Ocean of Dust by Graeme Ing

Fourteen-year old Lissa is snatched from her home and finds herself a slave on a trading ship traveling on a waterless ocean of nothing but gray dust. A feisty, curious and intelligent girl, her desire to explore the ship earns her the hatred of the cruel first officer, Farq.

 Fascinated by the ocean of dust, Lissa becomes embroiled in its mysteries, sensing things that the crew cannot, while cryptic whispers in her head are leading her toward a destiny linked to the dust itself. Only one man aboard can help her make sense of her new talent, but can she trust him? All is not as it seems, and she must unravel the clues before it’s too late.

When a sinister plot casts her adrift on the barren ocean, her best friend is left in the hands of the treacherous crew. Everything hinges upon her courage, quick wits, and her ability to master her new talent.

An Excerpt from the Book

The next step gave way under her weight. She glanced down, gasping to see that she had trodden on Alice's head.

"Watch where you tread, stupid," Alice cried.

"I was on the ladder first," she replied.

"I'm not waiting for you," Alice said. "You're too slow."

She yanked Lissa's leg with both hands, bringing her tumbling down, cracking one leg against a post, before smashing into Alice. They both sprawled on the floor, Lissa landing on top. Alice blew out her breath violently and groaned loudly. The tray and its contents crashed around them making an awful din. Juice sprayed from the pitcher but it didn't break.

Lissa rolled off Alice and stood. "What did you do that for?"

Alice sat up, feeling her body for breaks. "You squashed me," she wheezed. Then she gave a thin smile. "I deserved it, I guess."

She extended her arm up toward Lissa.

Lissa blinked twice and narrowed her eyes.

Alice's smile became a grin. "Come on, you beat me this time. I was being mean, so it serves me right. Pull me up, please?"

Lissa nibbled her lip, and then slowly reached down and took Alice's hand, who yanked so hard, Lissa’s shoulder popped, and she fell spread-eagled on the floor. Alice leaped on her back, knees to either side.

"You're so stupid," Alice snarled. She grabbed a bunch of Lissa's hair close to her scalp and twisted it, digging her knees into Lissa's sides. "Don't you dare get me locked up again."

Graeme is a writer of speculative fiction. He probably won't fall into existing pigeonholes, but hang around and you'll get to read tales of fantasy, science-fiction, paranormal, cyberpunk, steampunk and who knows what.

Born in England, Graeme now lives in San Diego, California. His career as a software engineer and development manager spans 30 years, including the development of a dozen computer games for consoles, home computers and online. Graeme is also an avid armchair mountaineer, astronomer, mapmaker, pilot and general geek. He and his wife, Tamara, share their house with six crazy cats.

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Buy Links
Amazon (Kindle/paperback/audiobook) | Audible

Graeme will be awarding a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn host. Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: Goddessfish Promotions Blog.

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