The Star Rider Universe Book Series by Heidi Skarie - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

THE STAR RIDER UNIVERSE SERIES

by Heidi Skarie

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GENRE:   Science Fiction

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The Star Rider Universe Book Series Blurb:

Can a small band of heroes save their world from a ruthless interplanetary conqueror?

The Star Rider series is an exciting space opera series that takes place in a distant galaxy during an intergalactic war. The first three books are about two undercover operatives, Toemeka and Erling, and their friends, lovers, and enemies as they fight for the freedom of their world.

The next three books are about Toemeka and Erling’s young adult children as the war continues and a new generation is pulled into the struggle for peace.

You'll love this thrilling series if you like stories that take place in other worlds with feisty heroines, brave heroes, space battles, and starships.

*****

Book One: Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge

He wanted to rule the stars. He shouldn’t have murdered her family…

Toemeka Ganti won’t rest until the universe is rid of the sinister sorcerer-deity who killed her parents. Working undercover to liberate a peaceful people from his ruthless usurper, she attempts to develop a weapon that can break through the tyrant’s shields. But she’s barely begun her work when she’s captured by the despot’s dark agents.

Rescued by a mysterious and handsome warrior-priest, Toemeka and her team join forces with the planetary resistance. But without her device to knock out the enemy defenses, their budding rebellion could swiftly be crushed. And her time to complete it has almost run out…

Can Toemeka free an oppressed planet and light a spark of hope throughout the galaxy?

Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge is the electrifying first book in the Star Rider space opera series. If you like feisty heroines, high-tech weapons, and courageous crews, then you’ll love Heidi Skarie’s thrilling saga.

*****

Book Two: Star Rider and the Golden Threads

Toemeka Kimes doesn’t sit back when her loved ones are in trouble . . . she jumps in to save them.

While Toemeka is living in a secret dome-city for refugees, an urgent message arrives for her husband, Michio. It’s a plea for help from Queen Koriann of Jaipar. Planetary-conqueror and sorcerer, Samrat Condor, is threatening to attack unless they surrender.

Michio has left the dome-city for specialized training to stop Condor’s spread of dark power, so Toemeka goes to Jaipar on planet Borko in his stead. There she is reunited with Agent Erling Fenian, her former Coalition partner.

Complications arise including old feelings between Erling and Queen Koriann, personal betrayal, dark sorcery, spiritual tests and hostile alien

Will they be able to save Jaipar?

*****

Book Three: Star Rider and Bonds of Love

Toemeka wants peace . . . but Condor, the universe’s most powerful world-conqueror, wants her dead.

Toemeka resigns as a Coalition operative during an interplanetary war, to live peacefully with her warrior-priest husband, Michio. Her plans are shattered when she’s abducted by one of Condor’s sorcerers, who’s interested in twisting her unique abilities to increase his own dark powers.

Michio is devastated and searches the galaxy to find her. But time is running out for them—as well as the free world they’ve dedicated their lives to protecting.

After the sorcerer-conqueror Condor destroys Coalition headquarters, he turns to annihilating Toemeka and Michio’s home planet.

Will Michio rescue Toemeka in time for both of them to use their mystical powers to save their world? Or will their attempts ultimately lead to their deaths?

*****

Book 4: Call of the Wind

Will a young pilot shot down in occupied territory be executed or overcome impossible odds and survive?

Living under the shadow of an interplanetary war, Baymond Kimes’ life is shattered when his father is shot at a spiritual gathering. He turns to his childhood friend, Princess Fawniteen, for comfort. Their innocent love blossoms, but when Fawn’s parents reveal she was betrothed at birth to another, the young couple is devastated.

Fawn dutifully accepts her fate, and Baymond escapes at sixteen by joining the Interplanetary air fleet.

Trained as a fighter pilot against the forces of a powerful sorcerer-deity, Baymond grows up fast. Eventually, his aircraft is shot down and he’s captured.

Can Baymond escape to see Fawniteen again and use his special gifts to save the galaxy?

If you like brave heroes, true love, exciting adventures and space battles you’ll love Call of the Wind.

*****

Book 5: Call of the Eagle

One reckless decision and now he must face a sinister world conqueror in battle . . .

During a time of interplanetary war, Baymond escaped heartbreak by joining the galactic air fleet. Now he faces death daily while living on a military space station far from his home planet. His latest assignment is to travel to a war-torn planet on a reconnaissance mission.

Meanwhile, Princess Fawniteen is expected to marry Prince Radcliff to form a political alliance between their countries. But when Radcliff’s father dies, she realizes she’s still in love with Baymond and wants control over her life.

Fawniteen breaks off her engagement and travels across the galaxy to be with Baymond. She joins him on what’s proposed to be a peaceful mission. Instead, they find themselves cut off from the space station and war erupts.

When Baymond and Fawniteen become separated, he must face his hardest trial yet when he’s captured by the enemy when searching for her.

Will Fawn and Baymond survive their separation by war? Can Baymond draw on his unique gifts and defeat a powerful sorcerer-deity to save the galaxy?

*****

Book 6: Golden Cord of Light

When darkness descends can a few courageous heroes save their planet?

Princess Morisa’s world is turned upside down. She planned to be a priestess living at a monastery for the rest of her life. But now she’s being sent to a foreign country and is expected to use her special powers to entice the prince to marry her. How can she seduce him when it goes against everything she’s been taught?

Prince Everette is embroiled in the world of politics and rebellion. With his father leaving for war and his mother ill, he’s the regent ruler and head of the military. As if that isn’t enough, he’s expected to be polite to the feisty Princess Morisa, who is staying at the palace for the summer.

Everette and Morisa’s stormy relationship intensifies as the warring world around them erupts. Can they put aside their differences long enough to keep the most dangerous sorcerer in the galaxy from destroying their planet? Or will the galaxy plunge into darkness?

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EXCERPT ONE:

From Book 1 Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge, A Space Opera Adventure

Toemeka raced through the dense, ominous forest, pursued by Talon soldiers and their vicious hounds. More hounds rushed out from behind trees. Saliva and blood dripped from their fangs as they growled and stalked her from all directions.

Toemeka jerked awake, her heart pounding and body shaking. Only a nightmare, she reassured herself, drawing a deep breath to control the anxiety. She felt awful - hung over and thickheaded. Not knowing where she was, Toemeka shoved a damp lock of hair off her aching forehead and sat up. In a nearby berth less than five feet away lay Michio, sleeping soundly.

Distorted memories of the previous evening sprung to mind. Hammering music. A snake slithering around a man’s neck. Rochambeau shot. The smell of a ship burning. She wasn’t sure what was real and what was an illusion caused by the drug.

Monitors along one wall dimly lit the room. The low drone of engines and a distinct vibration suggested she was on a starship or perhaps a space station. Stars and planets shone as dots of light in the blackness of space when she looked out the porthole. Most likely a space station with simulated gravity, she decided.

She pushed the silver space blanket off her clammy body and slid off the berth. Her bare feet hit the cool floor. She took a soft step, swayed unsteadily and threw out a hand, pressing it against the wall to regain her balance. Michio’s brown leather jacket hung from a hook on the wall. She crept quietly towards it in hopes of finding his energy gun.

Michio rolled over; she froze. once his breathing became regular again, she thrust her hand into the jacket pocket. empty, but something heavy clunked against the wall. Underneath the jacket hung his gun belt. Her hand closed around the solid handle of a Juggernaut 50, a powerful energy gun; she pulled it from its holster.

The berth creaked. She swung around and aimed the Jug 50 at Michio as he leaped out of the berth. He coiled before her like a huka panther ready to spring, radiating self-confidence. He had the muscular body of a warrior and seemed taller and more dangerous than he’d appeared when asleep. He wore nothing but loose-fitting silk sleeping pants that hugged his taut stomach.

Blast it! Why did she feel vulnerable when she was the one holding the Jug 50? Then it hit her. The weapon was of little use because she would never shoot someone who might be an ally. “Stay where you are!” she exclaimed.

He studied her with piercing eyes. “I see you’re finally awake.”

She held out her free hand. “Give me the Viper’s keyless remote.”

He scowled. “Are you crazy? Do you think I’m just going to let you steal my ship and leave me stranded in space?”

“I’m sure you know someone who will come get you. Now give me the remote or I’ll blast a hole in your thigh.” Feeling weak and nauseated, she locked her knees, afraid her strength would give out.

“So this is what I get for risking my life to rescue you.” His stance remained guarded.

“If you were rescuing me, you won’t mind taking me back to my apartment.”

He shook his head. “It’s no longer safe for you there.”

“I’ll decide what’s safe and what isn’t.”

“Fine,” he snapped, “but I need to get dressed before we go anywhere.” He reached for his clothes hanging on the hook behind her.

“Stay back. I’ll hand them to you.”

“Don’t push me. And put the Jug 50 away before one of us gets hurt.”

“Not likely.” She kept the gun trained on him, then turned to snatch his clothes off the hook.

He sprang, knocking her backwards, slamming her right arm against the wall. The gun discharged with a flare of light as it flew out of her hand and onto a berth. She pushed against his unyielding chest.

He pinned her against the wall. “Now will you listen to reason?” His eyes flared with fury.

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GUEST POST:

The Craziest Thing I’ve Done in the Name of Research

When writing Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge, the first book in my Star Rider Series, I wrote a scene where the main character, Toemeka, an undercover operative, had to parachute out of an aircraft into enemy territory. I wanted to write the scene authentically, so when my daughter gave me the gift of a parachute jump, I went for it.

My daughter, her husband, and I arrived at a small airport and we all received instructions on how to parachute. I chose to do a tandem jump. That means a skilled jumper is strapped in back of you, so it requires less training.

I changed into one-piece flight suit and put on a helmet and goggles, then we took off in a small plane. I sat next to the door on the floor where the roar of the engines made it hard to talk. When we were over the jump spot, the instructor asked if I wanted to do a flip. I said, “Yes!” We jumped out and did a couple of rolls, then floated down peacefully. The free fall felt wonderfully like flying.

Finally, I pulled the cord and we jerked to a slower speed as the parachute opened. Rocking beneath the chute, we glided down to the landing stop, using the shroud lines to guide us. After successfully landing, I turned to watch my daughter and her husband sail down. I had to laugh when I saw the plastered-back skin on their faces. Mine probably looked the same.

When I wrote the scene in the book, I decided to make it more exciting by adding dangerous elements. Such as making it a high-altitude night jump and making one of the four jumpers less experienced. And despite the darkness, Toemeka and her friends could be spotted and shot down or attacked by vicious dragon-like creatures.

To make it even more of a challenge, Toemeka’s shroud lines get crossed and the parachute can’t open correctly. She has to cut that chute free and pull the ripcord of the emergency chute. She lands roughly in a meadow. The last team member out of the aircraft misses the landing site and gets hung up in the trees. Her chute has to be cut down.

When writing action scenes, I don’t just consider the action but the character’s feelings and reactions to the situation. So to make the scene even more tense, two of the characters get into an argument after they landed.

One parachute jump was enough for me though I was happy to have had the experience. More than that, I was thrilled to be able to write the scene more accurately.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Heidi Skarie is the author of the Sci-Fi, Space Opera series The Star Rider Universe. The sixth book in the series, Golden Cord of Light is a new release and the seventh is coming out in 2024. She was inspired to write Star Rider on the Razor’s Edge after having a series of six dreams that was like watching a movie.

Heidi Skarie loves writing and creating stories. She especially enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy because it allows for creativity, imagination, and freedom of ideas. All inventions come from a feeling or dream of possibilities that can later manifest like computers, cell phones, zoom calls, and self-driving cars.  She vividly remembers the amazing day when Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon and the possibility of space travel became a reality.

Skarie teaches classes on writing and has spoken on podcasts, radio, and television.

She lives in Minnetonka, MN with her husband, Jim, and their cat, Lucky.  To find out more about her journey as a writer visit her website and blog.

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CONNECT WITH HEIDI:

Website/Blog:

http://www.heidiskarieauthor.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/heidi.skarie

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/HeidiSkarie

Pinterest:

http://www.pinterest.com/heidiskarie

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Heidi will be awarding a $20 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.