Saturday, June 21, 2014

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Midsummer Blog Hop!

Starry Nights
(A vignette from the Battle Lord Saga.)
by Linda Mooney



They were half a day's journey from reaching Alta Novis. Lying on her back, Atty could hear her husband caring for the small cooking fire they'd made, keeping it fed to prevent them from becoming chilled before sunrise. A smile curved her lips. Fat chance of that happening. The first thing Yulen would do when he joined her in the bedroll would be to gather her in his arms and spoon himself around her.
            It wasn't long before the battle lord made his way to where she lay. Removing his weapons belt, he placed it on the ground, next to the bedroll, where he could easily reach it if something threatened them. Ditching his boots, he crawled inside. Strong arms slid around her waist, and slowly she was pulled into his embrace. A mouth nuzzled behind her ear. "You're unusually quiet tonight," he murmured, then placed a kiss on her earlobe.
            "I'm watching the sky," Atty whispered.
            "Oh?"
            Lifting an arm, she pointed toward a cluster of bright spots almost directly overhead. "It's hard to believe those are suns."
            "That's what I was taught, as well. We can't feel their warmth because they're too far away, but we can still see their light."
            "I know that," she teasingly admonished him. "But I would rather think of them as the souls of those who have died, the way some ancient cultures used to believe."
            "Hmm. Haven't heard that one. So, everyone who dies becomes a star?"
            "Yeah. The story says when you die, your soul enters the heavens, and that's why there's so many stars."
            "Does it also explain why some stars are brighter than others?"
            One hand was creeping across her waist, and fingers dipped between her belly and pants. Already he was playfully attacking the soft nest between her legs. Atty smiled again to herself. "You're making it difficult to think," she accused.
            "Want me to stop?"
            She gave a slight shake of her head. "No. And your other answer is yes."
            "Yes, what? I'm sorry. I'm having difficulty concentrating on what you're talking about."
            The fingers dipped lower, lightly scratching her skin with his blunt nails as he neared the juncture between her legs. In addition, his other hand had found one breast, and was slowly massaging it while gently pinching the nipple. Atty could feel the warmth of his body warming her in ways that would soon drive them both into a frenzy.
            "I said yes, there is a reason why some stars are brighter than others. It has to do with your deeds. How you behaved during your life here on earth."
            "Mmm, so the better the deed, the brighter the star?" His lips brushed her shoulder as he adjusted himself behind her, until Atty could feel his erection nudging between her thighs.
            "Yeah. Something like that."
            She was on the verge of turning over and pulling him on top of her when his caresses suddenly stopped. With the fire a few feet behind him, she couldn't make out his facial expression, but she could tell he was gazing upward.
            "What?" she prodded softly.
            "Oh, nothing."
            "Yulen, what are you thinking?"
            After another moment of silence, he lowered his face to kiss her. "I'm thinking that maybe, perhaps maybe, might it be possible our stars will be close together when we die? It would be a great comfort to me if I knew you were there beside me for all of eternity."
            Rolling onto her hip so that she face him, Atty placed a hand on his scarred cheek. Yulen dropped his gaze to the shadow that was his wife.
            "Yulen, I have no doubt whatsoever that not only will we be placed close together in the heavens when we die, but that we may be two of the brightest stars up there."
            His chuckle rumbled in his chest. "You think?"
            "We can only hope," Atty commented.  "As long as we can be together, or within sight of each other, spending eternity in the heavens does not frighten me."
            Taking one last glimpse of the night sky, Yulen moved over her, blocking her sight as he sought her lips. "Neither does it frighten me, Atrilan. And I would not be surprised if your star had a slightly blue-ish tint to it."          
            The remark took her by surprise, and she started to laugh, but Yulen had already begun his assault on her senses. Let us be the stars in the heavens. Let us be together forever, she silently prayed, and surrendered to her husband's desires.

Want to read more about Yulen and Atty D'Jacques? Check out my website!

In the meantime, post a comment. This post will stay up during the entire week of this giveaway, and every day I'll choose one person to receive either an Amazon GC, or an ebook of their choice. So check back to see if you're a winner!  International readers are welcome!


Check out the prizes being given away!
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37 comments:

Cara Bristol said...

Just wanted to say I love your book, Lord of the Thunder.

Linda Mooney said...

Thank you, Cara!

Deborah A Bailey said...

Hey there, Linda! I loved this. Very sweet and romantic.

JC Jones said...

Love the excerpt. Thanks for your part in the hop.

SadieSue said...

I'm really loving the blog hop - I'm finding all sorts of new authors, which is pure heaven for a huge SF fan like me (& adding romance in my SF? yes, please!).

Linda Mooney said...

Hi, Deborah! Delighted to see you! Thank you for checking me out, JC. SadieSue, I hope I have something that excites you! :D

Unknown said...

Love the excerpt! so cute! =)
Have a great weekend!

meri.bee@gmx.at

Linda Mooney said...

Thank you, Meri Bee!

amy banks said...

Thanks for being part of the hop. Excellent excerpt. aka midgeknows@rogers.com

magic5905 said...

Thanks for the giveaway.
magic5905 at embarqmail dot com

Unknown said...

Thank you for your awesome giveaways. These hops are wonderful. I am introduced to new authors. My first Sifi book was I Robot.
I love the excerpt.
laurellasky@yahoo.com

KalicoKat said...

I really love these blog hops. Last year I won Battle Lord's Lady. Awesome book.

S E Gilchrist said...

Fabulous excerpt & I'm new to your books, so this is a great way of meeting & finding new sci fi authors.

Linda Mooney said...

Congratulations to SADIESUE! You've won my first day giveaway! Please email me - Linda at LindaMooney dot com to let me know if you want one of my ebooks, or the Amazon GC.

For the rest of you who have already posted on my blog, you're still in the running! I'll be picking a name every day of this blog hop, so Good Luck, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Riley Moreland said...

Loved the romance in the excerpt you posted!

Unknown said...

Thank you for your generous giveaway. I loved the excerpt. michelle_willms at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Great excerpt. Thanks for participating in the hop.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the amazing excerpt & giveaway!

elizabeth(at)bookattict(dot)com

Rhianna said...

Wow. Linda that was awesome! Quite possibly one of the most romantic things I've ever read. Loved it!

-- Rhianna

always.and.neverATgmailDOTcom

Unknown said...

Great giveaway, thanks! :)

bn100 said...

Nice post

bn100candg at hotmail dot com

Suzie said...

Thanks for the excerpt, I'm looking forward to reading the book. I love dinging into a book that takes me into the stars.
Suzieqsb(at)aol(dot)com

Linda Mooney said...

Many heartfelt thanks to everyone who posted a comment! S.E., thank you for coming by! Kalico, wonderful to see you again!

Pippa Jay said...

Love the idea of our souls becoming stars in the sky.

Linda Mooney said...

Michelle Willms, congratulations! You're my second day winner of an ebook or Amazon GC, your choice. Just email me - Linda at LindaMooney dot com to let me know what you decide.

If you've already posted, you're still in the running! I'll pick a new winner tomorrow morning!

I appreciate everyone's comments. Thank you! It's people like you who inspire writers to write!

Pauline said...

Nice excerpt for the blog hop. :-)

Life Without Frank said...

Great excerpt, and a lot of your books look right up my alley.

Thank you for the giveaway.

Shannon
sabai30705(at)yahoo(dot)com

S. J. Pajonas (spajonas) said...

Great excerpt!

Linda Mooney said...

Congratulations go out to Cara Bristol! You've won an ebook or Amazon GC, your choice. Just contact me - Linda at LindaMooney dot com to let me know.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful time blog hopping! There are two days left, and two more chances to win!

Thanks for stopping by!

doxymom said...

Excellent excerpt! I like that they're married. It's different.

Have a wonderful day!
Anna
doxisrcool at aol.com

Unknown said...

Truly beautiful excerpt. Thank you for sharing!

KM Fawcett said...

Fabulous excerpt. Beautiful and romantic.

KM Fawcett said...

Beautiful and romantic excerpt! Loved it!!

Unknown said...

Really loved the excerpt, definitely has me intrigued. These Hops are so wonderful, I am always finding new great authors.
Thanks for the giveaway.

fsteph55(at)yahoo(dot)com

Linda Mooney said...

Laurel Lasky, congratulations! You're my winner today! Email me - Linda at LindaMooney dot com to let me know if you want one of my ebooks or an Amazon GC.

Tomorrow is the last day I'll pick a winner. Everyone who posts is in the drawing, so good luck, and thank you for all the wonderful comments!

Susan M said...

Appreciate the giveaway! Love Lord of Thunder!Thx for the excerpt. smclement5@yahoo.com

Linda Mooney said...

Congratulations to my final blog hop winner! Rhianna at RhiReading, please email me - Linda at LindaMooney dot com, and let me know if you want an ebook or an Amazon GC.

Thank you to all who participated and commented!