Friday, October 13, 2017

The (extra) ordinary animals of Pets in Space 2 - Cara Bristol

It is my pleasure to host Cara Bristol at my blog and Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2.  

The (extra) ordinary animals of Pets in Space 2
By Cara Bristol

As a sci-fi author, I’m write about imaginative characters. In Rescued by the Cyborg, my novella in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, I match a cyborg hero, a human enhanced with mechanical and computer parts, with a winged alien heroine. Add to that, some panther-like alien villains. So, with the pet sidekick, I went conventional. “Mittzi” is an “ordinary” little gray kitten with white feet.
Some of my fellow authors went nontraditional with their story pets. They tinkered with genetics to create hybrids and bioengineered animals. Here are some of the more unique creatures you’ll encounter in Pets in Space 2.


A foo dog.  This is a smaller version of the mythological Chinse foo lion. (To me, it looks like a cross between a pug and a lion.) It’s mostly a mix of dogs with genetic tinkering. Pet Trade by Carol Van Natta.

StarDog. Don’t be fooled by the name. This vermin-hunting pet is a dog-cat-weasel-mongoose mix. Courting Disaster:StarDog 2 by Laurie A. Green.

A hugwort, an affectionate “plantimal,”  a genetically engineered organism that combines plant and animal genes (there's some cat in there) with alien DNA.  Mascot by Alexis Glynn Latner.

Tibbar, a cross between a rabbit and a hamster, with the personality of a cat. Gib and the Tibbar by Jessica E. Subject.

Artificial intelligence. A com unit becomes sentient and his core is transplanted into an owl’s body. Senate by Sabine Priestley.

What kind of pet would you want to take to space?
Would you go traditional or would you want to design your own?
What kind of hybrid would you produce?

Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 description
The pets are back! Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, featuring twelve of today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors brings you a dozen original stories written just for you! Join in the fun, from the Dragon Lords of Valdier to a trip aboard award-winning author, Veronica Scott’s Nebula Zephyr to journeying back to Luda where Grim is King, for stories that will take you out of this world! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem, Susan Grant, Michelle Howard, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Sabine Priestley, Jessica E. Subject, Carol Van Natta, and Alexis Glynn Latner as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that supports our veterans!
10% of the first months 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.

Buy link for all stores: https://books2read.com/u/3L9aYM


Rescued by the Cyborg (A Cy-Ops Sci-fi Romance) by Cara Bristol
A cyborg’s haunted past and a Faria’s clouded future entwine…

Hostage and sole survivor Solia waits for death at the hands of vicious predatory aliens when Cy-Ops agent Guy Roarke disobeys orders and charges in. A former medic, he initiates emergency medical procedures before rushing her to Cybermed.

Guy is taken with Solia, but the guilt of a past mistake won’t allow him to plan for a future with the delicate, brave beauty. Life is so uncertain, he can’t even keep Mittzi, the kitten his niece gave him. What he can do is see to it Solia gets the help she needs for a full recovery. But when best intentions place her in greater danger, it’s up to a little kitten to make everything all right again.

Rescued by the Cyborg excerpt

     Something kept poking her. Solia rose to consciousness but buried her face in her wing and squeezed her eyelids even tighter. She didn’t want to see what existed in the light. Monsters were real, and they didn’t just creep in the night. Don’t look. Stay here. Here, wherever that was, with her eyes closed, was warm, pain-free, safe.
Safe from what? What was she forgetting?
     Pat. Pat. Something pawed at her feathers. Then a rumble. Pat. Pat. Poke. Something sharp, like a claw scraped across her face.
Claw.
     Ka-Tȇ.
     Jungle.
     Cage. Death. Her lids sprang open. Two green Ka-Tȇ eyes stared into hers. The creature yawned, revealing a mouthful of small, sharp teeth, and then struck out with its paw.
     Solia shrieked. The creature somersaulted and disappeared.      Dragging her broken, torn wing, Solia stumbled for the door and plowed into a massive chest.
     “What’s happened? What’s wrong?” A man gripped her shoulders. Though he barricaded the way, his presence exuded safety, calmed her panic. More memories flashed. Racing through the jungle. This man carrying her to a pod. Bodies hitting the window, scratching, clawing, trying to crack it open. The man—Guy— had rescued her from Katnia. The floor hummed beneath her feet. She was on a ship now.
     But one of the creatures—“K-K-Ka-Tȇ. Here.”
     “What? Where?” Disbelief knit his brows.
     Solia gulped air and pointed. “Under the berth. It’s little, but I woke up, and it was on me, scratching my face. It had green eyes. Claws.” She patted her cheeks. There didn’t seem to be any injury.
     “Mittzi.” Guy shook his head. He got down on all fours to peer under the bunk.
     “Be careful.”
     He reached under the berth and pulled out a ball of gray fur with white feet. Maybe Ka-Tȇ were born furry but lost their hair as they matured? The creature spoke, emitting an odd little meow noise. Neither language training nor the implant provided a translation. It clung to Guy, showing no sign of savagery, but maybe viciousness developed with time, too.
     “It’s not a Ka-Tȇ, it’s a kitten, a baby cat,” Guy said, his tone gentle. “Don’t you have felines on Faria?”

About Cara Bristol
USA Today bestselling author Cara Bristol writes steamy science fiction romance with an emphasis on the characters and their romance, with a little humor, heat, and danger added for fun. She is the author of three science fiction romance series: sexy cyborg Cy-Ops Scifi Romance series, the dark erotic Breeder series, and the new humorous Alien Mate series. She likes to say that she writes science fiction for readers who don’t like sci-fi.  Cara lives in Missouri with her alpha hero, her husband, and Hannah, her cat, aka her writing supervisor.

8 comments:

Cara Bristol said...

Thanks for featuring Pets in Space and supporting Hero-dogs.

P.L. Parker said...

Good Morning Cara! Looking forward to visiting with you!

Patsy

Veronica Scott said...

Fun blog post! Our authors did come up with some interesting pets again this year!

L. A. Green said...

Love your post, Cara. There's definitely a lot of variety in both the pets and the stories in this anthology.

Pauline said...

A fun blog post and many thanks for hosting Pets in Space 2!!!! Lots and lots of variety this year and our great charity, Hero Dogs!

P.L. Parker said...

Most welcome Pauline. Happy to have the Pets in Space 2 group here.

Patsy

P.L. Parker said...

Personally, I feel like this anthology is a good one!

Hywela Lyn said...

I loved the first 'Pets In Space' and have this 2nd one on my Kindle - looking forward to reading all the great stories!