I love gadgets, bonus for futuristic technomagical ones. If a given gizmo could
conceivably appear in both a James Bond film and a Bruce Sterling story, it is
sure to twitterpate my fangirl heart. So of course my hero for WANTED AND WIRED had to be
plugged in. But this is a romance, right, so less gore and more hotness.
Which of made me think of cars. My first car was a 1966 Mustang (4-barrel 289),
and I loved the way that girl roared when she topped out. So, keeping that
feeling in mind, the manuscript and I played a bit of what-if.
What if Heron, the hero of WANTED AND WIRED, had a
really, really fast car?
A supercar, in fact?
And he could switch between wireless and manual control of that car?
What if the car was both armored and armed?
What if the control mechanism for the weapon was disguised as a gearshift?
But also, because Heron is integrated with the machine, what if that
gearshift served other sensory functions for my control-freak, technologically
modified dude?
Well, then it might be the hottest car in the history of hot cars.
After a while, Mari shrugged and settled down into the leather seat, facing
forward. βWell, Iβll work on the bloodthirsty, but itβd be a damn shame if I
reformed completely, βspecially before I get to test out your cannon here.β She
nodded to the gearshift, still unwilling to let it go.
Out the wing-shaped windows, the desert stretched endless and black with no feds
in sight, but she knew they were out there, looking for her. Hunting her. Being
prey didnβt feel so stark as long as she had a weapon in her hands.
Especially this weapon. She cricked her index finger, and the emplacement
shifted, responding perfectly to her touch. The barrel was way too short for a
conventional load at this caliber. Might be electromagnetic. Whatever its inner
workings, she was pretty sure it was fully integrated with the car.
And so, she suspected, was Heron.
Mari firmed her fist on the gearshift, slipping her palm down to the base. A
corresponding twitch fluttered over his jaw.
Holy crapfire. He felt it.
Felt her grip on the stick, felt her shifting the cannon. Felt her palm tracing
in metal the shapes she would like to be making over his body. The certainty
bloomed simultaneously in her mind and between her legs.
βYouβll have your chance in about seven minutes.β His voice was tight, clipped.
No way could they be thinking about the same thing. She bit her lip to keep from
smiling. βEh?β
βWe donβt have any live targets right now, but we will shortly. My inputs are
showing a roadblock up ahead. Their lasers are hot, but our shielding will hold.
We will be in range within six minutes.β
She panned her gaze across the desert. She couldnβt see anything yet, which
wasnβt surprising considering how fast they were going. But she did discern a
shift in the pattern of the black sand horizon, a shudder of shapes. She leaned
forward until her forehead mashed against the windshield and turned her head to
look up.
She had to let loose of the gearshift when she moved, and she thought she heard
Heron sigh. Regret or relief?
But she didnβt have much time to ponder, because right up there, smack-dab in
front of them but up in the air, the sky looked a whole lot darker than it had
any right to be. No stars, just black, a giant black, and headed right for them.
βUm, Heron? Remember when you said that we were safe from everything but the
hand of God?β
βYes.β
βDonβt look up.β
Win a copy of WANTED AND
WIRED, just tell us your favorite super hero / enhanced vehicle!
A rip-roarin' new snarky, sexy sci-fi paranormal romance series with the
perfect balance of humor, heat, and heart. Now that Texas has seceded and the
world is spiraling into chaos, good guys come in unlikely packages and love
sprouts in the most inconvenient places...
Heron Farad should be dead. But technology has made him the man he is today.
Now he heads a crew of uniquely skilled outsiders who fight to salvage what's
left of humanity: art, artifacts, books, ideas-sometimes even people. People
like Mari Vallejo.
Gun for hire β’ Texan rebel β’ always hits her mark
Mari has been lusting after her mysterious handler for months. But when a
by-the-book hit goes horribly sideways, she and Heron land on the universal most
wanted list. Someone set them up. Desperate and on the run, they must trust each
other to survive, while hiding devastating secrets. As their explosive chemistry
heats up, it's the
perfect storm...
Romance Science
Fiction [Sourcebooks Casablanca, On Sale: April
4, 2017, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781492648161 / eISBN:
9781492648178]
VIVIEN JACKSON is still waiting for her Hogwarts letter. In the mean time,
she writes, mostly fantastical or futuristic or kissing-related stories. When
she isnβt writing, sheβs performing a sacred duty nurturing the next generation
of Whovian Browncoat Sindarin Jedi gamers, and their little dogs too. With her
similarly geeky partner, she lives in Austin, Texas, and watches a lot of
football.
Wowsers. Thanks for the introduction and excerpt! Love it. (Kathleen Bylsma 9:14pm April 11, 2017)
Interesting... caught my attention... I am a big superhero fan... my fav Batgirl (Colleen Conklin 9:36pm April 11, 2017)
Love the excerpt. This sounds very different from most romance novels that I read. Thanks for the chance. (Tanja Dancy 12:35pm April 12, 2017)
My favorite is Thor. Sounds interesting. Thank you for the introduction. (Valerie Miller 8:26am April 12, 2017)
I've always loved the Batman cars! They are sooo sleek and sexy too! I love that there is something new that always pops up and it has technology everywhere! Pretty intense intro. (Tracey Concannon 9:28am April 12, 2017)
Captain America. The GTO. (Sharon Berger 11:04am April 12, 2017)
My favorite hero is Thor. For enhanced vehicles, I would have to say that Batman has the best. Look forward to reading this!! (Kelly Donovan 3:15pm April 12, 2017)
I really like this premise and am looking forward to reading this. Thanks. (Kathleen Bylsma 5:39pm April 12, 2017)
Favorite car(s) are muscle cars. (Kathleen Bylsma 5:40pm April 12, 2017)
Looks like my kind of book. (Patricia Zashkoff 8:57am April 13, 2017)
Sounds good. I hope I win. (Gloria Zimmer 9:27am April 13, 2017)
I've always wanted a James Bond car, with all the cool spy goodies (Linda Knowles 2:03pm April 13, 2017)
I've always liked KITT from Knight Rider. Always useful and a fun sense of humor. (Irene Menge 6:53pm April 13, 2017)
Batman and the Batmobile are my favorites. (Mary Smith 6:22am April 14, 2017)
I'd forgotten James Bond car as well as Kitt. :) (Kathleen Bylsma 7:32pm April 14, 2017)
I would love that car!! can't wait to read sounds like a great book (Jennifer Beck 7:37am April 16, 2017)
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