To celebrate the lunch of my new YA science fiction novel Drifters, I have put my science fiction romance Alien Bonds (book 1 of the Wakanreo trilogy) on sale for half off— only $1.99 for the Kindle version! Of course the entire trilogy is also free if you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber,
Alien Bonds takes place on the planet Wakanreo, where the dominant species is humanoid, but a little taller than actual humans, and with fur and claws. Wakanreans are also unique in the galaxy because they mate for life through a process controlled entirely by pheromones. I had a lot of fun writing this book because I got to decide how this trait would have affected Wakanrean cultures. I concluded that Wakanreans would be less class-conscious than humans, because there would be no such thing as an arranged marriage, no upper class that could look down on "inferior" people based on their jobs or lack of wealth. If fate and pheromones are always in charge of mating, then parents could not control who their offspring brought into the family. Ergo, everyone is valued more equally.
Likewise, if two people with compatible pheromones happened to be the same gender, no big deal. If mating isn't a choice, then you can't judge people on their mates. Also, sex has nothing to do with morality so they don't worry about nudity. But there is no such thing as dating because you cannot induce the mating process. So is that a bad thing or a good thing? That's kind of the point of the book. Well, that and the love story that unfolds between a human woman and a Wakanrean man.
Another thing that was fun to do with this book was I was able to make excellent use of use the Kindle X-Ray function. X-Ray is most often used to explain who characters are (it's very handy when someone from disappears in chapter 2 and then reappears in chapter 20.. However in the Wakanreo books, I also use X-Ray to link the made-up alien words to their meanings. All you do is long press the character or place name, or in this case, Wakanrean word, and a box with an explanation pops up. And unlike looking up terms in Wikipedia, X-Ray works fine in airplane mode. [N.B. While an actual Kindle supports X-Ray, not every version of the app does. Also, it won't work in books where the publisher has not done the setup work.] There is a glossary at the back of the book if you can't use X-Ray.
#MFRWhooks
Alien Bonds takes place on the planet Wakanreo, where the dominant species is humanoid, but a little taller than actual humans, and with fur and claws. Wakanreans are also unique in the galaxy because they mate for life through a process controlled entirely by pheromones. I had a lot of fun writing this book because I got to decide how this trait would have affected Wakanrean cultures. I concluded that Wakanreans would be less class-conscious than humans, because there would be no such thing as an arranged marriage, no upper class that could look down on "inferior" people based on their jobs or lack of wealth. If fate and pheromones are always in charge of mating, then parents could not control who their offspring brought into the family. Ergo, everyone is valued more equally.
Likewise, if two people with compatible pheromones happened to be the same gender, no big deal. If mating isn't a choice, then you can't judge people on their mates. Also, sex has nothing to do with morality so they don't worry about nudity. But there is no such thing as dating because you cannot induce the mating process. So is that a bad thing or a good thing? That's kind of the point of the book. Well, that and the love story that unfolds between a human woman and a Wakanrean man.
Another thing that was fun to do with this book was I was able to make excellent use of use the Kindle X-Ray function. X-Ray is most often used to explain who characters are (it's very handy when someone from disappears in chapter 2 and then reappears in chapter 20.. However in the Wakanreo books, I also use X-Ray to link the made-up alien words to their meanings. All you do is long press the character or place name, or in this case, Wakanrean word, and a box with an explanation pops up. And unlike looking up terms in Wikipedia, X-Ray works fine in airplane mode. [N.B. While an actual Kindle supports X-Ray, not every version of the app does. Also, it won't work in books where the publisher has not done the setup work.] There is a glossary at the back of the book if you can't use X-Ray.
So, hop aboard the StarShip Kindle and you will visit an interesting planet! One Amazon reviewer called the story "a unique and very well thought out romance, unlike any other I’ve read before."
Excerpt from Alien Bonds:
The silver-haired Wakanrean came closer still. Under his cape
he wore a long, blue robe instead of the trousers and loose, tunic-style shirt
favored by Wakanreans of both sexes. He was very close now. His golden facial
and body fur combined with the creamy white of his crest reminded her of some
Terran animal, but she couldn’t remember which one. Other than the dark blue
trim on his robe and the diamond-shaped pattern that decorated his sandals, his
only adornment was a piece of silver jewelry fastened at the base of his
throat; she couldn’t tell if it was pinned to his robe or his chest fur.
Dina could feel herself breathing faster, her heart pounding
hard. She should walk away. Why couldn’t she move her feet? She stood waiting
by the mezzanine railing, as still as if she had taken root in the floor.
The Wakanrean stood in front of her. He glared down at her,
his face contorted into a scowl, his amber eyes glowing with contempt.
“I beg your pardon.” Dina tried to keep the quaver out of her
voice. “Do I know you?”
He was so close, she could feel the heat from his body.
Either that, or the room had gotten suddenly warmer. Dina felt herself flush
from head to foot.
He didn’t answer, but all at once it was as if his anger was
a physical thing, an invisible mass, pushing against her. She stepped backward,
stumbled, and almost fell.
She reached for the mezzanine railing behind her, and in the
same instant, the Wakanrean grabbed her arm.
Dina froze, utterly baffled. The orientation had said clearly
that Wakanreans would always avoid touching a Terran, and yet here was one not
only touching her, but holding her firmly by the arm and helping her to stand.
The orientation had also failed to warn her that a
Wakanrean’s touch was so warm it almost burned. Dina could feel a flush of heat
on her arm where his hand still gripped it. She stood straighter and looked
into his face. He had typical Wakanrean features—an arched nose, large round
eyes, a wide mouth.
His expression changed as she watched. His anger faded to
confusion. He looked almost stunned. His nostrils still flared, but from the
way his eyes had opened wide, Dina knew he was surprised rather than angry.
#MFRWhooks
