Blog Archives
Love, reptile style
Here’s a snippet/excerpt from A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE. Investigator Kylie Sanderson has been caught and transformed into an alien reptile being–then rescued and the process reversed. Her cold shapeshifter lover does what he can to help. But her problems aren’t over.
******
“Are you ready to watch the films now?”
She shrugged without answering.
He reached for the remote the doctor had left on the counter and started the show again. “May I sit with you?” he asked.
“Sure.” She waved a hand at the chair the doctor had vacated. “Why not?”
He looked as if he were about to answer then he sat down without saying anything. Her attention was caught by the film. This section included Griff, in his reptile form. What a different attitude she displayed toward him than the staff! Whenever he entered her enclosure, she immediately calmed and became submissive to his every command, if that’s what they were, those odd clicks and bumps.
She might not understand them, but her reptile self clearly did. For the next several sections, Griff translated for her as Dr. Astrid gave commands, and Reptile-Kylie performed a multitude of tasks, manipulating machinery and other devices. She passed every one of the tests conducted by the doctor and her staff, easily lifting heavy objects, able to navigate obstacle courses at lightning speed, even passing dexterity tests with ease, especially when rewarded with raw meat.
The doctor returned during the screening to watch with them. “A fine specimen, for what she is.”
Kylie tore her eyes away from the screen. “Did — did Jaco see this? And the others? Did they?”
The doctor paused the film. “Only when you were rescued. Jaco took you to the nearest hospital, and an ambulance brought you here. After that, he wasn’t permitted access until we were well on the way to recovery.” Her voice acquired an edge. “If I’d known Rand would be such a fool as to bring you that trash this morning, he wouldn’t have been allowed in at all.”
Kylie chewed her lip, recalling the conclusions she’d drawn from that conversation. “And. my family?”
The doctor wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Your father was here. He didn’t stay long.”
“He saw it? Me?”
“He pushed his way in, or bought his way in, I don’t know which. I found him staring in the glass. I asked him if he wanted to visit. I even offered to call security if he was hesitant to try it one on one.” She rubbed her hands together, as if they pained her. “He looked through me like I wasn’t really there.”
Kylie swallowed hard, her throat closing. “Didn’t he say anything at all?” she whispered.
The doctor didn’t answer.
She turned to Griff. “Were you there? Did you hear what he said?”
Griff cocked his head and looked her in the eye. “He said, ‘That’s not my daughter.’”
Is truth just another version of fiction? Or vice versa?
My reptile shapeshifter romance book A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE is featured at author Cara Bristol’s blog this week. Check out the story of how it came to be written, through a real life romance!
Even the smallest degree of hope can spark love.
Against her wealthy father’s demands, and the usual blockades of a male dominated profession, Kylie Sanderson proves worthy of her position as lead investigator of planet Andan’s Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce. Someone is killing Andan’s women in an attempt to mutate them into reptiles. Kylie makes it her mission to discover who’s behind the murders and prevent more grotesque deaths.
Shapeshifting lizard Griff comes to Andan to stop his brethren from mutating other planets’ women into mindless breeding stock. Overcoming Kylie’s suspicious and defensive nature proves difficult, but he must in order to help the SIRT team thwart his planet’s 
scientists.
When Kylie is abducted and becomes the first human to survive the transformation, it’s up to Griff to rescue her so SIRT can restore her human form. On the run and desperate to unravel the mysteries of Kylie’s past to solve the crimes of their present, can she and Griff forge a future for themselves?
From Kensington Publishing/Lyrical Press.
Buy here: https://www.amazon.com/Small-Degree-Hope-Lyndi-Alexander-ebook/dp/B00IPQWY9G/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Shapeshifter love!
Today I’m featured at Liza O’Connor’s blog with a science fiction romance novel with an alien shapeshifter and a family mystery. This unique story is available both in ebook and paperback from Kensington.
http://multiuniversesoflizao.blogspot.com/2015/08/lyndi-alexander-brings-you-different.html
Are monsters real? Ask Tera Shanley
Silver Wolf Clan A new Paranormal romance from Tera Shanley and Lyrical Press/Kensington Publishing Corp.
Book 1 in the Silver Wolf Clan saga
Blurb:
What happens when monsters turn out to be real? One summer night while camping in the woods, Morgan Carter finds out in a big way. A tall mysterious stranger, Greyson Crawford, risks his life to try and save her sister from the vicious wolf attacking their camp. When he’s bitten and disappears into the night, Morgan can only assume the worst.
Greyson shows up a year later, and he’s a different animal altogether. His eye color shifts constantly and the rumble in his throat sounds more animal than human. She hasn’t any idea where he’s been all this time, but a good guess as to what he’s become.
Grey is determined not to let the darkness of his new existence affect Morgan and the little girl in her care. He hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Morgan but knows he should stay away and let her live a normal life. That’s easier said than done, though. A new danger pulls him from the shadows to keep her safe, and he’s no wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Can she accept what lurks just below his surface? More importantly, can she survive him?
Buy Links
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-wolf-clan-tera-shanley/1119847720?ean=9781616505424
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/silver-wolf-clan
Kensington Books: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/30513
Author Bio:
Tera Shanley writes in sub-genres that stretch from Paranormal Romance, to Historic Western Romance, to Apocalyptic (zombie) Romance. The common theme? She loves love. A self-proclaimed bookworm, she was raised in small town Texas and could often be found decorating a table at the local library. She currently lives in Dallas with her husband and two young children and when she isn’t busy running around after her family, she’s writing a new story or devouring a good book. Any spare time is dedicated to chocolate licking, rifle slinging, friend hugging, and the great outdoors. For more information about Tera and her work, visit http://www.terashanley.com.
Author Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terashanley.author
Blog: http://www.terashanley.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/terashanley
Website: http://terashanley.wordpress.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7212904.Tera_Shanley
Excerpt
Greyson’s muscles quivered under Morgan’s hand but it likely had nothing to do with the cool rain. He opened his eyes slowly and the brilliance of the golden color pooled there was almost too dazzling to look directly at. Like staring at the sun. No one would mistake those for human eyes.
If she’d had any doubt before about the brand of monster he’d become, those liquid amber eyes put them to rest. He pulled his hood back and the chin-length dark blond hair from her memory fell forward into his face. She moved a strand to the side. He’d lost weight in the past year. He hadn’t had an ounce to lose in the first place, but it looked as if he’d struggled to stay healthy. His eyebrows, just a shade darker than his hair, were furrowed but he let her drink him in. He was playing fair. For all she knew, he’d been watching her the entire year. It was her turn now.
His nose was straight and his jaw line masculine. From the brief moments she’d known him out in those woods, she’d seen how intoxicating he was. He’d been a fearless warrior bent on that murdering wolf’s destruction, no matter the cost. Here, in the dirty alley under the relentless clouds, with those glorious feral eyes and a snarl in his chest, Greyson Crawford was utterly consuming.
Softly, she said, “You’re beautiful.”
His shaky whisper tore at her. “I’m a monster.”
Like your shapeshifters… coldblooded?
So excited that A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE is back on the “shelves” as a Kensington product now– check it out!
Great new reviews, too–
“…highly recommend this story to young adult to adults who enjoy a smart, well written, interestingly different sci-fi story with lighter romance in it.” Open Book Society
“The author grabs you in the beginning of this amazing story and doesn’t let go. I loved it. I loved the characters; Kylie–she rocks, I’m in awe of her. She’s tough, not perfect, and totally loyal to her family (sort of) and job. Then of course Griff, so sweet and loving and sexy in both forms…” Up All Night, Read All Day Reviews…
Wake up and smell the coffee–or whatever that is… SFFS for Dec. 14
Greetings from frosty Pennsylvania! With nearly two months of winter weather down, I’d say that we were pretty lucky this year to have mild conditions, but I don’t want to jinx us all! 🙂 Either way, it’s a great day to stay inside and read, 
and the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday team has some great snippets to introduce you to authors around the world this morning. Check them out here.
For my snippet today, I’ve returned to my science fiction romance that came out earlier this year, A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE. Our heroine, Kylie Sanderson, is a lead investigator with the elite Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce team (SIRT, for short), and she’s been assigned to a case where a serial killer is dumping bodies of dead women, each partially mutated into a lizard form. As more of them are found, the heat is on for a solution and arrest of the perpetrator:
***
After the lab techs had analyzed the evidence, Kylie, as the squad deputy supervisor, prepared to give the daily briefing. Wishing she could prop her eyes open with toothpicks, she settled for popping two amp pills, and yawned as the fifteen members of the team gathered.
Her team met in the largest conference room of their digs, which were the best available in town. Boxes of evidence piled onto the table in the center of the room, allowing each team member scant space for their computers. She sat on the windowsill, watching the street six stories down as the team grabbed their morning sustenance.
After the sleepless night she’d spent haunted by the victim’s hideous face, the buzz of male voices, men laughing and joking about the usual crap–sports, spouses or subordinates–got on her nerves. She activated the computer projector, the first picture on the screen a full-on picture of the two bodies in the dumpster. Without the smell to accompany it, the view was nearly tolerable, but all the same, she didn’t look. Been there, done that. No one wanted the T-shirt.
***
It’s tough to be a woman in a male-dominated field, but throw in murderous aliens, and life just gets pretty complicated.
“Teach me, Kylie Sanderson. Show me how to make love like a human.”– Griff
Against her wealthy father’s demands, and the usual blockades of a male dominated profession, Kylie Sanderson proves worthy of her position as lead investigator of planet Andan’s Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce. Someone is killing Andan’s women in an attempt to mutate them into reptiles. Kylie makes it her mission to discover who’s behind the murders and prevent more grotesque deaths.
Shapeshifting lizard Griff comes to Andan to stop his brethren from mutating other planet’s women into mindless breeding stock. Overcoming Kylie’s suspicious and defensive nature proves difficult, but he must in order to help the SIRT team thwart his planet’s scientists.
When Kylie is abducted and becomes the first human to survive the transformation, it’s up to Griff to rescue her so SIRT can restore her human form. On the run and desperate to unravel the mysteries of Kylie’s past to solve the crimes of their present, can she and Griff forge a future for themselves?
The novel is published by Lyrical Press, and is available in ebook for Kindle, Nook and other ebook platforms. Stay warm and enjoy!
Because they have to…. SFFS for 6-8
We all owe a huge debt of thanks to our firefighters, our police, first responders, even those on the Federal level, FBI and Homeland Security, even if we don’t encounter them every day. They do what they do, not for their own self–aggrandizement, but for the health and safety of the rest of us.
In A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE, heroine Kylie Sanderson is part of an interplanetary law enforcement branch that investigates alien incursions and a lot of X-Files kind of things. The Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce (SIRT for short), has come to find out why so many women are dying, ending up in landfills and dumpsters, half-mutated into a reptilian form unknown on the planet.
The investigation takes Kylie much deeper into the reptilian plot than she expected to be, captured by them and transformed into a mindless reptile female. Griff rescues her and she’s treated and nearly healed. But then something worse happens and Kylie’s forced into a deadly choice:
***
“And if you remain reptile?” Griff held her by her shoulders, watching her face with such intensity she almost expected to be burnt by his eyes.
She couldn’t think about that. Right now, all that concerned her was the safety of her sister. “Then it happens.”
He continued to stare at her.
“Griff, when I graduated from the SIRT school, I took an oath, and I believe in that oath. I promised to serve and protect those who weren’t as powerful, who didn’t have choices, who were victims. Not only have I been a victim in this, but my sister’s now pulled in, too. I can’t just walk away.”
***
Hail, hail to those who serve. May they always come home safe and sound.
The blurb:
Even the smallest degree of hope can spark love.
Against her wealthy father’s demands, and the usual blockades of a male dominated profession, Kylie Sanderson proves worthy of her position as lead investigator of planet Andan’s Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce. Someone is killing Andan’s women in an attempt to mutate them into reptiles. Kylie makes it her mission to discover who’s behind the murders and prevent more grotesque deaths.
Shapeshifting lizard Griff comes to Andan to stop his brethren from mutating other planets’ women into mindless breeding stock. Overcoming Kylie’s suspicious and defensive nature proves difficult, but he must in order to help the SIRT team thwart his planet’s scientists.
When Kylie is abducted and becomes the first human to survive the transformation, it’s up to Griff to rescue her so SIRT can restore her human form. On the run and desperate to unravel the mysteries of Kylie’s past to solve the crimes of their present, can she and Griff forge a future for themselves?
Now available at:
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-asmalldegreeofhope-1216809-343.html
http://www.amazon.com/A-Small-Degree-Hope-ebook/dp/B00D0G1B0Y/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-small-degree-of-hope-lyndi-alexander/1115425659
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-small-degree-of-hope/id626158615?mt=11
And for more great Saturday snippets, check out the loop here!
ASDH is here!
Talk about SQUEE! I happened to stumble over to Amazon and saw that A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE had loaded up a week early–please give it a read. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever written. : http://www.amazon.com/A-Small-Degree-Hope-ebook/dp/B00D0G1B0Y/
Thanks Penny Barber for your dedication in making sure it met your tough standards. 🙂
Don’t just stand here–go get it!! Now!
Love means never having to say you’re sorry you’re alien–SFR Brigade Presents
So excited! It’s my first time posting at the SFR Brigade Presents event! Today I’ve got a snippet from coming-soon novel A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE, a story with a new kind of shapeshifter love interest–an alien reptile:
***
His were words similar to others she’d heard from boys over the years, girls too. Best Friends Forever. I’ll love you until the end of time. We’ll never be apart. Many different phrasings, never really thought through, just offered as temporary comfort.
But Griff? She’d risk her life that he truly meant every word. What a glorious being he was. And how lucky she was to have him standing by her. As she held him, his skin rippled. Startled, she pulled back.
“Do not be alarmed, Kylie,” he said from a human mouth. He had returned to his disguised state. “I wish for your comfort. I can maintain this form for now.”
Guilt dripping over her like chilled honey, Kylie turned away from his earnest gaze. She wanted to apologize, but she couldn’t find the right words.
He pulled her close, tilting her face up with one hand. “When humans wish to express their emotion for someone, they do it in this manner.” He kissed her. “Like this?” he whispered.
“Just like this.” His mouth soft against hers, his taste was reminiscent of his musky scent, slightly spicy and alluring.
***
To find more SFR snippets from authors around the world, visit the SFR Brigade site here. For more information about this book which will be available in ebook JUNE 3, click the tab above or visit www.lyricalpress.com.
A lesson in genetics–SFFS for May 11
More this week from A SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE, the science fiction romance coming out from Lyrical Press June 3– I’ll be looking for guest blog spots all month long, so if anyone is looking for a guest, please let me know!!
This snippet takes place after Kylie’s been captured by the alien reptiles:
The reptile with the healed wounds stepped closer, and in a raw croak, replied, “You humans assume you are superior.”
It gestured at the other cage, where one of the women picked at the bloody food in the bowl and the other squatted in the corner of the cage, keening in a low pitch. “If you were truly evolved, your genetic material and ours should bond well. The toxins that fill your environment prevent evolution to our level.”
Device in hand, it reached for the lock. Kylie kept talking, hoping to distract it.
“So it’s true that defects in our genes keep you from succeeding. Your virus isn’t strong enough to make the bond.”
“We now modify human viruses in our effort, but even your viruses are substandard.”
“Well, screw you, friend.”
***
I’m not sure it’s going to like that. Danged uppity women.
Here’s the teaser for the book:
Even the smallest degree of hope can spark love.
Against her wealthy father’s demands, and the usual blockades of a male dominated profession, Kylie Sanderson proves worthy of her position as lead investigator of planet Andan’s Scientific and Investigative Research Taskforce. Someone is killing Andan’s women in an attempt to mutate them into reptiles. Kylie makes it her mission to discover who’s behind the murders and prevent more grotesque deaths.
Shapeshifting lizard Griff comes to Andan to stop his brethren from mutating other planets’ women into mindless breeding stock. Overcoming Kylie’s suspicious and defensive nature proves difficult, but he must in order to help the SIRT team thwart his planet’s scientists.
When Kylie is abducted and becomes the first human to survive the transformation, it’s up to Griff to rescue her so SIRT can restore her human form. On the run and desperate to unravel the mysteries of Kylie’s past to solve the crimes of their present, can she and Griff forge a future for themselves?
There are several other snippets listed at the SMALL DEGREE OF HOPE tab above, and an interview here at the blog home of Calisa Rhose. For more great science fiction and fantasy snippets from around the world, check out the SFFS site here.
Lyndi Alexander's worlds of fancy 