All Snippets
Two Cases For The Czar – Snippet 04
Two Cases For The Czar - Snippet 04 There was something off in that, but--even for Miroslava--identifying the precise meaning of facial expressions or nonverbal communications in general was a hit or miss proposition, affected by circumstance and the abilities of the person being observed. Tatiana was highly skilled and Miroslava wasn't at all sure what if any her connection to the murder was. "Then why did you say he wasn't one of your favorite patrons?" "Because he wasn't. I don't understand your question." "Why 'wasn't' rather than...
Domesticating Dragons – Snippet 07
Domesticating Dragons - Snippet 07 "Oh." Shenzhen was home to China's government-sponsored research laboratories. These were basically the genetic engineering version of sweatshops. The government recruited the best and brightest right out of high school, and worked them eighty hours per week, fifty-two weeks a year. Most of them slept in the lab. At the end of each month, the least-productive ten percent of the workforce got their walking papers. "How long did he last?" "Two years." "Jesus." "He kept his sense of humor. You'll like him." She...
WarSpell Space Race – Snippet 04
WarSpell Space Race - Snippet 04 Chapter 2--The Pacing Lap Location: Home of A. Dujarié, San Francisco, California Time: 3:27 PM, January 5 Honey Abrams stifled a grin when she answered the door. These guys were classic geeks, at least before the Merge. The first guy grinned back at her. She could tell they were merged. It was a subtle thing, but on average the merged were better looking than they were before the Merge. And in a lot of the merged there were incongruities. The pocket protector didn't fit with the "I'm too irresistible for...
The Macedonian Hazard – Snippet 08
The Macedonian Hazard - Snippet 08 "I'm sorry, General Eumenes, but the Queen of the Sea can't involve itself in the internal politics of the United Satrapies and States of the Empire. Quite aside from logistical concerns, which are real and serious, we have to maintain our neutrality . . . at least officially." "Officially?" Roxane asked, lifting a sculpted eyebrow. She very much reminded Marie of Sophia Loren. Since the arrival of the Queen, she had added golden highlights to her black hair and now wore artfully applied makeup. Roxane's...
WarSpell Space Race – Snippet 03
WarSpell Space Race - Snippet 03 "Tricia, tell me what you've found out," Carla said. "I heard that Translocation has problems going from aircraft to aircraft." "More than that," Tricia said. "First we tried using a translocation spell to take us to the moon, then to the international space station, but neither worked. Then someone pointed out that there might be range limitations that our characters didn't know about. So one of the natural wizard merges at NASA translocated to Australia. That settled that argument. Even in a straight...
Domesticating Dragons – Snippet 06
Domesticating Dragons - Snippet 06 CHAPTER FIVE The New Guy I took the elevator up to seven, where no one was waiting. I suppose I could have lingered in the lobby, but I imagined I could feel Fulton watching me over the security cameras. If he saw me waiting, he might decide to fill my time with more invasive security questions. I tiptoed through the hatchery, where the same pair of white-garbed staffers ignored me. I watched as they entered one of the hatching pods and team-lifted an egg, rotating it forty-five degrees. They lowered it back...
The Macedonian Hazard – Snippet 07
The Macedonian Hazard - Snippet 07 Chapter 1: A War to Fight Queen of the Sea, Forward Radio Room November 2, 320 BCE The radio printer clacked and Joshua Varner jerked in his office chair. He couldn't get used to it. The Queen had arrived in this time equipped with top of the line laser printers, and they still had them. But to keep that happy state as long as possible, they had, over the past year, built printers, using chips from anything they could scavenge. Dot matrix printers, which were slow and noisy. The radios sent digitally. That...
Two Cases For The Czar – Snippet 03
Two Cases For The Czar - Snippet 03 Once in the office, with the door closed and Miroslava seated in the guest chair, Madam Drozdov gave Miroslava a bitter smile. "I hope you're not going to bring more royal attention my way, Miroslava. The last time almost ruined me." Miroslava didn't like Madam Drozdov, but neither did she dislike her. A more accurate description of their relationship was one of guarded respect. Each knew the other, at least somewhat. And Madam wasn't intentionally cruel or vicious. She just had a "business is business"...