Within a bubble of ice half-buried in muck at the bottom of the lake, curled like a chick in its egg, the assassin waited for her prey.

Normally that’s all I’d post. But, hey, I’m feeling generous, and excited to be starting a new book, so what the heck. Here’s the whole opening teaser scene:

Within a bubble of ice half-buried in muck at the bottom of the lake, curled like a chick in its egg, the assassin waited for her prey. With one hand she clutched the magestone that kept frozen the walls of her shelter and teased from the blue-green water outside the air she needed to survive. In the other she held the weapon that had been prepared.

She had waited a day and a night. She would wait as long as she must.

Eventually, the Prince would come.

And then he would die.

And that’s about all I wrote today. Too many errands to run. But much more to come tomorrow and going forward. Check in daily!

Here’s how it works. To enter, all you have to do is either (a) leave a comment below (with a valid e-mail address) telling me you’d like to enter or (b) email me at edward(at)edwardwillett.com to that effect (use “Terra Insegura” as the subject to be sure I don’t miss it).

This first week’s contest closes at midnight on Sunday, May 10, the second week on Sunday, May 17, the third week on Sunday, May 24, and the final week on Sunday, May 31. Each week, the first name drawn receives a copy of Terra Insegura. The second name drawn receives a copy of Marseguro. (Signed, of course.) I’ll contact the winners by email and only then ask for mailing information.

Of course, my nefarious purpose is to convince those who receive Terra Insegura to then go back and read Marseguro, if they haven’t already, while I hope those who receive Marseguro will be driven by insatiable need for more Willett words to rush out and purchase multiple copies of Terra Insegura. (A faint hope, but…)

If you don’t win one week, you’re welcome to enter again the following week, but you’ll need to send me a fresh email or leave a fresh comment.

From the author of Marseguro—The BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL returns to earth

Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.