I like dumplings in my sci fi. Not sure why, except of course, a good dumpling is a beautiful thing. If they’re not your thing, I promise noodles, goat cheese with tart jam, and walnut rosemary sourdough. Because, a good novel should feed all parts of your soul. I like some deep thought, smirky irony, a few guffaws, and lots of action.

All of this is in the works with my first sci fi novel, Outside Justice.

Bea Torden is a kick-ass, fully augmented City Homicide detective, and a plump, middle-aged, snack bag toting mom, with grown kids. Her husband and love of her life, Commander Val of Interstellar Affairs, went missing a year ago. Bea is losing hope, but the murder of an officer sends her from the tech-filled City that she knows to the wild and tech-free zone of Arnak’s Outside. She discovers it’s not just Val’s life that’s in danger. The Cartel has taken him hostage and is ravaging Arnak’s protected ecosystem. If they succeed, Arnak will be the first of many worlds to die. Interstellar Affairs, and the uplifted aliens who lead it, won’t allow that to happen, even if it will mean Val’s death. To rescue Val, Bea must work against a sentient willow tree, giant ants, over-sized armadillos, and a weird human genmod from Interstellar Affairs. But the really hard part is racing two days across the Outside on foot to reach Val in time. Bea’s good with City gangs, but not so much with the megagoats, mayscythes, poisonous sweet death, and cliffs.

Battered by the Outside, racing desperately to save Val, Bea stops to make calls and check on her kids. Naomi is pregnant but refuses to vat the baby. Fortunately, she has a gaggle of fuzzy aliens nurturing her through the pregnancy. Shaan is preparing for his shuttle pilot testing. Bea suggests he meditate to ease stress. Instead, he gets a space puppy with zero-gravity toe paws.

Will Bea survive the Outside and save Val? Can she parent her adult children while on the job? Will she sacrifice the planet to bring Val’s kidnappers to justice?

My almost final, final draft is done. Beta readers are reading. Then one more edit and I’ll start querying literary agents!