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Catalyst
Double-crossed and tossed 1000 years into the future, Keata Windstalker goes from a time when magic and science are strong and civilization is at a height, to one that reminds her of a medieval novel. Her gut tells her she can fix this, but her memories are fractured and her perception of reality is chaotic. Stranger yet, she suspects the current global leader is someone she knows.
Opening preview:
"Keata tucked a stray cluster of wavy black and tan hair back behind an ear and tried to look casual. The research floor of the Isuludan Powers Council was unusually busy for pre–dawn, but it was the nervous glances, out–right stares, and the odd smirk from other employees that made the hair on the back of her head want to stand up.
She continued down a long grey corridor past small doors and matching grey rooms. Someone fell into step behind her. She fought the instinct to shift into her natural form, continuing as a human instead.
“What’s with all the activity?” she said, not turning.
“Big day for you. Jerscal’s decided to test that weather machine. He’s convinced Leathan to call everyone in.” The familiar voice of her co–worker, Pardra, said. “Says he wants you at the control table, and things will fail if it’s not you.” He continued quieter, seemingly to himself, “Everyone likes a pet, I guess.”
She ignored his muttering, knowing Jerscal was her main concern. He cut corners, forcing people to scramble to correct whatever the oversight was. Five of his seven previous assistants had died of unnatural causes – invisible acid baths, tectonic ruptures, that sort of thing. One poor fellow thought himself safe because it was an indoor experiment… then found himself uncomfortably leaning through a wall, his midsection surrounded by plaster, before expiring.
“Want me to stall them?” He asked."
Opening preview:
"Keata tucked a stray cluster of wavy black and tan hair back behind an ear and tried to look casual. The research floor of the Isuludan Powers Council was unusually busy for pre–dawn, but it was the nervous glances, out–right stares, and the odd smirk from other employees that made the hair on the back of her head want to stand up.
She continued down a long grey corridor past small doors and matching grey rooms. Someone fell into step behind her. She fought the instinct to shift into her natural form, continuing as a human instead.
“What’s with all the activity?” she said, not turning.
“Big day for you. Jerscal’s decided to test that weather machine. He’s convinced Leathan to call everyone in.” The familiar voice of her co–worker, Pardra, said. “Says he wants you at the control table, and things will fail if it’s not you.” He continued quieter, seemingly to himself, “Everyone likes a pet, I guess.”
She ignored his muttering, knowing Jerscal was her main concern. He cut corners, forcing people to scramble to correct whatever the oversight was. Five of his seven previous assistants had died of unnatural causes – invisible acid baths, tectonic ruptures, that sort of thing. One poor fellow thought himself safe because it was an indoor experiment… then found himself uncomfortably leaning through a wall, his midsection surrounded by plaster, before expiring.
“Want me to stall them?” He asked."
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2015
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
K.C. Cairn
4 books4 followersRaised in the wilds of central British Columbia by a mother who, when she was young, literally hunted for her family's supper, and a father who daily went into the bowels of the earth to maintain the machines that worked to reveal it's inner treasures. As such, an active imagination was not only healthy, it was essential.
Roaming daily amongst the feral books that lined the paths of an almost mobile library, this imagination was fanned to a frenzy at times, and lulled into a coma at others. It became her goal to write the books that wake people up, that ignite imagination.
Armed with what little she knew about the world, she joined the Canadian military and went off to slay dragons. Four years later, the nature of the job brought her to choose between raising children and raising arms, and the children won. Thankfully. As they gained independence, she was step-by-step lured back into the fictive dream.
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*chuckles* That was fun to write. As an author and reader, I lean towards mostly sweet, clean romance, and mysteries with danger, but it's really about the people and the world they're caught up in.
Roaming daily amongst the feral books that lined the paths of an almost mobile library, this imagination was fanned to a frenzy at times, and lulled into a coma at others. It became her goal to write the books that wake people up, that ignite imagination.
Armed with what little she knew about the world, she joined the Canadian military and went off to slay dragons. Four years later, the nature of the job brought her to choose between raising children and raising arms, and the children won. Thankfully. As they gained independence, she was step-by-step lured back into the fictive dream.
----
*chuckles* That was fun to write. As an author and reader, I lean towards mostly sweet, clean romance, and mysteries with danger, but it's really about the people and the world they're caught up in.
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November 16, 2017Keata is masquerading as a human while she works in the Science Council's Research department, keeping her identity as a Feline dual-identity species secret. When someone discovers her unique physiology, she is used against her will in a plot to alter time and thrown ahead 1000 years into the future.
When she arrives, she discovers that time is fractured, but more significantly, she is out of sync with it, arriving as a young girl and aging in leaps, much to the dismay of the single father who has taken her in.
As she investigates, she discovers time has locked her species in the past and their sarcastic comments about humanity slowly "dumbing down" have become all too real. She needs to fix the time fracture to get help, but she's the only one who understands the science involved.
She's not entirely on her own, finding people who sense that what she's doing is important to everyone, even if they can't understand it, and proving that the traits that convinced her to choose Human as her second form are still valid. Valour, bravery, and loyalty are still strong, and that's good, because Keata finds herself actively opposed by someone claiming to be from her past.
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You can find this ebook on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, and Barnes& Noble, and as a print book on Amazon.
More stories with Keata and her friends are planned for release in 2018.
When she arrives, she discovers that time is fractured, but more significantly, she is out of sync with it, arriving as a young girl and aging in leaps, much to the dismay of the single father who has taken her in.
As she investigates, she discovers time has locked her species in the past and their sarcastic comments about humanity slowly "dumbing down" have become all too real. She needs to fix the time fracture to get help, but she's the only one who understands the science involved.
She's not entirely on her own, finding people who sense that what she's doing is important to everyone, even if they can't understand it, and proving that the traits that convinced her to choose Human as her second form are still valid. Valour, bravery, and loyalty are still strong, and that's good, because Keata finds herself actively opposed by someone claiming to be from her past.
---------------------------
You can find this ebook on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, and Barnes& Noble, and as a print book on Amazon.
More stories with Keata and her friends are planned for release in 2018.
Displaying 1 of 1 review