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Drew Avera joined the Navy at seventeen and has deployed four times in the last eighteen years. He is an Aviation Electricians Mate and has worked on F/A-18s for most of his career. His knowledge in naval aviation has found its way into several of his books.
He began his writing journey in 2012 and wrote his first book on his iPhone as he competed in National Novel Writing Month. That book was later published and was the first of many works by Drew.
Drew is also a musician and producer. He is currently writing and recording an album with his metal band, Obsolium. The first album, Empire of Dust, is a concept record about an alien invasion and potential destruction of mankind.
Thrust into a life or death situation, the next decision Tawny makes could cost her everything.
Darkened Skies: Chancerian 3
part of the Science Fiction/Space Opera anthology
The Expanding Universe Vol 4
Edited by Craig Martelle Exclusively on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited
Drew Avera Social Media
Drew Avera has been a lot of things in life; a band geek, a comic book nerd, a pseudo rock star, an amateur artist, a Navy veteran, husband, and father. But beyond being a family man, his favorite is his role as the bestselling author of the space opera series, The Alorian Wars.
Getting his start with National Novel Writing Month 2012, the writing bug consumed him. Since publishing in 2013, Drew has written more than twenty books. His most notable works include The Dead Planet Series and The Alorian Wars. But there is plenty more on the way as he delves into new universes, always trying to find what ticks in his characters to bring them to life. Check out the worlds he's created by visiting his website.
Website www.drewavera.com
This week begins the cover reveal tour of the galaxy of blogs for my new book, Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire. Fire is science fiction with romantic elements. It has no profanity or explicit content, but it does have violence.
In my books, Pietas is an immortal king who must fight to regain his throne. He’s in nearly every book I’ve written. As king of the immortals peopling my stories, his influence is galaxy wide.
I began writing the Bringer of Chaos series to understand him better. As I’ve written and explored his psyche, I’ve learned far more than I anticipated.
How do you tour a galaxy?
It’s easy! You visit as many blogs as possible out there in the blogoverse. This Friday, Nov 10, I started a 20 day tour with Crystal Reviews to show off the cover for this new book. Although the book isn’t releasing until Dec 29th, it is available for preorder.
Exclusive Giveaway
Download Endure, a 39 page full color illustrated book of quotes by Pietas. The cover is on the right. During the tour, you don’t have to do anything or sign up for anything to get this book. Just visit during the tour. After the tour, that will change, so grab it now by visiting any of the sites on the tour.
Where is the tour?
You’ll be able to find Pietas every day by going to the tour home page. If you’d like to host the immortal king, you can sign up for that here. The tour host who gets the most comments during the tour will win a $25 Gift certificate (winner’s choice: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Starbucks).
According to Wikipedia, the phrase Mayday Mayday Mayday is used to signal a life-threatening emergency primarily by aviators and mariners. In some countries local organizations such as firefighters, police forces, and transportation organizations also use the term. The call is always given three times in a row ("Mayday Mayday Mayday") to prevent its being mistaken for some similar-sounding phrase under noisy conditions, and to distinguish an actual Mayday call from a message about a Mayday call. I thought Mayday was a fitting release date for a book about Pietas, known throughout the galaxy as the Bringer of Chaos.
Read the introduction, a foreward by the hero of the book, below.
You are unworthy, human.
A foreword from Pietas
This book you hold is being presented as fiction, but it did happen. It is as real as the air you breathe. While this is not a first-person story, it follows my point of view.
I would never have allowed a human to know these things, but a friend persuaded me there can be no vengeance unless those in the wrong know what they did. When one has wronged another, one must face the consequences.
Having been persuaded to tell the story, I now allow it to be placed into your hands. I want you to know the truth. Why? Because other Ultras have hidden the truth. Buried it beneath fables and false retellings, as if you were a child unable to bear harsh reality. Unwilling to face the consequences of what your kind has done.
Above all, because I will not lie to you.
When I come for you, I want the satisfaction of seeing your regret for what your ancestors did to my kind. I want to see your fear, and taste your terror.
This is no horror story. It's merely science fiction. Tell yourself it is only fable, if that will help you sleep. By all means, human, do sleep.
Pietas ap Lorectic has no great fondness for any human, but he believes in tolerance. For that reason, he’s warning every human what to expect. Why? Because Chaos is coming. This is his origin story. He says if you dare to know the truth, you’ll read the book.
30 Days of Chaos: Day 1
To celebrate the launch of Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas I’m sharing 30 Days of Chaos. Each day during April, I’ll post one excerpt from the book, along with a poster of a quote by Pietas. On the final day, members of my Romance Lives Forever Reader Group will receive a full color book containing all the quotes and posters. Unlike my website, the book posters will have only a quote and a beautiful image. Look for a giveaway at the end of this post.
You are unworthy, human.
A foreword from Pietas
This book you hold is being presented as fiction, but it did happen. It is as real as the air you breathe. While this is not a first-person story, it follows my point of view.
I would never have allowed a human to know these things, but a friend persuaded me there can be no vengeance unless those in the wrong know what they did. When one has wronged another, one must face the consequences.
Having been persuaded to tell the story, I now allow it to be placed into your hands. I want you to know the truth. Why? Because other Ultras have hidden the truth. Buried it beneath fables and false retellings, as if you were a child unable to bear harsh reality. Unwilling to face the consequences of what your kind has done.
Above all, because I will not lie to you.
When I come for you, I want the satisfaction of seeing your regret for what your ancestors did to my kind. I want to see your fear, and taste your terror.
This is no horror story. It’s merely science fiction. Tell yourself it is only fable, if that will help you sleep. By all means, human, do sleep. Read this, if you dare to know the truth.
~ Pietas
Prologue
In the twenty-seventh century on Earth, genslaves were supreme among all humanity’s genetic creations. They fulfilled man’s every desire. They recuperated from disease and injury so fast they were all but immortal. Their strength far exceeded man’s. Specific, ingrained abilities limited upward and lateral movement among the servant classes, keeping genslaves in jobs with no chance of advancement.
Bred to require little rest, labor-genslaves performed menial and repetitive tasks, with enough intelligence to work, but not enough to aspire beyond their station. Warriors possessed unmeasured strength and massive size. They fought humanity’s wars, died so man didn’t have to suffer, and were reborn to fight again. The physically weaker classes had more intelligence. Healer-genslaves obtained vast amounts of skill in medicine and designed cures for disease. Artists created beauty. Nurturers and teachers cared for humanity’s children. Scientist-genslaves designed additional genslaves, to make man’s life even more pleasant. All classes were created with genetic shackles of obedience, making them content to remain subservient.
While humanity relaxed, secure in a position of power, genslave-scientists created a new order of beings with free will. It will be argued through the ages whether the creation arose from faulty programming, or a desire for freedom, but the new creatures were not hampered by genetic restraints.
They took the name Ultra, and did as they pleased. Ultras were brains and brawn. No matter how difficult the problem, Ultras solved it. No matter how horrific or grisly their wounds, Ultras survived. Disease did not touch them. Starvation did not stop them. Even death did not hold them long.
The creation of Ultras changed everything.
When Ultras demanded freedom, humans claimed them soulless, inferior, unworthy, and undeserving of equality. Humans tried to silence them, and when that failed, punished them. The Ultras seized their liberty by force. Emboldened by the Ultras’ success, other genslaves rebelled, and began calling themselves Ultras as well. The First Cycle of Wars devastated half the galaxy. In the Terran Crescent and the Colonies of Man, power tilted toward Ultras. They ruled the starways. Ultras tightened restrictions and limited trade, allowing mankind meager freedoms, and no more mercy than man had shown them. Humans served, subservient to their former slaves.
Not all genslaves wanted war. Some concealed their genetic differences and abilities, and lived among humans–as human. The rumor that genslaves hid among them spawned the Human Pure movement. Purges wiped out non-human traits and enhanced sensory perceptions. Humanity weakened itself by outlawing genetic healing or correction. They identified anything and anyone considered unnatural. Anyone different hid it or faced death by fire, from which Ultras could not revive. For the human underground, the weapon of choice became a flamethrower.
Meanwhile, among Ultras, leadership arose that considered humans redeemable. These leaders sought to allow humans more freedom, and give them a voice in their own government. They hoped a kinder relationship would bring an end to galaxy-wide conflict. They hoped peace would halt senseless death and destruction, foster growth, and increase trade. In 4536 AD, after centuries of war, Ultras and humans met to discuss a truce.
But that is according to legend. Here, you will discover the truth.
—
Bringer of Chaos: the Origin of Pietas
Immortal. Warrior. Outcasts. Traitors took everything. Except their honor.
Preorder on Amazon http://amzn.to/1R8DAbb (Out May 1, 2016)
Read now in print on CreateSpace http://bit.ly/boc-origin-csp
I named the Nizamrak Building after my friend and mentor, the late author Barbara Karmazin. Nizamrak is Karmazin backward. BK, as she was affectionately known, loved the idea of having a site named after her. When my son Jamin created a print of the building, she was delighted. Should you visit the Tarthian Empire be sure to stop in and say hello to the employees at Lucsondis Enterprises. I’m sure they’d be glad to see you. Here’s the full address.
Lucsondis Enterprises Corporate Headquarters
Nizamrak Building, Suite 19800
100225 Destine Pietan Plaza
Tarth City, Di Lusso DistrictTarth, Tarthian Empire
Non-Lucsondis-owned businesses, medical facilities, storage, employee housing, daycare, etc. – Suite 900-4000
For Women Only – Suite 4100 – 5000
Lucsondis Entertainment – Suite 5100 – 6000
idBot – Suite 6100 – 7000
CyberEgo – Suite 7100 – 8000
Lucsondis Enterprises – Suite 19100 – 19900
Unoccupied (on purpose) – Suite 20000
Penthouse “The Loft” – Suite 20100 – 20300
Tradestandard labor laws require workers to live in the place where they work. Exceptions are available (for example, married couples who work in different locations).
In the image below, the Nizamrak Building is on the left side.
Nizamrak Building and Tarth City
The two-hundredth floor (Suite 20000) is vacant by design to provide privacy and security for the Loft. The Loft (Luc Saint-Cyr’s penthouse) supports a full parking deck for his fleet of cars, and an entertainment facility. The penthouse occupies the top three floors. Private living and sleeping quarters take up most of the top floor, and provide space for the rooftop pool. The rooftop also has weather and privacy shielding.
Because of its design and height, the Nizamrak Building is equipped with anti-terrorism devices and the highest security idBot can provide. Repulsor technology prevents aircraft from approaching, eliminating the need for traditional blinking lights required on tall buildings. Failsafes turn on the lights in case of power failures or emergencies.
Discrete express elevators run to the penthouse, including one solely for vehicles and delivery. A separate, stacked elevator system transports passengers rapidly to various sections of the building. An industrial elevator system handles delivery. Private parking for those qualified is housed underground. The Tube (the Tarth City tube train) makes scheduled stops. The Nizamrak Building is one of the few tall buildings into which the tube is not permitted to run. All transportation (except Luc Saint-Cyr’s private fleet) is underground. This gives the black-glass fronted building a sleek appearance. It is wider at the base than at the top.
“At the Mercy of Her Pleasure is a story filled with vice and a political empire whose leader, the Conqueror, has no scruples about its application for her own benefit. Add to the mix slavery, kidnapping, blackmail, behaviour enhancing/suppressing drugs and NarrAy Jorlan, one very tempting, genetically engineered human female soldier, and the Antonello brothers, Senth and Khyff, have a lot to contend with to save each other from a life of slavery and submission. …the enigma of Luc Saint-Cyr (the Harbinger) was fascinating. I hope we’ll get to read more about him in this series.” Reviewer: Meredith Gurr, Merry’s Reviews https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1369914461
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure
This review is for the current edition of At the Mercy of Her Pleasure. Here are a few reviews from previous editions.
Review 4.5 Ribbons
Apr 2010
With a dazzling cast of characters and an action packed plot, Kayelle Allen introduces us to her extraordinary Empire of Tarth and the alluring Antonello Brothers, where everything is possible and the only boundaries are only those created by her illimitable imagination.
http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/paranormal/KAAt_the_Mercy_of_Her_Pleasure.shtml
Romantic Times Book Reviews
Review 3 Stars
May 2004
Passion is the name of the game in this story. … At the Mercy of Her Pleasure is an amazing, captivating science fiction story.
http://www.rtbookreviews.com/book-review/mercy-her-pleasure
Long and Short Reviews (formerly Whipped Cream Reviews)
Review 4 Cherries
This story definitely had the right amount of sugar and spice. Because this was a sci-fi story based on another world the author really had free rein to use her imagination.
http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/2010/04/at-mercy-of-her-pleasure-by-kayelle.html
You Gotta Read Reviews
Review: You Need to Read
Aug 2010
Overall, I wish I could recommend reading this book, but I must instead recommend reading it twice. The ending is a serious twist that throws everything into a different light. I won’t ruin it by saying any more then that.
http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/review-at-mercy-of-her-pleasure-by.html
I’m editing a previously released scifi romance in preparation for re-release. It’s mainstream scifi (but was erotica). Taking out the graphic content means the story itself shines for a whole new audience.
The story deserves an all new cover as well. It’s had two previous ones. The first one was by Laura Givens, and the second by Anne Cain. The Author’s Secret did this one. Since I own the business, I have to brag. Our custom covers come with a month of ad space on The Romance Studio, and a month of DMCA Take Down service from Book About.
Oh Mercy
This is the first book I ever wrote, and it’s in need of some shaping. I’ve written other books since, and this is in the same universe as they are. I’ve fine tuned details since this came out. This is not the absolute final version, but it’s not likely to change much. I’ve even rewritten the blurb to better fit the story.
I’ll be sharing info on how and why I edited various scenes as I recreate the book. This is the first in a series and contains the new blurb, as well as the first two pages.
At the Mercy of Her Pleasure
Here are the blurb, and the first three paragraphs of At the Mercy of Her Pleasure. I hope you enjoy it.
—
If he touches her, he’ll be at the mercy of her pleasure.
Professional thief Senth Antonello is hired to retrieve a stolen prototype for which the imperial armada has already killed twice. When Senth’s brother is kidnapped to ensure the device is surrendered, Senth must rescue his brother, outsmart the armada, and keep the item out of imperial hands. All doable, except for one small problem. Senth must accomplish it in the company of a genetically altered woman whose pheromones could enhance the mission or crumble it into dust with a single siren kiss.
Excerpt
Once in the shadows, Senth Antonello shoved back the hood of his sensor-blocking cloak and fanned his face. The Thieves’ Guild tech let him hide from copbot scans, but it didn’t cool him. Using his fangs, he loosened first one glove, then the other, and peeled them off. He tucked them into one of dozens of hidden pockets in the cloak.
The faint sound of gang chant carried in the chilled night air. Gangs in the Crooktown District hunted mixed breeds like him. At first glance, Senth appeared human, but with his catlike eyes and fangs, no one could miss his Kin nature. In moonlight, his eyes glowed.
The chant grew louder, along with the sound of glass breaking. The deeper darkness that followed meant two things: another streetlight had met its end, and that gang was closer than Senth had thought.
You come down here I skin you. Senth flattened himself against the brick wall. I skin you, the Grand Master skins me. Let’s do each other a favor, huh, boys?
Worse, the Grand Master would inform Senth’s Sen’dai. His guild master. The crime lord all the other crime lords feared. The Man. The Harbinger. Luc Saint-Cyr.
The Guild didn’t accept non-humans, unless they were enslaved to a human member. No one could rise past level ten, unless related to a human member. Marriages and adoptions happened, regularly. So, to keep the Guild happy, Saint-Cyr was Senth’s lord and master and his adoptive father.
No way Senth wanted the Man angry with him. The last time he’d almost…
Don’t even go there. Senth shook off the thought, drew his hood forward again, and edged around the corner into a darker alley. “Ffffftt!” The Kin cuss word hissed past his fangs. Where are you? Come on, you have to be close. Senth’s HalfKin senses caught the scent of his quarry.
Pressed against the wall, Senth slipped around one last corner, and hunkered down. He melted into the concealing darkness behind a barrel, and narrowed night-sensitive eyes.
His human half brother leaned against the opposite wall of the trash-strewn alley. Khyffen Antonello’s blond hair shone in the muted light. A female pinned him, arms around his neck. She tore open Khyff’s shirt and ran her hands over his chest.
Senth folded himself into the tight space behind the barrel and settled in to wait. Protection of his brother went before any assignment, at least tonight. Family came first.
Senth’s mother had died after birthing him. Khyff, who’d been three, had been sold into slavery. Neither of them knew the other lived until a month ago. Neither had a clue about their biological fathers. Until Khyff had found him, Senth’s only “family” had consisted of the Man.
Pulling out Saint-Cyr’s note, Senth read it once more. Get your half brother and meet me at The Ghost. I have a job for you. Do it, and I’ll buy Khyffen and free him, but it’s going to cost you.
Of course it would. Senth slipped his gloves back on. The Man didn’t do anything for free. But if it got Khyff out of that hellhole, Senth would do it. Leaning out from behind the barrel, he spied Khyff.
For Women Only
His brother had clenched his fists, eyes squeezed shut, face lifted to the night sky, mouth open in a silent scream.
Senth’s master had raised him to believe that no one should have to sell himself to survive. Saint-Cyr owned one slave only, and that was Senth, and only so he could rise within the Guild. They might not agree on how but they did agree on what.
Khyff needed his freedom.
— At the Mercy of Her Pleasure will be out by the end of July, along with its sequel, For Women Only (Khyff’s story). To get one email when one of my books is released, sign up on Author Alarms. You can also subscribe to the newletter and follow the blog. Both options are listed on the left.
I got a sweet review: “This gem of a scifi book offers tips for scifi writers, and secrets for fans of Kayelle Allen’s Tarthian Empire series.”
This is more true than you’d think. I’ve partnered with EssenTiles on Etsy to create beautiful gem-like charms of the cover, and my friend Paige created handmade glass beads (also a gem) that match the planets on the cover. She put beads and charms together to create a unique dustplug you can use with your cellphone.
Companion dustplugs in use
How do they work? (in the phone image, it’s shown at the bottom. Your phone will have this jack at the top.) Insert the plastic plug into your cellphone’s audio jack and it keeps the dust out. It also makes a pretty gem dangle of bright color. I’ll give away one of these to the first five (US address only, please) who ask. You don’t have to leave personal info here. You can email me your contact info at author@kayelleallen.com and I’ll get back with you.
Paige created the beads by melting the glass and adding “frit” — fused or partially fused materials used in making glass — to create the markings on the “planets”. This ensures each bead is unique. The charms are quality glass with the image embedded inside.
I loved creating this unique gem as a giveaway, and hope you’ll enjoy using it!
About the Tarthian Empire Companion
For the science fiction writer, this volume teaches you how to build believable worlds, track details of your story, organize your writing, and lay out your story bible. Novice or experienced, you will pick up tricks and tips here. This EPIC eBook Award winning writer shares organizational tips, links to marketing sites, groups supporting writers, science fiction groups, and more. Material from the author’s 90+ page website is included. For the science fiction fan, the Companion reveals the worldbuilding magic that makes Kayelle Allen’s Tarthian Empire tick. She shares every character in every book, 10k years of future history, offers inside peeks at scenes and stories, lays out a quick tour of the Empire, and dishes up a surfeit of secrets, all in one illustrated volume. Original art by Jamin Allen and Kayelle Allen.
