It’s the perfect score—stealing valuable data from a VIP in cryo-freeze midway through a decades-long interstellar crossing. If it works, Kara will have enough money to buy what she’s always wanted—a Captaincy.
But with the rest of the crew and the cargo of one hundred thousand colonists still frozen, Kara and her accomplice, Zed, realize they’re not the only ones awake. The murdered woman they find is only the first victim of whoever or whatever has woken from Cold Sleep.
Blood streaks the VIP casket’s pristine white ceramic shell. Crimson handprints mark the controls and edges of the casket’s lid. Bright red spray mars the shining surface of the nearest casket and trickles down across its viewport. The deckplate’s smeared here and there, but the marks aren’t clear enough to make out any footprints.
“No one else in here,” Zed says.
While I’ve been gawping at the corpse, he’s secured the room.
There’s more to him than being a reliable bit of rough. It’s become too easy to dismiss him—the man is capable enough.
“I don’t understand. How could one of the passengers get out of storage?” I ask.
“Look at the casket,” Zed says. “Why’s it still registering an occupant?”
Being careful not to step in any blood, I get closer to her. What strikes me is the way the arcs of blood paint the VIP bay looks like something out of an anti-Ares Cult propaganda piece. The sacrifice of innocent beauty to sate the spirit of Mars. Kind of thing we’d only caught rumors of my first time shipping out. Then the newsfeeds had become more and more clogged with hysteria with every return to Earth. That and the usual.
War. War threatening everywhere.
Makes me think of my brother and hope he isn’t—wait, decades have passed—wasn’t on the frontline.
I drag my mind back from the futureshock and my eyes from the corpse. Getting lost in the past is a sure-fire way to get killed in the here and now.
About the Author:
10 comments:
Sounds very good!
Hi and thanks for hosting my book!
If anyone has any questions about Cold Sleep or my other works, please feel free to ask them. Don't be fooled by the seriousness of my author photo--it was freezing and I had someone constantly telling me not to smile. On the freezing note, I'm based in Denmark so if I'm slow to reply to questions or comments it's just a time zone issue--I will get back to you!
This sounds like an interesting story. I like the cover.
I love the cover art, synopsis and excerpt and as a huge fan of the sci-fi genre, Cold Sleep is a must read for me. Thank you for sharing your bio and book details and for offering a giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks Marcy. I drove my publisher's cover artist nuts with it. I had a particular vision of how it should look and sent him a mock up I'd put together myself. Eventually we agreed on a final version and he kindly included the frozen figure I'd originally designed.
Thank you, Bea. If you check out my Twitter page, you'll see the animated cover I made out of it, which included a version with eyes open. I think it was more striking but at the same time, made less sense. Also, since you like Sci-Fi, my first novel "Mercury's Son" has just been made available on Kindle Unlimited for the first time since publication.
I love the cover and I think the book sounds really good.
Looks so cool ! Thank you for the excerpt! :)
Thank you, Sherry.
Thank you, Nina
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