Getting close to the release of my next, 14th, book. This is a romance with some scifi elements set about sixteen years before “Obligations of Rank.” In that book, Allen and Ryland’s daughter, Livia, plays a role in Part One. I was curious about Livia’s parents. So, here’s a rough draft of the backcover blurb and how the front cover is shaping up.

At eighteen, Allen Rupert’s criminal past has caught up with him and he is given the choice of the military or jail.  To get as far from central Texas as possible, he joins the new navy, but spends half of his time in the brig.

Recognizing Allen’s mechanical skill, he’s trained as a machinist and assigned to the small corvette Liberty, patrolling the Gulf of Mexico.  During an ASW drill, Allen defuses a torpedo which went live in its tube, and his summoned to the bridge.  There, Acting Captain Ryland Rigó commends him for his good work.

For the first time in his life, Allen sees someone look at him with respect.  Weeks later, ashore, he invites her to lunch.  To his utter shock, she accepts.

Thinking her just another girl, Allen is shook to his core to find himself swept into a maelstrom of domestic politics, international intrigue, and the plots and plans of Demi-humans and Machines.  All while trying to fix his broken life and attain the only thing he wants:  Ryland.