. . . Over the years and between releasing my “big” books, I worked with editor and friend, Jessica Augustsson to breathe back life into this mini series. It’s been one epic steam-clunking ride, reinventing this world from my childhood. I hope you’re ready to take a tour to the Rim with me.

Enjoy the adventure!

—Jennifer

Book One: Qeya

My childhood lullaby was the metallic blend of grinding gears, of hissing hydro fans and the growl of plasma engines burning. It had been so long since our feet had trodden the soft soils of Datura that we would have tripped on solid ground. No other mining vessel had spent as long in the heavens as us. Explorers were few and far between, so deep on the rim of the universe, that when we chanced upon each other, our visits turned into one long party.

Mother and Father, who led because they had been born to lead and couldn’t function any other way, asked the usual questions. “Have you been to the Center of late? What changes have come to the core worlds?” And their answers were always the same. No change, no reassurance that our home world was free from tyranny and the royal family could return at last. We were cursed to float eternally on this hunk of scrap metal, doomed to never set foot off of it.

QEYA

Moments pass through life that are impossible to take back, stepping stones that may lead you on a path you were meant to take. And sometimes a stepping stone breaks loose and you plunge into the river instead. This was one of those moments.

Glancing at the keypad fastened to the inner lift wall, I hesitated only a moment before pressing the wrong button. Shutting my eyes, I wondered what my punishment for this would be and then squashed the idea out of my head. Though I would never admit it to them, the twins had a point about taking risks. What else was life worth living in the end?

QEYA

There are moments in time when the axis of the universe shifts, when life as you knew it is irrevocably altered. When the hiss and grind of the gears fell silent, some deeply rooted instinctive part of me knew this was one of those moments.

The constant dull clanging and press of our engine faded into an oppressive silence, where I could hear the beat of our hearts and shaky breaths. I wondered if I was losing my water because I knew the idea of Datura 3shutting down was impossible. Even though we were still orbiting above the hostile world while Pioneer explored, our ship had not ceased in motion since we stepped on it seven years before. I counted the quiet by the beats of my heart. What took an instant to process in my mind was not much longer than the wait. The ship echoed a pained groan and then the floor beneath our feet began to shift. Ohre’s hand was on my arm instantly, steadying me before I could tip into the pipework lain against the wall.

OHRE

The first time I saw Qeya was the moment my life began. I wasn’t supposed to be on third deck that day, when she came to watch the miners cook and avoid the Royals. I learned after this that she often did that, came to sit with her mealtime bowl and watched us work. It seemed strange to see so much wisdom and sorrow on a face so young.

Living in the eternal darkness of the lower decks I had heard rumors about the Royal family. We all knew it was because of them we were stuck on Datura 3, forever sailing the stars without a port of call. Yes, there was plenty to mine and every pirate ship we came across paid us thousands for our goods. For some below it was the dream life, far better than scrapping it in the deep cave wastes on home world. But I hadn’t spent all my days on a miner ship. I still remembered the smell of salty sea air and the glow of the undersea palaces at night. As a boy I slipped out of the slums, past the guard and into that sea to catch a glimpse of it. Something the Royals didn’t know—or had chosen to forget—was that we all came from the sea.

“A quick and interesting read. . . . I liked the unique way this world is set up, and the ‘humans’ and other characters I met. . .”

Adi stalked off to the camp and the ruined ship to continue her search after throwing the scanner onto the sand at my feet. I was satisfied she would take her fire out on tearing the deck apart. Meanwhile, I readied Qeya for our journey.

The best defense in alien waters was not our biosuits, which were designed for heaven and hostile environments. But her eyes grew to new depths when I told her to strip down. She subconsciously covered her chest. “I’m not taking this off. And I need my tool belt anyway.”

“I loved the characters and I loved the romance in this novella! . . . I can’t wait to read the next books in the box set and figure out what happens to the characters after this story ends!

I would definitely recommend this novella to anyone looking for a new YA fantasy/Scifi/romance novel.”

I glanced at Qeya while keeping my eyes on the cave we had called home for too short a time.

Now we were alone, I wanted to ask her more questions, about this valley, and especially why the Nuki stayed in the interior. I squashed the harder questions that insisted on rising to the surface, like why she chose to stay in her village instead of coming with us. Not that I didn’t agree with her choice. But maybe I was regretting leaving without asking her first.

“. . . the Heaven’s Edge series is a quick, enjoyable read.

With unique “world”-building, characters in plenty of danger, and some unexpected turns, these stories kept me entertained from start to finish.”

TAMN

My life both began and ended with a crash.

“Strap in! Shields are down!” Captain shouted over the alarm blaring throughout the shuttle.

I barely had time to make sure the rest of my crew was strapped in before the second shudder hit their outer hull. “Qori, hang onto our chole packs!” I shouted, the same moment Adi, the miner swung in front of me, wrapping an arm around my waist.

“Hang on to your scythe, Royal,” she said with a cheeky grin. Her arm was the only thing that kept me from colliding with the pipes and gears overhead. For a moment, we hung together suspended midair, legs flailing, as the lights flickered inside the compartment.

Heaven’s Edge Box Set
(Heaven’s Edge #1-#3)
By Jennifer Silverwood
YA SciFi, Steampunk
ebook, 290 Pages
July 10, 2018 by JayHenge Publishing

Only by working together will they survive…

A group of refugees from a powerful, sophisticated Core World planet have been on the run for seven years. The mission was to get away and give their children some time to grow up and help them carry on the cause. The cause was to help the rebellion, win the war and go home. But things didn’t quite turn out the way they planned.

QEYA #1

Qeya, the future Queen of Datura, can’t do much about her red hair, but she knows how to wield a scythe blade and suck the life out of her enemy, literally. Life seems great, if a little boring on heaven’s edge. Until her ship is attacked and nearly everyone on board is murdered. Now, the miner who saved her is the only thing standing between her and the hungry beasts hunting them.

OHRE #2

All Ohre wants is the kind of freedom a life in the sea can give. But he doesn’t want to live it alone anymore. He wants the princess and if Qeya won’t come willingly, he’ll make her.

TAMN #3

Tamn has always lived by a code. He doesn’t question his duty. Until his crew is stranded on a hostile alien world and he’s forced to watch the girl he loves burn in the sky. Stripped of his reason for living, the voices from his past haunt and guide him in a path of endless retribution. Only the strongest will survive the trials ahead and Tamn is determined to keep the family he has left alive.

MEET THE CREW HERE

**Box Set includes first three Heaven’s Edge Novellas**

About the Author

Jennifer Silverwood was raised deep in the heart of Texas and has been spinning yarns a mile high since childhood. In her spare time, she reads and writes and tries to sustain her wanderlust, whether it’s the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, the highlands of Ecuador, or a road trip to the next town. Always on the lookout for her next adventure, in print or reality, she dreams of one day proving to the masses that everything really is better in Texas. She is the author of three series–Heaven’s Edge, Wylder Tales and the Borderlands Saga–and the stand-alone titles Stay and She Walks in Moonlight. She recently released her first serialized Urban Fantasy, Angel Blue in August 2018.

Tour Giveaway

This new science fiction story has a deeply personal bent to it. No, Geralyn Wichers has never helmed a covert expedition through an inter-dimensional portal, but like Charlane, ex-army officer and lead character, she never feels quite good enough. “As women today, we face pressure from every side,” says the Canadian author. “Be it our career hopes, expectations of family, or body image, it’s everywhere. It’s right on the phone in our hand. No wonder so many of us live with anxiety.”

Bridger: a Dystopian Serial is a science-fiction story told in episode form. It’s set in a world bled dry by global war and swiftly running out of resources. With her mental health and career in shambles, Char has left the army for a remote research facility. But when a humanoid creature from another world appears, Char agrees to helm a covert mission to follow the creature back to his world. The mission: find new resources and gain an edge in the war. But an encounter with her estranged husband leaves Char torn between saving her country and saving the love she didn’t know still lived.

As she wrote, Geralyn felt a kinship with Char, who had given everything she had to advance her career. “Char thought if she just got one more promotion, she’d feel worthy of love and respect,” Geralyn says. “In my own life, I catch myself thinking ‘if I would just lose a few pounds, if I would get nicer clothes, if I wasn’t working a dead- end job—then people would like me.’” But this isn’t a morality tale. Geralyn leads readers on a cross-world adventure full of danger, lies and romance. Visit bridgerserial.com to subscribe and read for free.

  Geralyn Wichers is a science fiction and fantasy author from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her previous works include urban fantasy trilogy Society of Immortals, sci-fi dystopian story Sons of Earth, and We are the Living, an apocalyptic romance. Geralyn is a journalism student, coffee enthusiast, and recently dabbled in stand-up comedy. Visit her on Instagram and Twitter @geralynwichers.

I’m Lauren Salisbury, a Christian science fiction author. If you asked me ten years ago what I’d be doing now, I would never have imagined I’d be sitting here writing a blog post about my second novel. I probably would have said I’d be in a school somewhere, teaching English and working with trainee teachers. Then I would have asked what a blog post is.

Conviction

The Blood Race

(The Blood Race #1)
By K.A. Emmons
YA SciFi, Fantasy

Paperback & ebook, 321 Pages
July 27th 2017

All Ion Jacobs ever wanted was to be normal. But when you’re capable of killing with your very thoughts, it’s hard to blend in with the crowd.

Running from his past and living in fear of being discovered, Ion knows he will never be an average college student. But when Hawk, the beautiful, mysterious girl next door unearths his darkest secret, Ion’s life is flipped upside-down. He’s shocked to discover a whole world of people just like him — a world in another dimension, where things like levitation, shape-shifting, and immortality are not only possible… they’re normal.

Forced to keep more secrets than ever before, Ion struggles to control his powers in the real world while commuting between realms — until his arch enemy starts a fight he can’t escape. Now he has sealed the fate of the Dimension, severing their connection to the real world, and locking himself inside forever. But a deadly threat hidden in plain sight may cost Ion more than just his freedom — it may cost him his life.

The Blood Race is the first book in K.A. Emmons’ riveting new sci-fi/fantasy thriller series. If you like epic urban fantasy, fresh takes on super powers, deep allegories, raw emotions and intricate plots that surprise you at every turn, you’ll love the first novel in Emmons’ page-turning series. Grab your copy of The Blood Race and delve into a new dimension today!

Goodreads│Amazon

Worlds Beneath
(The Blood Race #2)

By K.A. Emmons

YA SciFi, Fantasy

Paperback & ebook, 333 Pages

July 1st 2018

I used to think that seeing was believing, but now, as I struggle to stay alive below the ravine, I begin to realize that – good or bad – I will see whatever I believe.

“Who are you, Icarus, that the earth opens its mouth to receive your blood?” Sensei’s words were my last thoughts before I fell into the bottomless ravine, plunging toward my own death, and bringing about Hawk’s at the same time. Or so I thought.

I woke up underwater. I awoke in a strange and unfamiliar world, filled with maze-like forest, shadows, and nightmares seemingly as vivid and dangerous as reality. I had no idea who I was, or how I got there – I couldn’t remember anything, until I remembered her: Hawk. The other half of my soul.

I knew that in order for her to stay alive, I had to survive and find a way out. But that’s easier said than done when you’re trapped in a realm as deadly as your every thought – and dominated by a hierarchy of ravenous wolf packs.

Alerted by a dream, I realize that Hawk has left the Dimension to come find me. For an instant, I rediscover hope. But that hope quickly burns to ash when I realize that we may not be the only ones down here. Someone else with a thirst for her blood may have survived the fall too. And I may have just lured her right into the jaws of a predator even fiercer than the wolves.

Goodreads│Amazon

A Tour Recap

July 1: Author Interview with Jameson C Smith

If the characters of The Blood Race trilogy could jump into any other fictional world, where would they go? Oh, hands down Narnia. Because that’s where I’m trying to “jump into” every day of the week, yo. I’m still checking those closets.

July 2: Guest Post with Hot Town Cool Girl: Top 5 Tips for Aspiring Writers

#5 JUST DO IT. so many of us spend a heck of a lot of time, debating about whether we should write a book, thinking about how we would write it, wondering if we’re good enough, or psychoanalyzing every single detail.

July 3: Book Review of World’s Beneath on Stories and Soulspeak

“Worlds Beneath is a captivating novel that pulls the reader in from the first page.”

July 4: Author Q&A on Plottinger Twist

CAN I JUST GUSH ABOUT THIS GORGEOUS COVER??? I MEAN. LOOK AT IT.

July 5: Q&A with Author at Unicorn Quester

July 7: Book Review of World’s Beneath at Inkwell

July 9: Book Review of World’s Beneath at Paper Pizza

“What made the second installment in The Blood Race series so incredibly amazing was THE CHARACTERS.”

July 11: Author Interview at Ivie Writes

Kate: “…we are NOT the things that have happened to us. We are not our pasts. Letting go is hard, but one of the most important things you will ever do.”

July 12: Author Interview at Elly Lily

July 13: Author Interview at Rebecca Morgan

I’m also a surfer, karate enthusiast, and military wife.

July 14: Guest Post at The Book Sprite

Each time I sit down at the desk in the morning with my cup of coffee, I don’t have a map or a plan, or a binder full of notes…

July 15: Book Review of World’s Beneath at Totally Graced

“The ending, in typical Kate style, KILLED ME, and I am already counting down the days until Book 3 comes into the world.”

July 16: Book Review of The Blood Race at The Red-Hooded Writer

“It’s deep. It’s full of powerful themes, breathtakingly complex characters, and intense twists and turns that had me on the edge of my seat. If you want something emotional, gritty, fantastical, fast-paced, and theme-focused, I highly recommend The Blood Race!”

July 17: Guest Post at Christ is Write

Be the lighthouse on the cold and craggy isle, flickering vanilla beams into the billows of the storm.

July 18: Author Interview at Writings From a God Girl

July 19: Author LIVE at Livy Lynn Blog

July 20: Review of World’s Beneath at Rock and Minerals for Him

“Kate has a way with describing scenes that makes one feel like they’re in it without being too wordy.”

July 21: Guest Post at Audrey Caylin

Write about the things that make your soul hum.

July 23: Book Review of World’s Beneath on PoeTree

“The plot is brilliantly woven and full of vibrant, real characters with wonderful depth and raw emotion. Amid the tense action, thought-provoking dialogue and text often had me slowing down to savor the book.”

July 25: Guest Post at Musings of a Creative Spirit

The sheer joy I get when I sit down in the morning with a cup of coffee to write is immeasurable. And that’s my favorite part of writing.

July 27: Interview at Authoring Arrowheads

My writing zone at the moment is being lost in my head in my cozy, colorfully painted office, with coffee and a soundtrack of Vermont rainfall pattering against my window.

July 28: Book Review of The Blood Race at The Calico Books

“There were so many unique and such fierce characters. I especially loved Icarus, Hawk, and Fin. They had so much depth! I loved watching the growth and maturity that happens in this novel…”

July 29: Book Review of The Blood Race on Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors

“The character development, the fascinating originality of the Dimension, the Christian allegory woven through, it was really good.”

July 31: Book Review of The Blood Race and Author Interview at Oh So Priceless

“The concept is completely original and you’re immediately drawn in and enthralled by the story. I started reading it and I just could not put it down!”

About the Author

When she’s not hermiting away in her colorfully-painted home office writing her next science fiction, passionate story-teller and adventurer Kate Emmons is probably on the road for a surf or hiking trip, listening to vinyls, or going for a power run. Emmons’ debut novel The Blood Race is the first book in her YA science fiction/fantasy thriller series. Get connected with Kate on your favorite social platform, and be sure to check out http://kaemmons.com/.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Instagram

Blitz Giveaway

– 3 winners will win an ebook of THE BLOOD RACE

– Open internationally
– Ends August 19th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to Realm Explorers!  In this weekly series, we visit a variety of unique worlds created by talented science fiction and fantasy authors.  Enjoy your travels!  And don’t forget to read to the bottom of the post to find out more about each author and see how to purchase the featured book. 

Author’s name: Annie Douglass Lima

Title of book and/or series: Heartsong

Brief summary of the story:

Two alien worlds.

One teen emissary.

No reality she can trust.

Thirteen-year-old Liz Smith has been ripped away from one foster family after another for years, so the idea of a permanent home is tantalizing. Who cares if that home is a colony sixty-five thousand light-years from Earth? The friends in her trusty e-reader will keep her company just fine on her interstellar relocation.

But when the adventure of a lifetime turns into the disaster of the cosmos, Liz can only retreat so far into the books that have always sheltered her from loneliness and loss. Trapped in half-truths and secrets that leave her questioning reality, can one orphaned bookworm find a way to stop two races from destroying each other … and somehow write a happy ending to her own story?

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Two alien worlds.

One teen emissary.

No reality she can trust.

Thirteen-year-old Liz Smith has been ripped away from one foster family after another for years, so the idea of a permanent home is tantalizing. Who cares if that home is a colony sixty-five thousand light-years from Earth? The friends in her trusty e-reader will keep her company just fine on her interstellar relocation.

But when the adventure of a lifetime turns into the disaster of the cosmos, Liz can only retreat so far into the books that have always sheltered her from loneliness and loss. Trapped in half-truths and secrets that leave her questioning reality, can one orphaned bookworm find a way to stop two races from destroying each other … and somehow write a happy ending to her own story?

If you like books about space travel, aliens, or cross-cultural transitions, you’ll love this poignant science fiction adventure. Click here to get your copy of Heartsong now and start the journey today! (Shh! For June 30th through July 2nd only, the ebook is available for free!)

Read on for a sample of the story …

Heartsong

Chapter One

My love of reading started the whole thing.

The best place to read on the Laika was in the lifeboats. I’d discovered that on the first leg of the trip, during the flight from Earth to the jump point off of Phoebe. I mean, what else was there to do when we couldn’t see much through the viewports? The view was exciting when there was one, but when you’re far away from anything, space all looks the same.

The hyperspace jump that shot us across the galaxy had been quick, of course, so no time to get bored there. And after we came out of it at the jump point off of Somav, the blue giant that would light my skies for the rest of my life, the flight toward the little moon Soma was pretty exciting, too. I couldn’t stop staring as we passed Somavia, the blue and white planet I knew none of us would ever see close up again. I wondered about the aliens whose home it was. What were they like? The pictures and video Forerunner had sent back, from the few passes it had taken in high orbit, left everyone with more questions than they answered.

Of course, we knew the planet had a breathable atmosphere. If it hadn’t been for the alien race who already lived there — and the tirtellium that we were going to mine on Soma, of course — New Horizons Industries might have decided to set up its colony on the planet Somavia instead of on its moon.

We passed Somavia three days ago, and we’d been orbiting Soma ever since. Which was also exciting, at first. I couldn’t wait to actually get down there and start life on my new home. A home I would get to help create, along with the adult scientists and miners and the rest of the Young Explorers. A home I would never be taken away from just when I was starting to settle in. My forever home. Normally I hated new beginnings, but this one was different. This would be the last new beginning of my life.

Even the colony’s name, chosen by the Samoan astronomer who discovered this solar system, was perfect. Avanoa, which apparently meant opportunity in the Samoan language, sounded to me like a kingdom from some fantasy novel.

Not that life in Avanoa was going to be a fantasy. I knew that starting a colony would be hard work, but that didn’t matter. A real home, with friends I would never have to say goodbye to, would be worth any amount of work.

Soma was interesting to look at, though not as pretty as the planet it orbited. The moon was mostly brown, with splotches of gray-green surrounding the dark blue dots that marked the location of its scattered lakes. With no actual oceans, the moon had just enough water to support a little plant and animal life. Nothing too dangerous, at least as far as we could tell from Forerunner’s pictures. Insects. Some fish and crustaceans that might or might not be edible. Small reptilian or maybe amphibian creatures that lived in and around the lakes. A handful of different mammals, all tiny, that made their homes in the hills. Nothing that seemed likely to bother two hundred human colonists setting up a new home on their world.

Of course, the aliens could be another story. We knew the Somavians had developed a limited form of space travel; we knew they had mines on Soma, too. But whatever they were mining for, it wasn’t tirtellium, and they only had a few tunnel mines in a few locations. We planned to set up our colony hundreds of kilometers away, where if all went according to plan, they wouldn’t even know we were around. Forerunner’s sensors had not detected any other artificial satellites in orbit around either Somavia or Soma, and as far as we could tell, the locals had no instruments capable of detecting Forerunner, no way to suspect we were coming. Its orbit was carefully programmed to keep it out of sight of any of their mines after dark, when it might be visible from the ground as a moving point of light.

The adults all said that hopefully we would never have to encounter any Somavians, but all of us kids hoped we would. I mean, why would anyone in their right mind not want to meet the first real live aliens actually confirmed to exist?

Jessie, who loved science fiction movies almost as much as I loved reading, had often kept Maria and Shaliqua and me awake late into the night back in our dorm room discussing all the possible alien-related adventures that awaited us if we ever made contact. Most of those possibilities were a lot more fun — though some were scarier — than the idea of living in isolation and never letting the locals know we were on their moon.

Anyway, judging by Forerunner’s footage, Somavian culture seemed peaceful, with no evidence of any wars going on down on their home world. If they did find out about the humans in their solar system, hopefully they wouldn’t mind us being there. We wouldn’t bother them, and with any luck, they wouldn’t bother us. And if they did get mad, well, the Laika had some weapons. Not enough to wage war with, but hopefully enough to convince them to leave us alone.

So much to wonder about. So much to look forward to. I could hardly wait to get down to the surface and start my new life. But here we all were, stuck in orbit for three whole days so far. Three painfully long and boring days. Earth days, that is. It had been nearly five Soman days, though we wouldn’t officially switch to using Soman time until we landed.

Atmospheric storms. Who would have thought that storms would be this big of an issue on a world with virtually no precipitation? Our science team had come up with a theory about minerals in the soil reflecting particles and wavelengths from the solar flares that Somav had been throwing out since our arrival. Whatever the case, the result was some pretty impressive windstorms in parts of the atmosphere. Since the spot picked out for Avanoa was directly underneath one of the worst storms, Captain Tyler insisted it wouldn’t be safe to try to land yet.

But no one had anticipated that the flares and storms would go on this long. At first, I was glad of the opportunity to orbit my new home and see what it looked like from space. But after a while the excitement faded, and everyone turned grouchy as we all grew more and more bored and impatient. The movies and games preloaded on our Horizon-brand tablets weren’t good enough to keep everyone happy, not while we had to put the adventure we’d all waited over a year to start on hold indefinitely. And I’d never been a big fan of video games or movies anyway.

So I did what I always do when real people get too annoying. I pulled out my old-school Novareader and turned to my true friends, the ones who never got annoying, who would always be there for me no matter what, who I never had to say goodbye to. And I escaped to the one place I had found on board where nobody would bother me or interrupt my adventures to ask what I was reading or exclaim over their new high score in who-cares-what-virtual-adventure on their RizeTab.

The Laika was designed to be taken apart when we arrived. Its decking and bulkheads would be used to help create Avanoa’s buildings until we could construct permanent residences from local rock, and that was one of the reasons the ship was so large. But big though it was, it had no extra empty space. Every compartment was full of freeze-dried food items, mining equipment, packages of seeds for genetically modified crops designed to grow well in the moon’s dry soil, and educational resources for us youth, because even on an interstellar adventure, there was no escaping school in some form.

So I had discovered in between Earth and Phoebe that the lifeboats were the best place to read. I wasn’t sure if I was really supposed to hang out in them, but they were unlocked, because after all, what would be the point in locking something that people would need to get into in a hurry in an emergency?

I sat curled up on a seat in Lifeboat 1, alternating between reading and looking out to see if anything interesting had come into sight down below. But from this angle, the one window — a wide viewport at the very front — was mostly full of stars, only a tiny sliver of Soma visible from one edge. I could have turned on the screen at the lifeboat’s navigational console and adjusted it to show me any view I liked, but that might trigger some sort of alert, and I didn’t want anyone showing up to tell me I wasn’t supposed to be in here.

So I joined Caz and her friends on their travels across the Granbo system, caught up in their space adventure on my Novareader screen, since my own space adventure had turned pretty dull. Lunch was another two hours away, so I might as well enjoy myself in the meantime.

And I did — until the ship vibrated more vigorously than usual and the fasten seatbelts sign flicked on.

I often felt as though several of me were debating inside my head. For a moment, Cautious Liz wondered if I should return to my seat. But what was the point? Practical Liz reminded me that I would be just as safe here in the lifeboat, and if the turbulence got bad, walking around with the Laika lurching under me would not be the smartest idea.

I already had my seatbelt on, since that was the best way to keep from floating around. Not that floating around wasn’t fun, but there was too little room in the lifeboat to do mid-air flips and spins without banging into things, and drifting around while I read made it hard to focus on the book. Of course my magnetic-soled shoes could have kept me anchored to the deck, but not when I wanted to sit cross-legged.

So I just tightened my seatbelt a little and turned back to The Gypsy Pearl. We had encountered turbulence lots of times in the last few days, thanks to the solar flares. It was no big deal.

But the vibrations grew stronger, and then the ship started lurching under me. I lowered my Novareader and looked around, but there was nothing to see here in the little lifeboat. The stars jumped and jerked outside the window, and if it hadn’t been for my seatbelt, I knew I would have been thrown about and probably injured already.

I waited for the crackle of the intercom and Captain Tyler’s voice to explain what was happening or issue instructions. But I heard nothing, and I wondered if the flares had damaged the lifeboat’s intercom system. They had interfered with the Laika’s electrical systems before, after all. Now I wished I’d returned to my seat while I could. If something dangerous was happening, I would rather face it with the others in the main cabin, where at least I would know what was going on.

Without warning, the lights flickered and then went out. Now that was a first. An instant later, an alarm screeched, making me jump. I gasped, really worried for the first time since we left Earth. The screeching continued as the stars swirled and zigzagged, sending faint but frightening shadows thrashing around me like alien spirits trying to take over the ship. For a second I wondered if that could actually be happening. Maybe the Somavians had powers we didn’t know about. Maybe they were trying to drive us out of their system … or worse.

Then the emergency lights embedded in the deck glowed to life, and I let out my breath in relief. The navigational computer two rows ahead of me powered on automatically, its screen lighting up green.

My relief was short-lived, though. The alarm kept blaring its intermittent warning. Screech! Silence. Screech! Silence. Screech! The turbulence was worse than ever, as though the Laika was a wild horse, bucking and leaping and trying to throw its rider off. And that rider gripped the edge of her seat all alone there in the lifeboat, wondering what in the universe was happening.

Suddenly the whirling stars vanished and Soma swung into view, filling the viewport ahead of me, a blur of brown-blue-gray-green-brown. I barely had time to notice before it was gone and the streaking stars reappeared. Then the moon appeared again.

My stomach was spinning as fast as the ship. Thank goodness I had inherited the Smith Stomach of Steel, or my breakfast would probably have ended up all around me. I could only imagine what a nasty experience that would be in zero gravity with the ship thrashing around like this.

A new noise caught my attention. A mechanical noise, a series of clicks and clinks and the sliding of metal against metal. I had only ever heard it before in simulations, but I recognized it right away, and my heart lurched in terror. “No!”

Words flashed across the computer screen, large enough to read from where I sat. LIFEBOAT LAUNCHING.

“No! I yelled again. I fumbled for the seatbelt clasp and flung myself across the tiny cabin, lunging for the manual override button beside the door. Not a smart move, I have to admit, considering how wildly everything was jerking around me. But I panicked. Can you blame me? None of our training, none of the simulations, had dealt with what to do if the lifeboat you were sitting in alone accidentally detached from the ship.

I knew what to do if a lifeboat didn’t detach when it was supposed to. I knew which lifeboat I was supposed to board in an emergency. Not this one, though they were all the same. I knew who my lifeboat buddies would be — a fairly even cross-section of the ship’s crew in terms of age and abilities, so we would have the best possible chance of survival in case not every lifeboat made it. I knew how to steer the lifeboat and bring it down for a controlled landing, even though I wasn’t the assigned helmsperson in my group. We had all learned all those skills, just in case.

But I didn’t know how to survive in deep space or on Soma’s surface on my own. The cupboards contained emergency rations and survival gear, of course, but not enough to live off of indefinitely. Of course the lifeboat would emit a signal that the ship’s sensors would pick up — I knew they were picking it up already, as of the moment my craft started to detach — but what if no one could come and get me right away? What if I landed on Soma, but the Laika couldn’t land for days or even weeks? They would have no way to rescue a stranded teenager who shouldn’t have been reading in a lifeboat in the first place.

And what if the aliens found me before my people did?

All that went swirling through my brain within a couple of seconds as I slammed my fist into the manual override button again and again. But nothing happened. That is, the hatch didn’t open to let me out into the ship’s corridor. But the incessant alarm finally went silent, and the frantic jerking and thrashing stopped, replaced by a slow, gentle twirl.

For a second, Optimistic Liz dared to hope that the trouble was over. But I knew that wasn’t it.

The lifeboat was no longer connected to the ship.

Too horrified even to yell again, I watched the Laika drift past the window, Somav’s light tinting her silver-white hull a metallic frostbite-blue against the blackness of space. She was still spinning and dancing like some huge bird as the solar flares played havoc with her electrical systems. And then I saw only stars, and then the mottled brown of the moon, then more stars. And then there went the Laika once more, further away this time.

Grabbing the back of a seat for leverage, I shoved off from the deck, thankful for the zero-gravity training. Floating was faster than clomping along in magnetic shoes, and I had to get to the controls now. I had to steer myself back to the ship.

But as I seized the arm of the helmsperson’s chair and maneuvered my body into it, I realized I had no idea how to reattach a lifeboat to its socket on the ship’s side. They had never taught us that. Were lifeboats even designed to reattach once they were separated?

Well, somebody must know the proper procedure for this kind of emergency. Captain Tyler or one of the other adults could talk me through the process. Right?

I fumbled for the seatbelt, twisting my ankles around the legs of the chair so I wouldn’t float off in the meantime. Jabbing the intercom button, I called, “Help! I’m in a lifeboat that just detached! What do I do?”

Realizing how panicked and little-girly I sounded, I took a deep breath and tried again. “I mean, this is Liz Smith on Lifeboat 1, calling anybody on the Laika who can hear me. Come in, please.”

There was no response, and I realized that the communication light wasn’t even on. The intercom was offline.

Great. Dang solar flares.

I took another deep breath. I had never felt so alone.

But the controls in front of me looked exactly like the ones in the simulator. I could do this. It would be just the same as I had practiced.

Except this was no game, where the only real struggle was to beat my classmates, to be the first to land my virtual lifeboat safely.

This was a real emergency.

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