Wednesday 30 July 2014

Sneak peek

I'm thrilled to say I'll have a few copies of STARGATE SG-1: Hostile Ground with me at Shore Leave 36 this weekend, a couple weeks ahead of the book's release on August 14th .  So if you're at Shore Leave, come along and see us at the Fandemonium Books table. :)  

In the meantime, you can read a short extract from chapter one right here...

Stargate SG-1: Hostile Ground - Sally Malcolm & Laura Harper


“Teal’c, how far?” 
The colonel’s words were clipped, each one bitten off like a curse as he knelt next to Daniel in the mud.  Sam couldn't see what he was doing, didn't dare take her eyes off the rain-sodden tree line, but she could smell the antiseptic and heard Daniel hiss in a sharp breath. 
“We are now less than a kilometer from the Stargate,” Teal’c said.  He crouched next to her, staff weapon raised and his arm brushing against hers, making the most of the scant cover they shared – a fallen tree, rotting in the incessant rain.  It wouldn't do much against a staff blast but it was better than nothing.  She glanced up at the heavy sky, the clouds hiding a multitude of dangers.  If those gliders came back…
Breathing hard, breathing through pain, Daniel said, “I’m okay.  I can make it.”
“Damn right you can.”  The colonel’s growl made it an order as he ripped open another field dressing.  Sam heard Daniel’s shout of pain as the colonel pressed the bandage onto the wound.  She didn't know how badly he was injured, but it had to be serious for the colonel to risk stopping their breakneck flight to the Stargate. 
Movement – a fleeting shadow back in the tree line.  She wiped rain from her face and eyes, squinting through the curtain of water that slanted across the open ground between SG-1 and the edge of the forest.  Yes, there it was again, a glint of gold amid the trees.  “Sir,” she said, finger itchy on the trigger, “you might want to hurry that up.”
“What do you think I’m doing, Carter?”
She ignored his sharp tone.  “Teal’c, do you see them?  Two-o’clock.”
“I do.”  He shifted his position, taking aim.
“Sir?” she risked a glance over her shoulder.  Daniel was ashen, his jacket torn and dark with blood where the staff blast had hit, just above the hip and below his tac vest.  She glimpsed a white compression bandage through the torn fabric.  He grimaced as he moved, trying to stand. 
The colonel put a restraining hand on his shoulder and looked over at Sam.  She knew that look, the flat uncompromising expression that shut everything down.  It meant they were in trouble.  “Daniel and I are gonna head for the gate,” he said, starting to pack away the med-kit with quick, efficient movements.  “You and Teal’c hold them here as long as you can, then come after us.”  He stuffed his gear back into his vest and tugged the bill of his cap lower.  “Don’t leave it too long, Major.”
She understood.  If they were too slow getting back to the gate, there was a real danger they’d be outflanked.  “Yes sir.  Good luck.”
His only reply was a curt nod before he turned to Daniel.  “Ready?”
“Sure,” Daniel said, teeth gritted.  “How hard can it be?”
“Attaboy,” the colonel said as he helped Daniel to his feet.  “We might have to run.”
Daniel nodded, turning from ashen to milky, but determined as ever.  “Let’s go.”
Sam looked away, back to the enemy hiding in the trees, but not before she’d seen the bloom of scarlet on Daniel’s dressing.  She swallowed a hard knot of anxiety.  It would be difficult enough to make it to the gate carrying a wound like that, let alone with a platoon of Jaffa on their heels.
“The enemy is moving,” Teal’c murmured as several Jaffa emerged from the trees, keeping low as they scanned the scrubby clearing.  Sam ducked behind their cover, not wanting to give away their position.  “Go now, O’Neill,” Teal’c said softly.  “We will cover your retreat and hold this position as long as possible.”
“Counting on it,” the colonel said. 
With Daniel’s arm looped over his shoulder, he headed out into the sparse woodland that ran all the way back to the Stargate.  Sam winced at their slow, awkward pace.  At that rate, they’d never reach the gate before the Jaffa. 
A squall of rain blew into her face and she had to turn away, squeezing her eyes shut.  When she looked back, Daniel and the colonel were gone, the rain at least helping to hide them from the advancing Jaffa, even if it did make the muddy ground slick and treacherous under foot.   Wiping her face on her sleeve, she squirmed around and shivered as a trickle of rain slid down her neck and under her collar.  “Daniel’s moving pretty slow,” she whispered, taking a bead on one of the Jaffa and switching her weapon to single shot.  “Do you think they’ll make it in time?”  Even through the rain, she knew she’d hit her target.  But not yet, let them come out a little further from the cover of the trees. 
“It is possible,” Teal’c said, “that one of us will need to precede them to the Stargate and hold it against the Jaffa.”

“Yeah,” Sam said, a beat of fear kicking in her chest, “that’s what I figured.”

STARGATE SG-1: Hostile Ground - available for eBook on August 14th and in paperback on  September 1st 2014.

19 comments:

  1. OMG, that's all you're going to give us??? :) I can't wait! We're actually leaving for GateCon in Chicago on the 14th, so I will have something to read on the plane! I wish we were going to Shore Leave, but it's a bit far and we're moving house this weekend. Maybe I could just leave hubby and the kids behind to deal with it? I'd love to come chat with you (and bemoan the lack of a 3rd movie!), and maybe see RDA and his lovely eyes and smile again. We met RDA in Seattle this past March, and he was just the nicest person ever. He talked to our son for a really long time, which made his day. Have a great time while you're there!

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  2. That's all for now! GateCon sounds like a blast, I wish we could do that too. Have a fantastic time there. And let me know what you think of Hostile Ground once you've had a chance to read it. :)

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  3. Oh, oh oh I am sooooo excited about this book! It has more action in this once glimpse than I have seen in a Stargate book in absolutely ages. It looks fantastic! And the writing is rivetting. I am so jealous of those lucky people at Shore Leave 36 that got an early copy. I've been tagged for a free copy several times by various Stargate authors but they never seem to want to send one out as far as Australia. Oh well, I will be probably the first one to get a kindle copy the day it is released and I already have the day off to read and read and then review.
    Thank you so much for the glimpse of the book.

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  4. I'm thrilled you like what you've read so far and really hope you like the rest when you get the ebook. Shore Leave 36 was huge fun and I'll be blogging about it once I've had a good night's sleep and downloaded some photos. :)

    Thanks for commenting! :)

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  5. Oh, I can't WAIT to see photos and hear about your experience. Get some sleep so you can post!

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  6. Iv'e been checking out the awesome comments and photos on twitter. It looks like Shore Leave 36 was loads of fun. Nice photo of you and Diana at the Fandemonium books table. Did I mention I can't wait for your book to come out??? Only 8 days 10 hours and 22 minutes to go.

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    1. Shore Leave was great, I recommend it if you can get there. A nice, intimate convention with a very warm and friendly atmosphere. I really hope you enjoy Hostile Ground when it comes out! :)

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  7. Hi,
    As promised I've just posted my review for Hostile Ground on Amazon. Four stars! I very much enjoyed the story and could barely put it down.
    I didn't know that the snippet you gave us a sneak peak of was right from page one - what a way to start a novel! I would have loved a lot more of SG-1 vs wraith scenes - that was over too fast for me.
    It's been a long time since I've had to read a book all in one sitting but there you go. I enjoyed it very much and thank you for writing it. I soooo miss Stargate and the ebooks put out by fandemonium are the only lifeline I have now.
    Thanks again.

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    1. Thank you so much, I'm thrilled you enjoyed it and really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review on Amazon. :) I can't believe you read it so fast!

      There will be a lot more SG-1 v the Wraith in book two. Think of this as a teaser...! ;) We've got a few more surprises up our sleeves!

      Thanks again for reading, I really appreciate it. Stargate forever! :)

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  8. I haven't finished it yet (almost), as I've been busy at GateCon this weekend (Squeee!), but what I've read so far is fantastic! One of the vendors had almost all of the SG1 and SGA books, including HG. Twice I was standing at the end of his stall, while my son looked around, and every time someone picked up a book and flipped it over to read the back, I'd tell them how good it was, and that they really needed to read it. I also gave recs when people asked (many did) on what books they should read. The answer of course is that they should read them all!

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    1. Oh, I forgot to add, that the vendor told me he needed me to stick around, because he sold twice as many books when I was there compared to when I wasn't. Ha!

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    2. That is so cool! Thanks for being our cheerleader. :) I just found out today that they're doing another GateCon next year and I am DETERMINED to be there. So exciting! It's the weekend after Shore Leave 37, so the plan will be to fly over and hit both events in two weekends. Will you be at GateCon next year??

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    3. I'm going to try to go to GateCon next year, but it all depends on the army and where we are living, and if they decide to send my hubby anywhere. He's gone right now, so I flew my mom in to take care of the little one, while our older son and I went to Chicago. That's dedication! If we're both there next year, I'll be your cheerleader, talking up your books!

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    4. Well I'll keep my fingers crossed and maybe we'll meet up in Chicago next year? That would be awesome! :)

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  9. OMG, I just finished it! Wow, wow, wow! What a cliff hanger! When I saw the "red," I said to myself, "No way! NO WAY!" I may have gasped it out loud, as several people in the hotel lobby (waiting to go to the airport from GateCon) looked over at me with odd looks. When it turned out my suspicion was right, I was practically beside myself in both horror and excitement (because I was right). I am still stunned! So well written! I had no suspicions at all, until right there at the end. When is the next one due??? I will die of waiting if it isn't soon! BTW, Jack's not knowing anything about 'small packages' quite literally made me LOL in the lobby. People are probably going to start giving me a wide berth. Thanks for keeping the SG world alive for those of us who will never get enough!

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    1. OMG best comment ever! :) When we were writing it, Laura and I were trying to work out how and when people would figure out what was going on. And your reaction is EXACTLY what we were hoping for! Woohoo! Thanks so much for reading and commenting. It's so thrilling to get feedback like that - definitely made my day!

      Book two's not out until next year, I'm afraid. As in, Laura and I still have to write it! But we write fast, I promise! And there are more surprises in store too. :)

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    2. Forgot to say - Jack's 'small packages' line made me laugh too, even as I wrote it. Heh. ;)

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    3. Wait, you haven't FINISHED it yet??? I am now on the floor in the airport in tears. Do you need a beta reader? I'd be more than happy to offer my services! ;)

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    4. We've definitely been inspired to get going on book two by the response to Hostile Ground! I'm on vacation from Thursday for a week, and when I'm back Laura and I are going to get down to some serious writing! :)

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