Title: MAVEN (The ENDURE
Series, Book 1)
Author: S. A. Huchton
Genre: New Adult Science
Fiction Romance
Release Date: June 3, 2013
Reveal Host: Lady
Amber's Tours
Synopsis:
How far would you go for love?
How far would you go for love?
Since losing her parents at 14, young prodigy Dr. Lydia Ashley
has focused on one thing: an appointment on the Deep Water Research
Command Endure. Now 21, she's about to realize that dream, but nothing is
how she imagined it would be. Her transitional sponsor forgets her, her
new lab is in complete chaos, and, as if that weren't enough, she's about
to discover something so horrific it could potentially destroy all life on the
planet.
Daniel Brewer, a noted playboy and genius in his own
right, may be exactly what she needs... Or he may make everything worse.
Has she finally found a puzzle she can't solve?
Starla
Huchton released her first novel, The
Dreamer’s Thread, as a full cast podcast production beginning in
August 2009. Her first foray went on to become a double-nominee and finalist
for the 2010 Parsec Awards. Since her debut, Starla’s
voice has appeared in other podcasts including The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine, The Drabblecast, and Erotica a la Carte. She is also a voice talent
for Darkfire Productions, and narrates several of their projects,
including The Emperor’s Edge series, This Path We Share, and others. Her writing has
appeared in the Erotica a la Carte podcast,
a short story for The Gearheart, and an episode of the Tales from
the Archives podcast (the
companion to Tee Morris and Philippa Balantine’s Ministry of Peculiar
Occurrences series), which garnered her a second finalist badge from the
2012 Parsec Awards. Her second novel, a Steampunk adventure entitled Master of Myth, was the first place winner in the
Fantasy/Science Fiction category of The Sandy Writing Contest held
annually by the Crested Butte Writers Conference. Maven is her third
completed novel and the first in a planned series of four.
After completing her degree in Graphic Arts at Monterey Peninsula
College, Starla
opened up shop as a freelance graphic designer focusing on creating beautiful
book covers for independent authors publishers. She currently lives in Virginia where she
trains her three Minions and military husband.
Links:
Web/Blog: http://www.starlahuchton.com
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Starla-Huchton-Author-Page/255657227797465
Twitter: @riznphnx
"Yeah, there's one or two of the guys you'll want to
avoid here, but..." Cordy stopped mid-sentence, staring at something over Lydia's
shoulder. "What is he doing here?"
Curious, Lydia rotated to see who she was talking
about. She immediately regretted it. Daniel Brewer locked in on her like a
homing beacon and strode across room to her table. "Crap," she
muttered when she turned back.
"And he would be one of those.” Cordelia smirked.
"Good luck." She stood, lifting her tray of dishes.
Lydia's panic level rose. "You're
leaving?"
Cordelia shrugged. "Hate to abandon you, but I've got
a call scheduled at 1845 I can't miss. I expect a full report on this later,
however." She grinned and headed for the exit.
Lydia willed her hands to be still and
her breathing calm. Her throat was scratchy and dry, but she didn't trust she
could pick up her glass of water without spilling it everywhere.
"You're a difficult woman to track down," Daniel
said as he plopped down on the bench across from her.
Not difficult enough, she thought to herself. "It's
dinner time. People usually eat around now. Or are you skipping meals
again?" She fought back a flinch, realizing what she gave away.
His eyebrows lifted, but he didn't comment on the remark.
"I see you were talking with Ms. Orietti. Interesting choice in
friends."
She sniffed. "I hardly think you're qualified to
judge. My personal life aside, did you hunt me down for a reason?"
"I saw your request."
Lydia feigned surprise. "The one I
sent at 1700? I assumed you wouldn't see that until whatever time it is you
remember to go to work in the morning."
He frowned. "Despite what you think, I actually work
quite a bit. My regular hours extend until 1900, and then I'm on call until
0700. I take breaks for meals, of course, but I have several high level
projects going on at any given time."
"Of course.” She swallowed. Perhaps she had crossed
the line a bit with that last one. "That was uncalled for. I apologize.
What did you come to ask me, Mr. Brewer?"
"You can call me Daniel," he said, his grin returning.
It was easy to see why he was so popular with women, but
that he still thought that was going to work rankled her. She steeled herself.
"Mr. Brewer," she said, standing and lifting her tray. “It's been a
very long day, so if there's a business matter you wanted to discuss..."
He kept pace with her as she crossed the room to dump her
dishes. From her peripheral vision, she saw several heads turn to follow their
progress. “Well, I thought we could discuss the specific project needs you have
and do some outlining so I can show you my skills.” He winked at
her
The subtle emphasis he placed on the word caused her to
miss a step. "I'm sorry, did you just..."
"What?" Daniel looked at her, the picture of
innocence.
Lydia sighed and kept walking.
"Nevermind. Mr. Brewer, I--"
"Daniel."
She stopped outside the SAT station and punched the call
button. "Mr. Brewer, if you refuse to conduct yourself in a manner
appropriate for someone in your position, I will withdraw my
request. I would prefer to have your expertise on this, but I will not tolerate
immaturity."
"Dr. Ashley, I assure you I can be nothing but
professional--"
"Good," she interrupted. "Then you can prove
that at 0730 when you meet with me and my lab staff to discuss
the necessary details." The SAT car arrived, and she stepped inside.
"My coworkers are crucial to the lab's success and they will all have
input in the needed software." The door closed. The last thing she saw was
Daniel's stunned expression.
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