This is my stop during the blog tour for Running Out of Space by S.J. Higbee. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 11 till 31 October. You can check see the tour schedule here.

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Running Out of Space (The Sunblinded Trilogy #1) by S.J. Higbee
Genre: Science Fiction
Age category: New Adult
Release Date: 11 October, 2017
Blurb: Elizabeth Wright has yearned to serve on the space merchant ship Shooting Star for as long as she can remember – until one rash act changes everything…

I can’t recall whose idea it was. Just that me and my shipmates were sick of wading through yet another unjust punishment detail. So we decide to take ourselves off on a short jaunt to the lower reaches of Space Station Hawking to prove that fertile English girls can also deal with danger.

The consequences of that single expedition change the lives of all four of us, as well as that of the stranger who steps in to save us down in lawless Basement Level. Now I have more excitement and danger than I can handle, while confronting lethal shipboard politics, kidnapping, betrayal. And murder.

You can find Running Out of Space on Goodreads

Buy Running Out of Space for only $0.99!

You can buy Running Out of Space for only $0.99 on Amazon!

Guest Post: The Pros and Cons of Living in Space

• There’s lots of… space. And that’s the reason why Elizabeth’s community is out there. This is the year 2357 and back in 2118 her ancestors were living in a muddy refugee camp on the edge of Lake London where the city used to be and they were offered a chance to leave Earth and train to run goods and people off-planet with a leasing system on the ship. They succeeded in getting through the selection and training programme, took off for their first ship, London Calling, and never looked back…

• Camaraderie. Elizabeth has yearned to be part of a crew, having been brought up on tales about her father’s ship. She knows there is a strong sense of community where loading and unloading cargoes, facing difficult routes and the constant churn of new stopovers creates a solid bond with people she is working alongside. The regular evening sing-songs are also a highlight for her – all merchanter ships have a choral tradition and while the Cap isn’t sufficiently interested to allow his crew to take part in singing competitions, many do.

• Adventure and Travel. While they have a schedule of regular supply runs, providing weapons and supplies for General Norman’s mercenary headquarters at Restormel, on the way back Shooting Star looks for cargo to pick up and trade to add to the profit margin. This can take them to all sorts of different space stations, with the occasional opportunity to end up planetside. Elizabeth gets to see places and people who are very different from those she grew up with – better still, she is learning the family business as a trader.

• Danger. Space is a merciless place. Elizabeth knows their crew are drilled for every eventuality and is sure that they are equal to anything out there. While accidents still do happen, she knows that they are mostly caused by human error and with the Cap being such a stickler for procedures and safety protocols, she is certain they will rise to the occasion – so the knowledge that one wrong move could cause death creates a real buzz of adrenaline.

• Not much space. All the fuel, food, air and hardware that goes towards making the ship viable has to be paid for by the cargo she carries. So the crew quarters aren’t big. Each crewmember has a cribicle – a small curtained area of their own the length of their bunk and twice the width. All their possessions have to fit in a small locker. Clothes and food are provided, but if you’re looking for ‘me’ time – or you have upset any of the crew, as Elizabeth discovers – there aren’t many places to run to…

• Rules. Elizabeth knows the Cap runs on rules – he’s her father, after all. But she had assumed those rules would be fair and when she finds herself on the wrong end of regs designed to keep her and her female companions from achieving any kind of status on the ship, she rebels.

• Danger. Space is a merciless place. A hatch is opened at the wrong time… a cargohold seal pops and a hapless crew member finds themselves on the wrong side of the hull, gasping on vacuum as their eyeballs freeze. This can all seem exciting during a noisy evening in a mess or while swapping stories in a bar on a space station, but when you are a target for your crews’ anger then those stories stop being enjoyable. They become the stuff of nightmares…

About the Author: Born the same year as the Russians launched Sputnik, I confidently expected that by the time I reached adulthood, the human race would have a pioneer colony on the Moon and be heading off towards Mars. So I was at a loss to know what to do once I realised the Final Frontier wasn’t an option and rather lost my head - I tried a lot of jobs I didn’t like and married a totally unsuitable man.

Now I've finally come to terms with the fact that I’ll never leave Earth, I have a lovely time writing science fiction and fantasy novels while teaching Creative Writing at Northbrook College in Worthing. I’ve had a number of short stories, articles and poems published – the most recent being my story ‘Miranda’s Tempest’ which appeared last year in Fox Spirit’s anthology Eve of War. I recently signed a publishing contract with Grimbold Publishing for my science fiction novel Netted, which is due to be released in 2019.

I live in Littlehampton on the English south coast with a wonderful husband and a ridiculous number of books. I can be found online chatting about books at my book review blog and you’re very welcome to pop onto my website and my Facebook page.

You can find and contact S.J. Higbee here:

- Website
- Blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads