When I
began planning the H.A.L.F. (Human Alien Life Form) series back in 2010, I created
a female protagonist, Erika Holt, and two guys (H.A.L.F. 9, aka “Tex” and Jack
Wilson). I assumed throughout the process of writing The Deep Beneath (H.A.L.F. #1) that I’d have a love triangle going
throughout the three-book series.
But oh,
how characters can foil plans! I had no idea that The Deep Beneath would end the way that it did. It’s pretty hard to
write a triangle when one of the people in the triad flies away in an alien
space ship!
Reboot.
Book 2, The Makers.
As I
planned The Makers, a new character
developed. Her name is Anna Sturgis and she’s the neice of Commander Lillian
Sturgis, the antagonist in book 1. In The
Makers, Jack gets thrust into a situation where he has to be with Anna
24/7.
Given
that Anna is the neice of his enemy, Jack wants to hate her. But it’s hard to
hate someone when you’re falling in love with them.
A
challenge for me with this situation is that there are fans of the first book
who are rooting for Erika and Jack to end up together. I didn’t want to piss
off The “Team Jerika” folks and have people hate Jack for moving on quickly to
another relationship.
It
turned out that this unexpected relationship was my favorite part of The Makers to write. Their relationship
builds slowly through time and circumstances. Their flirtations are awkward as
flirtations often are. And I think readers will sense Jack’s sincere emotional
turmoil as he is torn between his love for a woman he will likely never see
again versus his understandable attraction to a beautiful and kind woman he spends
all day with.
At the
end of The Makers, readers will be
left wondering what will happen to this quadrangle. Will Jack and Anna end up
together despite the odds against them? Will Erika ever come back to Earth? And
if she does, will she still love Jack or will she fall or the human-alien
hybrid, H.A.L.F. 9?
Excerpt
from H.A.L.F.: The Makers (H.A.L.F.
#2):
When he
woke, the sun was just north of the horizon. The sky was deep coral and
lavender with bursts of gold spinning away from a few low, wispy clouds.
He felt
bad for snapping at Anna. It wasn’t her fault that his girlfriend had flown
away from him in a spaceship or that he couldn’t go home if he wanted to stay
out of jail and off Sewell’s shit list.
“Look, I’m
sorry I snapped at you. I’m having a bad day, okay?”
Anna
nodded and walked toward the restaurant. Her long hair bounced about her
shoulders and her hips swayed gently as she walked. The setting sun shone on
her hair and made it look like it was somehow lit from within. Jack wondered
what it would feel like to run his hands through it.
The
parking lot was long and wide, and Anna had parked near the back. There was a
huge neon cowboy hovering over the restaurant by a sign that said ‘The Big
Texan.’ Another sign announced it was home to the ‘72-Ounce Steak’. Of all the
unlikely things Jack had done with Anna Sturgis so far, this was by far the
most surreal. It seemed like the last place Miss Spinach Salad would choose to
eat. Jack looked toward the horizon in every direction as he walked and realized
she likely didn’t have much choice. There was nothing but open range in every
direction.
They
checked in at the hostess stand set below walls filled from eye level to
ceiling with stuffed heads of dead animals. Erika wouldn’t have set another
foot further in the place no matter how hungry she was. The thought of her made
Jack’s hurt redouble.
The huge
menu nearly covered Anna completely as she read it. Jack thought for sure she’d
order water with lemon and a salad. But she surprised him and ordered a Shock
Top and beef filet.
“I’ll have
the same,” Jack said.
The waiter
carded him and grudgingly accepted the fact that ‘Steve Harper’ was indeed
twenty-two years old that day and of legal age to drink the beer he’d just
ordered.
Anna
maintained her aloof mask. Jack wished he could reel his angry outburst back
in. He hated conflict.
When the
beers came, Anna began to take a sip but stopped. She held her glass up. “A
toast,” she said.
Jack
halted himself from taking the sip he was ready to take. He raised his glass as
well.
“To you,
Jack Wilson. Happy birthday.”
They
clinked their glasses and each took a long draw of the bubbly liquid. It went
down smooth and warmed Jack’s insides.
After they
sucked down half their beer and made the bread into a pile of crumbs, the mood
had lightened considerably. They made small talk about inconsequential things
and got into a raging debate about which franchise was better: Star Trek
or Star Wars. Jack argued on behalf of Star Wars while Anna made
a passionate argument for Star Trek. The truth was, Jack didn’t care. He
was just happy to learn that his driving companion liked either. Most girls
he’d met wouldn’t have known the difference between the two. Heck, even Erika
rolled her eyes if he mentioned Star Wars.
They
stuffed themselves with French fries and steak cooked rare. The waiter cleared
the dishes, and Jack was getting ready to hit the head when a horde of servers
came toward them, singing happy birthday and carrying a piece of chocolate cake
with a lit sparkler coming out of the top. Jack had thus far lived his life
without having to succumb to the embarrassment of a whole restaurant staring at
him while having people sing happy birthday to him off key. The two beers he’d
downed made him chill with it.
The
sparkler reflected in Anna’s twinkling eyes as she sang along with them. She
smiled, and the fire cast a soft glow on her pink skin. Maybe it was the beers
talking, but Jack had the urge to kiss her. It was like for a brief moment, he
was living someone else’s life. If someone was looking at them, they might
think the two were boyfriend and girlfriend out for a special meal to celebrate
his day. Kissing her would look natural. Be natural.
If she was
his girlfriend. If his girlfriend wasn’t a billion miles away.
Jack forced
the thoughts of Erika down and put a smile on. The sparkler died down and the
magic of its fire was gone. Anna was a business companion forced on him by the
situation, and he was no more than that to her. She was making the best of it.
He should too.
He dug
into the gooey cake and shoved the plate toward Anna so she could eat some as
well. She ate a bite. A smile crept across her face as the sugar dissolved in
her mouth.
“If we
keep this up, I’m going to be as big as a house by the time this is over.” She
took another huge bite.
Jack
answered by digging his fork into the chocolate fluff icing. It wasn’t the
eighteenth birthday he’d imagined or how he’d hoped to usher in adulthood. But
he figured he’d always remember it, drinking beer and eating cake with one of
the wealthiest and most beautiful women in the world.
They got
into the car and Anna undid the top button on her jeans. Jack laughed and did
the same.
They found
a cash-only hotel. Jack was both relieved and disappointed when Anna requested
a room with two beds. They wormed their way into sleeping bags so they didn’t
have to take their chances with getting bedbugs. As Jack drifted off to sleep
that night of his eighteenth birthday, he decided that life was better when he
kept himself in the here and now without thoughts about his past or his future.
Without thoughts about Erika and what might have been.
In the
here and now, he had spent a very pleasant evening with a woman that, as it
turned out, was an amiable companion. He was now Steve Harper. Jack Wilson’s
past was full of might-have-beens. His future held the prospect of going up
against Croft’s men to liberate Alecto, who was just as likely to kill him as
help him. With his belly full of good food and drink, and Anna lightly snoring
next to him, Steve Harper contentedly slept away the last few hours of Jack
Wilson’s eighteenth birthday.
###
Roswell. Area 51. The X-Files.
You’ve seen the spindly-legged, bulbous-headed
aliens known as ‘the Greys’ in movies and on television. You may think you know
all about them.
But what if everything you think you know is
wrong?
And what if the Greys are only the beginning?
At the far reaches of the galaxy, the M’Uktah
evolved from a wolf-like creature into an advanced society that has achieved
interstellar travel. They’re sophisticated. Elegant. Technologically savvy.
And hungry.
Erika Holt dodged
death and departed Earth in an alien ship. It wasn’t how she’d planned to spend
her senior year. Is Erika on her way to paradise? Or to a hell worse than the
underground lab she escaped?
The greys rescued Tex
from A.H.D.N.A. and promised him a life he could never have imagined. But what
will he have to give up to become one with The Conexus?
Jack Wilson is still
Commander Sturgis’ prisoner, but a promise of freedom comes from an unlikely
source. Will his liberation cost more than he’s willing to pay?
Caught up in their
personal battles, will any of them realize the threat that looms over us all
before it’s too late?
Wright’s follow-up to
her award-winning sci-fi debut has been called “An enthralling, page-turning
sci-fi adventure. The makings of an epic!” ~ The Wishing Shelf
Author Bio:
Natalie
Wright is the author of the award-winning H.A.L.F.
series and the young adult fantasy trilogy, The Akasha Chronicles. She lives in
the high desert in Tucson, Arizona with her husband, teen daughter and two
cats.
When
not writing, reading or gaming, Natalie enjoys geeking out over Star Wars, cool
science, and other nerdy things. She travels frequently to comic cons and book
festivals throughout the western U.S. where she meets readers and signs books.
Natalie also enjoys international travel and snorkeling in warm waters. She was
born an Ohio farmgirl, lives in the suburban desert, and dreams of living in a
big city highrise.
Natalie’s Social Media Links:
Website/blog:
http://www.NatalieWrightAuthor.com
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/natwrites/
Purchase Links for The Makers:
Kindle Book:
Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1PDruTp
Amazon
U.K.: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01BLRM2HO
Amazon
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01BLRM2HO
(*it’s an Amazon exclusive for the ebook)
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes & Noble (Paperback & Hardcover):
US only, open until the 17th of May
No comments:
Post a Comment
I always love to hear your thoughts.