The Quest for Orichalcum: an asteroid miners’ memoir is coming soon! It’s the prequel to the Viridian System series, explaining what the boys did before they became rich…
Find out before the rest of the crowd!
You have the opportunity to get the book at SMASHWORDS right now, for only $2.99 (regular price $4.99) if you sign for my newsletter. Go to my presale page and read all about it. Download the ebook in the format of your choice. (Epub for Kindle or iPad).
Newsletter subscribers should have received a discount code in the newsletter sent on 30th June, but I forgot to include it! Use CN24E at the Smashwords page link, valid until 16th August.
And I’ve had a request for a paperback version. I’m working on it.
Read on for an extract plus the Giveaway… and watch out for more mini-stories that aren’t in the book, like this one, during the lead up to the launch on August 12th.
The Quest for Orichalcum (Viridian System #0.5)
An asteroid miners’ memoir
by Jemima Pett
This memoir of Big Pete and the Swede is a prequel to the Viridian System series. Hang out with your favourite asteroid miners, discovering how they met, their adventures and misadventures, and the truth behind the rumours.
- How did they meet?
- Did Lars murder someone?
- What is Pete’s nearly-fatal weakness?
- Have either ever really loved someone?
- Were they always successful with women?
- Did luck or fate make them the best orichalcum miners in the galaxy?
All these questions are addressed in the Quest for Orichalcum, a memoir of your favourite asteroid miners, from before the days when instacomms enabled real connectivity through the galaxy. Before anyone knew what orichalcum was, or could do for civilisations throughout the universe. This is a gathering of tales of the men, their women, their extracurricular activities, disasters, deaths, murders, and surfing. And all before anyone but the people of Corsair had ever heard of the Perihelix.
coming soon at..
~~Amazon~~ ~~Apple iTunes~~ ~~B&N~~ ~~Kobo~~ ~~Smashwords~~
Pete in Tibet – a 500 word extract
Pete had been in the Himalaya system for two years, and was counting off the days till his vacation. He made marks on the wall, as Boris had suggested when he had first arrived at their camp. The transport provided from the Farsight waystation had been a modern, all facilities space cruiser taking ten new recruits. It made a good impression on them all, as did the part in their contracts promising an all expenses paid one-month vacation at a luxury resort after two years service.
Two years had gone. The vacation was overdue.
“It will arrive,” Boris said, watching him mark off another day.
“What will?”
“Your vacation. Coming soon, now.”
Pete shrugged, and settled back on the blanket-covered wooden box they stored spare tools in. It served as a seat, and sometimes a bed. He was used to the cramped conditions, the smoke from the fat-burning stove, the cold outside their cave, and the sense of relief every time Meikle went out. Unless you were working with him that day.
Meikle had given up bullying Pete, first trying to wear him down with personal attacks, then the physical presence, bordering on abuse. Boris had warned him he would attack, aim to drive him out, even though it would leave the team short.
The day of Meikle’s attack, they were working in a snow-encrusted crack in the mountains, one which seemed to indicate several useful minerals close to the surface. Pete was on the drill, a noisy powered tool with a jack-hammer mechanism. Meikle was gathering up the debris.
Pete paused just as Meikle approached wielding a handy rock in his left hand. His right held a wrench. Pete had seen the wrench wasn’t in its proper place when they left base, so had been alert. He was getting tired of being alert, but then he was also getting tired of Meikle.
Meikle lunged down on him. Pete ducked, swung around and kicked his kneecap. In the tangle that followed neither got much of a blow in, the rocks doing most of the damage to their backs and kidneys. They tumbled onto a flattish space, and Pete, empty handed, squared up to his antagonist, who by some miracle, still held the wrench.
“Come on then,” Pete gasped. Meikle came.
The flat area gave Pete a height advantage. Meikle was so tall, he had to bend down to attack. But his technique was good, sticking out his bottom to keep his torso straight and head up. After a couple of feints, and a clash on the rocks behind, Meikle approached again. Pete downed him with a well-placed and very forceful kick to the privates.
He waited for his opponent to stop rolling about and swearing, just in case he was feigning. “I can do that any time you attack me, because I’m small enough that you can’t avoid it. Your choice, Meikle.”
Pete went back to the rock. It was not long till sundown, so he started packing up.
When Meikle protested, he shrugged. “Enough for today. Coming in, or shall I leave you with your wrench for company?”
The Quest for Orichalcum © J M Pett 2025
Buy the Book – on Pre-sale at Smashwords, coming soon elsewhere
~~Amazon~~ ~~Apple iTunes~~ ~~B&N~~ ~~Kobo~~ ~~Smashwords~~
It’s a Giveaway!
Enter for a chance to win a US $20 gift card, or an ebook copy of the Viridian System series (3 ebooks), or a copy of Quest for Orichalcum (1 ebook).
Entries close at 11.59 15th August, New York time. Open for entries in all countries and states where this type of raffle is legal. Some additional entry options may be added: please check back if this is important to you.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Great promo, Jemima!
The quest to find out more of my family history.
That is a quest indeed. Good luck!