Bright Blue Planet
The Jovian Universe, #3
by Kim Catanzarite
Date of Publication: March 1st 2023
Publisher: Forster Publishing
Cover Artist: Damonza
Genre: Sci-fi Thriller
ISBN: 978-1-7359522-4-6
ASIN: B0BT2ZKJRS
Word Count: 65,000
Tagline: At a time when humans and clones begin to clash, two men—one Jovian, the other, human—struggle to navigate the new world order and their own families within it.
BLURB
Continuing the story that began with They Will Be Coming for Us and Jovian Son, Bright Blue Planet, Book 3 in The Jovian Universe, takes readers behind the scenes of the otherworldly Jovian family, revealing their most startling secrets.
Former three-term President of the United States, Evander Peterman, does his best to uphold the promise he made his human mother, Svetlana, to protect ordinary humans from the stronger, more-intelligent race of clones the powerful Jovian family has created.
Fran Vasquez, former FBI agent and current head of the Jovians’ security squad at Starbright International, not only works with clones and hybrids but recently hired his young, struggling son, who immediately creates tension between members of the squad.
Meanwhile, Caroline, matriarch of the Jovians, may be at odds with her husband, Edmund, who abruptly left Earth for no known reason. She doesn’t seem to care that humans and clones aren't getting along—and suggests something much more menacing looms on Earth’s horizon.
As the story unfolds, Evander and Fran must do their best to navigate not only the rising world order but their own families as well.
Excerpt
Down the corridor, someone shouted, “Hey, no! I didn’t mean—stop!” Sounded like Max’s voice. High-pitched in a panic.
The scraping whine of a chair against the floor followed.
A scuffle in the break room?
Fran ran the rest of the way down the hall. He arrived to the thud of a punch making contact, and his son thrown sideways before bouncing across the floor like tossed dice. The kid shot up with fire in his eyes, his hand dabbing a bloody lip and his chest heaving.
A group of clones stood by, mouths closed.
Fran couldn’t tell which one of them had thrown the punch.
Max dropped into a chair, head down.
It took every cell in Fran’s body to keep his voice to a low roar. “What the hell is going on here?”
The group of individuals present, all of them members of the security squad, gathered in a loose circle. Several stepped back.
Consuela spoke first: “Just a disagreement, sir. Between Leonard and … Max.”
“Why is my son bleeding?” He pushed past Consuela and Andre, and stopped in front of Max, who continued to stare at the ground, hunched in a humiliated way.
“Somebody better start talking,” Fran said.
Leonard, the most military of all the squad and the highest ranking, stepped out of the circle of uniform-clad employees. Diligent, careful, mature, Leonard was at least a foot taller than Max. Fifty pounds more solid too. One of the early clones, he’d received his DNA from Leo—his sandy hair, pale skin, and slate-gray eyes made that much obvious. He would have had a normal American-guy build, like Leo’s, had he not spent the past two decades eating egg whites and lifting barbells in his free time. Leo, the husband of Miranda, headed Startbright’s department of security. He was Fran’s boss, in other words.
Leonard stepped forward and without hesitating, said, “He was complaining about the job, sir.”
“And?”
“We don’t do that at Starbright.”
“Okay. So, I don’t understand,” Fran said. “You hit him?”
“Yes, sir.” Leonard perfected his already snapped-to soldier’s stance: chest puffed to barrel size, boots together, arms straight as fence posts. The guy was a senior officer. It didn’t make sense that he would throw a punch—or even a slap someone.
Jovians never resort to violence.
“Everyone but Leonard and Max get out of here,” Fran said. “Go find something to do.”
“Yes, sir,” they responded in unison before scattering like billiard balls.
Fran lingered on the fact that no Starbright employee on record had ever hit another employee. Period. Not even accidentally … or in self-defense. If a threatening individual accosted you, you were to take them to the ground and apprehend them using forceful but nonviolent measures.
That’s the way it was, the way it always had been as far as the Jovians were concerned.
How did Max always find a way to screw up?
Fran rubbed his forehead as he unearthed the commanding attitude he once dispensed to cocky FBI recruits: “You just punched your boss’s kid, Leonard, so I’m gonna need to see you in my office immediately.”
Leonard shook his head, his chin looking more square than usual. “You’re not my boss, sir.”
This gave Fran’s face a reason to contort in a befuddled and infuriated way. “Excuse me?”
“Sir, you’re not my—"
“You better believe I am,” Fran exclaimed, determined not to hear the statement twice. “I’ve been your boss for the past eight years.”
“I take orders from the Jovians—”
“What’s gotten into you?” Spit flew from Fran’s mouth. He pointed to the room’s exit. “Get to my office before you say something really stupid.”
The clone turned and left without another word.
Fran stared after him, perplexed. Clones were obedient. Difficult to rile. They had a shallow depth of emotion perfectly suited for this line of work. No one wanted their security staff punching, shooting, or otherwise going off because they were spooked, afraid, or angry. So how did Leonard end up so pissed that he broke rule number one and hit Max?
Author Info
Kim Catanzarite is the author of the award-winning Jovian Universe sci-fi thriller series. She is a freelance writer and editor for publishers and independent authors, and she teaches copyediting for Writer’s Digest University. Her Self-Publishing 101 blog discusses the ins and outs of indie life as well as all things writing craft. When she’s not writing or editing, Kim enjoys hiking, drawing, and talking to her cats. She lives on the east coast USA with her husband and daughter.
The Book Junkie Reads . . .Reckless Dreams Interview with . . . Kim Catazarite . .
How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?
My books are different. They’re not your usual science fiction. Some readers love that about them, and others don’t. They’re character-driven stories in a science fiction setting with major plot twists and mystery. For instance, the first book (They Will Be Coming for Us) basically begins with a love story, the seed that grows into the Jovian Universe. The second book (Jovian Son) is about the very special child that results from that love story. And the third book, Bright Blue Planet, is about how that child (and the Jovian side of his family) has affected and changed the world at large.
It’s not hard science. I’m more interested in the relationships and dynamics between characters than I am in the fact that some of them are not Earth born. That said, I love Ancient Aliens and the idea of alien visitors, space travel, time travel, multiple universes, and quantum physics, and all of these things appear in the series.
What mindset or routine do you feel the need to set when preparing to write (in general whether you are working on a project or just free writing)?
I have no routine and no special mindset. I have been writing for so long and through so many phases in my life that I have no problem sitting down and just blah, blah, blah-ing all over the page. I write every day. I’ve been a newspaper writer, a magazine writer, and a creative writer. I’m also a pretty constant emailer and blogger. Writing is my favorite form of communication. On the other hand, ask me to speak to a group, and I will agonize and edit myself and end up saying a jumble of not much.
So, to answer the question, all I need to do is sit in the chair in front of the computer, and I can write anywhere, anytime, anything.
Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so which one(s)?
There’s a character in my series named Fran Vasquez. When I first introduce him to the series, he’s an FBI agent. I feel like I know him, like, in real life. I feel like I know all of my characters, but for some odd reason, I feel like I based Fran on a really close friend of mine. The weird thing is that I didn’t. I don’t know anyone like Fran. But he’s soooo real to me. Perhaps I know him in another universe (which is a Fran-oriented joke that you will understand if you read my books).
Can you share your next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?
I have two more books to write for the Jovian Universe series—big, big things are about to happen—and I have also started a new series. The main character in the new series wakes up in the middle of the ocean (sort of like Jason Bourne did, only he’s nothing like Jason Bourne), and he reluctantly begins to realize that something much worse than ending up adrift at sea may have happened to him.
Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?
I love this question. I would go to Tuscany and rent a house there and just soak up the Tuscan sun and drink pinot grigio and olive oil, and hope that my Italian neighbors invited me over for homemade pasta and other delicious Italian delicacies. I would also write, of course. It would be a dream come true. I love the book and movie Under the Tuscan Sun. It’s about a woman who actually does this, only she buys a very old house and renovates it.
Thanks so much for having me on your blog!
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