Are you getting as excited as I am for the release of my first novel? I hope so! I thought I’d post a brief excerpt from the book to get you hyped.
This is the introduction of the third member of the gang, Zuleikah! I thought it was a good segment to showcase some of the humor in the story.
Chapter Five
How Ki Met Zuleikah
Zuleikah Mangan existed in a state of well crafted, carefully maintained boredom. When she did work up some interest in something—metal repair or zither music—her mother would crush that interest in mountains of equipment and tutorials and advice. It was best not to.
Lately, Zuleikah was not showing interest in solo-flyers. She’d picked up a vintage solo-flyer from an art dealer and her mother had obediently flown in, buying the best of all the best parts and tools to fix it up and sending Zuleikah to slouch unwillingly through spaceship repair classes and flying lessons. Zuleikah enjoyed the spaceship repair and flying lessons, but it was exhausting, pretending all the time that she didn’t.
Stretched out on the sofa in her home, Zuleikah trolled the solo-flyer fan boards, trying to decide if she really was interested in the latest model release rumors, or just less uninterested.
Her father’s voice interposed itself. “Are you home, darling?”
Zuleikah waved an acknowledgement and her father received a pre-recorded video simulation of his daughter paying dutiful attention. Zuleikah moved back and forth between the flyer board and celebratory news, pictures of the crown prince’s moue as he stood in the back of the queen’s council. She was relieving her boredom by watching someone else being bored. It was tragi-comic.
Her father sighed. “Your mother asked me to nag again. I hate doing this, but she has a point. Your brother isn’t getting any younger, and it wouldn’t hurt you to get out more. I don’t understand why you don’t have more friends. You’re so tall!”
Zuleikah wondered what the average variation was on her father’s conversation openers. She checked the stats as her simulation dutifully answered that she was doing all she could to throw eligible young ladies in her brother’s path. Or him in their path. According to the stats, her conversation simulator had 7% more variance in phrasing than her father.
Zuleikah regarded her father’s hologram. Was her father also using a simulation for their conversations?
He was mixing himself a drink and it was still mid-day. So, no. “Your aunt and cousins are coming for Founder’s Day, and I was hoping we could turn it into a big to-do. It would be a good time for you to talk with your cousin about the export business.”
Zuleikah made another gesture, and her simulation told her father, sincerely, how very little she wanted a job working for or with or even over her cousin. Yes, even if her cousin had lots of friends with unmarried brothers. The argument escalated and moved so politely Zuleikah suspected her father wasn’t really paying attention, either. “Your mother expects me to keep you on track. You think I enjoy playing the nag?”
Prince Thane was gorgeous, though. There was an interest her mother couldn’t buy. It would be amusing to see her try. Almost. Zuleikah’s family was wealthy, but as far below the crown as dirt was beneath the stars. What if she said she only had eyes for the prince? Her father wouldn’t dare try to secure an invitation to a royal function, but her mother? She was immune to humiliation.
Zuleikah saved the best pictures of Thane to her secure server.
An alert pulled her eye from the handsome prince’s pout. Someone had posted an urgent, anonymous message to the solo-flyer community board. That wasn’t boring. She read it and it wasn’t boring at all. Zuleikah cancelled the simulation. It would appear to step out of frame to check on something and then she stepped into frame. “I have to go, Dad.”
“Did someone call you? JJ Arbourgh’s sister? Another boy’s chaperone? Another girl?”
“A friend is in trouble. I’ll call you when I get back.” Zuleikah laughed. Her father looked so proud and excited, and Zuleikah was going to go break someone out of jail.
You can now pre-order Galactic Hellcats as an ebook or paperback at
Mac’s Backs: https://www.macsbacks.com/book/9781952283079
Space Cowboy Books: https://bookshop.org/books/galactic-hellcats/9781952283079
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/galactic-hellcats-marie-vibbert/1137962340
Amazon, if you really must: https://www.amazon.com/Galactic-Hellcats-Marie-Vibbert-ebook/dp/B08LNQLX4S
If you pre-order and email me a screenshot plus your snail mail address to reasie at gmail, I will send you one of these super sweet limited edition signed stickers to put on your copy when you get it. (While supplies last.)
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