Tuesday, February 26, 2013

NEW WORLDS TO CONQUER .... THE JOURNEY CONTINUES ....

Breathless, I step through the portal to a new world. I'm not in 2013 anymore. I have certainly seen my share of Sci-fi movies, but this is INSANE! A magnified female voice booms. "Please follow the flashing blue lights. They will lead you to Ninja Captain Alex."

Is this for real? This is one WAY OUT dream. On the floor pad twinkles sapphire lights flashing NCA. "NCA? How odd." As I follow the lights down several corridors. It hits me ... harder than a bulldozer. No wonder Alex has no problem creating his books. They're real! This is no fictional story. He reminds me of the professor in Disney's Atlantis. Living in one century, but with all the high tech garb of another.

Why me? With all the bloggers in our world, how come Alex picks me? Several more doors open with a whoosh. The lights culminate into a peppermint swirl.

"Please step into the center," the female voice instructs. My heavy boot takes the final step. As my left foot joins the right, I tingle all over, instantly whirling into a vortex. My stomach rises to my throat and I come to a complete stop. I balance myself and view the skyscrapers of Downtown Chicago almost pressing against each pane of the craft's glass.

"Cadet Michael reporting to you, Sir," echoes through the massive cockpit.

Cadet Michael? Am I drafted? 

Alex's mischievous grin stretches ear to ear. Sitting in an overstuffed leather chair, he looks every bit the Ninja Captain, but without the mask. Hmmm. I must be one of maybe three people who has ever caught a glimpse of him. Imagine the envy of all the bloggers who would KILL for this opportunity. Don't worry, Alex. You're secret's safe with me.

"I'm not worried," he chuckles.

"How did y...."

"Be careful what you think around here." He laughs again. "Welcome Michael. I know you must have a million questions, but I'll get to those in a minute." He pats the twin chair next to his. "Take off you coat and join me."

I follow his request and sink into the sumptuous chair next to his. "You're a bit pale Michael, take this."

"A gummy bear? I thought you only ate hot tamales?"

"I do .... but this is to settle your stomach and calm you for the journey ahead. We have two very important destinations and very little time to complete our mission."

Our mission? What gives? I have been drafted! "Uh, Alex, are you sure about this? I'm not a Ninja warrior."

"You are in this army, pal." He steps over to a large panel with at least a thousand multi colored buttons. "I think blue .... You used to be a model, so I know fashion's important to you. I could care less, but I want you to be happy. You need to stand now and don't move."

"You're the boss." I pulled myself off the chair, no longer nauseas. Hey, the gummy bear worked. 

He presses a dozen or so various blue buttons. Beams of light lick at me from every direction.

"Your uniform will be ready in a few minutes."

I inhale a deep breath. "Okay, Alex. What gives? Frankly I'm shocked. Why me?"

"In all the blogosphere, no one has more heart and sincerity than you Michael. I can trust you. This mission is extremely dangerous and I know you'll have my back." He looks at me with eyes that could melt chocolate. "Are you in?"

A knot forms in my throat and I swallow hard to clear it. I square my shoulders. "Do you really need to ask?"

He shakes his head. "No. Just a formality." A high pitch ding, like two crystal glasses meeting interrupts us. "Your uniform's ready, cadet." He presses another blue bottom and out pops a vivid blue spandex and rubber type uniform and a pair of black knee high boots. He hands them to me. "Once you put these on, you're no longer Michael, you're Cadet Michael and I am Ninja Captain Alex."

I nod and examine the undersized garment. "Am I supposed to pour myself into that." He raised a dark brow. "Uh ... Sir."

"It'll stretch." He winked. "Now, get moving cadet. You can change while I fill you in." He returns to his chair and faces the city.

I've been through enough fashion shows to slip into the uniform by the time he pulls up the visuals on the big screen directly over head.

"Our first destination is here." He points to an obscure galaxy. "An archeologist friend of mine named David Alexander needs our help. His father's been abducted in this foreign world." He points again. "Prepare yourself. We'll be dealing with dark magic, thieves, men made of ice, and possibly dragons. We have to save them before it's to late."

"WHAT! Are you serious?" I step back away from the screen.

"Cadet ... Remember, you are a fantasy writer. You should be able to handle this."

I inhale half the air in the room and let it out slowly. "You're right, Captain. Do we have the arms to protect ourselves against these beings."

"I'm a Sci/Fi writer. I've got it covered. Strap yourself in cadet. Our journey awaits."




JEWEL OF SHAYLAR ... Book One of the Kingdom of Chandra.

http://lauraeno.com/



TUNE IN tomorrow for the next exciting segment!


29 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's even better!!! Laura is going to get a kick out of that. Awesome work, Cadet Michael. You did well, little grasshopper.

Laura Eno said...

Hahahahahha! I love this! And I get to be in a story with the Ninja Captain himself and Cadet Michael? Squee!
Thank you so much for such a wild cover reveal. :)
Does this mean I get to glimpse the man behind the mask too?

L. Diane Wolfe said...

LOL! You're a cadet. Wonderful introduction to Laura's book. With so many books coming out, this series could go on for years.

Anonymous said...

Great read, and a great introduction as Diane so rightly wrote.

Yvonne.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

You are incredibly clever good sir.

DEZMOND said...

ooh, love the title of the book and of course your unique way of presenting books, Michael :)

Al Diaz said...

Excellent and creative. *Applause* So you're dealing with dragons? Hopefully no one of my family. ;) Congratulations to Laura!

Roland D. Yeomans said...

What a clever and fun to spotlight the book! :-)

Denise Covey said...

Michael, you do this so well. Congratulations to you and to Laura! Awesome cover Laura!

dolorah said...

Congrats Laura; love this cover.

So creative Cadet Michael :)

......dhole

mooderino said...

So the secret of Alex's power is a diet of hot tamales? It all makes sense now.

mood

Mark Koopmans said...

Cdt. Di Gesu,

That's some fine work you've done to prepare the troops for Operation LAURA ENO Release Day.

Keep up the good work, dismissed!

(Whispers...)

Turns around.

No, Michael, you've not being fired, it's a terminology thing :)

Elizabeth Seckman said...

Michael...you are the sweetest! What a wonderful way to profile a new book!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Michael - this is awesome!!!! Your writing is always stellar, but this is one of my favorites!
Great post!

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Great intro, great book cover. Michael, I agree with Tyrean--awesome!

Monti
Mary Montague Sikes

JJ said...

Congrats to Laura. You are a Cadet, Michael!

M Pax said...

Star journeys are the best.

Vanessa Morgan said...

Enjoyed this!

VR Barkowski said...

This was so much fun to read, Michael. Honestly, you've raised the bar on cover reveals. What a perfect segue into JEWEL OF SHAYLAR.

Congrats to you for great writing and such a creative reveal, and congrats to Laura for her gorgeous cover!

Jemi Fraser said...

That was completely awesome!!! Love it - can't wait for the next adventure :)

Golden Eagle said...

This is so cool. Can't wait to find out what happens next! :)

Stina said...

This is hilarious. And what a clever idea to write you and Alex into a story. :D

And by the way, you look stunning in your garment. :D

Unknown said...

"It'll stretch..." LOL This just gets better. I am DYING to know what happens next and I can't wait to have you do a cover reveal for me. :)

Kimberly Gabriel said...

Oh my God, I love this! Cracks me up! I love the dialogue between you and Alex! ;)

Nicki Elson said...

Something tells me you had way too much fun writing that! As much fun as we had reading it. ;) And excellent intro to an excellent cover.

Morgan said...

Oh my gosh! I want the next segment! Alex has his own fan fiction! LOL. I'm seriously loving this series. And of course Alex can read minds... duh... I should've known.

And laughing at all the fashion stuff. Too funny!

:D

Angela Brown said...

Love it, Michael. And Laura's cover ROCKS!!!

Michelle Wallace said...

Michael you are sooo creative!
I'm off to read the next installment.

D.G. Hudson said...

It's 10:49 pm here in Vancouver BC and I'm just finishing off my blog visiting. Loved this fantasy story with you and Alex. Well done, Michael, and your 'voice' was distinct, (during the getting into the spandex spacesuit, for instance).

BTW - about my short flight boots, yes they were stylish, but not for street wear (like the ruby slippers they're too special).