Dec 25, 2015

Things have been pretty crazy the last couple of weeks. I was hoping to have another chapter finished by now, but I'm not quite there. Working on it when I can, though. The majority of this week has, of course, been taken up by Christmas stuff, plus buying a bike since I don't have a car anymore and needed to get around without pestering people for rides. That turned into a whole saga in itself, which involved a couple of eight-mile hikes to pick up the bike and, a couple days later, a bike pump I was too distracted to get the first time. Needed the pump because the guys who assembled the bike didn't inflate the tires enough and I didn't notice it until I was almost home that first day.

I should've noticed something was off, though. I was having a hell of a time pedaling the bike, but I just assumed it was because I'm just really out of shape and hadn't been on a bike in nearly ten years. ;) But the problem was resolved and now I can get to work and the grocery store without needing someone to pick me up, so yay. :D

I intend to keep working on the next chapter of Uncharted Territory and post it within the next few days. Hopefully things will smooth out now that Christmas is here and things get back to normal.

In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who's following Uncharted Territory, as well as those who followed and pre-ordered Project Revenant. The support means the world to me.

Uncharted Territory, by the way, is (as I've mentioned before) expanded and fleshed out from the short story "Mission to Bellatrix," which was first published in the paranormal/sci-fi romance anthology, Lucky Stars. A couple reader reviews of the story (which can be found on the Amazon and Goodreads pages), while I'm here .... ;)

From one review:

Mission to Bellatrix by Fred T. Kerns- Rating- 5 This was my first sci-fi book I've ever read all the way through. It's not my cup of tea, but I really enjoyed this one. Kolya has a scarred face that has been a slight hindrance in helping her meet a love interest because of this she's a hitchhiker for spaceships and ends up meeting Donovan on her way to board a ship that's going to explore a long-lost ship. This was closer to a full length novel at 18 chapters, which threw me for a loop. I kept expecting things to pick up quicker than they did. However, the novel was long enough that we got a lot of what is going on. I really enjoyed all the awesome innuendos. The crew of the ship were likable and at times had me laughing. There aren't any sex scenes in this story, it closes the door right on them. I loved the relationship between Donovan and Kolya and how we got to see it blossom slowly and sweetly. I can't believe I liked this one as much as I did, in fact I might make my husband read this one!

And from another:

Mission to Bellatrix by Fred T. Kerns - Ok, this was another sci-fi, so it was a little different for me. I did find myself getting caught up in the descriptions, the details and the imagery. I enjoyed reading it after I was a few pages in. There was a certain strength that I got from Kolya. She was a strong character, and it was nice to read that in a female character. I enjoyed reading the interactions and banter between Kolya and Donovan.

Finally, I'll draw this quick little update to a close by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.