foot at the creature. “Fine, then. Kick it into the fire. Or you could stomp on it.”

“Don’t you dare!” A Hemera woman burst from the bushes, storming toward Zair like a mother rehn protecting her young. She shoved him off his bench and shouldered past Gib before scooping the noisy creature into her hand. “This is my tibbar, not some kind of vermin.”

“Tibbar? Try nasty rodent that tried to eat me.” Zair smoothed out his uniform but kept his distance from the creature now perched on the woman’s shoulder.

“You’re both on nehbred.” She kicked dirt at them, her pink lips pursed and her dark eyes set in a deadly stare. “You don’t know what you’re talking about when it comes to my pet or my planet.”

And be sure to check out the other books in my Galactic Defenders series...

 

Learn more about the USRA (& fun with infographics) with author Jessica E. Subject

 

Happy April everyone!

Sometimes coming up with an idea for my post each month is challenging, especially since I'm still busy writing with nothing new to share. I was looking through so many lists of what authors can blog about. There were many ideas, but nothing I wanted to tackle. Some of the ideas talked about fun things. So, I decided to do something that was fun for me.

I decided to post about something that ties my Kaddim Brothers series to my upcoming series, Romance Tales from the Quadrants. Space Racing. And that leads to the USRA, the Universal Space Racer Association. The fun part for me was making an infographic about the organization. 

Here's how I did it...

1. Brainstorm the key points you want to share. Depending on how much information you're going to include with each point, you should have four to eight points.
2. Decide on colors for your infographic. You don't want them to include more than two colors for your fonts. And be cautious of the graphics you include. Too many can be distracting and not convey the information you want to share.
3. Decide on graphics. You can do some of this in the next step, or find them now, depending on how you're putting the infographic together. For mine, I had to create a logo for the organization, and that meant some research on logos, especially organizations and companies related to racing and space.
4. Once I had the basics decided, I went to Canva. There, I scrolled through the infographic templates they had to find one that worked best or the items I wanted to include. Templates are not set in stone, so you can replace, delete, add, and change many things.
5. My next step was sending it to others to ensure it was readable, had no mistakes, and looked okay.
6. Then I saved it.
7. Now, I'm sharing it. Below is the infographic I made for the USRA, the organization that the main character from my work-in-progress works for.

Do you have anything you could make an infographic for? Maybe books written or books read? Something from a book? Or some other interest?

Until next time, happy reading!

Jessica

Rewriting an old story by Jessica E. Subject

 

Many, many years ago, I started writing a story based on a dream I had. I planned and plotted this story out, did an immense amount of research for this story, and then wrote it. Though it wasn't my first story published, it was the first story I finished. It did get published, but it wasn't long before the publisher of that story went under, and I eventually got the rights back to my story. BUT, I had learned so much about writing in the time from when I first submitted the story, to when I got the rights back. I had several other stories published, and learned a lot in the editing process for every single one. I also had taken several writing courses through various writing organizations, belonged to a critique group, and read several books on writing.

So, when I read over the manuscript for that story, I was embarrassed. There was no way I wanted that story to be published as it was. But, I did want the story to be told. I had two choices. I could either revise and self-edit the whole story based on what I'd learned, or I could rewrite the entire thing with my new knowledge about story writing. 

What did I do? I rewrote the entire story. I didn't know where to start with revisions. The whole manuscript seemed to need one big revision. So, I replotted the story. And using the new outline, I wrote a completely new story. While there are some similarities between the original story, and the rewrite, it's also very different.

The hardest part of the rewrite was letting go of all the excitement I had while writing the original. It was a huge deal to have finished writing a book. But I wanted it to be a story I was proud to have my name on. 

Are there other stories I have written that I would like to rewrite? Yes! But those are projects for another time. I have too many new ideas in my head to get out before I stop to work on an old one.

What's the title of the rewritten story? It's BRYCE, the first book in my Galactic Defenders series. Check it out!

A dedicated Defender…

Bryce fell in love once, but after Lalia was ripped away from him, he locked his heart from feeling anything for anyone else. Instead, he devotes his life to the Galactic Alliance, killing every bloodthirsty Erebus he comes across.

A shunned princess…

Lalia Comosova fell in love with the wrong man. When her parents learned of her transgressions, they sent her to Earth to hide her error in judgment from the rest of the kingdom.

A second chance?

When these lovers are reunited after many years apart, they have a chance to find happiness together. But fate steps in and threatens to rip them apart as it did years ago.

Amazon US | Universal Buy Link (multiple retailers)

And here's an excerpt...

Bryce raised his crossbow, lining his sights on the creature standing amongst the bushes, its branch-like tentacles undulating in the gentle breeze. Focusing the crosshairs on the alien’s torso, he drew in a deep breath. He had one shot. If he missed, the Erebus would cry out and alert the natives of Terra to its existence, resulting in more casualties. At first glance, no one on the planet, also called Earth, would believe an Erebus anything more than an overgrown bush, but Bryce knew the truth. He’d trained to hunt the creatures from childhood.

Each step carefully placed, he advanced until he stood twenty feet from the Erebus, no chance to miss the shot. With a slight movement of his finger, he squeezed the trigger, sending a zuranium-tipped arrow racing toward the alien.

“Quinn, would you grab me another garbage bag?”

Fornax. The creature lunged toward the female voice, Bryce’s arrow stuck in one of its tentacles. A kill, but not instant.

He loaded another arrow. At the risk of being seen, he charged through the hedges. He had to cut the Erebus off before it had a chance to kill the Terran. He leaped over metal furniture and large urns, keeping his focus on the creature.

“What the hell? Get out of my yard!”

The woman rushed him, but Bryce darted around her. When the Erebus lumbered in front of him, he raised his weapon and fired. A clean shot to the middle. The creature dropped like a fallen log, crushing the furniture it landed on.

Bryce loaded the crossbow again. No time to celebrate the kill. He had to worry about the possibility of other Erebus in the area, along with the Terran woman who had seen him. Instead of running away screaming, as he’d expected her to do, she stared, wide-eyed in horror. Not at him, but the Erebus. Her body trembled as she shuffled backward, mumbling incomprehensible words.

An unexpected sense of familiarity washed over him. He couldn’t draw his attention away from her slim figure, the way her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders. Far more attractive than he’d pictured the Terrans when others talked about them. He took a closer glance. Lalia? How had she traveled so far from home without anyone knowing? She was no stranger, and definitely not Terran. Or, perhaps she was simply a doppelganger of the woman he’d once loved. He had the sudden urge to comfort her, relieve her worry. Hold her in his arms the way he had many years ago. But what if the missing princess had somehow made her way to a planet unaware life existed beyond their own? After she’d left Hemera and him behind without so much as a goodbye, he’d searched everywhere. Though not once had he thought to look on Terra.

A ground-shattering bellow pierced the night. Bryce spun around, finding himself face-to-face with another Erebus. It stared at him with beady red eyes. Thick black goop dripped from its mouth.

Bryce raised his bow, but the creature slammed him with one of its tentacles, flinging him back. The Erebus lunged at Lalia.

Rolling to his knees, Bryce aimed and fired. He hit the alien from behind, launching it forward. Onto his former lover. Slinging the bow over his shoulder, he raced toward her. The creature’s tentacles still pulsed, even though dead. Careful not to trip himself up, he shoved his hands under the creature’s torso and heaved it off her.

Lalia stood immediately and wiped the black goop from her clothes, as if she hadn’t been flattened by an alien. “They weren’t supposed to follow me. I was supposed to be safe here.”

Getting the music to fit the mood of the story (chapter) ~ Post by Author Jessica E. Subject

Hello everyone! Can you believe we're in November already?

One of the last things on my list of items to accomplish (for my author self) this year is to release the first book in a new series. And while I'm currently writing that book, I know it's not going to be ready before the end of the year.

I did want to share some insight into the story though. So, I'm going to share my writing playlist. While I have a general writing playlist that I use, I decided to create one specifically for the story I'm writing, something I haven't done in years.

For this playlist, I'm not only trying to set the mood of the story through music, but also trying to tell the story using music. I'm trying to find songs that match the plot for each scene and/or chapter.

While the playlist is not finished, it may give you a general idea as to what might happen. Maybe. LOL Check it out below...

Do you like book playlists? As a reader, do you listen to them while you read the book? As an author, do you use them when you write?

Wishing you many great books to read!
See you next month!

Racing to the finish line! An excerpt from Jessica E. Subject's new release, RET

 

RACING TO THE FINISH LINE!

The third, and final, book in my Kaddim Brothers series released last month. RET is a fitting end to the series and the team. But, it's definitely not the end of the space racers. The next set of stories I'm planning to write are all spinoffs from the series, focusing on many other aspects of racing, and the racing life. I have stories planned about members from other teams, from USRA (Universal Space Racing Association) administration members, and more!

Today, though, I wanted to share an excerpt from RET that takes place during the race. It was an exciting scene to write, and I hope you like it...

From Chapter 13 of RET by Jessica E. Subject - Ret's point of view

Checking the radar, I saw all of my team members close by, but the racers from the other teams were as well. Yet, we were still in the beginning laps of the race. What happened early on didn’t matter as much when it came to the finals. We simply needed to ensure we were still doing well after pit stops for hydrogen and before we headed into the last ten laps. That’s when the excitement began.

Flying among the best teams in the circuit, I knew there wouldn’t be any issues like on Gaunb. We were all here to win yet also had a code of ethics that many new teams seemed to ignore. As the number of remaining laps lessened, I could feel the energy of everyone pushing their jets that much harder.

Fourteen.

Thirteen.

Twelve.

Eleven.

The racers all shifted their positions. Guards for each team moved closer to their main racer. And the blockers wedged their jets among the other teams.

Ten.

It was time to begin the maneuvers. Each team had one. Some were simple. Others, more complex. We had to perform our own while trying to keep our lead.

Nine.

All at once, three members of Team Light blasted ahead of the pack. I chuckled to myself. They’d used their boosters too early and would likely finish at the end. If I was going to use that trick as a distraction, I would have only sacrificed one of my teammates instead of three. And no one was fooled. By the end of that lap, they were behind us all.

Eight.

I flew within the top five, Ilam tucked in behind me. Exactly where he was supposed to be.

Seven.

Someone from Team Ffice spiraled among the other jets. Not a brilliant move. Not only could they cause an accident, but it used extra energy and would make them slow for the rest of the race.

Six.

Xac and Qé moved closer to the main group of racers; one above and the other below. And everyone still pushed ahead.

Five.

Team Tadi moved away from the main group, surrounding us instead. Stars, what were they up to? I had to figure it out.

Four.

“G,” I called my brother over our private channel with a good guess as to the other team’s plan. “I want you up in that circle with Tadi. The twins are already there. Don’t let them squeeze us out.”

“Got it. Moving there now.”

And he did without losing his position.

Three.

Not much changed during this lap. We kept pushing forward, all of us waiting for another team to reveal their plan.

Two.

Team Tadi squeezed inward, as I’d predicted, hoping to push the other teams behind them in order to take the lead. But when you squeeze things, you need to make sure the other end is blocked. I rushed ahead with Ilam riding my tail.

One.

“G, I need you here to guard Little Lam.” It was time to carry out our maneuver.

What happened in the last lap? You'll have to read RET to find out!

RET (Kaddim Brothers book three)

by Jessica E. Subject

Ret Kaddim has the perfect life. He’s a space racer, the leader of the most popular team across the universe. Always planning, practicing, and racing, he has no time for a relationship, but finds plenty of willing partners who agree to his one-night-only rule. Because there is no way he wants to end up in a relationship and stuck with a family like his younger brothers. He’s having too much fun for that.

Ilam Nairan always dreamed of becoming a space racer. And thanks to a chance encounter with a retired racer, he is now living that dream. Far away from the mated and pregnant omega life his parents wanted him to have, he loves everything about his life. It’s perfect.

But one night can change everything. Especially when too much alcohol is involved. Can these two teammates survive the resulting media storm? What will it mean for their careers? The future of the team? And for them?

Ret is a sweet with knotty heat mm non-shifter mpreg sci-fi romance featuring an alpha space racer and an omega space racer who both believe they’ll always be single, snarky but loveable teammates, lots of space racing, endearing family members, an adorable baby, and a guaranteed happily ever after. If you enjoy teammates realizing they have feelings for each other, and all the obstacles those bring, be sure to download Ret today!

AMAZON US | UNIVERSAL BUY LINK

It's hard to say goodbye ~ Writing THE END by Jessica E. Subject

 

Writing THE END

I'm writing a story called RET right now, but lately, it's been hard to sit my butt down and write. Why? There are many reasons, but the biggest one is that I'm getting close to the end of the book. And that means I'm going to have to say goodbye soon. 

I always have this issue when I write any book, but with RET, it seems even harder. This isn't just the end of a book, but the end of the series. I'll be saying goodbye to the Kaddim Brothers and their family, and to the space racer team, ORIXA, pushing them out of my thoughts for good. I've had these characters in my head for over two years now. Yes, VAWN released in August of 2021, but the whole family occupied a space in my mind well before then, when I was still writing my Shifter Towers series. I'm truly finding it tough and very sad.

At the same time, I'm plotting out the first book in my new series. I'm not going to say much about it, except I have ideas for five books in this series already. They're all something new, but at the same time, they're very familiar for me. I'm so excited.

So, while I try to reign in my excitement for this new series, and deal with my sadness to finish writing RET, here's a teaser from the story for you that I shared last Friday for #FridayKiss.

If you haven't read the other Kaddim Brothers stories, you can find them here:

  

Happy reading!

Kaddim Brothers ~ A series about family

KADDIM BROTHERS ~ A SERIES ABOUT FAMILY

Hello everyone! Can you believe it's March already? Every years seems to fly by faster and faster!

At the end of February, the second book in my Kaddim Brothers series released. It is Genj's story. He's a shy and clumsy alpha space racer who has had an enormous crush on his younger brother's best friend for half his life. Genj is very different from Vawn, and from Ret, the brother whose story I'm writing now.

In writing this series, I was inspired by a video of seven guys walking together in racing suits with their helmets under their arms. For copyright purposes, I'm not sure I can share. But you can find the video here. My inspiration came at the end of the video. But I didn't want to write a story or series about seven racers. So I did a lot of pondering as to how I wanted to turn that image into a series. That's when I decided to focus on three brothers. 

The most important part was making all three of them different. And I think I've succeeded in doing so to this point. While the three brothers grew up on the same planet with the same parents, they always wanted different things. 

Vawn is an omega who always dreamed of having a family while being a fashion designer. His life wasn't always easy, as you can read in his book, but he managed to find his happily ever after.

Genj, as I mentioned above, is a shy and clumsy alpha. He never really knew what he wanted to be growing up, and never believed he was alpha enough to go after his crush. He ended up following his older brother to Eurebly to become a space racer, where he learned he has a talent for racing. He does find his happily ever after, but he needs a few nudges from his brothers to get there.

Ret is the oldest of the three. An alpha who always wanted to be a space racer, and has never allowed any romantic relationship to last more than one night. I'm writing his story right now, so I don't want to give anything away.

Since the three are brothers, there are scenes where they interact with each other and other family members. And their personalities must shine through here. But there is another family that I talk about in this series. The team.

Two of the three brothers are on the space racer team, ORIXA. Since the five members of the team train and live together for the majority of a star cycle (year), they do become very close like a family. So, their interactions are just as important as the three brothers when they're together.

Here's a snippet from GENJ, showing some family and teammate interaction... This is in Genj's point of view. Enjoy!

“Would you two stop it already?”

I glanced up after kissing Utahn’s neck, meeting my brother’s annoyed glare. “What?”

He sneered at me. “It’s sickening seeing you two all lovey, especially when it took the two of you forever to finally get together. I’m used to this behavior from Qé and Xac, but, somehow, with you two, it’s worse.”

Utahn shifted in my lap. “Well, if you had selected a more interesting holo-movie, we wouldn’t have had to occupy ourselves with other things.”

Qé laughed from the couch across the room.

“Hey.” Ret pointed to Utahn. “You be quiet. If not for me hacking into the hotel’s reservation system, and spilling my drink on the couch, you two still wouldn’t be together.”

“Um, what?” I tilted my head to the side, very confused. “You and Utahn planned this?”

Utahn jumped around to face me. “I had nothing to do with that. I’m not complaining that it happened this way, but none of it was my doing.”

Ret chuckled and shook his head. “No, it was Vawn who gave me the idea. We were both sick of hearing you two whine about how much you like each other. But now I’m regretting that. Can you please separate your mouths from each other for a bit?”

“It’s been a bit already.” Utahn cupped my jaw before kissing me.

Divine.

With a groan, Ret stood up. “It’s time to head out for dinner soon anyway. The all clear from the sandstorm came during the movie, so I’m going to have a quick shower.” As he passed Ilam, he placed his hand on the rookie’s shoulder. “And I’m very thankful I’m not the only single one here. Ilam and I are going to be bachelors for life, never committing to anyone.”

GENJ

Kaddim Brothers book two

by Jessica E. Subject

Genj is a cinnamon roll alpha. Even as one of the circuit’s best space racers, he’s shy and rather clumsy. Not qualities anyone wants in a mate, especially the omega he’s crushed on for years. But when Genj invites Utahn on a whim to visit him for a weekend, the omega agrees.

Utahn never expected his best friend’s older brother to reciprocate his feelings. Genj is a space racer, and everyone in the universe knows they rarely commit. When the two get together, sparks fly. And what once seemed impossible becomes a dream come true.

But situations change. And past relationships have a way of interfering with new ones. Can Genj and Utahn work through past traumas, or were they never meant to be more than a childhood crush?

Available in ebook and paperback:

Amazon US | Universal Buy Link

Also find Genj here:

GOODREADS | BOOKBUB

Do you BookBub? Plus, a contest!

 

DO YOU BOOKBUB?

You've probably seen a lot of authors asking you to follow them on BookBub over the last few years. It's a useful platform for both readers and authors. Authors can notify their followers of their new releases (and their pre-orders if they have enough followers,) have a central place where their books are listed with buy links, and recommend books to their followers.

So, what are the benefits to readers?

• Follow your favorite authors and even other readers who share the same reading preferences as you.
• Get notified by email when your favorite authors have a new release. That way you don't have to hunt through social media posts to find out when that book releases again. For some authors, you may even get a notice when they have a book available to pre-order or a sale.
• Find all of the books by your favorite authors in one place with buy links. Some authors have these on websites and universal buy links, but not all.
• Leave reviews after you read a great book. Reviews help authors out immensely, but they also help other readers to find great books.
• Find out what books your favorite authors have enjoyed! When your favorite authors leave a review on another author's book on BookBub, that review will be shared with you, so you can get their book recommendations and find more great books to read.

I'm currently a participating author in a contest where you follow authors on BookBub for a chance to WIN a $250 GC to your choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Here are the details...

Enter NOW for your chance to win $250 of your choice Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card!

The Rules are simple...Follow as many authors as you would like...the more points you get, the better your chances are of winning! Good Luck!

Enter Here: https://bit.ly/BBFebruaryGiveaway-Rafflecopter before 11:59pm 2/11/22

You can find me on BookBub here:

Best of luck to those who enter the contest! 

And wishing you all a month of wonderful books to read!