Lonely Moon by Andrew Saxsma:
Earth lies in ruins, destroyed by an unknown enemy. Humanity flees their burning homeworld, seeking a safe place to hide before they can be hunted down and eradicated.
Alliance Captain Michael Hane watches helplessly while his wife and unborn child fall victim to the random slaughter of Earth. With time running out, he is burdened by the last bits of humanity to find a way to stop this menace before it wipes the galaxy clean of every last human being.
***Leave your NAME & E-MAIL in a comment below for a chance to win 1 of 4 e-copies of this sci-fi space opera (Kindle or Nook). Drawing to be held 3/12/12***
Excerpt From Chapter 1:
Captain Michael Hane stepped off the transport shuttle onto Platform Five’s dock. He squinted in the afternoon sun and flicked the pair of aviator shades resting on his head down onto the bridge of his nose.
“Nothing like being planetside, eh Captain?” his first officer Samantha Aarons asked from inside the shuttle. She hopped onto the platform behind Hane and slid off her helmet. Her curly red hair fell just over her shoulders and she smiled.
Hane slid a hand over his buzzed head then reached back into the shuttle for his and Samantha’s duffel bags.
“I’d say so,” Hane said, taking a big whiff of fresh, cool air. “Sure beats that metallic, body odor ripeness.”
Hane handed Samantha her bag and threw on his jacket.
“What do you have in there, spare ship parts? Your bag weighs a ton,” Hane said, picking up his own bag.
“Books,” she said with a grin. “Well, mostly books.”
Hane twisted around and stared through the large window at the New York City skyline stretching high into the sky and the milky clouds. Thousands of flying shuttle cars littered the areas between hulking skyscrapers, but seemed to be barely moving.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Samantha asked.
“Yeah, we’ve come a long way from roads and highways, but we still can’t get rid of traffic jams.”
Samantha chuckled and threw her bag around her shoulder.
“So, Ms. Aarons, three months of shore leave,” Hane said heading down a hallway, Samantha not far behind, “better use it wisely.”
“Oh, I plan to, Captain,” Samantha said, struggling to keep Hane’s while pace carrying the weight of her bag. “I’m going to catch up on my reading, specifically Turg and Auran political…”
Hane waved his hand in protest.
“I get it, Ms. Aarons,” Hane said, stopping at an elevator, "not my thing." He pressed the button for ground level and turned to face Samantha. “Just promise me you’ll get out and do something fun, something enjoyable. Lighten that soul of yours just a bit.”
“But that is fun for me, sir,” Samantha said with a smirk.
Hane sighed and shook his head.
“What about you, sir? What will Earth Alliance Captain Hane do with three months of leave?” Samantha asked.
“To be honest, this shore leave couldn’t have come at a better time. My wife is due in a couple of weeks with our first and I imagine that’ll keep me pretty busy once she pops,” Hane said, his tone full of the eventual stress to come.
“Girl or a boy, sir?”
Hane smirked.
“Sarah wants it to be a surprise. I may be an Alliance Captain, but in the Hane household, Sarah’s the boss.”
“Ah, then you have my congrats, Captain,” Samantha said.
Hane gave a smile of thanks and adjusted his jacket.
“How do I look?” he asked, straightening his posture.
Samantha set down her bag and straightened his jacket’s collar then pressed the breasts of it against Hane’s chest to flatten out any wrinkles. Her hands lingered for a bit and Hane cleared his throat to get her attention.
“Sam?” he asked. "Are you okay?"
***REMEMBER: Leave your NAME & E-MAIL in a comment below for a chance to win 1 of 4 e-copies (Kindle or Nook). Drawing to be held 3/12/12***
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Having read the first chapter I want to read the rest. Oh for a lottery win so that I don't need to wait to buy it :D
ReplyDeleteilona
felinewyvern at googlemail dot com
Hiya Ilona! Welcome and thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteIn honor of Lonely Moon, everyone answer this question: If it was your last day on Earth, what would you want to do?
A lovely picnic at the beach, with a huge bonfire, lots of food and goodies and cold drinks (until the sun goes down, and it would be tea and hot chocolate).
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ReplyDeletei would thank God for my life and family and spend time with my loved ones because even if it was my last day .............i would miss them terribly.
ReplyDeleteSit on my own front terrace with my family and thank my blessings xxxxx
ReplyDeleteSit on the beach and watch the sunset.
ReplyDeleteDale at 00ibitz@sbcglobal.net
I'd want to go back to the Florida Gulf Coast with my husband and kiddos and have a blast with them, eat whatever we want, including copious amounts of chocolate and spend some fantastic moments with my husband in private. Then, we could all cuddle on the beach and watch the sun set.
ReplyDeleteProvided the aliens hadn't gotten there first. :)
Superb excerpt and idea in general! Congrats Andrew!
ReplyDeleteHere are a couple via Andrew that had trouble posting:
ReplyDeleteCinda D'Andrea Cinda1369@gmail.com
Kris Smith Vjones143@aol.com
Best of luck to all!!!
I think this is going to resonate with so many people… Hoping I can get myself a copy!
ReplyDeleteTori L. Ridgewood is ready to receive!
torilridgewood@gmail.com
What a fabulous idea for a story.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thank you everyone! I hope anyone who gets a chance to read it enjoys it! It was a roller coaster of emotions writing the darn' thing! lol
ReplyDeleteCongratz Tori, Kris, Dale, and Cinda!! You each won an e-book of "Lonely Moon". Andrew will be contacting you shortly to arrange prize delivery. Thanks for participating :)
ReplyDelete