SFFS: Snippet #1 from Atomic Zion

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Atomic Zion

DESCRIPTION:
This is the beginning of my SF Thriller, Atomic Zion, which is in its final revisions. It was influenced by my time as the Educational Marketing Director at Frank Lloyd Wright's House on Kentuck Knob and by reading stories from Michael Crichton, Robert Ludlum, James Rollins, and Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Back Cover Blurb...

On the night of his 90th birthday, a former Wright Apprentice is thrown from the fifth floor of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The only clue to clear his grandson of the murder is a note written in Navajo code which warns "The Bear has awakened."

These four words throw Nick Vanko into the middle of a decades old international cover-up where Wright Apprentices encoded WWII-era secrets about genetic experimentation into their blueprints. In order to stop a being who isn't quite human from unleashing a biological weapon upon the U.S., Nick must find Broadacre City, the fabled utopia designed by Wright, but supposedly never built. Searching by his side are an old Navajo CodeTalker, a woman who sees emotions as colors, and a Mossad agent who is really working for the Russian mafia. But can Vanko trust any of them?

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SNIPPET:

June, 1948
Kletno, Poland

The laughter from the small group of soldiers with Jakub Skovajsa was lifeless, meant to mimic joviality in order to conceal shifty gazes and shaky hands—Skovajsa's being among the shakiest. What had Dostoyevsky said about laughing? There can be no laughter without fear. Or was it pain? Maybe it wasn't even Dostoyevsky.

In Skovajsa's case, it was definitely pain. His right boot had worn through to the shank fifteen minutes into their three-hour trek through the Polish woodlands from Miedzygorze to Kletno. Each step skinned his ankle a little more. Tripping over roots and climbing over logs only aggravated his situation. No one else seemed to be quite as miserable.

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Find other wonderful snippets at Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday!


Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 27, 2012 at 2:55 AM

    Intriguing! I can't wait to read it. Especially as you have a synesthete character. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 27, 2012 at 10:52 AM

      I was totally transfixed by the all the synesthesia research, Katje. Evie is one of my more complex characters.

      Thank you for dropping by and commenting!

      Delete
  2. Patrick StutzmanOctober 27, 2012 at 9:57 AM

    Ouch! Get that boot looked at!

    I'd love to see more scifi set in the mid-20th century, and yours looks really good so far. Definitely going to add this to my to-read list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 27, 2012 at 10:54 AM

      I have always had this polarity with the spaceship SF on one end and the modern day Earth-bound SF on the other. I indulge myself in both. ;)

      Thanks for stopping and commenting, Patrick!

      Delete
  3. T. M. CroneOctober 27, 2012 at 10:16 AM

    Sounds interesting. Excited to read the book when it comes out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 27, 2012 at 10:55 AM

      I'll be excited when the book finally does come out, T.M.! Ha!

      Thank you. :)

      Delete
  4. T. M. HunterOctober 27, 2012 at 10:31 AM

    Good stuff, as always! This is why I don't like hiking... :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 27, 2012 at 10:55 AM

      T.M., you always make me laugh!! :D

      Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  5. UnknownOctober 27, 2012 at 10:42 AM

    I'm intrigued. I also have to admit my igorance - I didn't know who Frank Lloyd Wright was until I wikipediaed him. I can't claim to know much about architecture.

    I like this - I'll be interested to see more. The snippet works to catch the attention and to paint a picture in a few words.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 27, 2012 at 10:57 AM

      I'm glad I could add to your cultural knowledge, Peter. ;)

      Thank you for the compliments! Those are always appreciated!

      Delete
  6. TK ToppinOctober 27, 2012 at 10:45 AM

    Oh good stuff. When's the release?? My finger is waiting over the buy button!!

    And, yeh, that happens to me too when hiking. Everyone else looks happy and misery free. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 27, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    T.K., you'll be the first to know when AZ comes out. Thanks for your perpetual enthusiasm.

    And, I've had my share of miserable boot experiences, too. In this case, it was write what you know. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. JC CasselsOctober 27, 2012 at 11:23 AM

    Ouch! Nothing worse for a foot soldier or a hiker. Gotta take care of your feet. I think everyone can relate to that in some fashion or another.

    I especially loved the Dostoyevsky reference. I had to giggle at that. Brilliant as usual.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 27, 2012 at 12:18 PM

      Ha ha! Thanks, JC. Who better to parallel misery? ;)

      Delete
  9. AnnKOctober 27, 2012 at 11:59 AM

    Great snippet, Heidi! Loved your description of the laughter to hide the fear.

    And what an intriguing idea for a book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 27, 2012 at 12:24 PM

      I've been working on this book for two years, Ann. It has been the biggest project I've ever undertaken. Glad you're intrigued. ;)

      Delete
  10. K. Ceres WrightOctober 27, 2012 at 1:23 PM

    I'm LOVING the premise, Heidi! *Claps hands and squees!* I'm intrigued with the intel (I've been reading true spy stories my whole life), and loving the combination with architecture. There's too little art in SF, I think, so I'm excited to see that aspect is included. If you had some cyberpunk (Alan Turing jacked into his bombe), I think I'd faint from joy. Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 28, 2012 at 10:02 AM

      Ha ha, Ceres!!

      Maybe I should give Nick a cyborg skeleton just for you... ;)

      Delete
  11. J.M. BlackmanOctober 27, 2012 at 1:34 PM

    Great premise. I love where your inspiration came from and what you did with it. The snippet is so well written--you've communicated an entire scene with so few sentences. Excellent details.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 28, 2012 at 10:02 AM

      You humble me, J.M.

      Thank you for your kind words. :)

      Delete
  12. Sue Ann BowlingOctober 27, 2012 at 3:15 PM

    Fascinating idea (and oh, do I sympathize with the soldier with sore feet!) But I thought the code talkers talked, not wrote things down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 28, 2012 at 10:04 AM

      Thanks, Sue Ann!

      CodeTalkers did talk, but they also did some written coding. In AZ I have the some written codes incorporated within the blueprints.

      Delete
  13. UnknownOctober 28, 2012 at 2:56 AM

    I love the book concept and this snippet is incredibly evocative.

    ReplyDelete
  14. ChantalOctober 28, 2012 at 6:33 AM

    Ouch - I can feel his pain! Great snippet Heidi :)
    BTW I love the way you have your name on the banner - it looks like it could be an expensive make-up brand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 28, 2012 at 10:05 AM

      Chantal, I get more compliments on that banner...don't know how everyone will react if I ever change it.

      Thanks. ;)

      Delete
  15. UnknownOctober 28, 2012 at 6:55 AM

    Ouch, poor Skovajsa. I think he needs far sturdier boots, though!

    (sounds like an action-packed story, too)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerOctober 28, 2012 at 10:06 AM

      I'm certainly trying to pack as much action as possible into it!

      Thanks for dropping by, Gayle!

      Delete
  16. Alexa GraveOctober 28, 2012 at 6:11 PM

    Wow. This little snippet packs a punch, Heidi! =)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Misa BuckleyOctober 30, 2012 at 7:21 AM

    Gosh, it's been a while since I read anything like this, but the voice is perfect and immediately carried me back to stolen hours reading Ian Fleming in the school library.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heidi Ruby MillerNovember 5, 2012 at 10:42 AM

      You can compare me to Ian Fleming any day, Misa!

      :) Heidi

      Delete

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