The Tradepoint Saga

Stranded in space, their world destroyed, the Vennans struggle to adapt to the alien races on Tradepoint as they search for a new home.

REFUGE

Gredin arrives on Tradepoint as translator for a Vennan trading mission, only to be stranded when her home world is destroyed. Surrounded by alien races – friendly, neutral, and hostile – she must barter for her group’s very survival.

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AFTERSHOCK

Stranded on Tradepoint, Gredin and the Vennans grapple with food shortages, grief, and a mysterious malady afflicting many of their survivors. She struggles to protect them all, unaware that a specific enemy has begun to stalk Gredin herself.

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THE BEREFT

A third of Venna’s survivors are ill… and one of the afflicted is Gredin. She hides her weakness, but Burlon threatens to defy her by leaving Tradepoint. If he does, Gredin’s control of the community may falter. And an old rival is eager to reclaim control.

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what readers are saying:

 

“An enjoyable introduction to a new space-opera mythology. Our verdict: Get it.”

                                                                          – Kirkus Reviews

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This is a book about heart, about truth, about bravery, about trust. This is a story about people, of all sorts, figuring out how to best proceed in challenge after challenge.  This is a story filled with small actions that have big consequences, with regular people who do their best, with difficult problems that have no simple solutions. REFUGE is a character-driven, emotion-heavy, high-stakes story full of creativity and discovery. It’s a treat from start to finish, rich with detail and generous with imagination. – J Myers, Reviewer

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If you enjoy detailed immersion into alien worlds and close character study in scifi, you’ll like REFUGE… The theme underneath the story… speaks about how a diverse and varied universe interacts, for better and worse – there is clearly more to come as the series continues. Recommended if you enjoy character-driven political thrillers set in space. – Jonathan Nevair, Author

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A cast of diverse and unique individuals captures your attention with emotional endeavors, new and strange locales, and unfamiliar peoples. If you’re looking for a new sci-fi setting that shows you its wonders rather than just telling you about them, this is the book for you. If you’re interested in trading politics, new cultures fumbling to grasp their differences and similarities, and a cast of inquisitive new arrivals, this book has them all. – Bryan Culver Williams, Reviewer

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“JJ Blacklocke has created a deeply engaging universe that drew me in from the first page. Gredin is delightfully human, despite her home planet, and the world-building knocked me out. I love this story, this character, this universe, and I am waiting eagerly for the next installment. A stunner of a first book, and the flagship of a series I want to live in for years!”  – Stacey Filak, Author of YA Fantasy THE QUEEN UNDERNEATH.

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“There’s a confidence in Blacklocke’s writing that makes it easy to read without any nagging worries that Chekhov’s gun might not go off later. Gredin is a great main character with one heck of an arc!” – Brett Hiorns

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“REFUGE is a wholly original vision. Its heroes are, in some ways, truly alien to us and yet its tale of innocent people unexpectedly becoming refugees is one that will resonate with anyone reading about the world today. I can’t wait to read the next one.” – Matt Bird, author of THE SECRETS OF STORY: Innovative Tips for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers.

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“The world J.J. Blacklocke builds is rich and imaginative beyond what I expected.” – Tory Hunter, Freelance Editor

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“The variety of alien races in REFUGE is great – and some of them are real rascals!” – Suzanne Nesmith, beta reader

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“Gredin’s adventures intrigue me. If you think communicating with your own species is difficult, try it with ten others. Then see what you learn about yourself.” – R. Winship, Artist/Illustrator

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“When crafting a sci-fi world, characters are a key element, and this world has them. Combine that with political elements! And, well, yes please.” – Amber Lauver, Blogger/Reviewer

 

Excerpt from REFUGE

As Gredin waited, a piece of fabric that rested on the bottom rung of a ladder near the entrance snagged her attention. The bright lighting seemed to ignite the scarlet material, making the color appear so vibrant that Gredin half expected to feel it give off heat as she knelt to examine it more closely.

The weave was tight and sleek, as smooth as liquid when she stroked it with a single fingertip. Slipping her hand beneath the top layer, she saw the color alter, shading from the lively red of galen berries down to a scarlet so deep-hued that it almost appeared black. The effect was beguiling, and she tilted her hand, watching the play of light.

A shadow fell, dulling the color.

A second shadow followed. Then a third and fourth and fifth, in rapid succession.

“Pretty lady,” a voice whispered in her ear, and the phrase repeated like an echo – pretty lady pretty lady pretty lady pretty lady – as tiny fingers touched her sleeve, her braids, her cheek, her hlao.

Gredin, recoiling violently from their touch, overbalanced and tumbled sideways, knocking one of the cloth-laden ladders over onto herself. It bumped against her head and shoulder, burying her beneath its fragile burden of material, and all the while she felt the little fingers continuing to pluck at her. Deeper in the maartza, she heard the blue-furred creature roar in surprise and anger, then shout in hoarse Tradetalk, “You! Out! Out! You go out!” Keegan was calling her name, his voice sharp with alarm, and she opened her mouth to answer, but then she felt a small finger snag on the cord that secured Dreff’s flamestone pendant around her neck.

“No!” She tried to lunge to her feet, but she was tangled in the ladder and the lengths of fabric, her vision obscured, her body weighed down by grasping hands that pulled her one way while another set of hands tugged the cord in the opposite direction, straining it close to the snapping point.

In panicked desperation, Gredin Sent.

Her destination was the nearest vacant space she could clearly envision: the area just outside the huge doors of the Traders’ Market—

—which, she realized in horror, wasn’t an empty space anymore. Flailing as she fought to get her feet under herself, she collided with someone and stepped down with unintended force onto something so brittle that it made a noise like kindling sticks being broken to length.

A piercing shriek split the air, making her ears ring. Strong claws dug into her arm, piercing her skin through the fabric of her jacket, jerking her sideways as a hot wave of vertigo flashed through her. Knees buckling, she hung in the painful grasp, blinking against a flood of tears. Then she heard the resonant rumble of a Prett voice as it commanded, “You, Hesch. Let go that one.”

“No,” came the thin, nasal reply. “I, Nitikikani, say this one you take. Take and hold. I claim–” And it spoke a further word of Tradetalk that she didn’t recognize.

“What name you?” the Prett demanded.

Claws bit more deeply into Gredin’s arm, and the thin, nasal voice of Nitikikani of the Hesch demanded, “Speak! Tell Prett. What name you?”

She hadn’t realized that the Prett’s question was aimed at her. On a gasp of air, she said, “Gredin. Gredin te Balamont. Vennan. Please, I talk Director, I talk Wyve.”

The Hesch made a cackling sound. “Oh yes, Vennan. I talk Director, also. I claim—” The unfamiliar word slid past again, something guttural that sounded like gegitt or kekitt. “You talk Director? He talk you. He talk you much and much.” Another spasm of pain jolted through her as the Hesch’s claws bit deeper into her flesh. “Prett, you take this Vennan,” the Hesch demanded. “You hold this Vennan good. We go talk Director. Now!”

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