Why I Wrote Cyborg’s Revenge and General’s Holiday

 I did some searching on my two websites (reality and alternate reality) and realized I hadn’t done “why I wrote” posts for Cyborg’s Revenge or General’s Holiday.

I’m not sure how that happened. I usually try to write them closer to finishing a story so I don’t forget key things. So we’ll see how much I remember about both books. 

First, a blurb:

They say you can’t go home again, but what if it is the only way to truly be free? 

Rap solves problems large and small. He solved them when he was human when he was a robot, and now that he’s mostly human again, he’s still solving problems—though eliminating the threat from his old Master is a biggie. He’ll need his pet, Snake, and his new friend, Nelson, the AI inside his head. And then there’s Ale. He thought he knew all there was to know about Ale. 

He was wrong. 

Her human form is making his head spin and his heart hurt. He’d like to get closer to her, but he was a geek who didn’t know how to talk to women before he became a robot. He can’t imagine facing the Master without her, but how can he risk her life on an impossible mission?

Now that Ale is a human again—mostly—her new beating heart is pounding for Rap. It’s a pity that he’s inscrutable, and she’s got a huge secret—one that could be the key to ending the threat from their former Q’uy Master—or doom them all to captivity once more. 

Can the shy guy and the lovesick gal defeat their greatest enemy and find a happy ending? Only the chatty Snake knows for sure. 

Cyborg’s Revenge first appeared in Pets in Space ® 4 but is now available as a stand-alone story!

So I had this ship of robots called the Najer. Over time some of the crew opted to retake human form. This story started as an idea. What if you’d served for years with someone without knowing that robot was a girl? A really beautiful girl. 

I needed to get them away from everyone for their story to happen, and it seemed like a good time to take out the bad guy who created the robots and enslaved them. 

It was a fun story to write. I really liked Ale and Rap and it was fun finding their happy ending through some big challenges. And the snake is pretty cool, too.

Here’s a lovely review of Cyborg’s Revenge:

I do enjoy Cyborgs! Although it seems as if we’ve come in amid an ongoing story arc, the author does a great job of bringing us up to speed regarding this dangerous mission and those who are taking it on. I love the interplay between Rap, Ale, Snake, and the two AIs. Win a battle to take down an evil entity, throw in a sweet bit of romance (they’re shy, what can I say?), and you have an entertaining story!

First, here’s the blurb:

She’s a lady with a crazy story and a frog for a side-kick. He’s a general who has been waiting for his Picard moment for a long time. 

General John Halliwell, Commander of the Project Enterprise Earth Expedition, has spent most of his time in the Garradian Galaxy being shot at and shooting back. When a mysterious and intriguing lady arrives on Kikk asking for some non-shooting help, he is intrigued enough to listen. 

It doesn’t hurt that the lady’s easy on his eyes, close to his own age, and not under his command. 

He doesn’t mind a chance to show the galaxy that their expedition can do more than point and shoot. That it’s the closest to a holiday he’s going to get for a while, might have tipped the scales too. The problem is, he believes she believes, but her story is too unbelievable to believe. 

Or something like that. 

All Naxe has ever known is a life of hiding and providing, but with the end of the war, freedom feels further than ever. Why are they still hiding from the rest of the galaxy? Why aren’t the ships of Scoyfol finally going home?

In a bid to break the stalemate gripping the ships’ company, she breaks all the rules and asks General Halliwell for help. It’s a bonus that he is the first man in her life to remind her she’s a woman, that life could be about more than endless scavenging runs to help feed her people.

But when she brings the general and his team to the Scoyfol ships, something has gone terribly wrong. 

What is the true story of Scoyfol? 

As Halliwell and Naxe get closer and closer to the truth, he realizes he’s getting his Picard moment, but with shooting. 

Because shooting happens. 

But if they can survive he might just get to kiss the lady.

Dive into the latest installment of the Project Series now!

This story was originally released in Pets in Space® 5, which is no longer on sale. 

I knew that General’s Holiday was going to be my last Pets in Space story, so it felt important to get General Haliwell’s story in there before the Pets flew off without me. 

The problem with Halliwell is that it was going to be a challenge to get him off by himself where he could meet a girl. Of course, General’s Holiday was totally inspired by Picard’s vacation that turned into a Charlie Foxtrot. So of course, Halliwell’s holiday is not that much of a vacation. But he does get his chance to woo the girl.

Here’s a wonderful review of the story:

I am a long-time fan of the Project Enterprise series. General Halliwell is a recurring semi-major character who really deserved his chance at romance. Halliwell, who likes to wonder WWPD (What would Picard do?) runs into the engaging and lovely Naxe and her friend who happens to be a frog. If you read Ms. Jones’ book, you know that sentience can occur in just about any type of creature. Add some impressive, if scary, plants, a long-deserted ship complex and some bugs that create quite the buzz and you get another Project Enterprise adventure full of plenty of Picard moments. Whiskey With My Book

I hope you’ll check out both stories!

Perilously yours,

Pauline