Several years ago, I wrote my first time-shift story and pitched it to the wonderful Kate Duffy from Kennsington. To my thrill, she requested the full, loving how, when the hero is plucked from WWII and brought back to the heroine's present--he thinks the heroine is a German spy. Sadly, Ms. Duffy unexpectedly passed away before she gave me a thumbs up or thumbs down. I let the MS sit on my hard drive ever since.
A few months ago, a traditionally published author and friend of mine posted about her success at self publishing. I decided I wanted to give it a try, too. What better way to release CAPTIVE HERO! So, I dusted off the MS, decided this was going to be the first book in a Time-shift Heroes Series, added several chapters, then found an editor and sent her my story. My baby.
She loved it. Phew! Thank goodness, because so do I! lol
Here's the tentative blurb and an excerpt:
Blurb
When
Marine Corp test pilot, Captain Samantha Sheppard accidentally flies back in
time, inadvertently saving the life of a WWII VMF Black Sheep pilot, she
changes history. Making a crack decision to abduct the flying Ace back to the
present in hopes of righting the past, she hides the handsome pilot at her
secluded cabin in the Colorado wilderness until she can figure out what to do
with him.
Yet,
convincing her sexy, stubborn captive that he is now in another century
altogether proves harder than she thought—almost as hard as fighting the strong
attraction pulsing between them. It soon becomes difficult to tell who is
captor and who is captive when the more he learns about the future, the more
Sam discovers about the past, and the soul-deep connection between them.
But
as her heart takes wing and their flames of desire burn into overdrive, her
flying Ace makes a discovery that once again brings history into jeopardy and
threatens her family’s very existence. Sam's worst nightmare is realized when
the only way to fix the time-line is to sacrifice her captive hero...or is it?
Can
love truly survive the test of time?
Excerpt
This is it. My chance.
Anticipation
and excitement sparked to life, heating Sam’s body with a pounding
determination to succeed. A successful mission today would pad her already
sparkling record. She turned and slapped the upheld hand of Lieutenant Maria
Garcia, her copilot and best friend since boot camp.
The
redheaded beauty silenced communications before pinning her with a soulful
stare. “Your grandfather would be so proud.”
A
swift onslaught of tears burned behind Sam’s eyes. Maria knew Edward Sheppard,
Sr. was Sam’s hero. Fond childhood memories abounded of her climbing onto his
lap, head resting on his chest, enthralled by his deep, animated tone, while he
recanted his days as a VMA Black Sheep pilot in the South Pacific. She’d
imagined herself beside him in the cockpit, flying battles with his
comrades—each of whom she’d come to know and admire through his exhilarating
tales. Thanks to those memoirs, her blazing desire to become a Marine pilot had
sparked at an early age.
“Yes,” she finally answered her friend,
reaching for the patch she’d sown into the left arm of her black flight suit
the previous night. “He would’ve been thrilled.”
Tight
stitching and jagged edges met the pad of her forefinger as she gently stroked
her slightly charred but dearly cherished good luck charm. Captain Edward
Sheppard Sr. had presented Sam with his Black Sheep patch four years ago, a few
days before a massive heart attack had claimed his life.
She
closed her eyes and brought to mind the firm, albeit proud tone of the beloved
eighty-eight year old Vet. “Give ‘em
hell, Sam.”
And
she did, whenever she climbed into a cockpit. Sam never flew anywhere without
her grandfather. He’d been to Iran, Pakistan,
Afghanistan,
and now, she blinked and swallowed a laugh, he was going invisible.
Gramps
always did have a love for unidentified flying objects. A smile tugged her
lips. Today, he would fly in one. The Phantombird certainly qualified as a UFO
to those who weren’t aware of its existence. Pride straightened her spine.
History was just around the corner—their corner. Captain Samantha Sheppard was
about to be the first pilot to go invisible.
Or
she could also be about to blow up.
That
would suck. Especially for her dream of one day piloting the space shuttle. Her
smile disappeared. NASA was tough enough to get into. As an apparition, she
wouldn’t stand a ghost of a chance.
A
quick glance to the right had her raising her brow. “Ready, Lieutenant?”
Maria
reopened communications and held up her thumb. “All clear here, Ma’am.”
“Roger.”
Sam nodded before facing forward.
A
crowd of military and government brass, their medals glinting under the bright
mid-October Nevada
sun, sat on a set of metal bleachers, hoping to witness history. Ordered to
take the Phantombird to only a thousand feet, Sam prayed their flight would be
the one logged in and recorded as a success.
Already
tested twice in the past six weeks by two different teams, the Phantombird was
O for two. The first run barely got off the ground when the hydraulics froze
for Captain Daughtry. Then last month, Lt. Colonel Hanson went airborne, but
had absolutely no response after he hit the invisibility switch. Scientists and
mechanics had worked around the clock ever since and reassured the higher-ups
they’d fixed the glitch. Sam hoped so. Her gut told her this test flight would
change her life.
“Phantombird
VL Zero Three initiating invisibility,” she stated, another warm rush of
adrenaline heating her blood.
Okay baby,
her thumb hovered over the red toggle switch as she silently implored the
craft, Maria and I are allergic to flames
so this is no time for fireworks.
With
a dry throat and sweaty palms, Sam gazed out at the sparkling blue horizon and
flipped the switch.
“Did
it work?” Maria asked a moment later.
“I’m
not sure.” Outside, the bright blue sky took on a gray, almost smoky sheen. Odd. Sam frowned. “Command, this is
Phantombi—”
A sudden
intense jarring cut off her attempt to contact base and rattled the aircraft. With
a tight grip on the stick, she increased their altitude, her brain seeking a
reason for the jerking while she worked to regain control of their shaking
craft. Only one explanation came to mind.
“That
felt like…we were fired at.”
“Because
we were.” Maria’s finger shook as she pointed to the radar.
Multiple
green blips glared out a warning. There shouldn’t be any blips, and yet dozens
of planes filled the skies seven hundred feet below.
“Who the hell is that?”
A
deep male tone barked in Sam’s headset, sending shivers straight to her booted
toes.
That
was not Command Central.
“Mitch, Mitch, are you okay?
You’re smoking,” a slightly familiar male voice
blasted over the radio.
Sam’s
heart stopped. The urgency in his tone bespoke concern for a comrade in battle.
“That Zero let loose, but only
three rounds hit you,” the familiar voice continued.
Zero?
Her pulse resumed thumping at a frantic rate. No friggin’ way!
“Are you sure, Shep? Only three?
How’s that possible?” The deeper tone asked,
reactivating Sam’s shivers.
“Because
he hit us,” Maria answered, flipping an internal extinguisher switch to douse
the sparks inside their cabin.
“Who the hell said that?”
The one called Mitch barked again. “Sounded
like a woman.”
Sam
shook her head at Maria and, finger to throat, made a slicing motion to silence
audio. They mustn’t make contact, at least, not until they figured out what in
the world was going on.
“No idea,”
Shep replied to Mitch. “But the Zero shot
at you and half of his bullets stopped in mid air.”
“Okay, Shep.”
Mitch’s voice changed into a calm, take-charge tone. “You need to shake of this dementia. Are you feeling all right? Dizzy?
The Zeroes are still out here, buddy. Buck it up before you end up in the
drink.”
Shep?
Dementia? Drink? Sam swallowed the hysterical laughter bubbling up her throat. Okay, Sammie, you can wake up now. Her
gaze traveled to her copilot. Maria jabbed a finger at the radio.
“I
swear, Sam, if Hanson and Daughtry are playing tricks, I’m going to have their
asses for lunch.”
“I—I
don’t think it is.” She shook her head, unable to voice her crazy notion one of
those men was her dead grandfather.
“You should fly to Torokina while
you’re still capable, Captain.” Concern
deepened Shep’s tone. “You’re really
starting to smoke now.”
As
if on cue, dark gray plumes billowed up from below. Trepidation pinched Sam’s
shoulders. Not good. She tipped the Phantombird to obtain a better view, and
promptly stopped breathing.
“This
can’t be…”
Maria’s
sharp intake confirmed otherwise. “Holy friggin’ shit.”
Sam’s
mind worked feverishly to rationalize the battle-ravaged scene below. Corsairs,
bullets, smoke, and Mitsubishi Reisens with unmistakable red circles painted on
the sides and wings filled the sky.
“Dammit, Mitchell!”
The
fear vibrating in Shep’s voice startled Sam from her shock.
“Quit being such a stubborn ass. You’d better land
before December 28th, 1943 turns into your last day on this earth.”
Cool
air funneled into Sam’s lungs until it backed up and lodged in her throat. She
coughed. “Oh my God!” Reality hit hard and squeezed her chest. “What have we
done?”
One
of the smoking Corsairs broke away and took a northeast heading. She consulted
the radar and noted several points of land in that area.
“What,
Sam?” Maria asked, alarm lifting her tone. “What’s wrong?”
Sam
expelled her breath and slowly turned to face her copilot. A pair of dark rounded
eyes stared back. Through her grandfather’s tales, Sam knew who survived the
war and who didn’t…
“We
just changed history.”
==========================
Keep an eye on my website for the official release!
www.donnamichaelsauthor.com
Thanks for reading,
~Donna
