I’ve been working hard writing the third Dinosaur Wars novel, Blood On The Moon, and the end is in sight. As I approach completion of the first draft, I’ve begun looking back to see how well what I wrote up front meshes with what’s coming at the end. So far, so good. It looks like this book will tie up all the loose ends of the trilogy quite nicely.
Glancing over the early passages, I got to thinking folks might want a preview, maybe just a short snippet to whet the appetite for the soon-to-be-completed ebook. So here’s an excerpt of what’s coming, just a quick little clip from the very front end at the start of Chapter One. It will give you a taste of the sort of fast-paced read I’m going for in what will be an action-packed adventure romance if I can help it. I hope you’ll enjoy the following teaser:
CHAPTER ONE
The tyrannosaurus was a big one. It stalked across the brushy grassland of the Montana high plains smoothly on two towering legs that somehow moved gracefully despite their tree-like size. The huge carnivore placed one three-clawed foot on the ground almost gently, followed slowly by the other foot in a stealthy, fluid motion. The immense, tawny-furred animal blended into the tan colors of the grasslands so well as to be almost unnoticeable despite its size. Keeping its head low and its long tail stretched out behind, it was stalking something it smelled on the air currents. The brown and tan zebra-striped mane along the crest of its neck stood tall with anticipation of a kill. Its nose came up slightly each time it sniffed the light breeze, and then it would adjust its course slightly to follow the scent it was homing in on.
That scent was far too faint for a human nose to detect, but was easily followed by the powerful sensory system within the rex’s snout, one that rivaled or surpassed that of a wolf’s nose. After a few more paces into the wind the rex sniffed again, adjusted its direction once more—and caught sight of its quarry. Now the huge carnivore accelerated its pace, tracking visually but still moving fluidly and silently on its well-padded feet. It obviously hoped to reach its prey without causing it to flee.
That prey, Chase Armstrong, adjusted the bill of his green National Park Service ball cap to keep the sun out of his eyes. “He’s seen us!” Chase murmured with just the hint of an edge on his voice. “Here he comes!”
“Oh my God,” Kit Daniels whispered from just behind Chase’s shoulder. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“I guess we’ll see,” said Chase, rising from his exposed driver’s seat to face the oncoming rex. “Hey you!” he shouted at it. “Want some of this?” He waved his arms to be certain the rex was fixated on him. It was.
As the rex accelerated to a full charge, its feet now thundering on the ground, Chase turned around and bent over, slapping a butt cheek provocatively. “Nice and meaty!” he shouted. “Come and get it!”
“Chase!” Kit cried as the T-rex loomed larger with each stride. “I don’t think you should be doing that!” She peered around Chase from where she sat behind him in the second seat of the Kra walking machine. She’d planned to stand up with Chase when this moment came, but something about a T-rex charging in her direction made her too shaky to rise without her knees buckling. After all, it had been she, not Chase, who’d escaped the jaws of one of these huge carnivores twice in a single day. And those memories were recent enough that their terror hadn’t entirely faded.
When the rex was within twenty paces it let out a piercing shriek like the battle cry of a titanic eagle.
“Enough is enough, Chase!”
“He’s gotta get closer,” Chase replied in a voice that remained calm somehow, though Kit’s heart was racing crazily. Perhaps Chase’s years of dealing with angry grizzly bears had prepared him better for this challenge. “Gar says we need to give him a good look at us and make sure he knows it’s humans he’s trying to eat.”
“It’ll be humans he does eat, if you don’t do something, quickly!”
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If you haven’t read the first two books of the Dinosaur Wars trilogy, check out the ebooks here. The first book is free for a while. Hard copies are harder to find, but you can try used book sellers.
