Sneak peek (not just at the great view)

Oct 21, 2021 7:31 pm

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Hey awesome,


Here’s a thing you may or may not know about me – I am not a morning person (this made teaching middle school a situation, as you may imagine). However, this view, from pre-8 am this morning…whew. That could change my whole orientation.


Unfortunately, it’s not a permanent view, but it is what I have for the next week, while we’re in Currituck, NC for the inaugural FactoryCon. I expect plenty of shenanigans to ensue, at least one new writing project (the odds are good, in this fabulous group), and much less sleep than I probably should have.


Speaking of writing projects, I am so excited to share that Kacey and I finished writing Ally – there are edits and more pieces to come, for sure, but the story is complete and we are really, really happy with it. Writing with Kacey is always so much fun, and I hope you have as much fun reading it. I can’t wait to have it in your hands and hear what you think.


Ally brings us to the end of the Depik arc, but of course it won’t be the end of Hunters in the 4HU. You’ll have to stay tuned for what that means, but in the meantime, here's a little snippet:


Tsan did not, technically, exist on the transport ship Hestial. Secure in her quintessence field, she curled into a corner of a duct that had been left intact when retrofitting routed the coolant system in another direction. It was her third such out of the way nest in as many ships, and she had two more to go before reaching Tlor. She could have brought one of the smaller Hunter ships and tucked it under a merchant’s craggy hull, or created a false trail to cover her movements, or simply paid for passage.

Each of those risked leaving evidence of her path, however, and so she’d taken a route simpler in some ways and trickier in others, to keep from any enemy or too interested party from tracking her.

Which made it concerning to find a message pinged to her as they approached the next gate.

She didn’t worry immediately — messages were left at gates to be carried further by ships all the time. The code on this one, however, was addressed to her, at this gate, meaning it was at least likely someone had known she would pass through this way.

Her fur lifted down her spine, tail lashing in her field. Someone.

Or something.

She did not flex her claws, nor did she say the name Minerva, even silently to herself in the quiet of her own protected thoughts.

Before she opened the message, she ran her fingerpads over each weapon on her person. Small throwing knives studded along harness, check. Gun holstered on the left, check. Longer knife sheathed on the right, check. Blast rifle disassembled but easy to reach in pack, check. Fragmentary grenades, check. Twenty perfectly sharpened claws, check. Additional knives, charges, and slate for programming delayed charges, check all.

It was unlikely to be Minerva, or anything like it, that had sent the message to her. It was therefore even more unlikely that her opening the message would cause the beings on the transport to become puppets of Minerva, or something like it, and made to charge this unused corner of the transport.

Unlikely was certainly not the equal of impossible, and she felt better for taking stock of her options.

She toggled the message open and blinked, ears flattened to her skull.


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I heard a rumor we'll have a release date for you soon. For now, I'm right back to work with my Fallen World novel (with a break for FactoryCon shenanigans, of course), and enjoying the beautiful fall weather that's arrived.


What are you up to in these fine October days? I hope it's wonderful.


Til next time,

Marisa

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