I’m being interviewed over at review website Night Owl Reviews today, so please feel free to hop on over and check it out.
Tag Archives: Class 5 series
Dark Minds Release Book Blitz: Day 3
On tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to the Release Celebration for Dark Minds by Michelle Diener
Dark Minds is book three in the Class 5 Series. Michelle is sharing about the Class 5 world today. If you missed Michelle’s release-day message, go read it HERE, if you missed about the rise of the genre, go check that out HERE, and don’t forget to check out the entire series and enter the giveaway below!
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #3)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 331 Pages
July 22nd 2016
The mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . .
Imogen Peters knows she’s a pawn. She’s been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker.
Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he’d be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she’s not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war.
Imogen’s out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she’s good at mind games. She’s been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…
Creating the World of the Class 5 Series
A few days ago, DARK MINDS, the third and final book in my Class 5 series was released. I have had a lot of readers express disappointment that this is the final book. They love the world and they want to keep exploring it.
Nothing is sweeter to me than hearing that the world I’ve created in my head is a place people want to linger. I am working on a new series, though, and hope everyone loves the new one just as much.
When I started the Class 5 series, it wasn’t really with a series in mind. The main character in DARK HORSE, the first book in the series, Rose, came to me so strongly, with such a compelling story, I set aside the historical I was working on and jumped right in to write it. It was only near the end of DARK HORSE that I realized there was still a lot of the story left to tell, and the Class 5 series was born.
I know the fact that Rose and the world she found herself in was so clear in my head and so vivid in my imagination helped me create such a strong world for the series as a whole. I had invented way more in my head than ended up on the page in DARK HORSE, and that gave me scope to include the greater world of the Class 5 series or explore things I only touched on in DARK HORSE in the other two novels.
The part of the universe where my heroines Rose, Fiona and Imogen find themselves is run by a coalition of five races. I only go into detail about the culture of the Grih, the race my human heroines have the most affinity for, but I do lightly touch on aspects of the other four’s cultures. It was fun creating the worlds and customs, the look and feel of the places my heroines are forced to go, and I like to think that while they’re there unwillingly at first, I’ve made the places interesting enough, sometimes even magical, so that they can see good in their new part of the universe, as well as bad.
If you are already a fan of the world of the Class 5 series, I hope you love DARK MINDS, and if you haven’t tried the series yet, I hope you’ll consider giving it a go. If action, adventure, and romance appeal, you won’t be sorry you did.
— Michelle Diener
Other Books in the Series
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #2)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 340 Pages
January 4th 2016
Far from home . . .
Fiona Russell has been snatched from Earth, imprisoned and used as slave labor, but nothing about her abduction makes sense. When she’s rescued by the Grih, she realizes there’s a much bigger game in play than she could ever have imagined, and she’s right in the middle of it.
Far from safe . . .
Battleship captain Hal Vakeri is chasing down pirates when he stumbles across a woman abducted from Earth. She’s the second one the Grih have found in two months, and her presence is potentially explosive in the Grih’s ongoing negotiations with their enemies, the Tecran. The Tecran and the Grih are on the cusp of war, and Fiona might just tip the balance.
Far from done . . .
Fiona has had to bide her time while she’s been a prisoner, pretending to be less than she is, but when the chance comes for her to forge her own destiny in this new world she grabs it with both hands. After all, actions speak louder than words.
Dark Horse
(Class 5 #1)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 381 Pages
June 15th 2015
Some secrets carry the weight of the world.
Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she’s made a powerful ally–a fellow prisoner with whom she’s formed a strong bond. Sazo’s an artificial intelligence. He’s saved her from captivity and torture, but he’s also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.
Captain Dav Jallan doesn’t know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he’s not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.
She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5’s owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn’t the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.
In this race for the truth, he’s going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.
Copyright Veronika Kahrmadji
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings. or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.
Goodreads │ Facebook │ Twitter
Release Celebration Giveaway
$25 Amazon eGift Card
Four ebook sets of Dark Horse, Dark Deeds, and Dark Minds
Open internationally
Ends July 31st
Dark Minds Release Book Blitz: Day 2
On tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to the Release Celebration for Dark Minds by Michelle Diener
Dark Minds is book three in the Class 5 Series. Today Michelle is sharing about the rise of the genre. If you missed Michelle’s release-day message, go read it HERE, and come back on Tuesday, July 26th, HERE to read about the Class 5 world. Feel free to enter the fabulous Amazon/book giveaway as well. So check those all out below!
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #3)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 331 Pages
July 22nd 2016
The mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . .
Imogen Peters knows she’s a pawn. She’s been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker.
Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he’d be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she’s not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war.
Imogen’s out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she’s good at mind games. She’s been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…
The Rise of Science Fiction Romance and Space Opera
It started in 1977. 🙂
I was too young to watch the first Star Wars movie, but classic space opera is epitomized by the Star Wars franchise. It became a cultural phenomenon because it was fresh, it was exciting, and it explored other galaxies and worlds.
Nearly forty years later, I don’t think the interest in any of these things has waned. We’ve had another six Star Wars movies since then, each as commercially successful as the last, and we’ve had a plethora of other space operas, from Star Trek, to Battlestar Galactica, Guardians of the Galaxy and the darker Serenity. We can’t get enough of them.
Space opera is about exploring new worlds and finding adventure, love, and action. It is just such fun. Even when exploring serious topics or when it incorporates bittersweet threads, there is a wonder and excitement to the genre that I absolutely adore.
Amazing strides in space exploration, like Juno’s successful trip to Jupiter, only fuel the fire of our imaginations and our wonder at the amazing universe we live in. Who wouldn’t want to explore what’s out there from the safe and comfortable seat of our armchair?
And the great news is that more and more readers are finding space opera and science fiction romance novels that give them the same thrill ride as the movies.
Just over a year ago, when I released my space opera novel, DARK HORSE, I didn’t really know what to expect. My previous books had been historicals and fantasy novels, but as a hard-core science fiction fan, and a massive fan of the space opera movies mentioned above, I had worked for eight months on DARK HORSE, even though I knew the sensible thing was to stick to the genres I was already established in.
Taking that risk paid off for me. Because people, as I’ve said above, love space opera, and science fiction romance. DARK HORSE became my most successful book, and has won me awards and bestseller status. It is the first book in my Class 5 series, and I’ve since published a second book, DARK DEEDS, which has done just as well. On July 22nd, the third and final book in the series, DARK MINDS, was released, and I hope readers love it just as much as they did the first two. I certainly loved writing it.
— Michelle Diener
Other Books in the Series
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #2)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 340 Pages
January 4th 2016
Far from home . . .
Fiona Russell has been snatched from Earth, imprisoned and used as slave labor, but nothing about her abduction makes sense. When she’s rescued by the Grih, she realizes there’s a much bigger game in play than she could ever have imagined, and she’s right in the middle of it.
Far from safe . . .
Battleship captain Hal Vakeri is chasing down pirates when he stumbles across a woman abducted from Earth. She’s the second one the Grih have found in two months, and her presence is potentially explosive in the Grih’s ongoing negotiations with their enemies, the Tecran. The Tecran and the Grih are on the cusp of war, and Fiona might just tip the balance.
Far from done . . .
Fiona has had to bide her time while she’s been a prisoner, pretending to be less than she is, but when the chance comes for her to forge her own destiny in this new world she grabs it with both hands. After all, actions speak louder than words.
Dark Horse
(Class 5 #1)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 381 Pages
June 15th 2015
Some secrets carry the weight of the world.
Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she’s made a powerful ally–a fellow prisoner with whom she’s formed a strong bond. Sazo’s an artificial intelligence. He’s saved her from captivity and torture, but he’s also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.
Captain Dav Jallan doesn’t know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he’s not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.
She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5’s owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn’t the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.
In this race for the truth, he’s going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.
Copyright Veronika Kahrmadji
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings. or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.
Goodreads │ Facebook │ Twitter
Release Celebration Giveaway
$25 Amazon eGift Card
Four ebook sets of Dark Horse, Dark Deeds, and Dark Minds
Open internationally
Ends July 31st
Dark Minds Release Book Blitz (with giveaway!) Day 1
On tour with Prism Book Tours
Welcome to the Release Celebration for Dark Minds by Michelle Diener
Dark Minds is book three in the Class 5 Series. Michelle has a message below and you can come back on Sunday, July 24th, HERE to learn more about the rise of the genre and on Tuesday, July 26th, HERE to read about the Class 5 world. Feel free to enter the fabulous Amazon/book giveaway as well. Enjoy!
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #3)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 331 Pages
July 22nd 2016
The mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . .
Imogen Peters knows she’s a pawn. She’s been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker.
Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he’d be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she’s not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war.
Imogen’s out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she’s good at mind games. She’s been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…
The Difference Between Science Fiction and Space Opera
Most readers don’t really care what labels publishers or book sellers give to the books they enjoy, they are just interested in the books. But sometimes, those labels, or categories, interfere with finding just what a reader might be looking for.
I think mainstream science fiction and its sub-genres, science fiction romance and space opera, fall into that category.
Quite often, when someone finds out I write science fiction, they look slightly deer-in-the-headlights, and apologetically tell me they don’t like that kind of book, and they’ll look for my historicals instead. I don’t mind that (really! There are some genres I don’t love that much, too :)) but if I ask them if they enjoy movies like Star Wars, Star Trek, Serenity, or Guardians of the Galaxy, and they say they love them, then I tell them it’s safe to give my books a go, because those movies are space operas, and that’s what I write.
The difference between mainstream science fiction and the space opera and science fiction romance sub-genres is in the science.
Science fiction is supposed to be science-based, and that puts a lot of people off. Even if they are interested in science, some science fiction novels, especially what’s called hard science fiction, has the reputation of being about too much detail. How big is the gun, what cool science has gone into the space ship, and so on. Science is almost a main character in the story, with a side-kick of technology and cool toys. If that’s not your idea of a relaxing read, you’ll probably avoid it.
The sub-genres of science fiction–space opera and science fiction romance—are about the characters and about the plot, with the science a minor thread. To understand what space opera is, just think of Star Wars and you’ll know immediately, because Star Wars is a definitive example of the sub-genre. The world and its rules aren’t explained, and there is no expectation that it will hold up to any kind of scientific scrutiny. Sometimes, though, the ideas that appear in space opera can in fact be prescient, like Edgar Rice Burroughs’ space elevator, for example.
When I write my science fiction romance / space operas, I like to get at least the basic science right. The way gravity works, for example. 🙂 And I do actively try to use known scientific concepts. I’ve watched How to Build a Planet and Brian Cox with the best of them, and my work is more accurate for it. I’m not a scientist, and I don’t pretend to be one, and biology is more my field of interest than physics, but that said, some of the classic hard science fiction novels have subsequently had their science proven wrong, and new and wonderful things are being discovered in space all the time, so I’m actually not that worried about what I make up. Readers of space opera are looking for a fun, action-packed read, not an explanation about how the technology behind faster-than-light travel works. Which suits me fine!
If you listen to astrophysicists, a lot of what they say seems so outlandish, I don’t think what I make up is really that much more outrageous :). Space opera is about the story, about the characters, and about the excitement and adventure. If you like those things, and haven’t given space opera or science fiction romance a try, you are really in for a treat. Aside from my Class 5 series, there are hundreds of amazing books out there for you to find.
A group of science fiction romance / space opera authors got together, and we created the Portals Project, a set of volumes containing the first chapters of ten science fiction romance books per volume. They’re a great way to find science fiction romance novels, and they’re free. The first chapter of my SFR novel DARK HORSE, the first book in my Class 5 series, is in Portals: Volume 3, and you can download it for free at most major online book sellers.
We’re celebrating today because the third and final book in my Class 5 series, DARK MINDS, was released today, and I had as much fun writing it as I did the other two. It has all the classic elements of space opera: romance, action, and intrigue.
With space opera, the only limit is your imagination. If you haven’t given it a go, you’re depriving yourself ;).
— Michelle Diener
Other Books in the Series
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #2)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 340 Pages
January 4th 2016
Far from home . . .
Fiona Russell has been snatched from Earth, imprisoned and used as slave labor, but nothing about her abduction makes sense. When she’s rescued by the Grih, she realizes there’s a much bigger game in play than she could ever have imagined, and she’s right in the middle of it.
Far from safe . . .
Battleship captain Hal Vakeri is chasing down pirates when he stumbles across a woman abducted from Earth. She’s the second one the Grih have found in two months, and her presence is potentially explosive in the Grih’s ongoing negotiations with their enemies, the Tecran. The Tecran and the Grih are on the cusp of war, and Fiona might just tip the balance.
Far from done . . .
Fiona has had to bide her time while she’s been a prisoner, pretending to be less than she is, but when the chance comes for her to forge her own destiny in this new world she grabs it with both hands. After all, actions speak louder than words.
Dark Horse
(Class 5 #1)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
ebook, 381 Pages
June 15th 2015
Some secrets carry the weight of the world.
Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she’s made a powerful ally–a fellow prisoner with whom she’s formed a strong bond. Sazo’s an artificial intelligence. He’s saved her from captivity and torture, but he’s also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.
Captain Dav Jallan doesn’t know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he’s not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.
She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5’s owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn’t the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.
In this race for the truth, he’s going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.
Copyright Veronika Kahrmadji
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings. or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.
Goodreads │ Facebook │ Twitter
Release Celebration Giveaway
$25 Amazon eGift Card
Four ebook sets of Dark Horse, Dark Deeds, and Dark Minds
Open internationally
Ends July 31st
Dark Minds: Cover Reveal and Release Date Info
I’m very happy to let those readers waiting for the third and final book in the Class 5 series know that Dark Minds will be released on July 22nd. Below, please find the awesome cover, designed once again by EJR Digital Art, and the blurb for Dark Minds.
About Dark Minds:
The mind is the most powerful weapon of all . . .
Imogen Peters knows she’s a pawn. She’s been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it with both hands, not realizing that doing so will turn her from pawn to kingmaker.
Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission, he just thought he’d be meeting her on Larga Ways, under the protection of his Battle Center colleague. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she’s not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated, and the nations of the United Council just took a step closer to war.
Imogen’s out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her, and she begins to understand her actions will have a massive impact on all the players. But she’s good at mind games. She’s been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…
Dark Horse on Sale Until 24th Feb
Aussies, this one is for you! – Dark Horse 99c today only
Dark Deeds: Excerpt and Final Days of Giveaway
On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Welcome to the Release Celebration for
Dark Deeds
By Michelle Diener
Dark Deeds is book two in the Class 5 Series. If you missed Michelle’s release-day message, go read it HERE, if you missed learning more about the characters from the series, go HERE,†and don’t forget to grab your copy of Dark Horse, book one, while it’s on SALE for 99c! There’s a fabulous Amazon eGift Card giveaway as well. Enjoy the exclusive excerpt below…
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #2)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
Paperback & ebook, 340 Pages
June 4th 2016
Far from home . . .
Fiona Russell has been snatched from Earth, imprisoned and used as slave labor, but nothing about her abduction makes sense. When she’s rescued by the Grih, she realizes there’s a much bigger game in play than she could ever have imagined, and she’s right in the middle of it.
Far from safe . . .
Battleship captain Hal Vakeri is chasing down pirates when he stumbles across a woman abducted from Earth. She’s the second one the Grih have found in two months, and her presence is potentially explosive in the Grih’s ongoing negotiations with their enemies, the Tecran. The Tecran and the Grih are on the cusp of war, and Fiona might just tip the balance.
Far from done . . .
Fiona has had to bide her time while she’s been a prisoner, pretending to be less than she is, but when the chance comes for her to forge her own destiny in this new world she grabs it with both hands. After all, actions speak louder than words.
Exclusive Excerpt from Dark Deeds
I am so thrilled that Dark Deeds, book 2 in the Class 5 series, is out, and to share some of the love, I have part of the first chapter as an excerpt for you today! Dark Deeds is the sequel to Dark Horse, which is on sale for 99c at the moment, until January 9th, when it goes back to its usual price of $4.99.
Michelle Diener
Chapter One
Stacking heavy boxes in the launch bay, Fiona heard a ship come through the gel wall. Hard.
There was a harsh grinding of metal on metal.
The smell of burning, the hot scent of friction, blew over her a moment before the smoke. Black and choking, it engulfed her before being sucked out through the air filters.
She crouched down behind the crates, grateful for the first time for the hood Captain Tak had forced her to wear for the last four weeks. It fitted tightly over her head, with strange, protruding ears, like a child’s whimsical winter hat, and the bottom half covered her mouth, ending just below her nose. It helped filter out the noxious fumes.
The loud grating sound ended with a shrieking crash that cut off abruptly, and in the sudden silence she heard a loud clang. She guessed the ship’s ramp had just hit the launch bay floor.
She’d never been allowed in the bay when one of the smaller merchant vessels entered to do business with the Garmman trading ship she was on. Hury always came and dragged her back to her cell long before they arrived, only letting her out when they were gone.
So, this wasn’t a scheduled arrival. And she didn’t think every landing was quite so hard, or the launch bay would look a little worse for wear.
She peered around the high stack of containers and froze.
The ship that had come through was badly damaged, but she hardly noticed that.
It was the occupants who had her unwavering attention.
They came cautiously down the ramp, shockguns raised. They were slender, almost willowy, with hair that grew long and thick. Some had grown it to their shoulders or lower, others had cut it level with their ears. The pearl white of it contrasted with the delicate peach of their skin.
They moved like a slick, well-trained team, and there was something predatory about them. They were in a sort of uniform, not identical, but close enough. Dark pants and shirt, boots that ended well above their ankles. The contrast of the dark color with their pastel skin and hair made them all the more astonishing.
The launch bay door opened to her left and she turned to see Hecta and Nark stop dead in the doorway, mouths open at the smoldering ship, the damage to the bay.
Without any sign of hesitation, two of the peach people lifted their shockguns and fired.
Hecta and Nark went down, and two other interlopers ran over to them, pushed them clear of the doors and hit the button to close them again.
One signaled to another of the group, and he ran over, took out a tiny silver rectangle and pressed it to the keypad next to the door. She heard the locks engage, locking the Garmman crew on the other side of the launch bay.
Well.
Fiona bent her head for a moment, sucking in a breath through the thick fabric of her hood.
They could kill her.
But she was going to die here anyway.
It would be drawn out for a little longer, as some of the crew got up their courage to follow Captain Tak’s unspoken request, but they would beat her to death sooner or later.
She rubbed her hip where Hury had kicked her yesterday, and knew it was true.
These people might kill her right now, but it was well worth the risk.
She started to rise, and felt the hard plastic-like ears built into her hood wobble. She crouched back down.
Captain Tak wanted her to wear the hood to hide what she was, and also to make her look like something she wasn’t. It had become really important to him that she not be seen without it.
And anything that Tak wanted, she was determined to do the opposite.
She wasn’t sure who the aliens in front of her were, but for all she knew, people who wore hoods like hers were their worst enemy. Whereas they couldn’t have any negative history with a human.
She got a good grip and pulled the hood off her head, and just to make sure, slid it between two of the containers, completely out of sight.
The lingering smoke caught immediately at her throat, and as she stood and took a step out from behind the stack, she couldn’t help coughing a little.
Ten shockguns turned in her direction, and her heart gave a jump as they bared their teeth.
They had incisors, their lips pulling back over their gums to expose them fully.
It brought baboons from nature documentaries to mind.
She slowly raised her hands to show she was unarmed. Then held her breath as they watched her, and she watched them right back.
The pupils of their eyes were red, and she pushed down her rising panic at their very interested gaze.
She may have made a mistake.
One of them cocked his head to the side, and gestured for her to come closer.
Before she’d seen the teeth, the eyes, she’d been willing enough to take the chance. Now she had to force herself to step slowly out of the shadows and into the harsh light of the landing area.
“Grih?” The one who’d motioned her forward asked.
She nodded, relieved. “I do speak Grih. And Garmman. And a little Bukari.” Fitali was too strange for her, she hadn’t come close to working it out yet, and Tecran made her uneasy, made her heart beat faster and her hands shake. She had skipped over all the Tecran language lessons.
“I mean, are you Grihan?” He spoke Garmman, his voice sibilant, his sharp incisors peeking out as he spoke.
She frowned. He thought she looked Grihan?
One of the team circled behind her, and she turned her head to keep him in sight.
She flinched when he suddenly moved right in front of her.
“Too short. And the ears.” The finger he reached out had too many joints and he touched the tip of her ear, shockgun resting directly against her chest as he did it.
She shuddered, forcing herself to keep still.
They weren’t that much taller than she was, although close up she saw that while their limbs were slender, every muscle was defined.
“Pity. We have a Grihan battleship chasing us and it would have been good to use you as a hostage.” The leader stared at her, and she saw there was a sly and calculating look in his eye. “What are you, then?”
“I’m a prisoner.” She took a breath when the gun lifted slightly off her chest. “I wanted to ask if you’d take me with you? Help me escape?”
The leader barked out a laugh. “No.” He looked back at his still-smoking ship. “How can we get out of here?”
Suddenly, the shockgun was back on her chest, and she could hear the whine as it got to full strength.
If a Grihan battleship was chasing them, then the Grih would come here to look for them, surely? That meant another group to appeal to for help.
All wasn’t lost.
Dark Horse
(Class 5 #1)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
Paperback & ebook, 381 Pages
June 15th 2015
Some secrets carry the weight of the world.
Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she’s made a powerful ally–a fellow prisoner with whom she’s formed a strong bond. Sazo’s an artificial intelligence. He’s saved her from captivity and torture, but he’s also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.
Captain Dav Jallan doesn’t know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he’s not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.
She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5’s owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn’t the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.
In this race for the truth, he’s going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.
Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at†Magical Musings. or online at Twitter,atGoogle+†and Facebook.
Release Celebration Giveaway
$50 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally
Ends January 10th
Dark Deeds: The release celebration continues
On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Welcome to the Release Celebration for
Dark Deeds
By Michelle Diener
Dark Deeds is book two in the Class 5 Series. If you missed Michelle’s release-day message, go read it HERE and don’t forget to grab your copy of Dark Horse, book one, while it’s on SALE for 99¢! Come back on Friday, January 8th, HERE to read an excerpt. There’s a fabulous Amazon eGift Card giveaway as well. Enjoy!
Inspiring Characters
A while ago, I was interviewed on whether I was more character focused or plot focused in my novels, and I said fifty-fifty, because while my books do tend to have big plots, the characters are always my inspiration for my stories.
In Dark Horse, which is the first book in my Class 5 series, Rose McKenzie, the heroine, jumped into my imagination and started the whole ball rolling. I couldn’t get her or her adventures out of my head.
I think the idea of alien abduction fascinates us because we would be thrown into a completely new paradigm. While that would obviously not be easy, it also holds the promise of exploring an unknown world, and as humans, curiosity and a thirst for knowledge is what makes us tick, and the idea of every day being a new adventure is seductive.
Both Rose and Fiona, the heroine of the second book in the Class 5 series, which has just been released, are curious, intelligent and resilient, and those characteristics serve them well in the imaginary trouble I land them in. It wouldn’t have worked if the characters had come to me a little whiny or too rigid in their ideas of the world.
However ambitious my plot, the characters have to be realistic and their reactions and emotions honest.
Sometimes that’s a challenge, but one that I love.
To celebrate the release of Fiona’s story, Dark Deeds, on January 4th, Dark Horse is on sale for 99c until January 9th, so you can get to know Rose McKenzie at a bargain price 🙂
— Michelle Diener
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #2)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
Paperback & ebook, 340 Pages
June 4th 2016
Far from home . . .
Fiona Russell has been snatched from Earth, imprisoned and used as slave labor, but nothing about her abduction makes sense. When she’s rescued by the Grih, she realizes there’s a much bigger game in play than she could ever have imagined, and she’s right in the middle of it.
Far from safe . . .
Battleship captain Hal Vakeri is chasing down pirates when he stumbles across a woman abducted from Earth. She’s the second one the Grih have found in two months, and her presence is potentially explosive in the Grih’s ongoing negotiations with their enemies, the Tecran. The Tecran and the Grih are on the cusp of war, and Fiona might just tip the balance.
Far from done . . .
Fiona has had to bide her time while she’s been a prisoner, pretending to be less than she is, but when the chance comes for her to forge her own destiny in this new world she grabs it with both hands. After all, actions speak louder than words.
Dark Horse
(Class 5 #1)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
Paperback & ebook, 381 Pages
June 15th 2015
Some secrets carry the weight of the world.
Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she’s made a powerful ally–a fellow prisoner with whom she’s formed a strong bond. Sazo’s an artificial intelligence. He’s saved her from captivity and torture, but he’s also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.
Captain Dav Jallan doesn’t know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he’s not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.
She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5’s owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn’t the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.
In this race for the truth, he’s going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.
Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings. or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.
Release Celebration Giveaway
$50 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally
Ends January 10th
Release day for Dark Deeds!
On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Welcome to the Release Celebration for
Dark Deeds
By Michelle Diener
Dark Deeds is book two in the Class 5 Series. Michelle has a message below and you can come back on Wednesday, January 6th, HERE to learn more about the characters and on Friday, January 8th, HERE to read an excerpt. There’s a fabulous Amazon eGift Card giveaway as well. Enjoy!
Journey in a New Direction
In June 2015, I released my first science fiction romance novel, Dark Horse. The story had gripped me for nearly a year and I spent well over eight months working on it. And yet, I really didn’t know if it would be a success or not. I’m published in historical fiction and fantasy, and while it wasn’t a big leap for my fantasy fans, my historical fans were surely unlikely to be interested in Dark Horse, and yet, I couldn’t let the story go.
As it happens, Dark Horse found its own fan base. One I’ve delighted in interacting with. It has been my most successful book to date, and I get emails daily from readers wanting to know when the next book in the series will be out.
I’m thrilled to be able to say that day is today! Dark Deeds, book two in the Class 5 series. has been released.
To celebrate, I’ve priced Dark Horse for 99c (down from $4.99) for a week, from 3 January to 9 January, so those who haven’t heard about it yet can quickly jump in and get the first book for a bargain before they move on to Dark Deeds.
I’ve had some wonderful reviews for Dark Horse since it was released. The All About Romance reviewer called it “one of my top reads of 2015”, and Smart Girls Love Science Fiction Romance called it “awesome new Sci Fi from a very talented writer”.
I’m proud of Dark Horse and so happy to have the sequel finished and ready to share with everyone who loved Dark Horse.
— Michelle Diener
Dark Deeds
(Class 5 #2)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
Paperback & ebook, 340 Pages
June 4th 2016
Far from home . . .
Fiona Russell has been snatched from Earth, imprisoned and used as slave labor, but nothing about her abduction makes sense. When she’s rescued by the Grih, she realizes there’s a much bigger game in play than she could ever have imagined, and she’s right in the middle of it.
Far from safe . . .
Battleship captain Hal Vakeri is chasing down pirates when he stumbles across a woman abducted from Earth. She’s the second one the Grih have found in two months, and her presence is potentially explosive in the Grih’s ongoing negotiations with their enemies, the Tecran. The Tecran and the Grih are on the cusp of war, and Fiona might just tip the balance.
Far from done . . .
Fiona has had to bide her time while she’s been a prisoner, pretending to be less than she is, but when the chance comes for her to forge her own destiny in this new world she grabs it with both hands. After all, actions speak louder than words.
Dark Horse
(Class 5 #1)
by Michelle Diener
Adult Sci-Fi
Paperback & ebook, 381 Pages
June 15th 2015
Some secrets carry the weight of the world.
Rose McKenzie may be far from Earth with no way back, but she’s made a powerful ally–a fellow prisoner with whom she’s formed a strong bond. Sazo’s an artificial intelligence. He’s saved her from captivity and torture, but he’s also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.
Captain Dav Jallan doesn’t know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he’s not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.
She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5’s owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn’t the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.
In this race for the truth, he’s going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.
Michelle Diener writes historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa and currently lives in Australia with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing, or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her blogging at Magical Musings. or online at Twitter, at Google+ and Facebook.
Release Celebration Giveaway
$50 Amazon eGift Card
Open internationally
Ends January 10th