
My novella, Courting Disaster: StarDog2, is a sequel to both my novel, Inherit the Stars, and to a previous novella, StarDog, in my Inherit Stars Series. Courting Disaster takes readers three years ahead to a not-so-peaceful future in the aftermath of Operation Reset. Though the oppressive Ithian Alliance has been toppled, it turns out the galaxy hasn’t become the peaceful utopia that everyone hoped for. That becomes clear when the characters of Courting Disaster set a collision course with catastrophe.
Let me introduce the hero and heroine of the story.
From monk to married…
Captain Navene Jagger’s certainty he will be promoted to command a new battleship is doused when the admiral instead assigns him on what appears to be a suicide mission. If that wasn’t bad enough, he finds his self-imposed decision to be a military monk is thrown to the far reaches of the galaxy when he is ordered to escort Ketsia Tayah and her StarDog through the treacherous, rogue-infested Bradley Rift in a battered derelict of a vessel – a task that also makes him have to confront his painful past.
Captain Jagger is a returning character from the novel. In Inherit the Stars, Jagger was hero Sair’s nemesis and rival for the affections of Captain Drea Mennelsohn. As you can guess, things didn’t go well for poor Jag and he’s still trying to get over his heartache when Courting Disaster opens. He’s given up on happy endings and dedicated his life to the Carduwan Fifth Fleet and some very ambitious career goals. There’s just one thing standing in his way…
Excerpt
“There’s just one hitch.” Admiral Kareek leaned forward, planting his elbows on the desk. “Your pride, son.”
“Sir?”
“You have an ego the size of the Bradley Rift, my boy. And sooner or later, it’s going to trip you up. Those rogue ships you went after? You broke several rules of engagement in the pursuit. Since the outcome was for the greater glory of the Carduwan Fifth Fleet, you were given kudos instead of a reprimand, but you and I both know how much you risked in the attempt.”
Jagger frowned. Kareek was questioning his suitability? “Admiral, I—”
“Hold your thoughts, Captain.”
When Jagger receives an unexpected reassignment from command of his huge Carduwan battleship to a small, aging transport vessel, his pride doesn’t handle it well.
To add insult to injury, he has to lose his impressive captain’s uniform and dress as a second-rate civilian spacefreighter for the mission.
But he’s in for a few surprises.
And one of them is Ketsia Tayah.
Ketsia’s past had taught her a lot. The universe was not only a very dangerous place, it turns out that it is also a lot smaller than she would have liked! Ketsia is rattled when she discovers that she and her StarDog are to be escorted by the man she formerly had a crush on. She swears life couldn’t get any more complicated until they are thrown into jeopardy and have to pretend they are married!
Ketsia is also a returning character from Inherit the Stars. She’s matured from a traumatized Tectolian teenager enslaved by the Ithian Empire to a poised and stunning twenty-year-old with some very influential connections. Jagger has no idea they’ve crossed paths before and when the hows and whys of her history are revealed, it’s going to cause him both heartache and resentment, especially when Jag assumes more than he should.
And Ketsia’s pet StarDog? Well the little bio-engineered dog-cat-weasel-mongoose may just be the catalyst for a whole ship-load of trouble!
Jag soon realizes there is more at stake than his pride when dangerous rogues threaten their spaceship. After he learns the ship, the mission, and the StarDog are all much more than they seem will he be able to save Ketsia, his career, and the day? Or will self-sacrifice be the only way to save those under his protection?
I hope you’re intrigued by this peek inside the story.

Then I hope you’ll purchase a copy of Courting Disaster: Star Dog 2that’s part of the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 anthology, along with eleven other amazing novellas from bestselling and award-winning science fiction romance authors. Go to the Pets in Space website to read more and see all the vendor links
I’d also like to mention that 10% of all preorders and the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.
Thanks so much, Lea, for allowing me to be your guest today.
About the Author
Laurie A. Green is a three-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, an award-winning author, and a science fiction romance enthusiast who founded the SFR Brigade community of writers, which is now over 1,000 members strong.
Her family includes her husband, David, five dogs, three cats and several horses, all who reside on a ranch in beautiful New Mexico. A former military budget director and reserve state trooper, she now spends her time writing, networking, researching, enjoying the Southwestern lifestyle and, naturally, stargazing and daydreaming about other worlds.
You can connect with Laurie via her website.