Meet the Authors of "The Expanding Universe #4"—Kayelle Allen

Today, we meet Kayelle Allen, one of the 20 contributors to the latest Expanding Universe anthology, and author of the Bringer of Chaos and the Antonello Brothers series. Today, she's here to talk about what inspired her story "Lights Out", why she writes, and a little bit about her latest project. Please welcome her to the blog.

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Colleen, thank you for inviting me to share with your readers! To tell you a little about me, I've been writing since I could hold a crayon. I love inspiring readers with vivid images and fantastic tales. It's my mission write a great roller coaster ride of a story that provides excitement, fun, and takes readers in directions they didn't expect.

 

I've written professionally for fourteen years and have published seven books, three novellas, and multiple short stories. I have more books in the pipeline, most science fiction or space opera. I've also written a few sci fi romances, a contemporary Christmas romance, and one non-fiction book about writing a sci fi series. My background a US Navy veteran gives me an advantage when writing military-oriented stories. Most of my books feature misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, or warriors who purr. I've been married so long I'm tenured.

Why did I write Lights Out?

 

I loved the sole human character in my Bringer of Chaos series. Six won not only my heart but also the hearts of my readers. He's become a favorite of my critique group as well. So when I saw the opportunity to join Craig Martelle's anthology of space opera stories, I wrote an origin story for Six. In Lights Out, we meet him when he was known by his Ghost Corps name, Tornahdo.

Ghost Corps is a group of special ops soldiers who have been killed in action and resurrected with the blood of the immortal enemy race, the Ultras. The story begins when Tornahdo is assigned a mission to capture the Ultra's king, Pietas. Like Tornahdo, the story has tragedy, humor, and irony. Here's an intro.

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 Lights Out

He can save mankind. After he does one important thing. Die.

 
Join the Ghost Corps, they said. You'll live forever, they said. You'll save mankind, they said. They didn't say that to do it, first he had to die.

When Tornahdo signs on the dotted line, he puts his life into the steady hands of the mighty Ghost Corps. Three grisly deaths and three agonizing resurrections later, he's assigned duty on the space station Enderium Six.

He's facing his most dangerous mission yet, the very reason the corps exists.

Do they expect him to win? Fat chance. Tornahdo and his team are already dead and this mission is codenamed "Lights Out." No, there's more to this than he can see.

To discover the truth, he must face an unbeatable, unkillable enemy, and this time—somehow—find a way to keep himself alive...

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In the anthology, my story, Lights Out, is a prequel to book one of the Bringer of Chaos series, The Origin of Pietas. Here's a peek at that story:

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Bringer of Chaos: The Origin of Pietas

Immortal Council member Pietas, leader of the Ultra race, wants nothing to do with faithless, lying humans. After discovering humans captured and tortured his people, Pietas declares war. To him, humans deserve nothing more than conquest and elimination. They possess no honor. They lie, cheat, and sign faithless treaties. He washes his hands of them.

Following centuries of battle, Pietas learns with dismay that the High Council has agreed to peace talks. He suspects a trap, but grudgingly complies. Upon arrival at the site, his worst fears are realized. Cornered, out of options and with his beloved mother's immortality at stake, Pietas surrenders.

Now a captive of the people he loathes, Pietas is left for dead on the planet Sempervia. He can't survive on his own. A human soldier abandoned with him, offers food and water. But is he worthy of friendship, or is this another trap?

Either way, Pietas must do the one thing he detests. Trust a human...

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Discover the Chaos series

https://kayelleallen.com/chaos-series/

How to find Kayelle Allen online

Website: https://kayelleallen.com
Reader Groups: https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kayelleallen/
Amazon Author page: http://amazon.com/author/kayelleallen

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Bringer of Chaos: The Origin of Pietas and the Antonello Brothers series, along with Kayelle's other works are currently available and "Lights Out" can be found in The Expanding Universe Volume 4.

The Expanding Universe #4 is now available on Amazon. You can also find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre, Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre, and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon in paperback.