Author Name: Mario Kai Lipinski
Book Name: Wildness
Release
Date: December 18, 2015
Blurb:
Dr. Åke Jörgensson is a scientist from Sweden whose
invention of almost instant travel to any part of the universe will
revolutionize space flight.
Khitain is a N’tari, a panther-like alien serving
aboard a human space ship, and Åke’s boyfriend of three months.
On Christmas, they visit Åke’s parents for the first
time. As if meeting his in-laws weren’t stressful enough, feelings of
inadequacy and fear haunt Khitain. His N’tari descent makes him a killing
machine, and one wrong move could wipe out what is dearest to him. Åke,
however, has to deal with his family’s ignorance and Khitain’s reluctance to
let go of his restraint.
When something terrible happens during their
Christmas Morning walk, the situation gets out of hands.
Can love span even light years?
Pages or Words:19,000
Categories:M/M Romance, Science Fiction
Excerpt:
December
24, 2267
“So
much water.” Khitain looked down at the fuzzy blue ball of Earth. “Your home
world is beautiful.” As beautiful as his mate, but Åke didn’t like to hear such
praise, so Khitain kept it to himself.
“I
thought N’tar was also rich in water.” Åke stepped forward and pressed his
forehead against the window of the landing pod. As always, some strands of his
hair stuck out at the strangest angles.
What
was the human name for that color again? Oh yes, blond. The blueness of Åke’s
irises flowed into the slightly darker shade of the water that reflected in the
whites of his eyes.
“It
is, but most of our water runs in subterranean rivers. Those are the oceans you
told me about?”
“Yes,
they are. See that landmass over there?” Åke pointed at the northern hemisphere.
“That’s Scandinavia. Sweden’s over there.”
Sweden.
The land of Åke’s ancestors. The land of Åke’s parents. Khitain didn’t fear his
enemies. So these people couldn’t be his enemies.
“If
you strain your ears any more, they’ll fall off.” Åke grabbed Khitain’s hand.
His tiny human fingers stood out so white from the grayness of Khitain’s fur.
“You don’t have to be nervous. They’ll like you. And Emilia? She’ll simply
adore you. Emi loves cats more than anything else.”
“It’s
you who keeps telling everyone that I’m not a cat.” Khitain had seen holo vids
of tigers, panthers, and lions. Of course, humans compared him with those. One
of the panthers had even resembled his Second Aunt Eritruin, though the animal
had looked friendlier. Much friendlier.
“Because
you aren’t, but for Emi, you’ll be a walking, talking pussycat.” Åke bared his
teeth.
Why
did humans think that doing so was an amicable gesture?
“And
for your parents?” Khitain closed his hand around Åke’s, his tri-Kevlar claw
protector rubbing over Åke’s knuckles.
“For
them, you’ll be the guy their son loves.”
Or
a disgrace to their family. A warrior and a scientist. Love goes strange ways.
He snuggled up against Åke, whose head rested on Khitain’s lower ribs. “Your
love honors me. May my love honor you.”
Åke
pecked Khitain’s flank and nuzzled the fur until his nose grazed the skin
beneath. When Åke’s parents saw how much their son and he loved each other,
maybe they’d refrain from chasing him out of their home and at least tolerate a
lowly soldier.
The
pod decelerated and the counterforce of the inertia damper tugged at Khitain’s
fur. The claw shape of Scandinavia filled the whole window now.
“We’ll
land in Stockholm any minute. A glider will take us to Kårböle, and the house
of my parents lies a little outside of the town.” Åke still leaned against
Khitain, and his voice resonated in Khitain’s body. “Pappa offered to pick us
up by car, but I thought you’d prefer a little walk.”
Khitain
wouldn’t fit into that thing, that car. At least not into the models the ship’s
computer had shown him, and moreover, he weighed more than those transports
could load. Yet Åke wrapped Khitain’s shame up in a way that allowed him to
save face. “I’d love to see the wilderness of Sweden.” He buried his nostrils
in Åke’s hair and inhaled its smell, reminding him of mature Garrajfruits.
The
city soared by beneath them, and the shiny facades of the new buildings reflected
the stony images of the old. Human settlements reached so high into the sky,
much higher than the low huts on N’tar. The pod came to a halt, hovered in the
air for some seconds, and descended onto the landing platform. A jolt rocked
the ship as it touched the ground. With a hiss, the hatch of the shuttle
opened. Khitain inhaled. They had landed in the center of the city, and yet the
air smelled of nature and life. How much he had missed those odors in the
artificial atmosphere of the Charon’s Boat, and how much he yearned to
return to the safety of the ship, a hundred light-years away from Åke’s
parents.
Buy the book:
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Meet the author:
Mario K. Lipinski (born in November, 1975, in
Germany) lives in Herne, Germany.
He is a spare-time author and, in "real"
life, is a mathematician teaching at university level. Does it show in his
books? Yes, it does.
English is not his native language, and a frequent
question is why he does write in English. For more than 15 years, most of the
books he has read have been in English. So, it felt natural for him to write in
English, too.
He is into romance with a capital R.
Where to find the author:
Publisher: MLR Press
Cover
Artist: Kris Jacen
Tour Dates& Stops:
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G. Books, Bonkers
About Books, Kimi-Chan,
A.M.
Leibowitz, MM
Good Book Reviews, Wicked
Faerie's Tales and Reviews, KathyMac Reviews,
Molly
Lolly, Charley
Descoteaux, Carly’s
Book Reviews, Velvet
Panic, Alpha Book Club
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