Dear ,

See if you like this!

I've decided to give you an exclusive, super-secret, first-hand sneak peek of MEGASTAR (The Lost Space Treasure Series, Book 2). You'll find the extract at the end of my newsletter with a **SPOILER ALERT** notice in case some of you don't want to discover anything about the book until it publishes on November 15th. Please note that this extract is for your beautiful-newsletter-subscriber-eyes only, and may not be shared. ;)

(Let me know if you enjoy these types of (sometimes unedited) sneak-peeks: [email protected].)

BETA-readers have now received their copies of MEGASTAR and are, besides my wonderful editor Cristy Watson, the first people to discover Trin Moonrise's new adventures!

And that means it's time for the rest of you to sign up for ARC-copies! I'm giving away 50 free ARC-copies of MEGASTAR! You can apply by simply filling in this Google form:

👉 https://forms.gle/nfY8gBXgPUmE1r4H7

In other big news, Ben Archer is going to GERMANY on October 12th! Well, in book format, anyway. A big thank you to @janijanele for polishing the German translations of the first three books in The Alien Skill Series! If I see that sales go well in Germany, then I'll make sure to publish books 4, 5 and 6 as soon as possible. So let your German-speaking family and friends know that aliens are going to take them by storm in a few days (see dates and links below)! If anyone wants a German ARC-copy, let me know!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

• October 12, 2023: Ben Archer und der Kosmische Fall, Band 1
• October 19, 2023: Ben Archer und die Ausserirdischen Fähigkeit, Band 2
• October 26, 2023: Ben Archer und das Mondparadoxon, Band 3
• November 15, 2023: MEGASTAR release date

I apologize for the delay in the release of the Ben Archer and the World Beyond-audiobook. I will let you know as soon as I hear from my narrator.

In the meantime, I dare you to say DIE AUSSERIRDISCHEN FAHIGKEIT (that's German for The Alien Skill) five times very fast without twisting your tongue!

Drei, zwei, eins.... GO!

What's up in the neighbourhood?

Gosh, is September over already? It went by in a blur and I don't remember much besides school and work starting again. I don't even have pictures of my birthday, which was on September 9th, even though it was a sunny day and I was in good company and eating good food. What more could I ask for, right?

So, to make this section worthwhile, here's my kiddo's take on her friend's dog, Ernest. Cute, hey?

October 2023 reading list

The Phoenix Plan by Terri Selting David

A first assignment. A conspiracy that threatens national security. Danger around every turn. “Simple” can get pretty complicated when you’re a spy.

The Island may be paradise to most of the agents stationed there, but Sarah and her twin brother Simon are ready to leave. After seventeen years training to be a spy, logical Sarah yearns to prove her worth as a top-notch agent. Poetic Simon dreams of exotic wonders like street tacos, unlimited snacks, and single family homes. If they don’t get a little independence soon, they may go crazy.

When they finally get their first assignment, though, it’s not exactly what they’d hoped for. No top secret lairs to infiltrate, no henchmen to crush, not even a single nemesis to thwart. Just “quash some rumors about an experimental supersoldier so no nut-job breaks into a local military base.” Totally boring.

But when they catch sight of DAAAD’s number one most wanted criminal, the twins realize there’s a lot more going on than a few rumors, maybe more than junior agents can handle. Now they have to make a choice: report in and get replaced by more experienced agents, or go up alone against a man who topples governments and starts wars. If they succeed, they’ll be heroes. If they fail, people, including themselves, will die horribly and governments will be thrown into chaos. And worst of all, they may never get that street taco.

Bringing old school spy thriller adventure back.

If James Bond had seventeen year old twins, they'd be a lot like Sarah&Simon. High-risk missions. Razor-sharp wit. Unstoppable teen agents.

Join the mission.

Vera Warden and the Two-Faced Demon by J. Rose

When Vera receives a scholarship to an elite tech school, she thinks the hardest part will be making friends. Turns out there are darker things at Morton Tech. Evil things worse than bullies. Like demons.

After a face-stealing demon only Vera can see appears, she realizes she’s the only one who can stop it. She’s going to have to use all her wits, and the confidence she’s gained from living with a facial difference and Osteogenesis Imperfecta (“Brittle Bone Disease”), to save her friends.

Will she find the strength to face her own fears and learn what it means to be a hero? Or will the demon escape the school and wreak havoc on the world?

Join Vera Warden on her adventures as she confronts demons, ghosts, mean teachers, and maybe even a few bullies.

End of Days (Books 1-7) by Sam J. Fires

No lights. No power. No help.

During the coldest winter on record, an EMP attack wipes out the nation's power and cripples the country.

As the city spirals into lawless chaos, investigative journalist, twenty-six-year-old Cassandra Drews is forced onto the dangerous streets of Portland to begin the long walk to her parents' home in Oregon.

But hypothermia and starvation aren't the only dangers Cass and her rescue dog, Daisy, face on their perilous trek. Danger is stalking them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Help comes in the form of troubled ex-marine Isaac Winters, who slips back into soldier mode with the city's collapse.

Now, the trio must work together in a fight for survival as they race to escape the city before violence, or the bitter wintry storm can claim them. Do they have what it takes to make it out alive? Or will they be crushed by the brutality of the unforgiving cold?

The Legend of Dana Jasper - The Echoes of primodials by Sarah Ovvens

In the aftermath of a devastating bomb blast in Afghanistan, young Dana Jasper's life is forever altered. As an autistic boy, he had always felt like an outsider, finding comfort in his own bubble. But when the tragic loss of his parents forces him to move to the bustling city of Chicago, little does he know that this pivotal moment will unleash a remarkable transformation.

Amidst the challenges of adapting to a new life, Dana discovers a mysterious presence that follows him from the war-torn lands of Afghanistan. Unraveling a hidden gift within himself, he begins to sense the world in ways he never thought possible. With each passing day, the veil between reality and something extraordinary becomes increasingly blurred.

As he navigates through the crowded streets and towering buildings of Chicago, Dana's world takes a thrilling turn. Guided by an invisible force, he embarks on a journey that will lead him to unearth long-buried family secrets and confront truths about his own identity. Little does he know that these revelations will ignite the emergence of a new hero—one that will defy all odds and inspire the world.

Live Your Best Life With Limited Energy by Jodie Renner

Successfully Manage ME/CFS, Long Covid, Fibromyalgia, Lyme, MS,

or Any Other Chronic Fatigue Condition

Do you find yourself eagerly making plans, then lacking the “oomph” to carry through on them? Are everyday survival tasks draining all your energy?

In this reader-friendly book, you’ll find hundreds of practical, everyday tips for preventing your “body battery” from draining too quickly and saving energy for activities you’d much rather be doing.

You won’t find any medical advice or miracle cures in this book, just down-to-earth, concrete ways to expand your “energy envelope” so you can enjoy life

************************** START SPOILER ALERT **************************

Extract from ©Megastar (The Lost Space Treasure Series, Book 2). Note that this an advanced draft, not necessarily the final draft.

Heart beating fast, Trinket faced the robot king; a small girl dwarfed by a monstrous collage of machinery. The king's engine whirred to life and impressive lights blinked on his interface, as if he were processing a lot of data.

"Trin Moonrise,” he said, his robotic voice booming through the room. His next words made her shudder. “To think you almost got away…”

The heaviness of the planet’s gravity and the king’s overpowering presence made it hard for Trinket to think. Quarks! What does he want?

King Epsilon spoke. “Trin Moonrise, are you aware that Vunkotune is living its final hours? Are you aware that the planet's Megastar will go supernova in 4,046 local planetary minutes, and that my people will be left without a home?”

“Yes, of course. I’m aware,” she answered, still kneeling.

“My system is unclear as to your composition, but I take it you are an advanced artificial being with, I am hoping, a complex empathy setting?”

Trinket pressed her lips together into a thin line and didn’t answer.

The king proceeded. “If it were in your power to give the robots a new home, Trin Moonrise, would you grant them such a gift?”

Trinket glanced up in surprise. She rose to her feet, wheezing from the crushing gravity, unclear as to where the king was going with this. “Y-yes, of course! If it was in my power to do so, yes! B-but, I don’t understand. I have no such power. I can’t stop a supernova! There’s nothing I can do!”

The robot spoke slowly. “Are you quite sure of that, Trin Moonrise?”

A flash of warning stirred in the back of her mind. It was so hot inside her space suit. She was having trouble concentrating. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said in a tiny voice, fidgeting with her hands.

“I think you do,” the king responded. “Originally, I was not interested in the crew of the IQURUS when I authorized special access code BX97T. But then I detected a rumor over the Dark Network. A rumor that I needed to verify at all costs, for this rumor states that you have the Exostar.”

Trinket caught her breath.

“I don’t see the Exostar on you,” the king continued, “and a search of the IQURUS has not revealed anything, either. And yet, this rumor comes from a reliable source.”

“What source?” Trinket asked quickly, her voice trembling.

The king did not reply.

Woolver’s words bounced around Trinket’s mind. “If anyone, and I mean anyone, so much as catches wind that we have the Exostar, we will be harassed, hunted, persecuted, attacked and most likely killed, by anything that moves.” Well, with that piece of news now splattered all over the Dark Network, any form of covert protection had just flown out the window.

“I really don’t see how the Exostar could save your people,” Trinket said, trying to delay the conversation while feverishly searching for a way out of this mess.

King Epsilon rolled forward a few inches, and Trinket fought to stay put, straightening her back defiantly. His large camera-eye zoomed in on her. “The Exostar would allow us to buy a planet—Enillon, for instance. The planet Enillon has rich sources of titanium, which we could extract to build more robots and Star Squadron ships. We would not be doomed to wander the galaxy. We would have a future. We would have a home. Is that not something you would want for us, Trin Moonrise? A home?”

Trinket breathed fast, condensation forming on the inside of her helmet. “B-but, what about the A’hmuns? Where would the current inhabitants of Enillon go?”

“They would have to emigrate somewhere else.”

“Are you kidding?” Trinket’s cheeks heated up even more than they already were. “You would displace the population of an entire planet just to make it your own?”

King Epsilon rolled back a little. “Business is business,” he said. “I would have invaded Enillon long ago if my predecessor had not signed the Exostar Peace Treaty. My programming is now unable to execute that order. So, I must establish a new home for my people in a legal way. Everything can be bought at a price. Even a planet. The Exostar would solve that problem. The rest of the Interstellar Alliance already thinks we stole the diamond, so we might as well live up to that falsehood.”

Trinket crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, you’re asking the wrong kid, Mister King,” she said firmly.

"I see,” the king said slowly. “Then, perhaps, I was mistaken, and your empathy setting is defective. As a fellow artificial being, I would have thought you would understand our predicament.”

“I’m not an artificial b—” she began, but just then a guard hurried over. “The amphitheater is ready, Your Highness,” it announced.

“Good,” the king said. “We will begin at once.”

The robot bowed and left in a hurry.

Trinket regarded the king, trying to determine his next move.

“Come,” the king said. “Join me at the amphitheater. We will witness the last Battle of the Robots. You have until the end of the spectacle to make your decision. You will give me the Exostar, or remain here on Vunkotune to experience first-hand the death of my planet.”

******************************* END SPOILER ALERT ******************************

All the best!

Rae Knightly