Happy New Year 2019!

Wahhh! Look at the book cover I designed for my WIP! Isn't it pretty? I really love simple book cover designs, especially for modern science fiction - so much nicer than all that de-saturated crap from the 70's. None of the nasty sexism, either. 

In order to bully myself into continuing with this WIP (which I haven't touched since NaNoWriMo ended back in November) I decided to write a couple of cute scenes between Clover and Charr - they'll never make it into the book but they were fun to write. 

So here's part of one, for your reading pleasure.

Question: Can you write fanfics of your own original work? 

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Clover adjusted to life on an alien ship with a swiftness that took her by surprise. It probably helped that Charr had her in the lab everyday while he tinkered around with different delivery methods for the cure. She would sit and watch him work, while his aura of concentration and focus suffused her, leaving her no opportunity to be truly bored.

When the quiet became too much, she pestered him with questions about Keelos. He was always happy to set aside his work to answer them.

He would ask about her world as well, about her life and what sort of activities she enjoyed. If Clover closed her eyes and imagined they were anywhere else, it almost felt like being on a date.

But they weren’t anywhere else. This wasn’t a cozy coffee shop in Austin and they weren’t nestled into a corner table, gazing at each other over tall mugs of espresso. No, she was on a cold bench in a sterile lab in the deepest reaches of space and he...was far more foreign to her than any of the strange men she’d ever been interested in.

I am detecting a wisp of melancholy. His tentative declaration bounced around delicately in her head and she sighed.

“I think I miss coffee,” she finally admitted. “Or maybe the cozy feeling of just having a hot cup of something to drink.” The metal canisters that all her beverages had been served in thus far were cool to the touch.

You’ve mentioned coffee before, his head lifted and he fixed her with that unfathomable alien gaze. What is it, exactly?

“It’s, um, a caffeinated drink made from roasted coffee beans,” she explained. “It’s kind of bitter in flavor, but a lot of people like to mix in cream or sugar to make it taste better.”

I see. It’s a stimulant, then.

“Technically, yes. But it’s more than that - there’s a whole culture around coffee as a relaxing beverage. Maybe the ritual nature of preparing it and sitting down to enjoy it, either alone or with family, is what makes it so nice.”

That’s not so unlike the Keelos way of consuming tea.

“Tea is okay,” Clover grinned. “But I still prefer coffee. The flavor is richer, maybe. Tea is just...hot leaf juice.”

Charr’s lips quirked up. You haven’t tried any Keelosi tea, yet. I’d advise you to withhold judgement until you have.

What are your goals for 2019, if any?