Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by. And big thanks to the fabulous FWF folks for having me over. I love this blog!
My new release, Undaunted, Book 2 of the Freedom Series, is a gay science fiction romance and the sequel to Unlawful. Here’s a blurb:
Larke didn’t know Droje was a rebel when he found him beaten and bruised in an alley. Now they’re on the run and there’s no going back. While Larke can’t get enough of Droje’s hot body, the man’s radical ideas — like freedom and justice for all — challenge his whole worldview. There may be more to life than illicit sex and survival, but unless Larke can get Droje to the safe house in time, neither of them will survive long enough to find out.
This sequel to Unlawful is the second short story in the Freedom Series, set in the universe of Jessica Freely’s novella, His Own Devices.
Undaunted is available now at Amazon, ARe, and other fine booksellers everywhere:
Amazon Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D92G8FW
All Romance eBooks Buy Link: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-undaunted-1217028-340.html
Smashwords Buy Link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/323092
Website Book Page: http://www.jessicafreely.com/book-page-undaunted.html
And, if you haven’t read Unlawful: Book 1 of the Freedom series yet, now you can get a copy for free at these locations:
All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-unlawful-1046791-340.html
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/276560
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Unlawful-The-Freedom-Series-1/book-13UZnq6bmUOm50q0Nn9C3Q/page1.html
My website http://www.jessicafreely.com/book-page-unlawful.html
Below I have an excerpt from Undaunted for you, and in the meantime, I thought I’d share a little bit about my inspiration for the Freedom series.
I’m and sf and comics geek going way back, even before gay romance was on my radar. So when something combines all three of those things, I get really excited. You may already know all about Alex Wolfson’s wonderful webcomic, Artifice, but if you don’t, do yourself a favor and go check it out. It’s a science fiction story about a renegade android and the technician he falls in love with.
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/archive/artifice-title-page/
Hmm… sound familiar? That’s right. Artifice was in fact the inspiration for my novella, His Own Devices, which in turn inspired the Freedom series.
http://www.friskbiskit.com/book-page-his-own-devices.html
Ever heard the expression nothing new under the sun? Well, I’m a firm believer that when it comes to story, it’s all in the execution and no two people tell the same story the same way. Alex and I did very different things with the same basic, compelling idea. Our stories take that premise and go in completely different directions, and use different media. And that’s one of the wonderful things about creativity — the endless variation we humans bring to the stories we tell.
What story do you love to hear told and retold, and which is your favorite version?
Here’s an excerpt from Undaunted that introduces a couple of new characters to the series:
Gar sat on the floor in the threadbare living room of the safe house and tapped at his keyboard, scanning Zenesco’s private security updates for news of Droje. He’d hacked into the company’s system with his latest invention, a little bit of code he called Door Mouse because it was small and inconspicuous, and it could wriggle through cracks in a firewall that other programs couldn’t even detect.
Felithizychistyr paced the room, his claws clicking on the cheap polycarbonate flooring. With his short, grey fur, large eyes, and pointed ears, there was no mistaking him as anything but a Bastani, and at the moment, a Bastani on the edge. The fur on his shoulders stood on end and his tail twitched rapidly from side to side. “Anything?”
“Nothing.” Gar tried not to let Fel’s nervousness infect him. “That’s good news. He hasn’t been caught.”
“He should be here by now.”
Gar stood and put his arms around his lover. “He’ll make it.”
“He’d better.” The words came out as a growl, but Fel wrapped his tail around Gar’s waist in a gentle gesture that belied his rough demeanor.
Gar rested his head on Fel’s shoulder, closed his eyes and sighed. For a moment, he lost himself in the velvet texture of warm fur. Neither of them needed to put into words how important Droje was, not just as a movement operative but as a friend. If it weren’t for the Hanovan ex-soldier, they’d never have met. Gar never would have become a hacker and Fel would have died in the brig on Yvarone. “Remember, this is Droje we’re talking about,” Gar said. “If he said he’s going to be here, he’ll be here.”
A chime made Gar jump. Someone was calling on the secure line. Droje? Fel released him and Gar picked up his holonet console. But it wasn’t Droje. “It’s Zerne.”
Fel’s ears flattened. “I don’ t like that guy.”
“I keep telling you, you don’t have to.”
“I mean I don’t trust him.”
Gar sighed. “We have no choice. We need his ship.” He hit the accept button.
Captain Zerne’s bearded, Hanovan face appeared in the holodisplay. “Why are you still there? We have to take off by 0500.”
“That’s two hours from now,” Fel said.
“We’re waiting for Droje,” Gar said.
“He’s not back yet? What the fuck? Has he been captured again? I swear to God, if he squeals about my ship, or the code, or—”
“He’s not in custody. I know. I’ve been monitoring Zenesco’s security updates.”
“Is that wise? If they detect your hackware—”
“I have to do something.” Behind Gar, Fel gave a low growl. He was right. It wasn’t fair that everyone but him had something to do. But Fel’s skills were far more lethal, and conspicuous, than Gar’s.
“Well if he’s not there in another hour, leave him.”
Fel’s growl became a snarl.
“Hey, I can only afford to bribe one set of harbor patrol agents and they go off shift at 0500. If we’re not off planet by then, we’re fucked.”
“Fuck you,” said Fel.
“What do you suggest then?” said Zerne. “Should we all stay here and get arrested? How is that going to help Droje or anyone else? And since when did this become all about Droje anyway? What about the cause?”
“Don’t talk to me about the cause, Hanovan. You just joined so you could make extra money ferrying fugitives off the planet.”
“Oh yeah? You know what? I don’t need this shit. Not from some Bastani thug with the blood of innocent victims on his hands.”
Fel leaned over Gar’s shoulder. “Let’s hear you say that when we’re in the same room together, pirate.”
Gar thanked his lucky this conversation was taking place over the holonet. “Okay everyone, let’s just take a deep breath and relax.”
“I’m relaxed. I have nothing to worry about,” Zerne said. “I’m taking off at 0500. Either you guys are on board when that happens, or you’re not.”
“We’ll be there,” Gar said. “All of us. In the meantime, why don’t you—” go piss up a rope ”—check our fuel levels and make sure everything’s ready for liftoff?”
“Fine. But you’d better get whiskers here in line or he can sharpen his claws on my titanium hull because I’m not putting up with that shit on my ship.”
“Whiskers? Fuck you, you—”
Gar tapped at the keyboard, taking the console sound system offline and back on again. “Signal’s breaking up. See you soon.” He cut the connection and the holodisplay disappeared, taking Zerne with it.
“Fucking Zerne,” said Fel. “I hate that guy. Never trust a Hanovan.”
“Don’t say that. Droje is a Hanovan.”
That stopped Fel. He turned from Gar and took a deep breath. His scars—furrows in the short grey pelt that covered his back—spread and contracted, offering little glimpses of pink puckered skin. “Droje is different. He saved my life.”
“I know.”
“If he’s not here soon, I’m going out after him.”
“What? Are you insane? Corp Sec’s made us, remember? Droje gave away our names. Our faces are on every CS goon’s alert screen. It’s a miracle they didn’t find out about this place.”
“And if he’s caught and dosed with Whole Truth again he’ll give up the code and expose the whole network. He won’t be able to help it.”
“I know.”
“We barely got him out last time.”
“I know!” Now Gar was pacing. “Don’t you think I’m doing everything I can?”
“And what am I supposed to do?”
Gar stopped, finally seeing Fel’s tension for what it was. Not Bastani impatience, but fear. Gar took a deep breath and dropped his shoulders. He went to Fel, took his hands, and held them firmly. He looked up at Fel and breathed, the way they did together on so many nights when the dreams got bad.
Fel held tight, his great green eyes wide now like a child’s. His chest expanded and contracted.
“We wait, together,” said Gar. “Wherever he is, whatever he’s doing, he has a good reason. He always does.”
Fel exhaled in a long sigh. “You make a good finger.”
Gar held back a smile and refrained from correcting Fel’s speech. It wouldn’t do to ruffle his fierce pride. Fel spoke excellent Hanovan but every once in a while his word choices gave him away as a non-native speaker.
On the other hand, Hanovan was Gar’s first language. He’d been born right here in the uncon district, the child of third generation Olbran uncons. Anyone off planet thought the conscription of the Olbran people began and ended with the annexation of their home planet, but it wasn’t true. Olbran colonies throughout the sector had long provided fresh meat for Hanovan slavers.
Gar had worked in the shipyards since he was six, which was where he met Droje. A bunch of Hanovan kids had caught him trying to sneak a crate of overripe mangos back to his family and were beating him up for his transgression. Droje broke it up by turning a fire hose on them. After they scattered, he helped Gar dry off and they went back to Droje’s parent’s ship where Gar was fed and sent home with leftovers.
Droje’s parents had owned a merchant vessel. They did the Hanova-Porterra-Sybaris route–a seven-day cycle, five out in space and two in dock on Hanova, restocking and performing maintenance on the ship. Gar used to live for those two days when Droje was dockside. The rest of the week Gar would work extra shifts so he and Droje could chase each other all over docks, play PsyBlastr on Droje’s game system (Gar always won), and eat enough mangoes to sink the Imperial yacht.
Not a lot of Hanovan parents would let their kid play with an Olbran, but Droje’s folks were different. They openly acknowledged that Hanovans and Olbrans were just two different varieties of homo sapiens. And they were no great fans of uncontracted labor, either. Extra crates of food and medical supplies always somehow made it into the hands of the workers they employed. “Surplus” they’d say, and “It’d cost us more to store than it’s worth so you may as well have it.” Plausible statements that soon became transparent lies with repetition. It was no wonder their son eventually wound up in the Movement.
But where was he now?
“If something happens to him,” Fel said. “If I didn’t do anything to help him, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Me neither and that’s why he’s going to be fine. He knows. He wouldn’t do that to us, would he?”
Fel sucked in a deep breath and clung tighter. “No.”
Gar squeezed him back just as hard, hoping to God it was true.
