Not of This World Press Kit
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Series Name: Warriors of Risnar
Release Date: February 5, 2018
Publisher: Carina Publishing
Format: Novel * Genre: Science Fiction Romance * Length: 86,000 words
eBook ISBN: 9781488081149
Characters: Jeannie Gardner, Kren Bolep, Arga Bolep
Blurb
He was her savior, but she was his salvation.
Jeannie Gardner escapes from her captors’ clutches only to find herself trapped on a planet far
from Earth. When she is discovered by a muscle-bound warrior, she must prove to him, and the
Council of Elders, that she is not a creature set free from a lab, but a sentient being from another
planet.
If she succeeds, they will send her home. If she fails, she will be executed.
Risnar warrior Kren Bolep is duty bound to protect his village from the Monsuda and their
creations. But this small pink-skinned female is different, special. As the bond between them
grows, Jeannie’s vulnerability invokes Kren’s protective instincts, and he vows to uncover the
truth and secure her future.
But there is a bigger threat looming. The Monsuda are coming to get Jeannie, and they’ll use
whatever means necessary. When Jeannie is taken, Kren is forced to choose—disobey the Elders
and place his people in danger, or lose the only person who makes him feel whole.
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Excerpt 1
Head enforcer Kren Bolep and his partner Arga have cornered a creature they’ve never seen
before.
“She can’t be as helpless as she seems,” Kren said. “No creature develops without some sort
of natural defenses.”
Arga looked as flummoxed as he felt. “There’s one way to find out.”
“Right.” Kren came to a sudden and probably stupid decision. He grabbed the creature.
As he yanked her against his body, she shrieked. He winced and folded his ears against the
piercing sound. Her hands closed in fists and she pounded against the hard hide of his chest. She
cried out again, this time in agony. She wrung her hands and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Kren’s shoulders hunched. Damn. He’d hurt her. It had been her fault for hitting him when he
was armored, but he still felt bad. Every tear streaking from her extraordinary eyes was a stab to
his twin hearts.
He restrained the urge to shake her for being foolhardy. “Damn it. Why did you do that, little
girl? Here, let me look.”
He unwrapped his arms from around her body to take her hands in his. He fussed over the
delicate digits of her fingers—it seemed she preferred to keep four to a hand along with her
thumbs—checking them over to make sure she hadn’t done damage to herself. He rubbed his
thumbs over them in turn, frowning to feel hardness beneath the skin. Fingers with bones? Could
that be right?
He uttered cooing sounds, as his guardians had done when he was a small boy and had hurt
himself. As he tried to soothe her, her sky eyes stared up at his face. She looked terrified, but
Kren fancied he saw a trace of hope in her expression too.
He couldn’t get over the softness of her skin. When he’d grabbed her close, her motherly
breasts had mashed against his chest, molding her pliable body to the hard, armored planes. The
sensation had been unsettling.
Trying to quiet his confusion, he glanced at the watchful Arga. “She’s soft. Fragile. I think I
could crush her if I’m not careful. What is she? How can she exist with no defenses?”
Arga’s heavy brow had descended over his eyes, silvery orbs in the dark. “If I had to guess, I’d
say she’s a Monsudan experiment. Although their monstrosities are usually nasty. This is—well,
she’s cute. Like something you’d take home and tame for a pet.”
Kren looked her over carefully. She peered up at him with those frightened eyes, but at least
she’d calmed down. High, delicate cheekbones, tiny pointed chin…a being of astounding beauty
for all its alien peculiarities. Kren found it hard to believe that the Monsuda, which shared the
planet of Risnar, could make a creature so lovely. Yet Arga was right. It was the only explanation
that made any sense. Legends of the terrifying Tysu notwithstanding, there was no such being as
this native to Risnar or any of the planets known to its people.
So damned lovely. Knowing what would happen to the creature if it was a result of Monsudan
biological engineering tightened Kren’s chest with hurt. There was no help for it, though. The
law was the law. Monsudan lab creations were destroyed without prejudice.
With regret, he jerked his head in the direction of the dartwings. “Let’s get her back to the
station. Nex can have a look at her first. If he’s got no idea and we’re sure she poses no
immediate danger to our people, the biologists at the temple can figure out what she is.”
Arga opened a pouch on his belt, the one article of clothing he wore on his armored hide. He
took out a length of flex strapping and unrolled it as Kren spoke in his most soothing voice to the
pale animal he held.
“It’s all right. This won’t hurt you. Hold still, little—thing. Little Tysu.”
“She’s not a Tysu. The Tysu supposedly has long fangs and claws,” Arga reminded him. “It
eats naughty children who don’t listen to their guardians.”
“I can’t stand calling her a thing, animal, or creature. She’s too pretty.” Kren held the female’s
wrists, then made her lower her arms to her sides.
Arga snapped the end of the flex strapping with a practiced flick of his wrist. It whipped out
and coiled around the Tysu, pinning her arms in position. It kept winding about her, fastening her
legs tight together. She’d already been helpless, but now she could neither resist nor run.
She cried out to find herself bound and began struggling again. Her wails went straight to
Kren’s hearts. He hated to see any vulnerable being as scared as this Tysu was.
He imagined Arga found him ridiculous as he hummed calming noises and petted her long
hair. Patches of it were silky, like the magnificent nikwen that roamed in herds on the distant
plains, but much of it was matted and tangled. Monsudan created or not, she’d been living wild
for several days. She needed a good washing and grooming. He wrinkled his nose. Maybe it
would help the somewhat unpleasant odor coming from her too.
To Kren’s surprise, Arga joined in the attempt to quiet the Tysu. His partner awkwardly patted
her shoulder and said, “Easy. Easy,” in a rough voice. “Don’t cry, little pretty. We’re not going to
hurt you.”
Arga tended to put on a tough front, but he treated the Tysu with nervous care. Kren tried to
not smile, and succeeded for the most part, but Arga noticed his amusement and shrugged.
“Laugh, but I know you feel the same as I do.”
“Like the world’s biggest jerk for scaring her? Yeah. If we could get away with it, I’d set her
loose. But if she’s of Monsudan origin—”
“Contain and destroy.”
Excerpt 2
Kren and other members of his enforcement team try to communicate with the strange creature
they have captured.
She stretched her arms and wriggled her fingers. Then she looked Kren in the eye again and
tapped her chest just above her breasts. “Jeannie. Jeannie.”
Kren considered. “Maybe she’s telling us what she is.”
His most junior officer, a young man named Pon, spluttered with disbelief. “Wait—you really
think this thing has self-identity?”
“Let’s find out.” Kren sat her on a computer podium. Her feet swung three feet off the ground,
and she gazed down at him, her expression expectant. He pointed to himself. “Risnarish.
Risnarish.” He pointed to her. “Jeannie.”
She sighed with relief and nodded with enthusiasm. “Jeannie. Risnarish.” She pointed to
herself and then him as she spoke the two words. Then she garbled something else and pointed to
Arga.
He grinned to be included in the exchange and thumped his chest with a fingerless fist. “I am
also Risnarish. Risnarish.”
That earned him a confused look from the Jeannie. She pointed at him and then Kren.
“Risnarish? Risnarish?”
Nex had come close with a medical analyzer. He was authorized as a crisis medic, having been
in the healing arts before switching to law enforcement. Sometimes Kren thought Nex regretted
leaving his old vocation. Nex had a scientific bent and enjoyed dabbling in research projects.
Jeannie noted the olive-and- brown striped officer to her right and pointed to him while giving
Kren a questioning look.
“Risnarish,” he confirmed. Maybe the differing coloration confused her. He motioned to all
the men. “Risnarish.”
Two lines appeared between her brows as the Jeannie drew them together. Then all at once her
expression cleared. She laughed a little, her head shaking.
The sound of her humor was throaty, a wonderful sound. Kren’s mouth dropped open with
fresh shock as he exchanged a glance with Arga.
Nex nearly dropped the fragile tube that was the analyzer. He recovered and choked out, “It
laughs. It’s made an expression of Spirit.”
Bort took a couple of steps back, his wide face comical with almost fear. “Not possible. It
can’t have a soul…can it?”
Another officer named Chal gave him a crooked smile that was half disbelief, half delight.
“You heard it, didn’t you?”
Kren said to Arga, “Monsudan creations do not laugh. This is not one of theirs.”
Arga gave him a warning shake of the head. “It’s not up to us to decide that.”
The Jeannie touched Kren’s arm to gain his attention. He looked into her face. “What is it?”
She pointed to him, to Arga, then Nex. She pointed at every man in the room. “Risnarish.” She
pointed to herself. “Human. Human.” Again she pointed to him. “Risnarish.” Herself. “Human.
Human.” She stared at him, as if willing him to read her mind.
Kren thought hard. First she had called herself a Jeannie. Now there was this new word, Hyoo-
man. She had said it as if correlating it to Risnarish.
Arga rubbed the back of his neck. “This is getting us nowhere fast. We need to call the Elders
Council.”
“Arga—” Kren started.
“You know we have no choice.”
He gritted his teeth. “Arga—”
“Arga?” The Jeannie gazed at Kren’s partner. “Arga? Risnarish.” She pointed to herself.
“Jeannie. Human.”
Nex quivered with excitement. “Wait! Could she be saying she has an actual name?”
Pon looked affronted. “That’s something only sentient beings claim.”
“Why couldn’t she be sentient? Maybe her species is Hoomin like ours is Risnarish.” Nex
stepped closer and jabbed his chest with a finger as she had done. “Nex. Nex.”
The Jeannie nodded her head, as excited as him. “Jeannie.” She pointed to him. “Nex.” The
finger indicated Arga. “Arga.” Then she said something else that ended with “Jeannie.”
Kren’s partner’s jaw dropped. “She is named. It really could be.”
Bort shook his head, holding it between his hands as if to keep it from exploding. “Attaching a
name to oneself can be another expression of Spirit. This is not possible.”
Over the excited chatter of the other officers, Nex grinned at him. “She laughed, though. She
shows intelligence. I think we’re looking at a new form of sentience.”
Kren focused on the strange but lovely face in front of him. The implications of her existence
were huge, certainly too much for him to grasp at the moment.
Excerpt 3
Jeannie wakes to find herself sharing an alien man’s bed.
A warm, solid body lay next to hers, holding her tight. She experienced a sense of belonging
with his legs tangled in hers, his arms banded about her in a secure cage of strength.
She knew she was dreaming, which was why she didn’t push away. Instead, she burrowed her
face against the wall of chest even more. Her dream man sighed with pleasure, and a delicious
thrill sizzled up her spine. This was where she wanted to stay, this slumber world where she felt
loved. Safe. Secure.
Only in sleep could she pretend it was okay to trust another. Here she could safely fantasize
that she had found love, a love that would not turn on her, a love that wouldn’t crumble into dust
the moment it was tested.
She imagined she dozed next to someone who was not yet another casual lover. Instead, he
was that childish delusion of a soul mate, the one man who had been made for her, destined by a
heaven she no longer believed in. Strong, self-assured, faithful in all ways. It was a wondrous
fantasy, and she didn’t want it to end.
Despite her wish to remain in this twilight state where once-upon- a-time stories held sway, she
slid another degree into consciousness. And yet her dream lover remained, deliciously solid and
inviting. If he was real, she would wake him with soft kisses. His lips would curl in a grin, a
devilish one, because he was thinking of how he wanted to roll over on top of her, trapping her
beneath his weight. She wouldn’t be able to escape, but why would she want to? His body felt so
good on top of hers, his lips on hers, his hands trapping her wrists to pin them over her head, his
legs between hers, sliding them open for access. She went wet. Her womanly scent mixed with
his outdoorsy, woodsy smell. She moved deeper into fantasy, imagining that only when he had
her in the position he wanted would he open his eyes, gazing down at her with irises of silver and
black starburst pupils…
Jeannie’s eyes popped open as she remembered the night before and realized where she must
be. Her gaze took in a stretch of carved chest crisscrossed with gold, brown, and white stripes.
Holy cow, it wasn’t a dream at all. She was in bed with Kren, the Risnarish alien.
She listened to his deep breathing. The magnificent chest before her moved rhythmically with
each inhalation and exhalation. He must still be sleeping.
Moving carefully so she didn’t wake him, she looked up at his face. His eyes were closed. He
smiled the gentle smile she’d imagined. Her heart ached to see it, as if wanting something so
badly that it might break if denied.
She examined the face before hers now that she had the opportunity to do so without him
knowing. After a moment, she decided that the gold streaks weren’t stripes after all; it seemed to
be the base coat of his skin. The darker brown stripes accentuated the shape of his brows, nose,
jawline, and chin. The white outlined his black-lashed eyes and highlighted the bridge of his
nose and cheekbones. It tipped his otherwise black-lined ears, pointed at the moment. The bone
structure under all that fascinating color was strong, but the stripes made him appear even more
masculine. He was beautiful, and Jeannie’s mouth went dry at the idea of him waking to find her
staring at him.
It was a terrifying prospect. It was also titillating. Her earlier fantasy sprang forward, and her
heart drummed fast. She thought of the way he touched her last night in the shower. If he
believed she was attracted to him, what might curiosity lead him to do to her? Would he be as
fascinated as she was by the potential fireworks?
She could do it. She could scoot up the few inches it would take to reach his mouth, to kiss
him awake as she’d imagined. His eyes would open and he’d… He’d…
What? Grow a penis, as he had the tail, and give her glorious alien sex? Or more likely, he’d
jump up and run away, repulsed by the funny-looking Earthling trying to seduce him.
Jeannie mentally shook her head at herself. What was she thinking, getting all hot and
bothered by something not of her own species? Wasn’t it wrong somehow?
Curiosity was not so easily driven off, however. The mysteries surrounding the Risnarish kept
her fascinated. Questions needed to be answered. Did Kren’s people even have women? His
apparent confusion over her breasts might mean they didn’t, at least not women in the Earthling
sense. Perhaps Risnarish were both men and women, all in the same body. Kren had seemed
curious about her sex, as if it wasn’t quite what he was used to. Was it because she had visible
genitals or because she only possessed one kind?
She thought of the tail he’d grown. If he was as male as he looked, he’d be able to form
himself a penis. Then she wondered how big he could make himself.
Why am I thinking this stuff? So what if he’s handsome? He’s an alien. A creature from
another world.
Her body didn’t care about that particular detail. She was wet and her nipples had tightened
with excitement as she’d imagined Kren making himself all man. A big man.
Her belly warmed. As she battled with her unapologetic libido, Kren’s eyelids fluttered. His
mouth opened in a huge yawn and he stretched.
Jeannie’s eyes slammed shut before he could discover she was awake. Would he be able to tell
she was aroused? If he did, what would be worse…him finding her repugnant or wanting to see
how compatible he could make his body to hers?
Silently begging her heart to slow down, Jeannie forced herself to breathe deeply, pretending
to sleep as Kren made more sounds of wakefulness.
Facts and Information About the Novel
* Not of This World is the first of the series ‘Warriors of Risnar’.
* Jeannie’s physical description is based on a childhood friend of Tracy’s. That friend also lost
her father, a man whom Tracy remembers with great fondness, to suicide.
* The Risnarish are colored to help them camouflage in their natural surroundings, though their
particular combinations are varied. Risnarish may have one color of stripes, or two.
* The villainous Monsuda are insectoid because Tracy can’t imagine anything yuckier than bugs.
Their robotic drone creations are based on the ‘Grays’ reputed to visit Earth and abduct humans
for experimentation.
* Risnar is a combination of an agricultural, technologically advanced, and spiritual society. The
Monsudan society is that of a hive mind dependent on technology that strips natural resources
from the planet with no regard to sustainability. This, plus the predations of the Monsuda on the
Risnarish, is what puts the two races at odds.
* Not of This World is Tracy’s 44th published book.
Q & A
Q: Your readers are most familiar with another sci-fi universe you created, that of Kalquor. How
is Risnar different?
A: Kalquor is based on the ‘Mars needs women’ trope, in that they’re in danger of extinction
without Earth women to help them continue their culture. Risnar has no such
problem…relationships are purely for the sake of finding that special someone to share life with.
Q: What’s the same between the two universes?
A: Worlds filled with strong and sexy alien men, bold women, and tons of romance and exciting
adventure.
Q: So if you had to compare the two, you’d say…
A: Not of This World has all the escapism you’d expect from my books, with a little more
romance than Kalquor. Still featuring hot, sensual interactions and tons of adventure.
Q: Kalquorian men have certain extra features…double the pleasure, double the fun, so to speak.
What kind of attributes can we expect from the Risnarish men?
A: They can grow extra appendages at will. Like fingers, opposable thumbs on their feet, tails.
And other stuff. Stuff they can enlarge, reshape, elongate, vibrate. You know…stuff.
Q: How many books are in the series?
A: I’ve contracted with Carina Press for three. There could be a fourth, depending on how things
go.
Q: Tell us a little about the main characters of this first book.
A: Kren Bolep is the head enforcer for the Risnarish village of Hahz. He’s dedicated, a good
man, loyal to his people, all about duty. That’s where the problem comes in, when a never-been-
seen-before creature shows up. Kren is sure she’s not a creation of the enemy Monsudan labs,
but he can’t prove it. If she’s judged to be a product of the Monsuda, she must be destroyed.
Q: I take it the ‘creature’ is the heroine?
A: Right. Jeannie Gardner has been abducted multiple times from Earth by the Monsuda and
forced to endure horrific experimentation. She escaped their labs, ending up in Hahz, where Kren
discovered her existence.
Q: And along the way, wild interstellar romance ensues.
A: ‘Wild’ is one way to put it. Captain Kirk and his green women have nothing on my
characters.
Q: Why a new series? Do we need Risnar? Kalquor is already full of fascinating twists and turns.
A: That’s true, but it’s familiar ground too. I consider Kalquor my husband, with whom I have a
wonderful coziness and trust I wouldn’t give up for the world. But Risnar is my secret crush.
You know the anticipation of your first time with someone new? That excitement, that anxiety,
that sense of discovery, even if you only fantasize about it? That’s Risnar. That’s what I want for
my readers, to feel, that they’re off on a whirlwind romance.
You can keep up with all things Kalquor and Risnar at http://www.tracystjohn.com and sign up
for Tracy’s newsletter there.
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