SATIN'S BOOKISH CORNER: Heidi Skarie - Star Rider: On the Razor's Edge

Science Fiction / Visionary Fiction

Date Published: December 2014

Undercover operative Toemeka Ganti, code-named Star Rider, lives on the edge.

Her latest mission is to overthrow the despot of Jaipar, General Bhandar. His protection comes from sorcerer Samrat Condor, an interplanetary conqueror whose space fleet destroyed Toemeka’s home planet and killed her family years ago. And Condor isn’t about to lose his stranglehold on Jaipar.

Making matters worse, Toemeka must preserve her cover while secretly developing an oscillator, a shield-destroying device wanted by both sides. All this must be accomplished under the watchful eye of her boss, Commander Rochambeau, who is pressuring Toemeka to become his mistress.

Accompanied by her Coalition team and trusted partner Erling Fenian, Toemeka bands with the local underground resistance and Michio Kimes, a handsome spiritual warrior trained to fight sorcery. Together they must battle to free the people of Jaipar and restore its rightful heir to power.

Excerpts of the book

Longer excerpt- you could use just the first three or four paragraphs or all six

Something touched Toemeka’s leg. Her eyes snapped open and she saw a vine curling itself around her ankle. It twisted up her thigh. Amazed that a vine could move, she touched one of its blue iridescent leaves. “What an unusual plant, you are.” Another stem twirled around her arm. She tugged at the vine, trying to pull it off. It tightened its grip.

She heard Michio calling her name. “I’m over here. By the river,” she yelled. She tugged harder at the vine on her arm as it climbed to her shoulder. It wound its way around her neck and tightened against her windpipe. Frantically, she grabbed the thick stem with both hands and screamed for help

Toemeka couldn’t breathe as the vine tightened around her neck. Her lungs burned. Fear pumped through her veins and black spots flashed before her eyes. The world spun. A branch cracked, then Michio appeared and began slashing at the base of the stalk with his knife. The plant let out an ear-piercing scream and squirted a stinging, putrid orange fluid on Toemeka’s arm.

Light-headed, she collapsed. Michio pulled the vine from her throat, and she gasped as fresh air filled her lungs. She distantly heard Michio ask if she was okay. She opened her eyes to find him crouching next to her, looking worried.

A vine tentacle slithered around her waist. She grabbed the stem and tried to rip it away. “Get it off me!” she cried hoarsely.

Michio started to help her when he fell forward onto the ground. A vine had wrapped itself around his ankle and it dragged him toward waving reddish-orange tubes.

Michio hacked himself free, the plant screamed and sprayed more juice. Scrambling back to Toemeka, Michio whacked at the vine that gripped her. It shrieked as he chopped and slashed the knife into it. Finally, it released her, climbed up a nearby tree and wound around its trunk.

Shorter excerpt

Outside storm clouds filled the evening sky. Toemeka and Commander Rochambeau walked down the sidewalk that ran alongside the speedrider track until they reached a two-story high escalator. As they rode up Toemeka wondered how to escape from the commander. If tortured, sooner or later she’d reveal her team members and their mission. She’d rather die than put her team in danger.

They stepped onto a platform on a hill that overlooked the city. Toemeka shivered in her thin sorgtee as she desperately looked around. Sixty feet away, guards flanked the walled Talon Military Complex front gates. On her left was an airfield.

Suddenly, a man leapt out from behind a thick bush. Commander Rochambeau reached for his blaster and Toemeka gave him a shove and wrenched free. A gun roared. Rochambeau clutched his chest and collapsed. Toemeka fled toward the airfield, afraid she’d be shot next. Footsteps pounded on the pavement behind her and she forced a burst of speed. The attacker caught up with her and raced beside her.

Heidi Skarie's life as a writer began when she had a dramatic dream about a futuristic world at war. The vivid dream was like watching an action/adventure movie. Excited about the dream, she recorded it upon awakening. That night the dream continued where it left off. After six nights, Heidi had a hundred-page journal recording the series of dreams. This awakened her interest in writing, which continues to be one of her greatest passions today. Heidi is a visionary author who writes science fiction and historical fiction novels. Her novels are a an exciting blend of action, adventure and romance, featuring strong, spiritually inquisitive heroines. Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge is her first science fiction novel. She previously published Red Willow’s Quest, a historical novel based on a past life, about a Native American girl training to become a medicine woman.