Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 1d

For #WIPSnips "push." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Limei was waiting in the zero-g hanger when Cirrus Fire arrived. As Miharu, Amber, Jeff, and Daiki came out, she gave them each a firm hug and said a few words of greeting. Then she disappeared into Cirrus Fire and closed the hatch behind her.
Miharu laughed and called Cirrus through her visor. “Hey, Cirrus. I know you and your girl want some private time, but tell her if she wants her present, she should come back out for a moment.”
A moment later, the hatch reopened, and Limei pushed off from the ship and floated slowly to Miharu, stopping herself with a hand on Miharu’s shoulder. “Is it true? Did you really bring me implants and a visor?”

2 19

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 2d

#ShamelessSelfPromotion #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #readers #bookworms #SpaceOpera #mustread #WIPSnips #WIPSnips #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Wow! I did not expect this!
Three for Free -last day (Oct 13th)
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKW1C8QJ

Book cover images for Daniel Ellrick's Interstellar Refugees trilogy.

1 9

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 2d

For #WIPSnips "hope." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Miharu speared a fat red mushroom and held it up to admire as the softly glowing green sauce dripped from its honeycomb surface. “Beautiful,” she said before dropping it in her mouth whole. She closed her eyes even as a red flush appeared on her cheeks and neck. “Mmmm, and delicious.” A moment later, she sucked air between her teeth as sweat appeared on her forehead, but her smile only widened. When she opened her eyes, the whole table was looking at her.
“What?” she said.
Turner waggled her ears in amusement. “Miharu, I’m delighted that you like our food. But most of us use only one or two drops of that sauce.”
Miharu’s eyes widened. “I hope I wasn’t being rude. It’s just so good. It tastes like… like spiced peaches stuffed with chili peppers.”
“Not rude at all,” Turner said, imitating a human chuckle, “Just remarkable.”
Amber shook her head in wonder. “Miharu, how can you eat something that hot?”

2 22

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 3d

For #WIPSnips "welcome." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Ilyon answered softly with forced composure, “Captain Chelya will be fine. But you should probably leave him be for a while. Come sit, and I’ll get you a whiskey.” Ilyon glanced at her team and continued, “Amber, Daiki, Jeff, welcome. It’s good to see you. Please find a seat. I’ll pour whiskey for everyone—unless someone wants something else?”
Miharu glanced back at her people. Amber’s eyes twinkled in amusement, Daiki was smirking, but Jeff was slack-jawed. It occurred to Miharu that Jeff had never seen her dark side before. Miharu waved them toward the chairs. “Show’s over. I got carried away, but I’m calm now. Have a seat.”

1 17

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 4d

#ShamelessSelfPromotion #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #readers #bookworms #SpaceOpera #mustread #TBR #WIPSnips #writesky #writingcommunity

Hi everyone!
Don't miss this THREE FOR FREE deal.
Share with your friends.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKW1C8QJ

Image of Interstellar Refugees books and authors showing promotion for free on Amazon Oct. 11-13th.

8

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 4d

For #WIPSnips "prize." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Secretary-General Pires rubbed his hands together and laughed with delight. His instincts in nominating Trapp for arbitrator had been proven inspired by the report Amber, Emma, and Nakamoto had just brought him. Trapp insists that we receive a viable off-Earth colony! What a prize! The arbitration panel had no idea how this would be accomplished, but the value—in money and political capital for Pires—was huge. In comparison, compensation for the resources the Titan settlement had used was pocket change.

1 18

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 6d

Don't miss this deal, and remember to tell your friends.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKW1C8QJ

Interstellar Refugees by Daniel Ellrick will be free on Amazon from Oct. 11-12.

1

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 7d

For #WIPSnips "safe." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

2 16

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 10d

For #WIPSnips "store." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

It was dark, but some pedestrians could be seen under the streetlights or silhouetted by the bright store windows beyond them. The view was from a security camera across the street from the scene, and cars passed in front of it every few seconds. Two Teewuns came into view carrying several bags from a popular store. A blue van passed between the camera and the Teewuns and stopped behind them. The window at the back of the van was open, and the barrel of a gun poked out. An instant later, there were four bursts of flame, and the Teewuns went down. The van then drove out of sight.

Cynthia returned. “Once again, if you have any information related to this incident, please contact the Edmonton police immediately. After the shooting, paramedics transported

2 28

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 10d

For #WIPSnips "hunt." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

The Chinese government had officially declared Limei dead more than a year ago, but she had no desire to correct their error since the life of a dead hero was more comfortable than that of a hunted fugitive.
Limei glided between the lime-green triangles marking the meter-wide walkway with the grace of an Olympic skater, her feet flat against the tiny air-intake holes whose suction held her to the floor. She looked straight up and chose her target—another path, on the far side of the zero-g hangar, identical to the one she was standing on. She took several deep breaths to center herself, fixed her eyes on her target, bent her knees, and launched gently. A year and seventeen days had passed since Kizunor arrived in Earth orbit, but Limei—the first human to meet the interstellar refugees—had lived aboard the mammoth ship even longer.

2 17

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 13d

For #WIPSnips "salmon." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

The informal bon voyage party for Cirrus and Limei featured chicken burritos accompanied by lettuce-leaf wraps stuffed with cucumber slices, fresh raw salmon, and avocado—all compliments of the Kizunor’s human zone kitchens. Since the party was held aboard Cirrus Fire, the cowboy music was inevitable, as were the beer bottles fitted with zero-g friendly sipper-nipples. After three hours, the party was winding down—the Teewuns and the RRI onboard team said their goodbyes, leaving only Miharu, Amber, Jeff, and Daiki.

1 21

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 13d

Free science fiction books and stories! Including Intelligent Life, a prequel short story for my Interstellar Refugees trilogy. Grab whatever looks interesting!
#ShamelessSelfPromotion #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #readers #bookworms
books.bookfunnel.com/space-advent...

Indie Space Adventure

Have a read that's totally out of this world!

books.bookfunnel.com

3

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 14d

For #WIPSnips "river." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

2 24

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 15d

For #WIPSnips " bear." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Daiki interrupted the silence that had ruled since Kizunor came into view. “Hey Cirrus, explain the segments to me again.”
“Sure thing, partner. If you squint at a single cylinder, you can see it has seven segments, with the largest in the middle. That’s the rotating habitat segment. At each end of it, there’s a narrow, non-rotating divider. Beyond the dividers, there’re two more rotating segments, each half the size of the habitat. The one toward the front of the ship is for hibernation, and the one toward the back is for industrial use. These rotate in the opposite direction from the habitat segment, so things stay balanced and stable. Finally, there are fixed bow and stern segments. The bow and stern, plus the two dividers, anchor directly to the pipe-like core of the cylinder, but the rotating segments float on magnetic bearings. Got it?”
“Thanks, Cirrus. Any chance you can explain what’s inside the segments?” Daiki said.

2 23

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 15d

Literal ink.

1

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 16d

For #WIPSnips " ink." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

He had excelled in his engineering studies, and he’d been looking forward to a great career. Back then, women said yes when he asked them out. But those times were gone. The Teewuns had ruined everything. Their arrival and the promise of their fusion technology had made his entire specialty instantly obsolete. With the promise of cheap fusion engines becoming available within a year or two, no one cared about chemical rocket engines—or the people who built them—anymore.
The ink was still wet on the UN treaty with the Teewuns when he was laid off. His reward for twenty years of corporate servitude had been three months of severance pay and a seat in a retraining program for people who had lost their jobs due to “unanticipated technology disruption,” as the government called it.

1 3 18

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 19d

For #WIPSnips " absorb." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

High above the clump of Teewuns staring after her, Limei moved as a dream, twisting and turning through the zero-g hangar at the heart of the alien ship as it sped along its orbit, six-thousand kilometers above Earth. No limits! she thought, reveling in the sensation of free flight. Still, her head turned constantly to keep her target in view, reminding her there was a hard limit to her flight. She spread herself wide like a starfish, slowing her spin ice-dancer style, then drew one foot in, shifting her orientation. She was still tumbling too slowly; she needed to get her feet out front. So, she brought her knees in and tucked her head to adjust. Her eyes locked on her chosen lime-green triangle. When her feet touched, she absorbed the slight impact by bending her knees deep until her rear nearly met the walkway.

2 24

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 21d

For #WIPSnips " leave." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Every time she visited, Miharu was freshly amazed by the virtual home Dr. Aiko Trapp had programmed for her family. Today, a wide beach was visible outside the large, south-facing window. It featured palm trees with pink leaves and a room-sized blue and white chessboard raked into the sand. Two young giraffes arched their necks over the pieces, intent on their game. Aiko’s husband, Jeff, lounged under a beach umbrella, watching as the shorter giraffe declined the Queen’s Gambit by playing the Slav Defense. The contrast with the view out the frost-tinged north windows was surreal. On that side of the home, a mix of human and Teewun children could be seen skating on a frozen pond. Jeff and Aiko’s adopted daughter, Addy, moved among the skaters, shouting advice and encouragement.

2 33

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 22d

For #WIPSnips " skill." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Chloey waggled her long, antelope-like ears in a good-natured Teewun laugh and smiled. “Why worry about that? You’d look great with long hair. And you’re living in the full-g section now; you don’t need to go up to the zero-g section at all, do you?”
Limei shrugged. “I suppose I don’t have to go up to the hangar. But I like to go at least twice a week. I want to keep my zero-g skills sharp. I don’t know when I’ll need them, but I trained hard to get good at moving in zero-g, and I don’t want to get rusty.”
Chloey tilted her head and blinked her outer eyelids slowly, her large eyes amplifying the effect. Limei couldn’t help but laugh at the mashup of human and Teewun body language. Chloey said, “Skills for working in zero-g? Or do you mean zero-g combat skills?”

2 23

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 23d

For #WIPSnips " disagree." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Miharu tilted her head; she was still a bit worried that ancient disagreements would somehow boil over. But Dalyet had asked for teachers from diverse faiths. “Let's hope they all get along. Next, Senior Scholar Ilyon, are there any issues you or the other Teewuns would like to bring up?”
Ilyon waggled his ears slightly, his version of a chuckle. “None at all. Captain Chelya has explained to us that we should be completely happy with whatever food and accommodations are available on the trip. He said we should save all our complaints and protests for Governor Dalyet.”
Miharu laughed. “You know, I rather admire Captain Chelya's approach to these things. If there’s nothing else, you now have one week off to take care of any personal things you need to wrap up. I’ll see you all aboard Cirrus Fire Max a week from tomorrow.”

2 25

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 24d

Thank you!
The series and book blurbs on Amazon reveal the stakes and some hints about the found-family arcs.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKW1C8QJ

Look for Book 4 early in 2026, or sign up for my newsletter to get the news, including advance notice of free days.
dl.bookfunnel.com/ychwhxty4u
Enjoy!

If you've felt like an alien...

Sign up for my newsletter and receive this prequel story as a welcome gift, plus insider news about discounts, free offers, and bonus content. No spam. I promise. The full Interstellar Refugees trilog...

dl.bookfunnel.com

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 24d

Thank you, A.C!
The series and book blurbs on Amazon reveal the stakes and some hints about the found-family arcs.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKW1C8QJ

Look for Book 4 early in 2026, or sign up for my newsletter to get the news, including advance notice of free days.
dl.bookfunnel.com/ychwhxty4u
Enjoy!

If you've felt like an alien...

Sign up for my newsletter and receive this prequel story as a welcome gift, plus insider news about discounts, free offers, and bonus content. No spam. I promise. The full Interstellar Refugees trilog...

dl.bookfunnel.com

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 24d

For #WIPSnips "obvious." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Amber tilted her head toward Miharu, caught her gaze, and smirked. “Now I know they’re going to Titan with you, of course.”
“You’re making assumptions. I haven’t said anything about going to Titan.”
Amber laughed. “True. But I know you. You’re obviously going to go and very soon. Dalyet is dangling a big mystery and a serious problem—that’s like catnip to you.”
Miharu scrunched her face like she’d just gotten a mouthful of dandelion greens when she’d expected mint ice cream, but she didn’t deny it. “So, how do you think the UN will react?”
Amber rolled her brown eyes. “The UN? The delegates will make outraged speeches to get some camera time, then they’ll do whatever Pires tells them to. Since he got control of the solar shield and a truckload of money from the Teewuns for the solar system resources they’ve used, he’s made the UN a center of geopolitical power for the first time in its history.

1 2 26

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 25d

For #WIPSnips "yard." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Miharu was so fascinated by the virtual scenario that Titan fled her thoughts. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“Making s’mores.”
“That’s a boy scout thing, not a cowboy thing.”
“It’s a campfire thing. And who cares who invented them? I like them. Especially with dark chocolate.”
Cattle lowed in the distance, and Miharu turned to peer into the dusk. She could just make out the moving shapes of a small herd a hundred yards away. Cirrus blew out a marshmallow that had caught fire and laid it on one of the cracker and chocolate bases. He placed another cracker on top and held it as he pulled the stick back, then repeated the process with the second marshmallow. He leaned the stick against the rock and picked up the finished s’mores, one in each hand.
“Choose,” he said, offering them to Miharu.

1 3 23

Dan Ellrick @dan2042.bsky.social · 26d

For #WIPSnips "red." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

happy to share this meal with you. Please, help yourself.”
The humans immediately reached for their favorites. Daiki and Jeff loaded up on the meaty, black, sticky mushrooms piled in the center of the tray while Amber and Miharu dug into the light, sponge-like red mushrooms. Amber shuddered when Miharu doused hers with a luminous mint-green sauce—a sauce she knew was as hot as habanero pepper salsa. Only Turner started her meal with the mottled, dark-yellow leaves that passed for salad among the Teewuns.
Miharu speared a fat red mushroom and held it up to admire as the softly glowing green sauce dripped from its honeycomb surface. “Beautiful,” she said before dropping it in her mouth whole. She closed her eyes even as a red flush appeared on her cheeks and neck. “Mmmm, and delicious.” A moment later, she sucked air between her teeth as sweat appeared on her forehead, but her smile only widened. When she opened her eyes, the whole table was looking at her.
“What?” she said.

1 22