Clan Beginnings: Clan and Conscience Press Kit
Book Cover Images for Web and Print
To download, click on image. When image expands in new window, click on download arrow icon.
Release Date: November 17, 2017
Publisher: Tracy St. John
Format: Novel * Genre: Science Fiction Romance (m/m/m) * Length: 101,883 words
Cover Artist: Erin Dameron-Hill, EDH Graphics
eBook ISBN: 978-1- 940294-32- 2
Print ISBN: 978-1979761765
Characters: Dramok Ospar, Nobek Jol, Imdiko Rivek
Blurb
Fighting murderous enemies. Battling each other. It’s the perfect recipe for romance,
Kalquorian-style.
On the surface, young Dramok Ospar has it all: money, prestige, power. Yet what he dreams of
most is outside his grasp. His drive to prove himself has left him lonely, with no one to turn
to…except the Nobek bodyguard who is decidedly unimpressed with his accomplishments. Oh,
and there’s the matter of the local crime syndicate trying to kill him too.
Nobek Jol faces his worst security assignment ever: guarding the most irritating Dramok to draw
breath. It’s not that Ospar isn’t handsome, intelligent, brave, and charitable. It’s just that he’d be
so much better gagged into silence.
Temple of Life priest Imdiko Rivek wishes for inner peace and total enlightenment. He knows he
won’t find it in the lethal world Ospar and Jol inhabit. However, fighting the allure of the pair to
achieve perfect tranquility is proving to be more difficult than he could have imagined…plus the
fact that their enemies think he’s the perfect target to bring Ospar and Jol to heel.
Buy Links:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords.
Excerpts
Excerpt 1
Rost wasted no second in coaxing Misru out of the office. As the door shut behind them,
Ospar appeared to note Jol’s presence for the first time. He scowled, and a flash of temper lit
those brilliant eyes.
His tone accusing, Ospar said, “You’re still here, Nobek? I’d have thought you’d run to
where the real action is. Or are you incapable of anything more complicated than babysitting?”
An instant of anger lit inside Jol, a spark that if unleashed, would have been more than a
match to the director’s. However, Ospar had been remarkably calm thus far, given he’d just
survived an explosion. Not for a single second had Jol noted a crack in that controlled veneer.
He’s antagonistic, because it’s better than having a screaming fit after nearly getting
killed. Now that the danger is passed and he doesn’t have Misru to take care of, everything is
going to start hitting him.
It also could be that the Dramok was frustrated that he was stuck in the office himself. It
had been obvious to Jol that he’d wanted to assist with the rescue efforts and had resented Talu
sending him away. Jol experienced a sense of similar helplessness, playing bodyguard in a safe
area rather than rendering aid to those who needed it.
Jol wanted to give the other man the benefit of the doubt. However, he was well aware of
Dramok Ospar’s reputation. The cynic in him wondered if he wasn’t seeing the director on the
brink of living up to that character.
Many accused Ospar of being a bully when he didn’t get his way. He was known for
resorting to intimidation tactics when he couldn’t charm situations to his satisfaction. Maybe that
was why he baited Jol, acting the tyrant with no redeeming reason for his actions.
It didn’t matter. In the end, Jol worked for Itga, which meant he worked for its director of
operations. He tamped down the flash of hot resentment, bowing to the chain of command much
as Misru had. He kept his mouth shut.
When Jol didn’t offer an answer, Ospar grew more annoyed. His voice rose. “Hello? Are
you hearing me, Nobek?” The tone turned insulting, as if he instructed a child. “There is a mess
in the mine. An accident has occurred. People may be under that rubble. Shouldn’t you be down
there, rescuing them? They need help. I do not.”
Asshole. Jol had punched others for far less condescension.
Excerpt 2
Ospar’s campaign headquarters was bustling as ever when Rivek arrived that afternoon.
Volunteers of all breeds and ages answered and made coms, tapped on computers, and rushed
here and there and everywhere, weaving around desks, tables, and chairs. It was an industrious
place where people were intent on their goal to send Ospar to the territorial council. For all the
work they did, there was no lack of laughter and conversation rising above the coms buzzing for
attention.
The energy was frenetic for Rivek, as enlivening as it was. He preferred the relative quiet
in Ospar’s office, especially when the Dramok ordered the door closed after he and Jol greeted
the priest with affectionate embraces. More than affectionate, in fact. The way Ospar and Jol
grabbed him and held him close was almost as if they were relieved to see him. As thankful as
he’d been when Lanjur and his goons had left the temple.
Jol searched his face. “Something has happened. Tell us about it.”
Was he that transparent to them? It was as if they were already aware Rivek had been
confronted again.
They hung onto every word as Rivek told of Lanjur’s visit. Ospar turned an ashen face to
his Nobek. “They’ll go after him. They’re already doing so. This threat cannot go unanswered.”
Jol’s expression was thunderous. Usually when he was displeased, he exhibited a cold
demeanor. This was different. The bodyguard looked rabid with fury, as animalistic as the thugs
that guarded Lanjur. The appearance of Jol’s fangs completed the terrifying picture.
Rivek had stopped breathing. Forcing himself to calm, he said, “It wasn’t a warning to
me. Their posturing in my direction qualified more as a joke. It’s you Lanjur wants to harass.
He’s coming after you.”
Excerpt 3
Coming to terms with leaving Jol and Ospar behind reminded Rivek of all those he’d counseled
suffering breakups and losses over the years. He’d had no idea how bad the passing of a
relationship could feel, even one that had a chance of being resumed.
“Now I understand what bereavement is. Or at least, a taste of it. I was an ass to think I
had an inkling of what others went through.” The words he’d spoken to the grieved had been so
much meaningless garbage, he realized.
It was a painful lesson. Important too, which Rivek would store and consult the next
instance a mourner requested aid. It would make him a better priest. A more knowledgeable
confidant.
Yet, what a price to pay for such insight! It was real world experience he wasn’t sure he
wanted to claim.
At the same time, Rivek considered what he would have missed had Ospar and Jol never
come into his life. The lively chaos. The constant pushes against his equilibrium that
strengthened Rivek’s abilities. Yes, they’d interrupted the goal of perfect enlightenment, but in
exchange, they’d honed him to serve others in a greater capacity. As Ospar had stopped chasing
politics as a means to selfish pursuits, Rivek had done the same with spirituality.
He should be grateful he’d found men to love with all of his heart, who made him a better
priest. Once he got over the agony of not having them around any longer, maybe he’d discover
that appreciation. But for now, Rivek felt more grief than gratitude.
“Mother of All, I miss them. Grant me the strength to see this through, because all I want
is to run straight back to them.”
Facts and Information About the Novel
* Clan and Conscience is the prequel to Clans of Kalquor 7: Alien Refuge.
* Members of Clan Ospar have also appeared in Clan, Honor, and Empire; Alien Indiscretions;
and Shalia’s Diary.
* Nobek Jol’s name (and Joelle from Shalia’s Diary) was inspired by one of Tracy’s brothers,
Joel. He has no idea she puts him in her books. Don’t tell him; he blushes.
* Clan and Conscience is Tracy’s 42nd published book and the sixth of the Clan Beginnings
series.
Q & A
Q: You have a new book out. Tell us about that.
A: Clan and Conscience is the sixth book of the Clan Beginnings series, a spinoff of prequels to
the Clans of Kalquor series. This new novel tells how Clan Ospar came to be. We first met the
trio of Ospar, Jol, and Rivek in Clans of Kalquor 7: Alien Refuge.
Q: I’ve noticed you skip around with the Clan Beginnings novels. You’ve written prequels to
Clans of Kalquor books 1-3, 5, and 11. Now we have Clan Ospar, which was featured in CoK 7.
Why is that?
A: Readers have their favorite clans. When I started the Clan Beginnings novels, I took a poll
and found most adored Clan Tranis from Alien Conquest. I started with them. Over the years,
since the release of Alien Refuge, people have been begging for Clan Ospar’s sequel. I heeded
the call at long last with Clan and Conscience.
Q: Was it hard to go back and get into the heads of Ospar, Jol, and Rivek after so many years?
A: Actually, no. I’m a fiend when it comes to character development and their backstories, and I
keep all my notes. I also went back and re-read the books that Clan Ospar appeared in, so I had a
pretty good handle on their younger selves.
Q: Give us the setup here. Where are Ospar, Jol, and Rivek when we join them in Clan and
Conscience?
A: Ospar is the general director of Itga Mining, which is owned by his uncles Tebrok and Sallid.
They paid for his education, so even though Ospar wants to go into politics, he feels like he owes
them. He’s trying to escape guilt-free by winning Itga a very lucrative contract, but his rival is
backed by a crime syndicate, which marks him for death. One young security guard at Itga is
assigned as Ospar’s bodyguard.
Q: Let me guess: Nobek Jol.
A: Right on the money. Jol sees Ospar as a spoiled rich boy and a bully. Ospar sees Jol as an
overbearing jerk and a failure as a warrior because he’s doing the kind of job that usually goes to
Nobeks who have retired from more noble pursuits. What Ospar doesn’t know is that Jol had
opportunities most only dream of. He gave up those opportunities for love…but terrible things
happened, and now he’s trying to find a way to start life over.
Q: And Imdiko Rivek?
A: A young temple priest who wishes to find perfect enlightenment. He’s got no room in his life
for the chaos that comes from the Turmoil Twins, Ospar and Jol. Or so he thinks.
Q: Ospar seems to be a magnet for trouble, mostly of his own doing. It sounds like he started that
trait young.
A: Ospar goes from one threat to the next in Clan and Conscience. Jol is put to the test to keep
him in one piece. Then when Rivek comes along, Ospar’s troubles put him in danger too.
Q: Confess: which is your favorite clan?
A: Nooo! I love them all. But I suppose if I had to choose, it would be Clan Tranis. Clan Ospar is
a super-close second though.
Q: What is up next for Kalquor fans?
A: Shalia’s Diary is about to wrap up with its final adventure. The twelfth book will be out the
end or 2017 or the beginning of 2018. I’m crunching the edits now, so I don’t have a release date
yet, but it’s coming soon.
Q: And what about the Clans of Kalquor series?
A: Usually, I’d have the next book for that outlined by now and possibly I’d be neck-deep in the
first draft. However, I’m coming off a year in which I had to write six books in twelve months.
I’m still wrapping up Shalia and the third Warriors of Risnar book. I’m not going to tackle
another Kalquor novel until those are done, early in 2018.
Q: The third Warriors of Risnar book? Where are the first two?
A: Carina Press is planning on releasing those in 2018. The first, Not of This World, is due out on
February 5. I’ll have more information on that later on my blog at
http://tracystjohn.blogspot.com/.
