It's the SFR Brigade Mid-Summer Blog Hop.

I’ve been thinking a lot about seasons recently, but not just that. I've also been thinking about the movement of planets and how the alignment plays a role in not only the way people act, but the way it could affect other worlds. Things like tides, and the length of the days and nights, have been on my mind. I’m writing a planet bound story that will be science fiction romance when finished. Everything in this story revolves around the seasons and the ability to grow crops to sustain an expanding population. In yet another story, the planet is affected by the rotation of the world and the moons off-world, called the Three Sisters. The homes are in tidal areas, buried under oceans at night and on the beach during the day. The reason: Nocturnal humanoids that are cannibalistic hunt the land at night and cannot swim. Because of their translucent skin, they don’t tolerate the light from the radiant star and therefore living under the oceans at night in dome-shaped houses and living on the surface during the day is a matter of survival. In another story every major event is planned and timed by the seasons for religious reasons.

In writing these stories, I went back to my primitive roots, where man worshipped, planted his crops, and harvested by the phases of the moon and stars.

Not only did he track the stars, he built monuments in celebration of the heavens. There are markers all over the world from Stone Hinge to the Great Pyramids of Giza to the Pre-Columbian star observatory in South America.

What does someone from another world think when they look up at the stars? How do the seasons govern their lives? Here is an excerpt where one possiblity came to mind. 

Excerpt of Moon Crazy:

Jace cracked an eye. Warm morning starlight streamed in through the glass behind him. The light illuminated Tara. She looked so innocent while asleep, and truth be told, he could watch her for hours when she was like this, but it wasn’t safe. Sometime during the night, he’d made the mistake of drifting off in her bed, and was damned lucky she didn’t wake up first.

She’d had a room built into her dome, just for him, when he came over on occasion. After they’d had their fill, the idea was he went to his room to sleep off the night, until the ocean receded and it was safe to leave.

Her eyes fluttered open and stared back at him. Beautiful aqua irises glowed in the light. Their almond shaped, accentuated with a thick fringe of lashes. She silently studied him back,  her lips slightly parted and swollen from her activities the night before. Her platinum hair practically glowed around her like a halo, taking his breath away. How he missed waking up next to her. It had been a long time since he’d spent the night in her bed, and this time, only by mistake. A smiled tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Perhaps she wasn’t upset about him staying in her bed. There always was a first for everything. No reason not to be social. “Good morning.”

The heel of her palm struck him in the breastbone, sending him reeling backward off the tall platform, all flailing arms and legs, tangled in the sheet. Jace hit the floor with a thud. “What the fuck.”

“What did we decide about you sleeping in my bed?”

“That’s a little harsh for a man who rocked your world all night.”

“That’s why you have your own room.”

He sat up and rubbed the back of his head. Yeah, that. Tara may be human, but she’d taken up residence on this world after relocating for employment, and had adopted the moon-crazy attitudes of the locals. The solitude suited her and she didn’t like to share. Anything. Beds. Blankets. Body heat—if she actually had some.

Quadraxians lived in domes beside the ocean and in the shallows. Every night the tides came up and anywhere from fifty to a hundred feet of water would cover the domes. During the full phase of the Three sisters when they were in alignment, the domes remained covered for several days, but that was never an issue. Each home was self-sustaining. Special processors extracted air from the oxygen rich sea water. Fish-like creatures were the principal diet, but many Quadraxians had indoor gardens that thrived in the miniature biospheres too. They could go for years without coming out of their domes if necessary, and Jace surmised that could be the reason for their moods. Who wouldn't lose it trapped in a dome for extended periods?

The domes were only the tip of the Quadraxian homes that sometimes bored into bedrock several levels below the surface. Tara’s had three levels. Her bedroom she kept above ground—his below. The sides of her home were wrapped with glass while the top was made from a concrete like material that was stronger and lighter than the Terran version and air and water tight when she shut the vents.

She had a room the level below, where she could free dive if she chose. Open to the sea, she need only jump in to go for a swim. Diving rooms were common accessories to a Quad’s home, as they were both avid swimmers and athletic. Since Quads had gills, Tara improvised with several breathing apparatus. She was never stranded or stuck, but then again she wasn’t stupid. Nobody went ashore at night.

The domes served two purposes. The first was protection from the violent storms that plagued the planet. The round shapes resisted high winds. Hail bounced off them and water washed around them and over them like stones in a river. They were also anchored deep and created in a manner that they were air tight and submergable. This was the other reason the communities were built on the oceans and beaches.

The second was to avoid the other residents of the world, carnivores, who were strictly nocturnal because of their translucent skin and inability to stand the light from the radiant star. And they enjoyed humanoid flesh. Terran, Quad, they didn’t care. They also couldn’t swim. Since light was coming in, he could leave now. Probably should.

Then again, the Three Sisters were full and everyone was a little batshit crazy. No one would blame him for using poor judgement.

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to click on the button to be taken to other links for the blog hop, but only after you comment if you want to get in on the prizes. I'm giving away one e-copy of Rebel Souls, my latest science fiction erotic romance, released June 1st. One set of four Romance Trading cards that include, Rebel Souls, Courtesan Boot Camp, Seducing Liberty and This Endris Night. And one large size tee-shirt,  signed by me, of one of my erotic science fiction titles. So leave a comment and get in on the e-readers and book bundle the Brigade is giving away, and get a chance at one of the additional prizes I'm giving away. Tell me about what crazy behaviors you've heard people, or maybe even  you yourself have blamed, on the moon.

Be sure to leave an email so I can get in contact with the winners, and good luck.

Best,

D L