Guest Post: Altered Doesn't Mean Bad...

Altered Doesn't Mean Bad – It Just Means Different

by Lynda K. Scott

Good morning all!

Wookie, my alien kitten, and I are delighted to be visiting you today. It's been a very interesting time for us since I decided to self-publish my novel, Altered Destiny...which has had a very altered destiny indeed.

The novel was originally published a few years ago by a publisher who went belly up two weeks after they published it. I didn't know what to do with it once I got my rights back because many publishers don't want to deal with a book that has already been published.

Just about the same time the publisher went belly up, Wookie came along. I first saw her when she was about three weeks old. Actually, I heard her before I saw her. One of the men who worked with me carried this tiny kitten into the office and the poor baby was crying its little head off. He'd apparently found it in the grass outside the building and rescued it from being run over by the big lawn equipment. He intended to call Animal Control but what would they do with a kitten so young its eyes were barely open and its ears were still folded. The baby's teeth were bare lumps. It would need bottle feeding every few hours. I knew they wouldn't be able to do it.

So I took her home. Then to the vet who pronounced her healthy and listed all the things I'd need to do to keep her that way. I enlisted my daughter's help while we attempted to find a Kitten Rescue Shelter to take the baby in. Luckily for me, all the shelters were full.

So the alien kitten adopted me and my home as her own. Her destiny was altered from a short, dangerous feral life to a life of comfort as my alien kitten, aka muse, writing partner and evil overlord ;-) Oh, and contest judge as you'll see later on.

One day, when I was lamenting about Altered Destiny, Wookie pointed out that altered doesn't mean bad. It just means different. She reminded me that this book had garnered a lot of contest awards before it was published and that meant that a lot of people had to have liked it. So we kicked around the idea of publishing Altered Destiny ourselves. The book was ready to be published but it needed a cover.

Wookie thought a picture of her would make a good cover. But I pointed out that even though she's a beautiful alien kitten, there weren't any alien kittens in the story. Besides I wanted something to reflect the handsome hero and the fact the book is a paranormal. So I consulted my web designer, Rae Monet, whose talent is utterly amazing. She came up with a cover that simply rocked me it was so good. (And it was hugely better than the original cover which had some poor berserk looking fellow swinging a sword). All I needed now was to figure out how to get the formatting done so it would work on the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook.

That was a little tricky but I've worked with computers and software for years. None of them have beaten me yet. This wasn't going to be the first time. When I finally got the formatting mastered, I submitted it to both Amazon and B&N. Then I also put it up on Smashwords so it would be available in more formats.

Wookie thought that was brilliant because she expects more Greenies. But she's kind of partial and not above flattery when her favorite treats are involved so you have to take her opinion at face value most of the time. This time, however, she might be right. When I see Altered Destiny on either of the websites, it just makes me realize that nothing, nothing, can't be changed. We just have to be open enough to possibilities to recognize an opportunity when we see one.

Wookie did that when she came to live with me and we're both happier for it.

Altered Destiny Excerpt

The woman trembled, eyes wide as she stared at the bluff. Her teeth pressed against her lower lip hard enough he wouldn’t have been surprised to see blood. Devyn recognized the building hysteria. His chest tightened; he’d seen like expressions all too often and it opened a raw, bleeding hurt in his chest.

Whoever she was, whatever she was doing here on this lonely stretch of beach, he couldn’t ignore her distress. But...he had to stay in character, had to be the frivolous, incompetent Bard. He could not let her suspect he was the outlaw Reiver Lord.

Placing his fingertips on her elbow, he expected her to collapse into tears, into his arms. Most women would. This lass drew a deep breath and jerked away from the light contact. She settled a fierce, midnight-blue gaze on him. “What’s going on?”

A feeling, half-familiarity, half-lust, swept over him. Her hair, short and curly, gleamed with dark fire among its mahogany strands. He knew her. He’d never seen her before but, somehow, he knew her. He knew the tiny scar under her left eyebrow. He knew those full, sensuous lips, that determined set to her jaw. Aye, he knew her. He just didn’t know how he knew her. “I dinna ken, lass. Whyn’t tell me what you ken is going on?”

Planting her small fists on her hips, she surveyed the beach again. Her jacket gaped to reveal a striking red shirt that served her fair complexion well. She said, “I don’t know.”

Her voice was pure silk even edged with the frustration and anger she so clearly felt. He wanted suddenly to hear it while she was in the throes of passion, to hear it breathe words of desire into his ear. To stop that train of thought, he inhaled sharply. That was a mistake. Her scent, jasmine mixed with morning rain, teased his senses. The heat of her body touched his, made him want to gather her into his arms, and it stoked an uncomfortable heat in his roger. He took a step backward, away from the intoxicating smell, the drugging heat of her and fought wildly for his bard persona. “Well then. Shall I take ya hame?”

“Hame?”

“You ken. Where you and your family live?”

She wasn't a fabled Amazon but there was strength in her body that reminded him of the warrior-queen, Boudicea, who had fought and lost to the Romans so many centuries ago. She leveled a frown at him. “You’re trying to be funny, aren’t you?”

“You must admit, ‘tis unusual to find a woman alone in the midst of nae where.” He spent a moment adjusting his jacket and shirtsleeves. There was only one explanation for why she was here and alone. Casually, he asked, “Have you, by chance, run away from the Bounty?”

Her frown grew. “The Bounty?”

“Aye.” Helpfully, he added, “The Bride Bounty?”

“What are you talking about? A ship?” She shook her head, clearly puzzled, and then rubbed her temples. “Oh, never mind,” she murmured. Her head came up, the strong jaw firmed. “I must have wandered farther down the beach than I realized last night. That’s all. One bit of rocky sand looks like another.”

In a flash, she was off, striding northward. Devyn spent a moment admiring the sweet shape of her arse in those scandalous trousers before he hastened to catch up with her. “Lass? Lass, a moment please.”

“No.” She stopped abruptly. Devyn pulled up short to keep from running over her again. “No, this is the right spot. It was up there. The sea stairs were right by that boulder.”

She seemed to be talking to herself, not him which was just as well since he had no idea what she was talking about. One thing he knew, there was not and never had been a cottage here. “Lass, surely you’re mistaken–”

Without a word, she launched herself at the bluff. Devyn knew this spot was unscalable–he’d been here often as a child and tried it himself. The strange lass was going to kill herself or, at the very least, break a bone. He positioned himself beneath her as she made it a short distance up. The inevitable happened. She lost her grip. As she slid down the rough, rocky slope, he caught her. She sobbed once, a wretched twist of sound that called to his own buried grief. A tear tracked down her cheek as he settled her feet on the ground. His throat constricted as he remembered all those he had lost over the years and his hands shook as he examined her for injury. “Are ya hurt, lass?”

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled her close, folding her into his arms like a treasure he'd always coveted. She fit him, neither too tall, nor too small, with her head nestled under his chin. Her scent filled his lungs again, bringing to mind sweet summer mornings filled with promise, with joyful laughter. The sense of familiarity struck anew. His arms tightened, held her protectively. Possessively.

That thought frightened him but he couldn’t force himself to release her. In neither of his roles as the Bard or the Reiver Lord could he possibly claim a woman as his own. The Reiver was an outlaw, a mythic figure used to set free the lassies taken as Bride Bounty. The Bard was a spy hiding behind a false façade of joviality and incompetence. Worse, the Bard was Cuini’s whore and that fact alone made him...unclean.

Altered Destiny is available for purchase at...
- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00579FKFO
- Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Altered-Destiny/Lynda-K-Scott/e/2940012882417
- Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/79552


Heartstone first chapter is available online at...
- D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters.

Heartstone is available for purchase at…
- Mundania Press http://www.mundania.com/book.php?title=Heartstone

Note: Use MP10 for a 10% Mundania Press discount at checkout (only good on Mundania site)

- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Heartstone-Lynda-K-Scott/dp/1606592335/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307896585&sr=8-1
- Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heartstone-lynda-k-scott/1024283642?ean=9781606592335&itm=9&usri=heartstone


About Lynda
In her family of Kentucky 'ridge runners', oral tales were a tradition that even the children participated in. She spent many nights with her brother, cousins and friends telling tall tales to excite the imagination. Now she creates award winning science fantasy romance filled with despair, hope, love and courage.


Contact
- Website: http://www.lyndakscott.com
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lynda.k.scott
- MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/lyndakscott
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/LyndaKScott
- Blog 1: http://www.lyndakscott.blogspot.com
- Blog 2: http://www.star-crossedromance.blogspot.com
- Email: Lynda@LyndaKScott.com


One Last Thing
If you leave your email addy with your comment, I'll put your name in the prize box and on Friday, Sept 16, I'll have Wookie, my alien kitten, select one person to win a FREE e-copy of Altered Destiny from Smashwords.

Note: See contest small print below for rules.


Another Last Thing
Thanks for having me here. I hope you've all enjoyed hearing about Wookie's 'altered destiny'. She always enjoys being the center of attention ;-)



Contest Small Print:
- Entering the contest constitutes agreement to all rules stated in this post.
- Rules are subject to change without notification or reason given.
- "The Multiverse's Archival Chambers" owned D. Renee Bagby / Zenobia Renquist is the HOST of this post and contest ONLY and has no say or bearing on contest winner or prize dispersal. All contest queries should be addressed to Lynda K. Scott.
- Winner announced is final.
- Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Must be 18 or older to win.
- Chances of winning vary widely based on how many people enter.
- No prize substitutions or exchanges.
- Only comments that include email address count as valid.
- Only comments on the BLOG will count toward the contest. Comments made on FB or any other location that is not this blog will NOT count.
- Only one comment per individual will count towards the contest.
- Winner will be announced on the blog at the end of the contest.