“Calm Before The Storm”: Excerpt from Underground’s TERMINAL HUNTER

   Forged in the fires of a war that forever changed their world, these ten men and women are highly-skilled operators who have taken the rally cry of “Never Again” as their own.  Theirs is a world where the lines between military and civilian have blurred, and the difference between life and death could be as simple as the next breath.

They are Commandos, and they are the last line of defense between peace and chaos, where love has become the greatest strength, and fear, the most devastating weakness.

                                            UNDERGROUND

                                                         Book 3

                                         TERMINAL HUNTER

Commando Tamia Kuan hasn’t had an easy life, but she’s never made excuses for making the best of what she has. Her life is beginning to come together… Until the loss of a friend drives home the one lesson in life she’s been hiding from — no one is invincible. Now, she’s faced with the very real possibility of losing everything she holds dear. Can a dangerous past be unmade, before it brings any hope of a future crashing down around her?

Excerpt from Underground #3: TERMINAL HUNTER

Tamia leaned her head against the cool, tiled wall of the bathroom and let the murmur of Rick’s voice wash over her. He had a very calming voice, and the light flavor of a Boston-born accent made her feel as if she was wrapped up in a warm blanket. She felt better, just knowing Rick was there.

The baby shifted in her womb, and Tamia smiled. She’d told Rick the truth, she was willing to pay any price for the child growing inside of her. Love swelled in her heart. Someday very soon, she’d hold her baby in her arms. It was a dream she hadn’t believed she’d live to see become reality.

“Good morning, Mikey,” she whispered as she stroked her belly gently. She and Rick settled on Michael as the baby’s name after her last appointment with Faulker. Her hand rose to the silvery hololocket around her neck. She didn’t have to open it to know what would appear if she did. A holographic image of the Archangel Michael, watching over a soldier carrying a child in his arms. The image was a special message from Rick to her – the promise of a protector for the defender.

“Sweetheart?” Rick’s hand squeezed her arm gently, and her eyes opened to the worry in his. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Michael just said good morning.”

His hand moved to her belly, rubbing gently, as he murmured, “Good morning to you, too.”

Their eyes met, and Tamia smiled softly, blinking away tears. Then she noticed how he was dressed, and uneasiness shot through her. Rick hardly ever wore his uniform, unless… “What’s going on?”

“The Tribunal wants me to testify, at ten. I hate to run off on you, but—”

“Go,” she urged. She knew how important this was, and if the tables were reversed, she’d expect the same understanding. Their jobs didn’t end because they were married. The same responsibilities, and the same dangers, remained.

He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”

As she heard the door lock’s tone sound a few moments later, Tamia’s stomach clenched in fear, and she aimed for the toilet again as bile rose in her throat. She was frightened of what could happen if the Tribunal quashed the charges, and she was terrified that, by testifying, Rick was putting himself squarely in the cross-hairs of an assassin’s gun.

Like what you read here?  Pick up your copy of TERMINAL HUNTER today, at www.underthemoon.org/terminalhunter.html or check out other Underground books at www.esthermitchell.com

Be sure to join me on Facebook, to participate in a contest that could net you a free book!  Join my fan page at https://www.facebook.com/authoresthermitchell and find out more!

 

Beginning the Countdown to Underground

Underground’s third book, TERMINAL HUNTER (and the last of the re-vamped reprints left over from the Triskelion years) is scheduled for release January 31!

Everything I Needed to Know About Life, I Learned From My Characters

“Everything I Needed To Know, I Learned From My Characters”

 Yeah, I know.  It might seem like a sort of overused title.  But there’s a great deal of truth in it, for me, and it’s a philosophy that’s carried me through the ups and downs of life, and writing.

 Over the years (decades, really) of writing, I’ve come to one inescapable conclusion.  I’ve learned something from each and every character I’ve ever encountered in my writing career.  Some have been lessons in what not to do (being evil is a sure-fire way to end up dead and despised, for example.  The Widow Society from Project Prometheus taught me that).

 However, most have been positive lessons in how to live my life.  Like how honor, integrity, and loyalty are worth more than anything else in the world ( the Commandos, from Underground, taught me that).  That judging a person based solely on their outward appearance is a sure way to bypass something truly wonderful and life-altering in this world (Matt Raleigh’s lesson, from IN HER NAME). 

 I learned that guilt and anger are two of the most poisonous emotions that exist, and they can do irreparable damage to the things I hold most dear (thanks to Trevor Watkins and Jaye Michaels in SHADOW WALKER).   That no matter how far down I go, no matter how dark and terrible things seem, there’s always hope for me (Tamia Kuan, from Underground, and Peter Talladay, from HOPE OF HEAVEN, both taught me that).

 I even learned, during one of the darkest periods of my life, that the only way you stay a victim is by letting the person who harmed you maintain their power (this was a hard-learned lesson, for both myself and Chelsea Hanover in BURDEN OF PROOF).

 And I learned that fear is the most numbing, and destructive, power in the world.  It can tie you down, hold you prisoner, and beat the hell out of you.  It can keep you from what you want, and turn you against those you love and who love you.  These lessons came from Telyn Gwndal (DAUGHTER OF ASHES), Hope MacKenzie (HOPE OF HEAVEN), and Matt Raleigh (IN HER NAME).

 So, yes, I’ve learned a great deal from my characters.  I’ve learned how to stand on my own two feet, and not allow myself to be held or beaten down by life’s failures, or the fears and failures of others.  Through their triumphs, I learned that love has the capacity to wash away any stain on the soul, and that an open heart and open mind are the most amazing and spiritually uplifting possessions a person can own.

 My characters inspired great changes in my life, opening my eyes and allowing me to see what was in front of my face all along.  I only hope they can do the same for you.

Want to Win a Free Book?

Want a free autographed copy of one of my print releases?

I’m running a very special contest, here on my blog, for my regular readers.  If you’ve purchased one of my books in the past (or if you purchase one now), all you have to do is read it, and then e-mail me a short review of the book you chose.  Not only will your review get posted on my website (and possibly here and on my Facebook Fan Page) along with credit to you for the review, but you’ll also be entered into a special drawing for an autographed copy of TAMIA, the first book in my Underground series, currently available from Under The Moon.

This contest will run until August 31st, so you have plenty of time to get those reviews in (remember, it doesn’t have to be long and involved… But it does need to be more than “good book”…lol)

Flash Friday: “Hell on Earth”

Today’s piece comes from my soon-to-be released (well, re-released, actually) novel, TAMIA, and the beginning of my Underground series.  This is a Futuristic/SF … enjoy!  And, as always, leave comments!!

“Hell on Earth”

copyright 1992 by Esther Mitchell

In the shadows near the main building, Rick swore under his breath as Matt’s voice crackled through his earpiece. Damn, what was going on? He glanced again at the outside duct’s grate. What was taking so long? Tamia should have called in by now. The COMlink didn’t bear good news, either. The ghost is walking. Code – meant there was a sniper. Damn place probably crawled with them. Who was hit? Why didn’t Walter release the internal energy pickets and open the grates? Where the Hell was Tamia? Then, suddenly, his earpiece came alive again.

“Blind Man is at the window,” Tamia said. “When’re we gonna pull up the blinds?”

“Thank God,” Rick breathed to himself.

He heard her soft chuckle, and realized that his mouthpiece was on.

“Thought I’d ran away, huh?”

He couldn’t respond. He didn’t want to think about losing her. The force of how much he loved her was only just beginning to sink in. In the next moment, Walter’s voice cleared his mind. “Healing Hand here. Can the Blind Man see?”

“Oh, yeah,” Tamia’s answered. “Sun’s nice and bright, too. Good view.”

The COMlink went silent, and Rick tensed. The next few moments would make or break their entire mission. Tamia had only one bullet in her sniper rifle – a highly lethal, illegal Kriomite bullet. The kind of thing only a terrorist would use. Just the cover their undercover operation needed.

Time stretched, and Rick held his breath. What was taking so long? Then, suddenly, Tamia’s voice came to him, concerned. “I can’t do it, Ace. I can’t draw a bead on him.”

God, was she cracking?

“Try,” he murmured into his mouthpiece. “Just try.”

“I am trying.” She sounded frustrated, rather than indecisive. “The motherfucker’s playing hide’n'seek. Every time I get my sights on him, he moves out of the kill box.”

She wasn’t frozen. She had a worse problem than that. He swore under his breath. “Blade, listen to me. There should be a port in the duct, a little ways to your left. Can you see it?”

He heard her intake of breath. “Yeah, I see it.”

“Can you make it there?”

A pause. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good. Listen carefully. That port will give you access to the panels above the room. There’s a gap there, in the center panel. Go slowly, and don’t touch the glowing ones. They’re pressure-sensitive glass. You’ll be in his lap if you do.”

“Right.”

Rick held his breath for a long moment as he listened to the sounds of movement from the COMlink. Then, Tamia’s voice again. “Hey, not bad! I’ve got a clear window here.”

A hiss-pop sound relayed the discharge of her silenced weapon, followed by a sudden wail of an alarm. Tamia’s voice came then. “Shit! What the Hell’s that?”

Rick’s blood congealed. The room was pressurized! That was why there were no exterior openings. Now, the whole damned building was getting ready to blow. In that instant, he forgot protocol completely. All that mattered was her life.

“Tamia, get the Hell out of there!” He ordered. “That place is going to—!”

A loud explosion cut him off, and his heart lurched into his throat. No!