You Gotta Read This!

I’m extremely pleased to announce the very first release by a very talented author (who also happens to be my very lovely wife) Mrs. Jessica D. Russell!

Introducing Monday’s Child, Tales of New Tortuga, Volume 1, available at Aspen Mountain Press.

If you read one new science fiction short this year, this should be it! The tale is dark and gritty, without ever losing the sense that hope still remains, even for those of us with scars on the inside.

The world is well thought out and the characters, including supporting characters, are gripping (My personal favorite simply bears the name “Cook”.)

It’s not often that I claim to have read something that I just couldn’t put down. this is one of those reads. I suggest printing it out and plopping down on the sofa with your beverage of choice. While it’s not long enough to keep you up late into the night, it’s definitely worth missing an episode of your favorite late night T.V. drama over.

From the publisher:

Ianna James’s band is cursed. Several members have died in freak accidents. Returning to the lowtown area of New Tortuga, Ianna hopes to escape the curse put on her show but now she must reconcile her disastrous past, one she’d hoped to leave behind forever.

Excerpt:

The dark streets of New Tortuga’s lowtown would drive any sane woman behind the safety of locked doors. Too bad I’ve never really considered myself sane. As I pulled out a cigarillo, I growled at the noise level assaulting my sensitive ears. The landing dock hadn’t been this bad.

Down in lowtown the shrieks of incoming cargo skimmers and shuttle offloaders blended in with the hustle and bustle of the blue collar men trying to make a credit or two. The deadly business of smuggling kept its cool, maintaining an appearance of calm, at least on the outside. I knew what was what. It may look busier than it had before, but it was still the same.

I stepped into the shadow of an alley doorway and tucked the brim of my Old Earth cowboy hat over my eyes. With steady hands I lit my cigarillo and inhaled the sweet scent of Alpha 6’s delicious tobacco reserves. They cost a pretty coin, but damn, they were worth it. I inhaled the smoke, letting the burn tickle the back of my throat. We never smoked on ship and I’d craved the cigarillos from the moment I’d touched them at the Traders Emporium.

I hated lowtown’s stink. Greasy, slimy, all the things I left behind. The soft flow of my jacket swirled around my calves, sliding against my boots in soft swishes. What the hell was I doing here anyway? There was nothing beautiful or recognizable about the place I grew up. Everything I’d known died in that fire decades ago. I should just head up to the resort and call it good.

So why was I looking around for a place to stay? Pampering and rejuv sounded like heaven. I was officially insane.

A group of kids ran toward me and I chuckled. When one brushed against me I grabbed his scruff.

“You know,” I chewed on the end of my cigarillo, trying not to bite through the delicious stick, “I could kill you for that.”

The angelic face of innocence smiled at me. Yeah, right. ‘Ol Satan was an angel too, so the old tales say. “Miss, I don’t wanna die, please, what did I do?” Crocodile tears in big brown eyes, you have got to be kidding me.

With a quick twist, I turned him around and pulled my identacard and pass from his back pocket with a smile. In a moment I had a rabid kid in my hands. He came close to squirming out of the hold I had on his collar. I pulled him very close, making sure he could see my eyes.

“I need a guide and they tell me you’re the best.” I had no idea who this kid was.

He stopped struggling instantly, his eyes narrowed to slits. On him it looked ridiculous, but hey, who was I to tell him so.

“Who told you?” His voice sounded a little nervous. Tough kid, I almost liked him.

“One of them.” I jerked my head toward the area the kids had disappeared.

He crossed his little malnourished arms and I wanted to rage. How could the same system that screwed up my life still fail the kids here? Politicians, I never had much use for them. Empty promises no matter what universe you traipsed into.

“What if I am?” He raised his little chin, his brown eyes glowing behind the tight slits of his lids. I wondered if his face would ache later from all the squinting.

“Well, I need a place to stay; room and board, in a place where I can keep to myself without being bothered.” I growled low in my throat and watched the kid’s eyes widen. “By anyone.”

“You want work?” His face took on a sly calculation that I remembered from my own childhood. He wondered how much he could get from the stranger. His lower lip puffed out in self-importance.

“Yeah, lowtown honest.” I hoped the slang still applied to this area of New Tortuga. The Upper crusts called it the heights. Lowtown folk called it the lowest height. It had been lowtown since I was born.

“Steady work?” I could watch the gears turn in his head. He’d find me a place to lay low for a while.

“Yeah, steady.” I let him go, trusting in his greed to get me what I needed. Of course I could be wrong and he was a Death Spinner, or whatever name the gang called themselves nowadays. If that was the case, I’d be dead by morning anyway.

“Follow me.” In a moment he was running through the streets, leading the way to something he’d called Haven’s Cross. I felt the burn on the back of my neck of a media sweep camera. With a grimace I kept the brim of my hat close to my face. It wouldn’t pay to get caught. The last thing I needed was publicity. A woman screamed and the sweep moved toward the commotion. Lowtown had its advantages. Godless law, I never thought I’d be back here.

I know that you’d expect me, as her husband, to tout this book to the world, regardless oof its merits.

You’d be wrong. I’m touting this because even after helping out through 4 rounds of edits, I never grew tired of the story, or the people in it. It’s a genuinely good read, and one I find more than worthy of attention.

Give it a read, i know you’ll enjoy it.  When you’re done, send a little love the author’s way with a quick email to jessica (at) jessicadrussell (dot) com.

Now if only I could finish the project I’ve been working on…

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