Happy (Early) Valentine’s Day – Chasing Blue Dots Available!

Posted on February 7, 2018 by BR

Besides, Keeva’s career trajectory is inverse to my own. I’m going to Ophion and, someday, Prime. Keeva is stuck in Dosi. I have prestigious accolades, awards and deployments on my resume. Keeva probably sports “Dosi Beer-Chugging Finalist” on hers. That’s not entirely fair. I take it back. I’m sure she won.

A screenshot from ATCpro, an amazing TRACON simulation available at https://www.atcprosim.com/. It’s serious fun!

Happy early Valentine’s Day!  Doesn’t the picture above just scream Valentine’s Day?  It’s a pretty good depiction of an actual air traffic controller’s radar scope.  It’s relevant to this blog post announcing the release of my new book, Chasing Blue Dots, because the main character, Jake, is a space traffic controller in the Solarian Federation.

Chasing Blue Dots is my first SciFi Romance, just in time for Valentine’s Day:

It’s available on all the major sites you’d expect it to be (Kindle, iBooks, Nook, Kobo, and others) and it’s a big departure from my other novels.  It’s a true romance story.  Please don’t go in expecting starship battles, that’s not the kind of story this is.

It is, however, a great look at everyday life inside the Solarian Federation and adds good insight into just how all those starships navigate safely in congested parcels of space. But the story is about the people, their relationships, and one man’s change of heart.

It’s also a book that I really wanted to write.  It was challenging to compose, tricky to add the elements of space traffic control while keeping the subject matter relatively light and a downright blast watching the main characters interact with each other.  Each of them came to life and I think Keeva might be one of the most fun characters I’ve ever watched grow.  I hope you enjoy reading about the entire cast as much as I did writing them.

On a side note, regular readers are probably wondering about Across the Blue Line (the sequel to Hero of the Republic). I have to admit, it is giving me all kinds of trouble.  However, I think I’ve had a pre-breakthrough, which is to say that I think I stumbled on a root cause for why that story isn’t coming together the way I want it to.  Baby steps.

In the meantime, I hope you take a chance on Chasing Blue Dots.  I really do think you’ll enjoy it and at $2.99, it’s a low risk.

 

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A Sneak Peek at Chasing Blue Dots

Posted on January 23, 2018 by BR

The official release date for my latest novel, Chasing Blue Dots, is February 7th!  Preorder pages are up on Amazon, Kobo and iBooks so far. Since this is an unusual book for me, I’ve posted the first chapters here on the website so readers can get a feel for this one.  I hope you enjoy them!

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Cover Reveal – Chasing Blue Dots

Posted on December 28, 2017 by BR

Sometimes a good quality premade cover is sufficient, but when you’ve written a scifi romance about space traffic controllers, that’s pretty niche.  A custom cover was definitely in order for Chasing Blue Dots.  We had a great experience with Monika over at Ampersand Book Covers (she also did the cover for Confidence Game), and we enlisted her help once more on this one:

She created this from us giving her three simple concepts: a controller’s “scope” in blue, a silhouette of a couple, and the request to incorporate the TCOTU star chart somewhere (because every one of my books set in the TCOTU galaxy includes that feature).  We highly recommend Monika, as she’s not only creative and talented but a joy to work with!

So, what’s the gist of the new story?

If Jake Marshall is such a good space traffic controller, why can’t he see what’s in front of his face?

Driven, cool-headed and climbing the career ladder to the top of his field, Jake wants a coveted position on the busiest orbital in the Prime star system. And he’s well on his way with his gorgeous girlfriend, Tey, who can match his skill in the control room. He has it all and as far as Jake is concerned, they just need a chance to move up.

Yet things aren’t always as they seem. His best friend Sam can’t quite articulate the troubles everyone but Jake sees coming and Tey is sending her own signals about the future. Despite attempts to warn him about placing career first and what it means to cross the wrong people, Jake still can’t see past the blue dots on his scope.

In the aftermath, a woman in a far-flung system on the edge of explored space steps into Jake’s life. Keeva Burke infuriates Jake the minute he meets her, yet she commands space traffic like no other. And he can’t stop thinking about her mahogany hair, easy smile and the curves under her sleeveless vest and faded jeans. But while Jake still dreams of reaching the top, Keeva doesn’t seem to have a care in the galaxy. Their nights together may be destined, but their future depends on Jake seeing the signs right in front of him because Keeva is not at all who Jake thinks she is.

Look for Chasing Blue Dots to be released just before Valentine’s Day, and watch here for the announcement when the pre-order is available!

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