It’s Sunday again, and time for Weekend Writing Warriors (click on the logo above) and Snippet Sunday (click on the logo below.)
Roi has the glider flying again, but heat and smoke have convinced him he still has problems.
As the orange roof came around in front of him again, he straightened the glider and headed northeast and down, dropping the nose for maximum speed.
“Roi?” Penny’s voice was anxious. “Are you going to make the cabin?”
“No,” he replied, “though I won’t be far from it. I think I’ve got an electrical fire in the control circuit, and I’m in a bit of a hurry to get on the ground.” Had he really been wise to get rid of the escort craft?
He heard Penny’s sudden intake of breath before she continued.
This snippet is from Tourist Trap, my second published book.
A vacation with his three best friends from slavery and a manhood challenge: Roi is given the graduation present he has dreamed of. Dogsledding, hang gliding, a chance to see Pleistocene animals transplanted to a Terraformed vacation world, horseback riding, sailing … all the sports he has returned to with his recovery from paralysis, and a few new ones to learn.
They’re prepared for danger from weather, wild animals and extreme sports. But none of them realize that Roi’s half brother Zhaim, determined to recover his old position as Lai’s heir, intends to kill them if he can—and he’s decided that the dangers of the trip will make a perfect cover for his schemes.
How long will it take them to realize that the “accidents” they keep running into are more than just accidents?
Tourist Trap, the second novel of the Jarnian Confederation, won first place in science fiction and fiction book of the year in the 2011 Reader Views contest.
Reviewers say:
“Fans of Sue Ann Bowling’s novel Homecoming will not be disappointed with its sequel. Tourist Trap returns the reader to the world of the Jarnian Confederation—to Roi, Lai, Marna, and all of their friends and relations. The author does a stellar job of bringing these characters to life, allowing the reader to not only see their actions but to understand the culture and politics that motivate them. (ForeWord Clarion review)
“Tourist Trap” is a great read for anyone that wants motivation and feeling to accompany the action in their sci-fi adventure. Alien beings and super powers are an integral part of Roi’s story but what makes this novel really shine is the heart. Nobody is good or evil just because that’s their assigned role. Just like in real life, everyone has their own motivations and desires, and Bowling does a great job of letting the reader see what it would be like to walk in the shoes of Roi, Xazhar, and even madman Zhaim. (ReaderViews review)
Tourist Trap (iUniverse, 2011) is available from: Barnes and Noble, iUniverse, and Amazon in dust jacket, trade paper, and e-book formats.
Buy Homecoming from iUniverse
'Homecoming' Blog 
Not too much of a hurry, though—an immediate drop wouldn’t be my choice! 🙂
Nor Roi’s! But at this point he’s in control.
Penny’s right to be anxious. I hope Roi doesn’t hit the ground too hard.
Stick around.
Great scene, I’ve got that “holy crap he’s going to crash” feeling. Great writing Sue Ann.
Crash my MC this early in the book?
As an author, I can be cruel to my characters.
The snippet is good…but I’m really enjoying the comments!
Not a “TaDa” moment when Roi is about to crash. You’ve painted a picture of a magnificent man, Sue Ann.
Tune in next week.
Well, no not a great choice to tell the escort to take a hike, metaphorically speaking, but very understandable. I hope Roi will manage some kind of a controlled crash landing! Great excerpt…
At least he shows some ability to learn from his mistakes.
You’ve done a great job of building tension while still keeping your character in control–as much as possible! Sounds like the kind of man you’d like to have around in a crisis. I’m looking forward to whatever happens next.
That he is.
I love the tension that underlies the sense that he has everything under control. But I want to know what Penny was going to say!
Blame the 8 sentence limit!
Great tension … speed v. safety, reach the ground v. reach the cabin…what happens next?
Actually, the nose down gives greater speed + faster descent rate.
Poor Roi, still in peril (some vacation!). How he manages to stay calm is beyond me. Great 8.
I didn’t say it was a peaceful vacation, but this is a little more than he bargained for.
What a scene! Tension but still in control! Well done!
The real problem for him is still ahead
Great tension. Crashing or not. Nice scene.
A few more weeks to go.
He’s just concentrating on getting to the ground under control.
There’s crashing…and there’s CRASHING. I’m guessing he’s gonna walk away : ) Nice tense moment SueAnn!
He’s in control right now.
Sounds like trouble is brewing!
Just doing an author’s job.
He seems to make errors after errors and fix them up but I wonder how they are going to get out of this.
Hang on a bit longer.
Even when he’s second-guessing himself, he comes across as calm. Roi’s got nerves of steel!
He’s learned as a slave to keep in control of himself.
You do such a good job of character building–all the time– even in the middle of an action scene, like this one. Intriguing worlds you’ve built for these books, Sue Ann. 🙂
How a person behaves tells a lot about them. The stuff I like to read has characters I care about and good storytelling, and that’s what I try to write.
Hope Roi gets things under control but I don’t think that will happen, at least not yet.
Hey, this is only a little ways into the book.
Hi Sue Ann. The other two admins and I discussed the promo spots and our current policy limiting links to Amazon. I just amended the rules. This one in particular: “Each book cover image will be linked to one of these sites (author’s choice) Amazon. Barnes & Noble, Lulu, or iUniverse. Other sites will be considered if requested– with the exception of personal blog sites.” Hope that helps. 🙂
Very interested to see how Roi handles this crash. If I were Penny, I’d be worried too though. Great build of tension.
At this point, he’s still in control. He just recognizes that could change very fast.