FRIDAY FREEBIE 1-19-2012

Friday is here and that means, FRIDAY FREEBIE!
My guest this week has been Deb Houdek Rule.  Today she's here to give a lucky reader a FREE copy of her book Of All the Western Stars.  All you have to do is leave a comment and an email address.  (don't want to leave your email address here?  Email me at info@bernadettemarie.com)


Here's a little sample of what Deb has to offer:

 Lost in time, a man from the far distant future, Ashur, crash lands in Tudor England. Bearing a heavy burden of guilt for horrific actions he committed in his own time, he finds comfort and aid with a young woman, Lisette. Sold into a loveless marriage to advance her family's fortunes, Lisette wishes for escape and love, herself, from the future she faces. With the help of Lisette, Ashur searches for redemption, and a way home. But all may be taken from both of them either by the dangers of England of the 16th century, or by the powerful 'wizards' who pursue Ashur, stopping at nothing to make him pay for his crimes. Set in 1518, "Of All the Western Stars" combines historical romance with time travel science fiction.

An excerpt from Of All the Western Stars: Ashur’s older brother had laughed at him once, saying, “You could be tossed into the very pit of Hell and you’d still find a way to get the most gorgeous woman in the place.” The memory brought a smile to Ashur’s lips. This may not be the pit of Hell… well, he amended, maybe it could. He’d spent much time learning old Earth history, yet there was far too much to memorize details of each era. Ashur tried to recall what he knew of the year 1518. Filth, famine, disease and ignorance, were the things that came to mind. Cowering and superstitious primitives, ugly and inbred…  Yet that amazing creature Lisette who had appeared before him draped in a cloud of translucent white had been none of those things. The pure, sultry simplicity of her look gave her an allure that all the makeup, clothing and hair designers in the galaxy couldn’t match with their most expensive and exotic efforts.

Ashur imagined Lisette beside him on the Grand Promenade at night, the Nebula painting the sky with radiance such as had never been seen in Earth’s plain sky. He pictured her ready flush of delight as he squeezed her lovely hand and pointed out the twin moons racing across the heavens. She’d be wearing, he built the scene in his mind, a few wisps of luminous green fog clinging to, but not concealing, the crinkle of her nipples. Gems that glowed from within twined in her cascade of hair would sparkle like stars.

She’d be amusing in her innocence, her wide-eyed wonder at the marvels of his world, mistaking machinery for magic. Still, her native dignity, and his able strength guiding her, would make her a fine prize, a pretty new pet for his collection. His mother and father would beam with pride at him, proud of their second son… the rebel, the stray… the unregarded one…

The happy image shattered. Leaden reality enveloped Ashur like the stench of the cesspit that wafted in through the poorly fitted window casement. Here and now he was lost, trapped in time, his mother and father as yet a thousand years unborn. Even there and then they were dead, destroyed by his own hand. No matter that he’d had to do it, no matter that he’d had no choice. He had killed them, them and every being on that world far away in both time and space.