----- Where Happy Ever After Takes the Road Less Traveled: Author Donna Steele Has Been Writing up a Storm

Friday, August 30, 2024

Author Donna Steele Has Been Writing up a Storm

Donna Steele stopped by my blog to share that she has reached a major goal in her writing life... Publishing her 50th Book!

We met Lori and Mark, and Barry and Megan, but what about the rest of those sent here? Alien Embraces, sequel to Alien Embrace continues the story of the Vestilans sent to Earth to ensure the demise of their planet doesn’t become ours.

Meet Ashley, Ross, Connie and Larry and learn their part in the tale because Donna wants yu to!

Blurb Blurb for Alien Embraces–

Julie was only on campus to have brunch with a friend. This summer was to finish up her dissertation, she wasn’t even lecturing. But she didn’t expect to nearly be knocked over by the most gorgeous engineering professor she’d ever seen. Ross was on campus to try to get his bearings—everything was different, new and appealing, especially the grad student he nearly knocked over.

Phillip was ready to walk out on a job if they didn’t get their act together. He’d already visualized the woman he’d be working with, then she walked out. Nope, not what he expected. Ashley had a new assignment she’d gotten only this morning. She was finally getting used to her new and unfamiliar surroundings but a new twist being thrown in had her scrambling, then she saw him.

Excerpt:

Roson opened his eyes slightly wary of moving. He must have arrived. He should be on Terra, or Earth as they called it. His hands shook but he opened his eyes fully and looked around.

He was startled to find himself inside a structure. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He needed to remain hidden and appearing in the middle of a crowded area would have been stupid. His teachers hadn’t been stupid.

The room he stood in was large, larger that his parents’ apartment at first glance. Well, nearly the same size. Had he ever stood in a room this large alone before? No, he was Roson Fourteen Cleman, he’d never seen anything like this place.

He been trained the last two cycles away from his family and everyone else, but the room he’d lived it would fit easily in the corner of this room. It had held his bed, a desk and one chair. This room held a large sofa, three easy chairs, a piece of furniture that had a glass front and held small things he didn’t immediately recognize.

Instead of exploring, he eased himself down on the couch and just sat. He was on a different planet. He was as far away from his family as he could possibly get. That reality was hitting him now. When he’d been recruited, he now realized, he hadn’t fully comprehended that. Excitement at an unheard-of challenge had clouded his thinking, then he’d been studying and hadn’t had the time to contemplate it all. He would never see any of his family again. That was beginning to solidify as real.

Now he was on the planet Earth, trained and ready to help the Terrans protect their planet. It had sounded better in his head when he’d been in that little room. It had been scary then. It was terrifying now.

As far as he knew he was alone. The instructors had hinted that others from Vestila might also be sent, but who and to where? There was no one in his mind. No one. There had been fewer during his studies, due to his isolation, but he’d never been completely alone before.

He’d craved that at one time. He was rethinking it now.

No, he had work to do.

Roson rose from the couch and looked around. This must be a palace of some kind. Did the rulers of Earth have places like this? The colors caught his attention, the couch was a rust color, but pretty and the chairs had that rust as well along with a dark blue. He moved closer to the piece of furniture that had caught his eye. The little things in it were glass, globes, some clear, some with shapes within. As far as he could tell it was completely decorative. There was space here for decorations. Fantastic!

He moved toward the arched opening and saw a table. Six chairs sat around it but it was easily big enough for his whole family, except that the chairs were too large. Another glass fronted piece was in here and it held dishes and trays. Was that silver?

There was another smaller table to the side with a tray on it as well. The next door had no knob, so he pushed, and it swung open. Ross let it swing back toward him and smiled. At home they had no doors, only cloth that separated rooms when privacy was a must, like for his parents’ area of sleep. The rest of them slept together in the other part of their apartment.

Rosson pushed the door again and went through it. The room confused him at first, then it dawned on him. This was for meal preparation. Was there food here? He opened a cabinet but found glasses. Continuing around the room he found dishes in the next cabinet. Why were there dishes in here as well as the other room?

He came to what he realized was a spice cabinet, the aromas stopping him in his tracks for a long moment. His studies had mentioned this, that Terrans changed the taste of their food on occasion for the sheer pleasure of it. He would now have the opportunity to see if that was true.

Another door, smaller was in front of him and he pulled it open. His heart stuttered at the sight. Food. He had thought until this moment that the instructors were exaggerating, if not outright lying. There was food for his family for half a cycle stored in this little room and it wasn’t the calorie cakes. This was food the likes of which he’d only seen on vids or in his studies.

His da and three of his older brothers worked to manufacture the calorie cakes. They would never see bounty such as this. Roson dragged his hand across his face to wipe away the tears. Overwhelmed he shut the door and sank into a chair at a small eating area.

This was so much more than he’d ever imagined. Could he do this? Could he fulfill his mission? The arrogance of his youth had vanished when he’d opened that small door.

He was completely alone for the first time in his life.

Find out where it all started with