Friday's Featured Titled: Dragons Among the Eagles

Blurb

Aleda Sable faces the toughest decision of her life—to stay in dragon form, live as a two-legged or put one foot in the human world and one talon in the dragon world.

An urgent call from her newspaper editor sends Aleda to report on an accident whose driver appears to be a dragon. Authorities have the scene locked down and aren't allowing access to anyone. Television broadcasts flash pictures of scaly legs hanging from a crashed car. However, the bodies disappear into thin air. When the stations try follow-up reports, all they find are state highway workers busily tearing up the roads.

In determining the truth of the shifter disappearances, Aleda finds the truth of her own dilemma.

Excerpt

Dragons Among the Eagles by C. L. Kraemer

Excerpt Heat Level: 1

Book Heat Level: 1

Buy at:  www.roguephoenixpress.com 

Rain thwacked against Aleda's leathery black appendages. Her arms ached; heck, every muscle in her body ached. This flying thing was going to take more practice. The continual downpour of the spring night slithered past her shielded turquoise eyes, bathing her scales in cool refreshment. As much as she would like to have frolicked in the showers, she was more interested in landing in one spot, curling up and sleeping for the next four days. If only…

Cyre winged up to her side.

"You go in first and I'll follow. I want to wash off the grit of the trip."

Aleda pulled back her lips in a semblance of a smile.

"No problem," she shouted over the wind drafts.

When Cyre's sister, Brittany, had first suggested Aleda attend the dragon council in China, she'd been ecstatic. Her recent discovery of her true identity--half human, half dragon--had put her beliefs to the test. She imagined being around those like her would make her transition simpler. Cyre and Brittany, full-blooded Celtic dragons, had helped as best they could by explaining rules of dragon protocol and pointing out the good guys from the bad guys at the council meetings. By the end of the week, Aleda's fairy tale illusion had fallen abruptly on sharp rocks. Politics and power were as rampant in the dragon-shapeshifter community as in the human community.

Brittany was going to spend a night or two in Cyre's den before continuing her journey back to Scotland. Then Aleda and Cyre would be faced with the decisions they'd both been putting off since their first meeting.

She felt the solid rock beneath her talons and breathed a sigh of relief. The council meeting had been exhilarating, educational and overwhelming all at once. It was nice, really nice, to be back in the Northwest of the United States. Aleda stood, getting her land legs then shook the extra moisture from her body. Placing her talon on the button in the rock wall, she pushed and the door of the cave slid open. Watching the heavy glass trundle into the backside of Mt. St. Helens still gave her chill bumps. So much about the twenty-first century dragon world made her shake her head. How could they survive with all the advancements humans had accomplished? Knowing the answer still didn't stop her from asking the question.

The few minutes she'd stood contemplating questions already asked had given the cavern a chance to air out. While her sense of smell wasn't as acute for some things, sulfur being one of those, she still hadn't been able to adjust completely to the acrid aroma Cyre tolerated in his cave.

As she dragged her tired feet over the threshold, Cyre backwinged his way on the landing. Aleda turned just in time to catch the wicked twinkle in his eyes.

He sprayed water over the landing, his laughter bubbling over the surrounding rocks like thunder.

"Cyre! I just dried off! Jiminy!"

Aleda wrinkled her brow and glared at the young gray-green dragon. His mirthful smirk did nothing to help her anger.

"Hey, you two. Get in here and dry off. I did some hunting before you got here and there's dinner in the great room. I've had mine and to be quite frank, I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep."

Brittany tromped back to the great room and found a warm spot near the back wall.

Cyre and Aleda located the carcasses of the deer where Brittany had dropped the bodies. Each took one and moved off to eat, alone, before settling in for the night. Minutes after devouring their meals, the trio of dragons were fast asleep, the decisions of the previous week set aside for the normality of life.

 Review

Dragons Among the Eagles is an excellent sequel that will hold your attention until the very end and leave you craving more.  Well done Ms. Kraemer for delivering yet another awesome book!

Worthy of a 5 Angel Eyes rating

L. Nickels for Rogue's Angels

Woot! Woot! It's Thursday Check In Time

Source: google.com via Chris on Pinterest

Love this photo. 

Time to pay the piper! How did you do?

This is the Rogue's Angels weekly check-in. Every Thursday we encourage the Angels and visitors to let us know how their writing is going.

How well are you doing?

Had problems this week? That's ok. Just sit down this coming week and write. Whatever you do, don't let difficulties from the week before get in your way this week.

Every word is one word closer to the finished product.

Had a great week? Keep it up, the momentum is on your side.

Well, I've been stuck on my WIP -- now known as Catching Meara. Everything I was writitng didn't move the story forward. Well, I shouldn't say EVERYTHING. However, I'm talking about chapter 2. I sat down this afternoon with the old fashioned pen and notebook. I started a new outline of the entire book, trying to weave the serial killer into the story. I think I might have come up with an idea.

Once again, how did your week progress?

EVERYDAY MIRACLES: SINGING IN A DIFFERENT VOICE

Ever notice how people can sound completely different when they sing?

I was recently doing research on the rock band, Journey. Their current vocalist is a former homeless teenager from the Philippines. I listened to an interview with him and he has a noticeable accent. However, when he sings Journey hits like "Don't Stop Believin'," you get the classic Journey sound. Here's a CBS News Sunday Morning interview <http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1378774/arnel_pineda_cbs_news_sunday_morning_interview/> that mixes an interview with the band and old Journey clips featuring vocalist Steve Perry (in the earlier days) and their new frontman Arnel Pineda. If you watch the entire interview, be prepared for a touching story. 

Another voice that surprised me is that of Jim Nabors, who played Gomer Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show and the same character in a spinoff, Gomer Pyle, USMC. Here's an episode if you want to listen to him talk. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9adsI3E-Dk&feature=relmfu>. And here's one of him singing <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5KeGccP9Jk>.

Susan Boyle is another wonderful surprise <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk&feature=endscreen&NR=1>. I still get tears in my eyes when I listen to her debut on "Britain's Got Talent." Amazing!

I'm sure you can come up with others, and enjoy the miracle of singing!

Please Welcome Robert Lowe author of Project Moses

Project Moses

By

Robert Lowe

BLURB:  

“A thriller with an ideal fusion of wile and wit.”- Kirkus Reviews

Project Moses is a high-tech bioterrorism thriller in the Grisham mode that has been well received on Good Reads, Library Thing and Kindle (4.8 stars based on 18 reviews as of April 4).  It has romance, suspense and humor.

Enzo Lee, 37, a burned out reporter, has forsaken investigative reporting on the East Coast to churn out feature fluff in San Francisco. He likes his North Beach apartment, steps away from his Chinatown roots. Running, tai chi, great food, women who are attracted to his exotic looks. Life is good.

Then, Lee is ordered to cover the unexplained deaths of a local judge and prosecutor. Intrigued by the connection, and the judge’s attractive niece, Sarah Armstrong, Lee begins to uncover a bioterrorism scandal whose perpetrators - including government officials and Silicon Valley titans - will kill to conceal.

When Lee and Sarah become targets, the question becomes whether the pair can evade their hunters and piece together the story before their time runs out. Project Moses is set in San Francisco, New York and Silicon Valley.

 Interview

1.    What or who inspired you to start writing?

I was a newspaper reporter for 12 years out of college so that career choice showed my interest in writing and, of course, those years helped my writing.  Having written for a living in that format gave me confidence that I could write a book.  Also, I worked in newsrooms where there was always someone working on a book and some were very successful.  So, it seemed more doable that it would for someone without that background. 

2.    What elements are necessary components for this genre.

There are the things that I strive to have:  a) Compelling narrative which means both not boring and with energy or pacing to keep the story and the reader moving.  b) A tight plot with enough at stake to make it interesting but credible and without loose ends. c) Believable characters that people will react to in the way intended – particularly find your heroes likeable and believe it when romance occurs. d) New information about a profession, industry or science as an added “content bonus.”    

3.    What expertise did you bring to your writing?

My 12 years as a reporter and having writing be part of how I made my living was a big element.  My specialty was investigative reporting so understanding how to unearth facts helped both in terms of what Enzo Lee, the main character would do, but also in terms of thinking about how a plot might be revealed and come unraveled. 

Also, much of the story revolves around journalism and law.  I went to law school after journalism so that background was helpful as well.

4.    What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?

I have been around a lot of women in my life and am probably more comfortable around a female-dominated environment than a lot of men. I had 3 sisters and no brothers and although I’m close to my father, he was very busy when I was growing up and not a big part of my day-to-day life. I remember having a lot of aunties around.  I have two daughters.  My wife had 5 sisters, no brothers.  Of my nieces and nephews, I have 3 nephews and probably 15 nieces (lost count).  When I look back at the characters in Project Moses I can see that the female ones generally are better.  Aside from Enzo, they are the memorable ones. So, I think this comfort level and whatever it implies has a lot to do with it.

5.    As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?

I am working on my second novel, another mystery/thriller using the same main character and some of the secondary characters – all women as it turns out - that appear in Project Moses.

6.    If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?

7.    Can you give us a sneak peak into this book?

In Project Moses the main character is Enzo Lee who is a reporter at a newspaper in San Francisco. Late 30s, and Chinese-Italian-Scottish, Lee has been a successful investigative reporter but has remade himself into a feature writer of fun, fluffy stories. Then, his editor makes him cover a couple of murders and Lee is drawn into a big conspiracy involving rogue government agents and a big corporation that is misusing genetic engineering technology in a worldwide plot.  Along the way, he meets and is thrown together with the niece of a murder victim, a young lawyer whom it turns out is also a target.  The story is really about how they try to piece together the conspiracy and expose the scandal while the bad actors are trying to silence them.  

8. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step?

I had some paid time off between jobs and decided to use it writing a book.  I showed the pages to my wife as I wrote and she was very encouraging and urged me to finish and publish the work.  She was a journalist for many years and reads widely and voluminously so I trusted her judgment.

1                     9. What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)

Don’t plan on getting rich doing it.  And, find someone whose judgment and candor you trust who will give you feedback. 

10. Do you outline your books or just start writing?

I have an idea of where I think the main plot/crime will go and other pieces in mind – characters that might crop up, relationships that will develop, etc. – they I sit down and start writing and see what happens.  I do find that I have threads emerging almost on their own and then have to work to tie them back into the story.  Also, the characters do seem to develop almost on their own.  It’s like I’m sitting across from someone and the revelation hits, “Oh.  She must feel this way about whatever (love, possessions, children, etc.)”

11. Who is your favorite character in the book. Can you tell us why?

I’ll have to say Enzo Lee because I identify with him the most. He is an investigative reporter as I was and shares some, although certainly not all, of my background.  This was deliberate since I thought it would be easier to just think how I would react to something and that would get me close to Enzo’s thinking.  But, I also take him through the toughest emotional swings including some tragedy in Project Moses so I feel for the guy as well.  
  

REVIEW SOUND BYTES

KIRKUS REVIEW:

PROJECT MOSES

A journalist and a lawyer stumble upon secret experiments and a government conspiracy in Lowe’s debut mystery novel.

Reporter Enzo Lee is keeping a low journalistic profile in San Francisco by specializing in light newspaper features. After he reluctantly tackles a story of a judge found dead in her office, avoiding front-page news becomes the least of Lee’s worries. The judge’s death is associated with a prosecutor—killed by a hit-and-run—another attorney and the judge’s niece, Sarah Armstrong, who’s nearly a victim herself. As more people are murdered, Lee and Sarah learn of a company, AgriGenics, that genetically enhances fruits and vegetables—but the company’s ties to biological weapons put the snooping couple in its scope. Lowe's taut thriller is fronted by a likable protagonist who retains his sense of humor even under a constant threat of death. Lee easily generates sympathy, especially since he doesn’t particularly enjoy his unbearable circumstances—he was content averting controversy with his newspaper features. Both he and Sarah are resourceful characters, and their mutual attraction and ensuing relationship is believable. In the same regard, the two convincingly manage the intrigue: Sarah connects the murders through her prior involvement and Lee, the former hard-hitting reporter, utilizes sources and information as a means to take the offense. The story’s long-reaching conspiracy is elaborate but never overwhelming, so readers can appreciate the stockpiling of secrets, elusive characters and murders committed to preserve those secrets. One of the supporting players, a female detective named Bobbie Connors, who proves an asset to Lee, threatened to steal the spotlight completely if she’d been allowed a more substantial part in the story.

A thriller with an ideal fusion of wile and wit.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

Robert B. Lowe is a Pulitzer-prize winning author whose fiction is based in San Francisco, his adopted home.

His past experiences – a 12-year career in investigative journalism and a Harvard Law School degree – enable him to write gripping mystery thrillers in both the legal and journalistic fields. Lowe draws his inspiration from John Grisham, Dick Francis and Lee Childs and adds his own San Francisco twist. Readers will enjoy his references to the city’s landmarks such as Chinatown, North Beach and Pacific Heights  and the Bay area’s foodie culture.

When Lowe isn’t writing he enjoys a day at the golf course and spending time with his wife and daughters.

Robert will be giving away a $10 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter at the close of the tour as well as to the host with the most comments, not counting the hosts or his own.

Don't forget to leave a comment!

LINKS:

http://www.robertblowe.com/

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/RobertBLowe

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5621745.Robert_B_Lowe

https://twitter.com/#!/AuthorRobBLowe

One of June's Three Birthstones: Alexandrite

Source: vivicgems.com via Doreen on Pinterest

This rare gemstone is named after the Russian tsar Alexander II (1818-1881), the very first crystals having been discovered in April 1834 in the emerald mines near the Tokovaya River in the Urals. The discovery was made on the day the future tsar came of age. Although alexandrite is a relatively young gemstone, it certainly has a noble history. Since it shows both red and green, the principal colours of old Imperial Russia, it inevitably became the national stone of tsarist Russia.

Beautiful alexandrite in top quality, however, is very rare indeed and hardly ever used in modern jewellery. In antique Russian jewellery you may come across it with a little luck, since Russian master jewellers loved this stone. Tiffany’s master gemmologist George Frederick Kunz (1856-1932) was also fascinated by alexandrite, and the jeweller’s firm produced some beautiful series of rings and platinum ensembles at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Smaller alexandrites were occasionally also used in Victorian jewellery from England.

The magic of changing colours

The most sensational feature about this stone, however, is its surprising ability to change its colour. Green or bluish-green in daylight, alexandrite turns a soft shade of red, purplish-red or raspberry red in incandescent light. This unique optical characteristic makes it one of the most valuable gemstones of all, especially in fine qualities.

Alexandrite is very scarce: this is due to its chemical composition. It is basically a chrysoberyl, a mineral consisting of colourless or yellow transparent chrysoberyl, chrysoberyl cat’s eye and colour-changing alexandrite (also in cat’s eye varieties). It differs from other chrysoberyls in that it not only contains iron and titanium, but also chromium as a major impurity. And it is this very element which accounts for the spectacular colour change. Rarely, vanadium may also play a part. According to CIBJO nomenclature, only chrysoberyls displaying a distinct change of colour may be termed alexandrite.

Like many other gemstones, alexandrite emerged millions of years ago in a metamorphic environment. But unlike many others, its formation required specific geological conditions. The chemical elements beryllium (a major constituent in chrysoberyl) and chromium (the colouring agent in alexandrite) have contrasting chemical characteristics and do not as a rule occur together, usually being found in contrasting rock types. Not only has Nature brought these contrasting rock types into contact with each other, but a lack of the chemical element silica (the second most common element in the Earth's crust) is also required to prevent the growth of emerald. This geological scenario has occurred only rarely in the Earth's history and, as a result, alexandrite crystals are very scarce indeed.

If you really get involved in alexandrite, you will be utterly fascinated by this gem. Maybe you will also feel some of the mysterious magic and lore ascribed to it. It is considered a stone of very good omen. In critical situations it is supposed to strengthen the wearer’s intuition, and thus help him or her find new ways forward in situations where logic will not provide an answer. Alexandrite is also reputed to aid creativity and inspire the imagination.

Source: google.com via Marcia on Pinterest

Fathers Day

In honor of fathers every where. My own father played a very important role in my life. He is still always so positive and encouraging. He believed in me and knew I could do anything I wanted. He taught me many things and supported all of my endeavors.

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Shanda on Pinterest

Happy Fathers Day, Dad.

In Rebel Heart, Advisor DeMontville, played a very big part in the twins life, particularly Victoria's.

Here is short excerpt:

The legislation concerning and banning the genetic allele transplant surgery was his to sign. It had been voted on in the senate as well as the house, passing both bodies of laws each by just one vote. He could veto this but he knew in the end his veto would be futile. Perhaps not...

Perhaps if he vetoed the bill, the next time through it would pass.

How many years had passed since the first surgery? Ten, perhaps twenty...

Desperation had forced the painful surgeries that killed and maimed more than they had saved. There was still no serum that would kill all of the mutating viruses...

New research had brought genetic surgery back into debate. New techniques and new instruments made the operation more plausible than before. Setting that one aside, he pulled the next document from it's folder--mandatory viral insurance. He couldn't help but give a frustrated laugh. Most of the city people couldn't afford the insurance, and the serums this was supposed to pay for rarely worked. The coalition was all about stuffing money in their pockets.

"Daddy, is it all right?" Tori's hushed voice followed a soft knock. Her head peaked around the corner.

"Come in." She was obviously forcing a smile. But she didn't have to do that for his sake.

The girls entered the room, both with heads held high. He grinned inside at that. Even Nessa, taking a leaf from her sister’s book was showing signs of rebellion.

"You wanted to see us?" Tori knew the answer, but DeMontville understood she wouldn't make this easy for him.

"I remember when the two of you were born."

"I do as well," Lady DeMontville stepped into the room.

A wave of displeasure swept through him. "I did not except you." Yet the disapproval was only because Kaitlyn would make this all the harder. He had asked her to stay at home. Dealing with another set of tears was not part of his plan.

"And you thought I would allow you to send the girls away while I sat at home doing nothing."

"I've signed the papers. There is no other way." DeMontville rose, pushing his chair back with his legs. An already bad day had just grown that much worse.

"There are always options," she told him. "I will take them to the mountains. They would not need to be purified." Her voice was stiff, her eyes red and that determined tilt to her chin meant an argument she knew she couldn't win but she meant to go down fighting.

"That would not do. There are people, even friends and family who are calling for punishment. We have indulged the girls and news of their exploits reaches all places--even the mountains."

"They have my blood and they are immune. The laws are foolish and should be reexamined."

Sunlight caught her golden hair and danced around her. She was the most beautiful lady he'd ever seen. She had stolen his heart that long ago day and she still held it fast. If he had the power to grant her this wish, he would. He motioned to his desk. Her gaze followed and she nodded, seeming to understand without the words that those were all laws that were being reexamined.

"They have been changed. Just this past month. If anything the laws are harsher. The people of the cities fear the diseases that can wipe out entire populations in a blink. I cannot..."

"Will not." She defiantly crossed her arms in front of her chest. She looked at the girls then back to him. "They are only children."

"Please, I do not want to argue. The gliders will be here within the hour. I assume their bags are packed."

"We are ready, father," Tori said her head held high, a look of defiance in her beautiful grey eyes. Her mother's eyes.

"Yes, I see that." DeMontville stroked his chin. Sudden admiration for his girls filled him. "You are determined then to be brave."

"We are both brave," Nessa said, stepping up to her sister to put her arm through Tori's. "We will do this with no complaints."

"Where are they taking them?" Lady DeMontville asked. "I have a mother's right to know."

"Despite your god given rights, I cannot tell you. But I chose each of their destinations carefully. If they follow the laws, listen and respect their elders, they will develop into adults everyone will be proud of. 

Cliff Hanger Saturday: Just Like the Matinees of Old

Source: Uploaded by user via Suzanne on Pinterest

Cliff Hanger Saturday is a place where you can post your favorite "cliff hangers" of all time or just good writing at the end of the scene. (if not your own work, please give credit to the author and the book.) We all know, a scene should not end with anyone going to sleep. YAWN. But sometimes we see this. If the characters go to sleep, so do we.

So share favorites or write one here.

I have been posting excerpts for advertising and Rogue Phoenix Press. If you are writing an excerpt for something make sure that excerpt ends making the reader turn the page and read on. Do we want the reader up all night? Of course we do!

Reviews:

Annie for Euro Reviews writes:

Rebel Heart is a well-written futuristic novel of a time that very possibly could come to pass, when viral plagues have laid the planet waste, and life is lived either in the sterile confines of domed habitats, or as pariahs in the outside wilderness. The world-building is excellent, vivid, and true-to-life. The characters will quickly catch and hold the reader's sympathies. The plot is quick, and takes time to examine many valid social, economic, class, and political issues as well. Christine Young delivers a winner which will capture the interest of futuristic/science fiction fans as well as the general reader.

Jasmina Vallombrosa for TCM Reviews writes:

Filled with drama and suspense, this book will draw you into the mysteries of science fiction. I was pleasantly surprised by Ms. Young’s storytelling talents as she wove not only a wonderful futuristic adventure, but also that of a passionate love story. I loved the main characters as they came to life on the pages. The plot was quite suspenseful and deliciously entertaining. As a result, I had no choice but to keep flipping the pages as I raced to the end. Bravo Ms.Young for such an extraordinary book from cover to cover!

Blurb: Rebel Heart

HER REBEL SPIRIT DEFIED HIS OUTSIDERS SOUL...

She was velvet and silk, eyes the color of a summer storm and amber hair. Victoria DeMontville, because of a promise and a codicil to her father's will, was forced to marry one man to protect her from another. She hated Cameron Savage with a fierce passion. But to hold on to her genetic research and find a cure for the deadly Signe virus, she must pretend to love the enemy at her door, come with weapons of fire to melt her icy heart...

HIS OUTSIDERS TOUCH IGNITED RAGING PASSIONS.

He wore a mask, disguised as the Phantom, a true legend come to life. Even as war and debate over new genetic research engulfed them all, he would find his greatest adversary in the beauty who'd branded him an outsider and barbarian, the woman he was born to possess, his soul mate.

Premise: Rebel Heart

Rebel Heart is set five hundred years in the future. The hero and heroine come from very different backgrounds. One is an Outsider and the other a City Dweller, but they are both dedicated scientists. Cameron savage is a physician. Victoria DeMontville is a research scientist. They are both working to create a vaccine that will work against a deadly virus. Victoria has uncovered another way to help the victims of the virus, genetic surgery. During many of her forays into the musty archives of the city library, she discovers a technique that would give the City Dwellers a gene that would enhance an almost non-existent immune system. The technique is called allele transplant surgery.

Excerpt

But as the virus spread throughout the cities for the second time in five years, Cameron began to search in new directions. When the last tests proved negative, Cameron decided to leave. Old folk tales, the lore of the elders, remained strong in the mountain people. Medicinal remedies passed down from one generation to the next provided harmless if not beneficial cures. The white flower was the illusive thread. Yet the only way to unlock each link in the chain was to go to the source. The source lay in the hills and in the minds of the mountain folk. He meant to travel back to his roots, the beginning, before 'Merica divided, before all hell broke loose.

Now the sun rose on a new day, and more people would die from an incurable disease, a disease that once had been extinct. The land glider hovered outside the med-lab. The vehicle held two year's worth of records and research. Before Cameron settled himself in the driver's seat and headed east into the rugged Cascades, he looked to the West. It was lighter in that direction. When he closed his eyes, he imagined the smell of salt spray, the sound of breakers crashing against the rocks, the sensual pull of a young beguiling girl with blue-gray eyes. Eyes that reminded him of the soft color of a dove's wing.

His brows narrowed thoughtfully as he climbed into the glider.

It hovered, began to move...slowly at first then picked up speed. Earth and greenery flew beneath the air of the glider and within minutes, he had left the road and traversed cross-country, his destination a small primitive village nestled in the Rockies. Highly intelligent minds, yet antisocial behavior, marked these people and Cameron was well aware of their idiosyncrasies. Once they knew his purpose though, once they saw the endless stack of notes, heard the relevant news, and understood the enormity of his mission, they would help.

Tall mountains, deep canyons, and deserts appeared before him then vanished on the horizon as he passed by. Hour by hour, minute by minute, he closed the distance.

Until he could see one mountain rising high above the others.

Sheltered in the lush green valley on its north side he'd find his people. Nervous energy pulsed through his veins and he bumped up the throttle, accelerating, daring to push his rig as fast as it would go.

"Woo...ee...!" The glider skimmed across the earth and banked into a tight turn. Cameron came in low, banked, dodging boulders and trees.

For a moment, he thought he'd lost control. He pushed the vehicle to its limit, tested his own strength and stamina. He righted the glider, easing back on the throttle, and he felt the surge of adrenalin in his blood dissolve.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and let his throbbing head fall back against the seat. Exhaustion caused by long sleepless nights was beginning to leave its mark. He fought it, because there was something else he'd learned from long hours of study and research. Never, never let the fatigue betray you, and he was determined it would not.