Pets in Space is a brand new science fiction romance anthology in which I and eight other authors have stories about – pets in space!

Release date is October 11, so this month, we’re trading blog posts . . . and here is how one SFR author came to this project.

I grew up on a farm. We raised our own beef, I was actively involved in 4-H, and grew up in and around livestock and horse barns. I enjoyed all animals, but horses were my biggest love. Long before I had my own, I rode them every chance I got. At my best friend’s farm down the road, at my Aunt’s house up in Washington, at every fair I could con my parents into taking me to. (In the picture with this post, I am riding my Aunt’s horse. I begged and begged to be allowed to on this visit. I still remember the joy I felt when they said yes.) I read every horse book I could get my hands on, and I was obsessed with The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley.

In some ways, my love of horses is what drew me into loving books, and what set me onto this path to becoming a writer. That love has never gone away, and although it has been many years since I’ve ridden, I still find horses to be among the most majestic animals on this earth. My dream is to retire to the country one day, on another farm. Maybe a little less and busy than the one I grew up on, but still a place with dogs, cats, chickens, maybe a few goats. And horses, of course.

Animals have made their way very into my telepathic space pirates universe in a big way. I have an entire planet populated with animals called kith, who are every bit as intelligent and talented as their human sidekicks. When the opportunity to join the Pets in Space anthology came along, it was right up my alley. The perfect project, really. The hard part came in deciding which of my imaginary pets would make the cut to be included. I hope you all enjoy reading about Ember and her human, Teegan, as much as I enjoyed writing about them.

Anything that can be done to raise awareness for rescue animals, or to aid organizations that train animals to be companions for humans in need, is a great thing to be a part of. I’m proud to be involved with Pets in Space, and so excited to share my story, Escape Run, with everyone.

Here is a small teaser, introducing part of my universe:

Colonies grew into independent worlds with politics of their own. Empires rose and fell. Wars broke out between systems. Humans enhanced to be more were drafted as soldiers. Some empires turned to cloning to boost their numbers. Others relied on biotech that made people more than human. And the Talented were created: humans biologically enhanced with powerful psychic abilities that made them gods on the battlefield. Men and women designed to kill with a thought, to hunt specific targets, and find them anywhere in the universe.

But eventually, all wars end.

Carysa Locke is the pseudonym for writing team Carysa Locke and MaLea Holt, two best friends who have been creating imaginary worlds together for more than twenty years. The worlds they write in exist first as roleplaying games, where much of the bare bones of world building and character development take place. Carysa is a high school English teacher, and MaLea helps support families with special needs children. You might say, they work as super heroes in their day jobs!

www.carysalocke.com