Action, Adventure, Romance and Pets in Space

I’m a dog lover with no dog. If I didn’t move around quite so much, I would totally have a beagle and call him Porthos, just like Captain Archer in the Star Trek series, Enterprise.

So, I love space pets (and Porthos completely stole the show in Enterprise), although I have yet to write a pet in any of my books. Well, there was a robot dog in On a Rogue Planet…and he was kind of cute. My fabulous guest today has written a space pet.

Sci-fi romance author Veronica Scott is here to talk about action, sci-fi, romance and…pets. Veronica and a bunch of awesome authors are part of a fun anthology called Pets In Space.

Here’s Veronica to tell you all about it….

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Thanks for having me as your guest today!

When Pauline Baird Jones and I first started taking about doing a “pets in space” themed science fiction romance anthology late last year, we rapidly grew excited by the idea and all the fun we could have with that writing prompt.

Of course there have been pets in space in science fiction – Jonesy the cat in the first two “Aliens” movies, Muffy the Daggit in ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ the fire lizards in Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series, telepathic animals paired with human partners in various Andre Norton novels, to name a few…but we liked the added element of making the pet (or pets – I wrote two into my story) even more pivotal to the action.

I already had my Star Cruise series going on, so I made sure that Moby the cat and Midorri the alien pet  were mentioned in Star Cruise: Outbreak, which released earlier in 2016, to set them up to play a key role in Star Cruise: Stowaway, the novella in this anthology. I figured the ship’s pets would be the most logical beings on a huge interstellar space liner to detect the presence of someone hidden on the cargo deck. The fun thing was that as I wrote this novella, Moby the cat stayed pretty much a superior Cat as of course she would, but Midorri kept revealing new aspects of her abilities. I don’t want to give spoilers but by the end of this adventure, Midorri’s been quite the ally for Owen, the hero, as he tries to save Tyrelle, the heroine.

As a fun little extra, we commissioned drawings of our space pets from artist Nyssa Juneau, and I loved the one she did for me, of Moby and Midorri. [Anna here, this is so cool. Love the pic!]

The blurb for Pets In Space:

Even an alien needs a pet…

Join the adventure as nine pet loving sci-fi romance authors take you out of this world and pull you into their action-packed stories filled with suspense, laughter, and romance. The alien pets have an agenda that will capture the hearts of those they touch. Follow along as they work side by side to help stop a genetically-engineered creature from destroying the Earth to finding a lost dragon; life is never the same after their pets decide to get involved. Can the animals win the day or will the stars shine just a little less brightly?

New York Times, USA TODAY, Award Winning, and Best selling authors have eight original, never-released stories and one expanded story giving readers eight amazing new adventures  and one expanded story that will capture your imagination and help a worthy charity. Come join us as we take you on nine amazing adventures that will change the way you look at your pet!

10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

And the blurb for Star Cruise: Stowaway:

Cargo Master Owen Embersson is shocked when the Nebula Zephyr’s ship’s cat and her alien sidekick, Midorri, alert him to the presence of a stowaway. He has no idea of the dangerous complications to come – nor does he anticipate falling hard for the woman whose life he now holds in his hands. Life aboard the Nebula Zephyr has just become more interesting – and deadly.

A quick excerpt from the story – Cargo Master Owen Embersson is upset with some of the treatment Tyrelle the stowaway is receiving and he faces down his own captain. Jake is the ship’s security chief. Maeve is the ship’s Artificial Intelligence with  an attitude.

Owen reached a decision. Clearing his throat, he stiffened his spine and said, “Captain, I’ve been researching the law regarding stowaways. Regs state such a person is entitled to have an advocate appointed while on board the subject vessel, to ensure their well-being. I respectfully request to be made Miss Tyrelle’s advocate. Clearly she needs one.”

“Interstellar Commerce Commission Regulation 2005, subparagraph 100, clause EE3, paragraph A,” Maeve said.

Fleming cocked an eyebrow at Owen. “I guess you mean the AI’s been researching it for you.  You’re not a lawyer.”

“The shipboard advocate doesn’t have to be but must be an officer. I believe I meet the requirement, unless you want to bust me to crew member today.”

“Don’t try my patience.” Sipping his coffee, the captain considered. “Are you attracted to this girl?” He held up a hand to forestall Owen’s protest. “Your recent actions are out of character, leaving the cargo hold and arguing with us about how we’re treating a stowaway.”

“I told Jake last night, she’s in trouble and she needs someone on her side. I’m not saying you aren’t, but the ship and the passengers are your first priority, as they should be. I found her, it’s kind of my responsibility.”

“Like Moby,” Jake said.

“A woman burdened with an explosive collar is hardly the same as an abused kitten,” Owen said with dignity.

“You have the urge to protect and defend is all I meant.”

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About Veronica:

Best Selling Science Fiction & Paranormal Romance author and “SciFi Encounters” columnist for the USA Today Happily Ever After blog, Veronica Scott grew up in a house with a library as its heart. Dad loved science fiction, Mom loved ancient history and Veronica thought there needed to be more romance in everything. When she ran out of books to read, she started writing her own stories.

Three time winner of the SFR Galaxy Award, as well as a National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, Veronica is also the proud recipient of a NASA Exceptional Service Medal relating to her former day job, not her romances! She recently was honored to read the part of Star Trek Crew Member in the audiobook production of Harlan Ellison’s “City On the Edge of Forever.”

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