by S. R Russell
—
Abby had taken the guard position briefly so her cousin E could grab a quick bite, then Abby and Arthur had headed to the mess, leaving E on duty at Anne’s new apartment.
Anne licked the grease and salt from her fingers. She didn’t do it often, but today she had just felt like some fish and chips. She didn’t think the Yollin fish and potato equivalents were as good as they were on Earth, but she was willing to admit her memory of the fish and chip cart in the casino might have been faulty.
Jinx had already finished her steak, so Anne waited as Stevie mopped up the last of the sauce from her double order of spaghetti and meatballs with her garlic toast.
“You feel up to talking about what happened?” Anne asked as Stevie pushed her empty container away and sat back with a contented sigh.
“It’s a little embarrassing.” Stevie blushed, looking anywhere but at Anne.
“She kept losing focus during training,” Jinx related. “I told her I pretended I had to protect you to motivate myself, and suggested she imagine needing to protect someone to see if the same thing could help her. Next thing we knew, she’d shifted to that big form and had poor Arthur by the throat. As long as I ran around her and barked, it distracted her enough that she didn’t try to do any further damage to him. I kept running so she couldn’t turn me into the doggy version of hamburger and called you for help.”
Stevie sighed, and finally managed to look Anne in the face. “I used Jinx’ suggestion and thought of you,” she confessed. “In my mind, you had been injured because I hadn’t been able to protect you. Next thing I knew I was a monster, and screaming at Jinx and Guardian Connors.”
Anne leaned close enough to pat Stevie on the knee. “First, you weren’t a monster!” she said emphatically. “From everything I’ve heard while training with Peter, it’s a rare and special ability. You will just need to practice so you can control your emotions in that form. Apparently it’s easy to go berserk, and then we’d have problems.”
“I’m not sure I want to do that again,” Stevie proclaimed.
Anne sighed and looked at the Were sympathetically. “That’s not surprising,” she told her friend, “but you need to learn to control it, so it doesn’t control you.”
“You could practice here,” Jinx suggested. “That way no one else would see you shift.”
Stevie was quiet for a moment while she thought about Jinx’ suggestion, then she nodded. “That would be workable.”
“Great, we have a plan of action!” Anne smiled at Jinx, then Stevie.
“I hate to interrupt,” Seshat’s avatar said from the previously blank monitor, “but ADAM has just informed me our asteroid has arrived.”
FINIS
Author Notes - Stephen Russell
August 7, 2017
Again, huge heartfelt thanks to all of you who have made it this far!
I was completely blown away by the success of Etheric Recruit. I hope you have enjoyed Etheric Researcher as much.
Writing about Jinx and writing scenes from her perspective is both challenging and fun. I’ve been blessed with the company of several amazingly smart dogs over my lifetime. It’s taken a lot of years, but I finally learned that I was allowing my limited expectations to control what I tried to teach my dogs. I’ve found it to be absolutely amazing what a dog is capable of learning as long as their human is capable of teaching them. Luckily for me Jinx is well mannered. So, I won’t have to write scenes where she’s gotten hold of a role of paper towel and shredded it into quarter sized pieces scattered all over the living room floor. (True story, it looked like it had snowed in the house!)
I have a confession, after several hours immersed in writing or editing scenes with Seshat, there were two occasions I called my Amazon device, Seshat. It doesn’t answer to that, go figure.
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Written November 30, 2017
WOW!
First, THANK YOU for reading these author notes where we get a chance to wax philosophically, or just say random stuff.
Either is good sometimes.
I remember when Stephen called me up ready to talk beats for this book. I was in Las Vegas, walking down a sidewalk towards Las Vegas Blvd (the strip) from the Aria hotel. I ended up talking to him on my phone walking up and down the sidewalk in front of the VEER towers for like thirty-five minutes.
I’m happy the weather was pleasant that day.
This is Stephen’s second book, and typically, an indie author doesn’t need to stress too much about their sophomore effort. While I’m fairly successful now, my first book was NOT successful like Stephen’s.
Since he won’t speak too much about himself (and I will, since he won’t see these notes until after they are placed online for everyone to read) I want to admit that his success with Anne and Jinx is CRAZY!
He rose to first place in a YA genre category and he didn’t come down for WEEKS. It just kept selling and selling and selling and making fans happy.
I told him I should have written a book with a dog in it.
Then we both realized I had (Ashur) but he doesn’t show up for a few books and I didn’t put him front and center on the cover until Never Forsaken (Book 05).
Now, Stephen’s life has come full circle as the production editor is now the successful author.
I’m happy you like these characters and Stephen’s stories.
I would like to personally thank you for supporting a man who gave of his time and talents to willingly help me a year and a half ago. Your support has brought to reality what was just a dream for Stephen before.
Now he not only has one book out, he has two. In the reviews for this book, why don’t you ask him when book 03 is coming out?
It would serve him right for all of those times he gave me sh#t when you fans gave me a hard time.
May he write many more stories that entertain us all far into the future.
Ad Aeternitatem,
Michael Anderle
p.s. Stephen – Now YOU get to know what it feels like to have a character (a dog) that can’t die. Because if he dies, you will have a TON of very unhappy dog-loving readers.
Michael Anderle
Kurtherian Gambit Series Titles Include:
First Arc
Death Becomes Her (01) - Queen Bitch (02) - Love Lost (03) - Bite This (04)
Never Forsaken (05) - Under My Heel (06) - Kneel Or Die (07)
Second Arc
We Will Build (08) - It’s Hell To Choose (09) - Release The Dogs of War (10)
Sued For Peace (11) - We Have Contact (12) - My Ride is a Bitch (13)
Don’t Cross This Line (14)
Third Arc (2017)
Never Submit (15) - Never Surrender (16) - Forever Defend (17)
Might Makes Right (18) - Ahead Full (19) - Capture Death (20)
Life Goes On (21)
The Second Dark Ages
The Dark Messiah (01)
The Darkest Night (02)
Darkest Before The Dawn (03)
*with Ell Leigh Clarke*
The Boris Chronicles
* With Paul C. Middleton *
Evacuation
Retaliation
Revelation
Restitution 2017
Reclaiming Honor
* With JUSTIN SLOAN *
Justice Is Calling (01)
Claimed By Honor (02)
Judgement Has Fallen (03)
Angel of Reckoning (04)
Born Into Flames (05)
Defending The Lost (06)
Saved By Valor (07)
Return of Victory (08)
The Etheric Academy
* With TS PAUL *
ALPHA CLASS (01)
ALPHA CLASS - Engineering (02)
ALPHA CLASS (03) Coming soon
Terry Henry “TH” Walton Chronicles
* With CRAIG MARTELLE *
Nomad Found (01)
Nomad Redeemed (02)
Nomad Unleashed (
03)
Nomad Supreme (04)
Nomad’s Fury (05)
Nomad’s Justice (06)
Nomad Avenged (07)
Nomad Mortis (08)
Nomad’s Force (09)
Nomad’s Galaxy (10)
Trials and Tribulations
* With Natalie Grey *
Risk Be Damned (01)
Damned to Hell (02)
Hell’s Worst Nightmare (03) coming soon
The Age of Magic
The Rise of Magic
* With CM Raymond / LE Barbant *
Restriction (01)
Reawakening (02)
Rebellion (03)
Revolution (04)
Unlawful Passage (05)
Darkness Rises (06)
The Gods Beneath (07)
The Hidden Magic Chronicles
* With Justin Sloan *
Shades of Light (01)
Shades of Dark (02)
Shades of Glory (03)
Shades of Justice (04)
Storms of Magic
*With PT Hylton*
Storm Raiders (01)
Storm Callers (02)
Storm Breakers (03)
Storm Warrior (04)
Tales of the Feisty Druid
*With Candy Crum*
The Arcadian Druid (01)
The Undying Illusionist (02)
The Frozen Wasteland (03)
The Deceiver (04)
The Lost (05)
Path of Heroes
*With Brandon Barr*
Rogue Mage (01)
A New Dawn
*With Amy Hopkins*
Dawn of Destiny (01)
Dawn of Darkness (02)
Dawn of Deliverance (03)
The Age of Expansion
The Ascension Myth
* With Ell Leigh Clarke *
Awakened (01)
Activated (02)
Called (03)
Sanctioned (04)
Rebirth (05)
Retribution (06)
Cloaked (07)
Rogue Operator (07.5)
Confessions of a Space Anthropologist
* With Ell Leigh Clarke *
Giles Kurns: Rogue Operator (01)
The Uprise Saga
* With Amy DuBoff *
Covert Talents (01)
Bad Company
* With Craig Martelle*
The Bad Company (01)
The Ghost Squadron
* With Sarah Noffke and J.N. Chaney*
Formation (01)
Exploration (02)
Other Books
Etheric Recruit
Etheric Researcher
*With S.R. Russell*
Gateway to the Universe
*With Craig Martelle & Justin Sloan*
The Revelations of Oriceran
The Leira Chronicles
*With Martha Carr*
Waking Magic (1)
Release of Magic (2)
Protection of Magic (3)
Rule of Magic (4)
Dealing in Magic (5)
SHORT STORIES
Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 01 (7.5)
You Don’t Touch John’s Cousin
Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 02 (9.5)
Bitch’s Night Out
Bellatrix: Frank Kurns Stories of the Unknownworld 03 (13.25)
With Natalie Grey
AudioBooks
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Available at Audible.com and iTunes
Michael Anderle Social
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