Spring Fling Blog Hop - Pippa's Post

Welcome to the Spring Fling Blog Hop! Over fifty authors and bloggers have joined together to bring you some amazing posts, great giveaways and lots of fun! Don't forget to enter the rafflecopter to win a Kindle tablet, gift cards, paperbacks and swag and be sure to check out the other blogs taking part.

I adore spring. I love the change in weather from cold to warm, seeing the first flowers and leaves start to bud, and the sun spending a little longer in the sky each day as we move out of winter. And I see it as a time of new beginnings, of change for the better, for the first signs of new life. So while the seasons may not play a huge part in my stories, the idea of new beginnings do--especially new or first love.

Terms & Conditions Apply is a scifi romance set on a space station, so no seasons there. But my young female MC finds one part of her life is over as a new one begins...

Excerpt:

Marie jerked her gaze up to meet that of the man before her, then reassessed her first thought. This was no normal man. Although the impossibly deep, almost indigo blue of his eyes held her, she noted the silvery sheen of his skintight one-piece with the logo VASA at the shoulder that marked him as one of Venus Ascendant’s subsidiary avatars. Her distress at Jaisen’s message had no doubt sparked the AI into an immediate response—that kind of emotional hit on its empathic sensors wouldn’t have been missed, although it was probably equivalent to no more than a poke in the eye. For Marie, it was like someone carving out her heart with a blunt instrument.

“No intention of mine,” she snapped. 

Not now. Not ever!                             

“Perhaps I can be of service?”

Marie stared at him…at it. She’d heard about the VA avatars but never been so close to one. She’d learned from the space station’s blurb that the main AI took the form of a young Indian woman called Ganesa, spoken of with as much reverence as the bronze-cast deity behind her. This particular avatar had been crafted into a ruggedly handsome, if stereotypically human, male. Thick blond hair left a shade too long framed his face perfectly; darker brows arched over eyes the most glorious shade of deep blue she’d ever seen. He was broad shouldered and athletic, and the thin, snug-fitting one-piece in gray outlined the well-defined musculature of his torso in a way no doubt intended to draw attention and tease the imagination of potential clients. A shapely hint of what lay beneath without full disclosure, like the metallic foil used to cover chocolate treats. Also a complete contrast to the man she’d hoped to see, and all too perfect to be real.

“I don’t need your service, thank you very much.” She jumped up and tried to shove past him, but the dense composition of an avatar meant she only jarred her arm and had to sidle past in an embarrassingly servile fashion. He made no attempt to stop her, and she headed blindly down the nearest access corridor.

***

The Prize

I'm giving one lucky winner this fabulous red nebula necklace if you leave me your email address in the comments (you can use the format name at email dot com, but entries will only be counted if an address is supplied and the question answered) and tell me the most romantic place in the universe for you, be it real, imaginary or from your favourite book. Open internationally.

And don't forget to enter the rafflecopter for even more goodies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But there's more! Hop to the other participating blogs in the hop by using the linky below, and see what they have on offer.