Okay, I can’t say enough about how excited I am for this special guest. I’ve been reading Anna Hackett since forever, and it’s been a real pleasure for me to appear in the same anthology series with her not once, but twice! Without further ado, here’s one of my very favorite writers in Sci-Fi Romance, Anna Hackett!
The best job in the world!
I have the best job in the world – everyday, I get to sit down and write action-packed stories about heroes. I write about men and women who face overwhelming odds and terrible circumstances (like being abducted from Earth by alien slavers, taken to a lawless desert planet, and being rescued by dangerous cyborgs).
My characters are people who keep fighting, keep protecting those who need it, and no matter what obstacles knock them down, they keep on getting back up. My novella in the Pets in Space 4 anthology is called Dark Guard and is set in the House of Rone on the desert planet of Carthago. It stars a cyborg hero who struggles every day with his dangerous abilities and a tough heroine who has survived a terrible ordeal (plus there is a matchmaking cyborg cat as well!)
A truly fantastic thing about being part of the Pets in Space 4 anthology is the amazing charity it supports. Hero-dogs.org supports real-life heroes by providing service dogs to veterans and first responders.
My father was part of the Army Reserve in Australia and he instilled in me a deep respect for the brave men and women who serve in the military. I have so many memories of attending dawn services on ANZAC Day – a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand to commemorate all those who served protecting our countries. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and during the first world war, the ANZAC forces landed at Gallipoli on the 25th of April at dawn, and met with fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. To this day, Australians still hold services at dawn on that day in remembrance of all the heroes who have served.
I feel truly blessed that my fictional heroes can in some small way contribute to supporting our real-life heroes.
Excerpt from Dark Guard:
She pressed her cheek to her knee. It had been exciting, at first, traveling among the stars. But then, everything had gone very wrong when her starship had been attacked by alien slavers.
Calla’s throat tightened. In her head were echoes of the screams, the sirens, and the huge, demon-like aliens who’d boarded the ship. She’d been so afraid. She’d been dragged by clawed hands onto a small, alien ship and thrown into a cell.
Swallowing, she tried to calm herself, but her heart beat like a trapped thing in her chest. You’re safe now, Calla.
The Thraxians had abducted others as well. They’d also attacked an exploration ship from Earth, and they’d brought their captives through a wormhole to the other side of the galaxy. To this lawless, desert planet.
She shivered. It had been explained to her that the wormhole had been transient and had since collapsed. There was no way home since Rella and Earth were on the other side of the galaxy.
Calla had been sold to the Edull—metal scavengers who lived in the depths of the desert. Somehow, even though there had been so many days when she was sure she’d die, she’d managed to survive the cells, the experiments, and rough treatment.
Mostly, it was all thanks to a woman from Earth—a fellow abductee—called Sage. The woman’s sweet nature and unrelenting optimism had kept Calla alive, even on the darkest days.
Then they’d been rescued by dangerous cyborg gladiators who’d brought them here to the House of Rone.
Calla still couldn’t quite believe she was safe.
Grab your copy of Pets in Space® 4 today! For a limited time, Pets in Space® 4 brings together today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors to help Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that helps our service veterans and first responders. https://petsinspaceantho.com USA Today Bestselling author Anna Hackett is passionate about action romance. You can find out more about her action-packed romances, including Galactic Gladiators: House of Rone at https://annahackettbooks.com/
[…] Anna – I have the best job in the world – everyday, I get to sit down and write action-packed stories about heroes. I write about men and women who face overwhelming odds and terrible circumstances (like being abducted from Earth by alien slavers, taken to a lawless desert planet, and being rescued by dangerous cyborgs). […]