Otters In Space – Chapter 11: Kipper and the Manta Ray

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Otters In Space: The Search for Cat Haven.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead.

“…she was stranded up here in space, and she wasn’t about to point out the numerous flaws with the idea of a cat spy working among a population composed ninety-five percent of otters if the captain couldn’t work them out for himself.”

Trailing Luce would have been easier for Kipper if bulldogs weren’t so much shorter than otters.  Between Luce’s short, boxy shape and Kipper’s own limited height, Kipper felt constantly on the edge of losing Luce in the crowd of irritatingly tall otters.  Of course, on the flipside, the large (albeit generally lanky) stature of all the space station natives kept Kipper from having to duck and weave too much to stay safely obscured from Luce’s view.  “Too much” being a relative term. Continue reading “Otters In Space – Chapter 11: Kipper and the Manta Ray”

Otters In Space – Chapter 10: Kipper in the Red Quarter

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Otters In Space: The Search for Cat Haven.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead.

“Apparently, the red quarter otters had a long backlog of issues with Earth law (possibly law in general), dog enforcers (probably law enforcers in general), and Luce, specifically.”

As the bill was already settled, Kipper had herself dressed and back out on the main drag in no time.  She caught herself looking at the otters around her, trying to catch their reaction to her in their eyes.  She wove between them, staying as far away from the artificial river as she could manage.  She didn’t want to get tripped or pushed into the water again.  The otters, by and large, gave her a respectful amount of space.  Perhaps they understood what she was doing.  She imagined herself walking in the paw steps of all the other cats who had come to this station and who carefully edged their way away from the water. Continue reading “Otters In Space – Chapter 10: Kipper in the Red Quarter”

Otters In Space – Chapter 9: A Whole New Kipper

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Otters In Space: The Search for Cat Haven.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead.

“Trugger works on a cargo ship, Miss Feline. He thinks he’s a pirate. The whole ship’s worth of them think they’re pirates.”

Kipper folded her tunic, trousers, and scramball jersey into her little purple duffle and stowed it beside Maury’s desk.  She wrapped the white sheet around her, under her arms, and pushed the pink curtain out of her way.  Maury was arranging the tools of his trade on the work table beside the closest reclining chair.  When he noticed her, he patted on the chair’s Naugahyde seat, inviting her to take her place there. Continue reading “Otters In Space – Chapter 9: A Whole New Kipper”

Otters In Space – Chapter 8: Kipper on the Deep Sky Anchor

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Otters In Space: The Search for Cat Haven.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead.

“The river in the sky was a real river, running through the middle of the broad corridor that was the outer ring of Deep Sky Anchor.”

The door opened, spilling space station light into the hold.  Kipper could hardly wait to set paw on the light-kissed ground.  The closer she got to otter space, the more buzzed she got.  She wanted to get out there and see what Deep Sky Anchor was really like.  She wanted to join the otters, swimming in their “rivers in the sky.”  Continue reading “Otters In Space – Chapter 8: Kipper on the Deep Sky Anchor”

Otters In Space – Chapter 7: Kipper Rides the Elevator

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Otters In Space: The Search for Cat Haven.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead.

“Gruff dog voices preceded the plodding sound of dog paws. “A stowaway?” one voice, unfamiliar, was saying.”

Chip was a harsh task-master.  He kept Kipper lugging crates of shrimp, tanks of crabs, and other sea-farmed delectables along with trunk after trunk of passenger luggage until her agile cat-spine ached.  Cats weren’t built for hard work, and this work was back-breaking. Continue reading “Otters In Space – Chapter 7: Kipper Rides the Elevator”

Otters In Space – Chapter 6: Kipper in Ecuador

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Otters In Space: The Search for Cat Haven.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead.

“But, why would she use her ill-gotten funds to buy some cats space elevator tickets and other cats one-way tickets to the morgue?”

The next few days were a blur of countries outside Kipper’s window.

Guatemala became El Salvador and then Honduras.  The terrain grew mountainous, green, and jungly.  Wild rainforests alternated with farmland, growing sugarcane and coffee beans.  Kipper slept through Nicaragua and most of Costa Rica, but she took the wheel through all of Panama and down into Colombia.  South America at last! Continue reading “Otters In Space – Chapter 6: Kipper in Ecuador”

Furvana 2023 Book Release!

This fall, Deep Sky Anchor Press will release its second book — Hell Moon by Mary E. Lowd!  You can pre-order it here.

This space opera horror novel is the first in a new trilogy from Lowd; the Xeno-Spectre trilogy features many of the same defining traits readers love about her other books — spaceships, animal-like aliens, rebellious AI, far future adventure, and queer found family.

The Xeno-Spectre trilogy is set in the same universe as Lowd’s Entangled Universe trilogy from Aethon Books.  However, it has a darker edge that will appeal to fans of the Alien franchise, Ghostbusters, and Jurassic Park.

Continue reading “Furvana 2023 Book Release!”

Otters In Space – Chapter 5: Kipper in Mexico

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Otters In Space: The Search for Cat Haven.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead.

“Dogs are for Earth; otters for the oceans. Truly, it’s cats who are meant for space.”

The guard flicked his ears in the chill desert air.  Mornings were cold, but it would be hot when the sun got overhead and started beating down.  During the day, it was no place for the thick, full mane of a rough Collie; but, right now, it was a bit nippy for a smooth one.  The guard dog scratched the barrel of his rifle against his chin.  A car was coming. Continue reading “Otters In Space – Chapter 5: Kipper in Mexico”

Otters In Space – Chapter 4: Kipper Flees to Mexico

by Mary E. Lowd

An excerpt from Otters In Space: The Search for Cat Haven.  If you’d prefer, you can start with Chapter 1, return to the previous chapter, or skip ahead.

“It was true that cats didn’t have to show ID when an accompanying dog vouched for them — an outdated, demeaning, but, in this case, doggarned convenient law.”

After a quick sweep of the alleys surrounding the bar, Kipper thankfully concluded that Petra wasn’t lying, bleeding to death in any of them.  Though, even with a big black dog tailing her, watching her back, Kipper still felt like jumping at every shadow.  And her heart stopped when she saw a crumpled bag beside some trash bins — in the dark, it could have been her sister.  But Trudith was very reassuring and convinced Kipper that if anything had happened to Petra — if thugs had dragged her out of the bar or caught up with her outside — she would still be pretty close.  Close enough that they would have found her. Continue reading “Otters In Space – Chapter 4: Kipper Flees to Mexico”