Excerpt:

The being came into the room slowly, as if anticipating Susan’s wrath. It looked at her with its black, bulging eyes. They looked almost baleful rather than powerful and cruel as she remembered them from so many abductions in the past. Susan said, “you don’t look so frightening in the light. You don’t seem so much like a nightmare when you don’t have me strapped to one of your goddamned torture tables.”

The being stood, unmoving

Susan felt Rem’s hand on her shoulder. She covered his hand with her own, but continued looking into the eyes of the being. “Why?” Susan asked. “Why do you do this? Do you get off somehow with torturing humans? I know it’s not a woman thing with you. I’ve seen you abuse men. I’ve also seen you abuse children. You have no preferences, do you? You hurt everyone. You people are so arrogant...so arrogant,” she felt her voice rising, “that you have inflicted your DNA on this woman.” Susan looked at Rem’s mother. “What has she done to deserve this? Can you give me even the weakest excuse for doing this to her?”

Susan could see the being’s chest moving like a grasshopper’s thorax. She knew she was upsetting him and she enjoyed it immensely. “You know, if I had a gun, it would be a toss-up right now if you would be left standing when we leave this place.”

The being’s head twitched slightly.

“Now, this is the way it’s going to be,” Susan said. “You will never hurt me again. You will not touch me. You will not abduct me, you will not frighten me, you will not jerk me from my bed in the middle of the night, you will not drive me to drink. And, most importantly, you will not interfere in the lives of Rem and me or our future children - ever. You are nothing. Do your understand me? You are nothing. You are a pathetic creature who I almost feel sorry for.”

And at that, Susan sat down. She was breathing heavily from anger, and as she telepathed her intense resolve to this entity who, for whatever reason, had made her life hell, the being silently turned and left the room.

“You’ve got guts, girl,” Brian breathed in awe. “My God, you’ve got guts."

Author BIO: Alan McGregor, (Dick Claassen's pen name), began putting his ideas to paper as a young child, but it wasn't until 1975 that he finally had his first major piece published. The feature magazine article written for The Iowan titled, Build Your Own Dulcimer, launched his free-lance career. It was only a few short years ago that Dick began to break away from factual writing in order to write novels. Dick wanted to accomplish two things in his novel writing. He wanted to write about aliens, and he wanted to write about them in a realistic way. Dick drew inspiration from authors like Whitley Strieber and Dr. John E. Mack, both men giants in the field of research in alien abduction. Dick collaborated with his coauthor, Diane Drury, whose editorial experience helped craft his story ideas. One year later, ta'Sara's Gift was ready for publication. They have since gone on to write two more novels, Zeta's Child, and The Healers, which round out The Dark Ships Trilogy. Dick has gone on to write three shorter novels: Shadow of Love, Love Signs, Plugged-In Souls, and Night Beasts. He has also written several novels: The Raphael Experience, plus Country Priestess, and it's sequel, Silver Seed. He has also written an instruction book called, Celebrate the Native American Flute, as well as a HyperStudio sign language instruction package titled, Serious Signing. Dick has studied writing at the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop. What does Dick do in his spare time? Forget spare time! He's co-running Awe-Struck E-Books with Kathryn Struck!