Hello dear readers! While some of you know, but others who are newer may not, is that I don’t just review books: I write them, too. And my fifth novel comes out on Tuesday! Today is my stop on the Starbound blog tour, and I’m going to share with you part of the first chapter from Zander’s point of view (a big change from the other four books in the Starstruck Saga). But first, a little about the book!
Spoilers for the first four books if you haven’t yet read them!
Home is where the heart is. Or maybe the pizza.
There’s no better feeling than being back home after a long week exploring the galaxy, though being abandoned by one’s friends and left to fend off a glitching evil robot spoils it. All that’s left is to settle back into life, preparing Marcy’s wedding and job hunting. If only mysterious midnight SWAT teams and crop-circle crafting-sessions weren’t constantly getting in Sally’s way.
When an old foe returns, and Sally is the only person on the planet to recognize it, it’s up to her, her sullen ex, and an overly-excitable FBI agent to save the planet. But first they have to get the president safely out of his favorite sushi bar without starting the war of the worlds.
It’s hard maintaining a long-distance relationship when your crush is light years away and thinks you died of old age, but that hasn’t stopped anyone yet. Sally must save the planet, the universe, and herself – though maybe she’ll take a nap first.
I’m so excited to share with you this new book. So much happens, so many reveals and twists, that I was actually terrified of showing my publisher! But the outpouring of love and great reviews shows us that we made the right decision. Sally’s going to blow you all away!
And Zander will too: part of the book is from his perspective. Which I can promise you is not what you would expect…
CHAPTER TWO
Interplanetary Sibling Rivalry, Now in Technicolor
Sisters.
You love them. You hate them. They love you, support you, and then, just sometimes, they just they twist you up in knots and stab you repeatedly with every trick they know, not limited to those in the book. And sometimes that knife is quite literal. It’s the cost of having family. Of having someone who will stick by you for no reason other than she shares some genes with you.
Or someone who will destroy you for no farshing reason.
Case in point: Just when I was feeling happy, ready to have a nice cup of tea and, I don’t know, enjoy the feeling of being clean for the first time in days, my sister disintegrated me. Well, technically, she teleported me to who knew where, just when I was going to ask about the flower-scented soap in the bathroom and if it was okay that I had finished the bottle. In that case, good thing Blayde got me out of there because things could have deteriorated fast.
But jumping me again to some other place so I couldn’t get back? That was stone cold. A jerk move if I had ever seen one, and boy, had I seen jerk moves.
The second my cells started stitching themselves back together, they were ripped apart once again, and I was sent reeling back blindly through the vast emptiness of the universe. I couldn’t see where I was going, I couldn’t see where I had come from, and I couldn’t see anything at all since my eyes technically did not exist.
It was at times like these I seriously considered buying myself a spaceship. Nothing fancy. Just something with a good faster-than-light engine or a warp drive, a place to keep my stuff and make my travels through the universe more scenic. And maybe, just maybe, having my own keys would stop Blayde from farshing kidnapping me.
But, then again, parking’s terrible. And I hear the gas prices are worse than ever.
Suddenly, I was back in one piece, the ground firm beneath my feet once more. Instinct kicked in before I had gathered my wits about me, automatically making sure all my limbs were still attached to my body, counting off the arms and the legs, fingers and toes, even as they spread into a pounce.
My own roar rang in my ears as I flew through the air, arms outstretched and hands ready to go for her jugular. My fingers were wrapped around her neck before the neurons had fired from my brain. Fury burned through my veins like a poison, corrosive acid in my blood.
Blayde sidestepped easily, letting me crumple on the ground beside her. I felt the heat as my face slammed into the metal floor, my nose snapping from the collision.
But she did not return the attack. Flipping myself over, I brought a leg spinning under her. I used my own momentum to jump to my feet, dropping my center of gravity and swinging around to lash out with a right hook. She caught it square in the jaw, a tooth flying off in the air and lodging itself in a nearby wall. She scowled, blood pouring out of her lip, but I could already see the white enamel growing back to fill in the gap in her mouth. A bruise blossomed and wilted on her cheek.
I swung to hit her again, but her arm flew out to grab mine, holding it easily in midair. I struggled to break loose from her grip, but her fingers were clasped firmly around my wrist, and I could barely move it. Effortlessly, she gave it a twist, ripping my arm from the socket and effectively reducing the number of punching elements by half.
She said nothing, cocking an eyebrow, as if waiting for me to start. So, I did.
“What the veesh do you think you’re doing?” I shouted as I struggled to break free from the titanium grip. She blinked then wasn’t there, and suddenly I was face down on the ground, hands pinned behind my back, a knee on the back of my head.
“Weak,” she snapped, anger dripping from her lips. “Look at you, you’ve grown weak.”
She had underestimated me. In seconds, I had thrown her off my back and pinned her down, my elbow pressing on her windpipe. My useless arm dangled by my side, but I hardly felt it. She only smirked, unperturbed by the decrease in air flowing to her lungs.
“I’m not weak,” I snapped back. “You’ve grown paranoid. Look at you!”
“We held up our end of the deal,” she hissed. “We were free to go. Nothing left for us to do on that dull excuse of a planet.”
“But you jumped us twice!” I pressed down harder, but she only rolled her eyes. She motioned as if to say there was no way she could reply if she had no air. I hopped on my feet, watching her get back up gingerly. I tried to cross my arms but failed with the dangler.
“I thought you might jump right back,” she replied with a shrug, oblivious to what I meant. I shook my head. I mean, screw her; that’s the part I was furious about in the first place.
“What if I wasn’t ready to leave yet?” I snapped. “She was making us tea!”
“Can you even hear the words spilling out of your mouth?” she asked, leaning back against a shelf casually. “Oh, tea, yes, let’s all sit around and drink tea with the Earthling. When would you be ready to leave? Huh? A day? A month? Next year?” “I—” I sputtered. But I couldn’t reply. There was nothing I could say.
I hope you’re excited to read more! And remember, every preorder entitles you to a special gift. Working with Jessica from Paperly & Co, she has created these stunning character bookmarks which I can’t wait to put in your hands. Sally, Zander, and Blayde come to life and will happily keep your page in Starbound or any other book of your choosing!I hope you’re excited to read more!
Learn more about the preorder gift HERE.
And while I’m in the US, I finally have media mail! Which means SIGNED BOOKS FOR EVERYONE!
We have a massive sale on all signed books, dropping the prices even more when you get multiple copies. AND every order gets the cute character bookmarks made by Paperly&Co!
Either message me or order through Bolide’s website to order. Only 3 days until Starbound hits the shelves! https://bolidepublishing.com/
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