Today I released the ninth Firmament book, Intoxication, and with this release I have reached two important milestones:
1. I’ve made it to the halfway point of my eighteen-book series, and
2. I’ve released two Firmament books in a single calendar year, which I’ve been intending to do for over a decade but have never managed until now.
Both are worthy of celebration in my book! And speaking of books, here’s an excerpt from this latest one, for your reading pleasure:
“I know, I know,” he said at last, eyes studiously gazing out the window at the first hints of sunrise. “I owe both of you my story. But I honestly don’t have much to tell.”
“I feel like the story of how a pilot who couldn’t even be tied down to one starship ended up on a cattle ranch is probably a bit much.”
He laughed, and the sound warmed my heart. “Fair enough.” He settled into the nearest leather chair, shifting to find the most comfortable position before continuing. “But that’s basically it. I just… really needed space.” He chuckled. “No pun intended. I needed to not be in space, or around anything else I was used to, for awhile. I had an old friend from the Academy who had somehow ended up an engineer on a cattle ranch instead of on interplanetary vessels, and I figured that was as good a place as any to get away from it all. Worked there for a few months. I mean, I did a lot of other things, too. Just kind of traveled, wanting to—cleanse my palate, I guess you could say.”
So he didn’t want to talk about Guilders at all. We were just supposed to agree not to mention the man whose death had led to all this wandering.
“The Captain found you on the ranch, then?” I clarified. I sat across from him on the sofa, studying his face.
“Yeah. I was never so surprised to see anybody in my life, And. I was out riding the range trying to bring in a stray steer and who do I see walking up but Captain Harrison Trent of the starship Surveyor, looking as in command out there in the dirt as he ever did on any bridge.” He laughed.
“He told us he was going to look for you, but he didn’t say he’d found you.”
“I think he knows sometimes surprises are the best medicine. He said Uncle had been a little run down by everything lately.” A shadow crossed his face. “He’s looking old, And.”
The warmth in my heart chilled. “Don’t say that, please, Crash.”
“He is, though. And I know just how short life can be…”
“Stop. Please.”
“Andi…”
The chill felt like it would break my heart into pieces. “I said stop.”
He held up one hand, gripping the mug in the other. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
The sun continued to rise in the ensuing silence, illuminating the room a little at a time. Crash was the one who finally spoke again.
“So, to answer one of your many questions from last night… what I’m doing here.” He tilted his head back and drained the last dregs of the coffee, then slammed his cup down on the metal table between us, creating an abrasive, hollow sound that made me wince. “Apparently Trent didn’t come find me just out of the goodness of his heart, or even just for you and Uncle. ISA asked him to.”
I sat up straighter, mind racing to take in the implications. “You’re not saying…”
“Oh, but I am.” He stood in the rosy glow of morning, straightened, and pulled at the hem of his jacket as though already in uniform. “You’re looking at the brand new helmsman of the starship Surveyor.”
Will Crash survive as the ship’s helmsman? You can read the book on either ebook or paperback now and find out! And don’t forget to let me know what you think!