The Argent Star

THE ARGENT STAR

by Emerson Fray

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

What happens when your decisions affect an entire universe?

Ren Argent wanted to be an archeologist and spend her life exploring the lost cities of Earth.  But when a new planet is discovered and her father is appointed King, she has to leave behind everything she knows to rule over a place she’s only heard of in legends.

Not long after her arrival she discovers there are insurgents hiding in the darkened forests and the planet is on the brink of civil war.  It won’t be long until the Monarchy steps in to “neutralize” the threat.

Will she be able to stop the hostile takeover?  Or will her actions ignite a rebellion across the universe?

EXCERPT:

“He wants you to marry soon, but I think he’ll be happier if you’re dead.”

Ren knew Garret was trying to get her to marry someone on Novae but she hadn’t thought he’d be happier if she was dead.  She didn’t think her death would benefit him in any way, actually.  Or anyone, for that matter.

“Garret might be a snake, but he would be happier if I just married someone,” Ren argued.

“He’d be happier if Elian was on the throne.”

That caught Ren by surprise.  “What do you mean?”

“Maks cannot be controlled,” Sheridan cut in, her voice low.  “He does what he believes is right and best for the people, not the Monarchy.  Elian is not as strong as Maks; he’d fold under their pressure.”

“Elian is plenty strong,” Ren said.  “And if he were the King then he would be great.  He would--”

“Be easily controlled,” Abetha interrupted, “at least Garret thinks so.”

Ren bit down on her bottom lip.  “No he wouldn’t.”  It was true though, and Elian had plenty of weaknesses they could exploit.  All they had to do was threaten to take away his machines and he would crumble.  But Ren wanted to think her brother had more integrity than that and shook her head.

“He would compared to Maks,” Abetha said carefully.  “The Monarchy is having trouble keeping Maks under their thumb.  He isn’t doing what they want here.”

“And what is it they want?” Ren whispered.  It was what she’d been trying to figure out ever since she’d left Earth.

In the darkness, Sheridan answered, “Control.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Emerson Fray currently resides in Hamilton, Ontario.  While most of her stories happen on other planets, she remains on Earth 24/7 hunting down hawks and bugs to photograph, as well as chasing her mother’s dog to reclaim stolen shoes.  A self taught Pokemon trainer and coffee lover, she spends most of her valuable time pinning recipes she will never make on boards she will forget about.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FrayEmerson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emersonfray

Blog: https://emersonfray.wordpress.com

The author is giving away a $20 Barnes and Noble/Amazon gift card. Use the link below to enter. You may find the tour schedule at 

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Reflections of a Conflicted Blogger

On Saturday morning at 10:00, my thirty five year journey as a teacher comes to an end. I anticipate that moment with both joy and grief. It's hard to realize that I'm retiring because I always had the summer months free. I don't suppose I'll really get it until August when my friends go back to work, and I stay home.

So, I'm having a lost of 'lasts' this week. For the last time I:

1.went to Class Day to watch the students receive their yearbooks
2.attended graduation and got choked up because the seniors are so young and full of hope and life
3.gave final exams
4.taught my last social studies class
5.had a lovely retirement luncheon with the faculty
6.took up books and wrote debt cards
7.had my final lunch with my lunch buddies Jennifer, Sue, Glenda, Madison, Leigh, Rita, Tammy, and Ben.
8.packed up my room for summer cleaning
9.used an ID badge to unlock the school door
10.did morning and lunch duty

I also remember that there's a whole new world out there to explore. I have some ideas on how I'll spend my golden years, but my plans are still too vague and undefined to mention. Suffice it to say that I'll be creating a new list of 'firsts.'

Henry Gallant And The Warrior

Scroll on down for the next post in my cowgirl series.

HENRY GALLANT AND THE WARRIOR

by H. Peter Alesso

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

In the 22th Century, the people of the Solar System have banded together against an alien invasion. Unfortunately, they’re losing—badly.

As the only Natural remaining in the genetically engineered officer corps of the United Planet’s fleet, Henry Gallant has unique mental abilities that have proven essential to the defense against the Titan invaders. Nevertheless his fellow officers lack faith in him, and worse, he has angered prominent men by speaking truth to power.

Despite this, Admiral Collingsworth has given him command of the Warrior, the most advanced stealth warship in the UP arsenal, and ordered him to the alien’s main base to spy, intrigue, and disrupt their war capacity.

Gallant’s mission leads to risky battles and painful choices, but no choice is more personal, or intimate, than the choice to face one’s own death. And for Henry Gallant—a flawed young man in a hopeless situation against overwhelming odds—a dreadful decision looms before him.

He has only one saving grace—he is unafraid.

EXCERPT:

Lieutenant Henry Gallant walked along the cobblestone streets of New Annapolis—head down, mind racing . . .

My orders say take command of the Warrior immediately . . . but no promotion . . . Why not?

He pondered the possibilities, but he already knew the answer. Though he had steely gray eyes, a square jaw, and was taller than nearly everyone around him, what distinguished him most was not visible to the naked eye—he was a Natural—born without genetic engineering.

By the time he reached the space elevator, the welcoming breeze of the clear brisk morning had brightened his mood and he fell into line behind the shipyard personnel without complaint.

Looking up, he marveled; that cable goes into the clouds like an Indian rope trick.

When at last it was his turn, the guard scanned his comm pin against the access manifest.

The portal light blinked red.

“Pardon, sir. Access denied,” said the grim faced sentry.

“Call the officer of the guard,” demanded Gallant.

The officer of the guard appeared, but was no more inclined to pass Gallant through. He touched the interface panel and made several more entries, but the portal continued to blink red.

“There’s a hold on your access, sir.”

Gallant asked, “A hold?”

“Yes, sir. Your clearance and authorization are in order, but SIA has placed a hold on your travel movements. They want you to report to SIA headquarters, ASAP.”

“I need to go to the shipyard and attend to important business before going to the Solar Intelligence Agency,” clarified Gallant, but even as he said it, he knew it wouldn’t help.

“Sorry, sir. Orders.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

As a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of scientists and engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers, workstations, and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of seven books.

You can visit his Web site at: http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx

_______________________________________________

Author Social Media:

Author Web site at: http://www.hpeteralesso.com/Default.aspx

Goodreads Address: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/413852.H_Peter_Alesso

YouTube trailer for Henry Gallant Saga: SciFi Book Trailer: Midshipman Henry Gallant

Facebook for Henry Gallant Saga: https://www.facebook.com/MidshipmanHenryGallantInSpace

 

Amazon link for Volume 1 of the Henry Gallant Saga: http://www.amazon.com/Midshipman-Henry-Gallant-Space-Volume/dp/1482640325/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

THE AUTHOR WILL BE GIVING AWAY A $15 AMAZON/B7N GIFT CERTIFICATE. USE THE REFFLECOPTER BELOW TO ENTER. 

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Beyond the Book: Cowgirl Duds

Welcome to Beyond the Book. For the past few weeks we've been talking about cowgirls, and today we're checking out some cowgirl clothes. A girl has to look the part, right? First of all, we need some boots. I love this pair. Our fashion conscious cowgirl will notice the cheetah print on the leather, and I love the turquoise inlays. You can get these nice boots athttps://www.cavenders.com/western/women/ladies-boots-shoes/western-square-toe-boots/CFW2000

A girl has to have a purse too so how do you like this one? I adore the tribal print. http://www.itsacowgirlthing.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=23678

A girl needs a hat too. This one looks purely decorative to me, and I like it. http://www.itsacowgirlthing.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=23678

There are lots more wonderful cowgirl clothes out there, but I guess this is enough for today. Have you guessed yet that I have a turquoise fetish?

This series on cowgirls is in honor of my Rest Thy Head heroine Peyton O'Malley who moved to Rest Thy Head and learned to ride, explore caves, track wild horses, and fall in love with a hot cowboy.

Buy link:http://www.amazon.com/Rest-Thy-Head-Elaine-Cantrell-ebook/dp/B00NTAXTOC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1433205328&sr=1-1&keywords=rest+thy+head

The IX

Title: The IX

Author: Andrew P. Weston

Publication Date: January 26, 2015 

Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis

Roman legionnaires, far from home, lost in the mists of Caledonia.

A  US cavalry company, engaged on a special mission, vital to the peace treaty proposed by Presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln.

A twenty-first century Special Forces unit, desperate to prevent a nuclear catastrophe.

From vastly different backgrounds, these soldiers are united when they are snatched away from Earth at the moment of their passing. Thinking they may have been granted a reprieve, imagine their horror when they discover they have been transported to a failing planet on the far side of the galaxy, where they are given a simple ultimatum. Fight or die. Against all odds, this group of misfits manages to turn the tide against a relentless foe, only to discover the true cost of victory might exact a price they are unwilling to pay.

How far would you be willing to go to stay alive?

The IX. Sometimes, death is only the beginning of the adventure.

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Wouldn't this make a great movie? Here are Andrew's picks for the movie cast.

 Marcus Brutus - Javier Bardem
Lexington Fox - Josh Hutcherson
James Houston - Robert Carlyle
Alan (Mac) McDonald - Daniel Craig

Saul Cameron - Michael Hogan
Mohammed Amine - Raza Jaffrey
Ayria Solram - Megan Fox
Stained-With-Blood - Danny Trejo

Marcus Brutus

Lexington Fox

James Houston

Alan McDonald

Saul Cameron 

Mohammed  Amine

Megan Fox

Stained-With-Blood

Author Bio.

Andrew P. Weston is a Royal Marine and Police veteran from the UK who now lives on the beautiful Greek island of Kos with his wife, Annette, and their growing family of rescue cats.

An astronomy and law graduate, he is a contracted writer of fiction and poetry. Creator of "The IX" - and the “Guardians” and “Cambion Journals” series, has also has the privilege of being a member of the British Science Fiction Association, and British Fantasy Society.

When not writing, Andrew devotes some of his spare time to assisting NASA in one of their remote research projects, and writes educational articles for Astronaut.com and Amazing Stories.

Website     Facebook     Twitter     Goodreads     Pinterest

There is a giveaway for this tour. A $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble Gift Card or Book Depository Credit; One (1) Digital Copy of Outpassage by Janet and Chris Morris and The Sacred Band by Janet Morris, published by Perseid Press. Ends 6/12. Use the rafflecopter link below to enter.

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All content and images provided by Masquerade and Andrew P Weston