Alien Secrets

Puck, expelled from yet another boarding school, is on her way back to her parents, who are doing alien research on Shoon.  She's worried because she hasn't seen them in years and now she's in trouble.

On board The Cat's Cradle, Puck befriends Hush, a native Shoowa, who is also returning to his home in shame.  He was entrusted with a symbol of freedom for his people, and now that treasure has been stolen.  He believes the Soo is hidden somewhere on The Cat's Cradle, and he must recover it before they reach Shoon and before it can be smuggled off the ship.  Puck is determined to help, even though it means putting her life in danger--danger from the crew, other passengers, and the ghosts who are haunting the ship.  If she fails, neither she nor Hush can return home with dignity.

Annette Curtis Klause, a self-professed fan of horror, science fiction and fantasy, read her first vampire book when she was 14; it was Jane Gaskell's The Shining Narrow Grin. "I was enthralled," she says, and immediately began fantasizing about the book.


Klause, who is currently head of children's services at the Aspen Hill Community Library in Maryland, had been a member of a biweekly writing group, mostly writing picture books, when the group's "mentor" encouraged her to write a novel. While deciding on a subject, she "remembered the vampires," and after years of work, and six rejections, her highly acclaimed The Silver Kiss was published. Her second novel, Alien Secrets, features a main character whom Klause calls "a rather feisty individual," as well as "ghosts, a haunted ship, aliens and treasure." While writing this suspenseful science fiction adventure, Klause says "again, I thought 'What would I have liked as a kid?'"


Her third novel, Blood and Chocolate, was published in September 1997. It tells the story of the 16-year-old Vivian Gandillon, who is trying to fit in to her new home in the suburbs. But trying to act "normal" isn't always easy, since Vivian and her family are werewolves. When Vivian falls in love with a human, and a brutal murder threatens her pack's survival, Vivian's divided loyalties are strained. What is she really--human or beast?


Born in Bristol, England, Annette Curtis Klause now lives in Hyattsville, MD with two cats. Klause holds a B.A. in English literature and an M.L.S. from the University of Maryland, College Park. In her spare time, Klause collects science fiction, fantasy, and horror first editions, limited editions and chapbooks, and enjoys going to science fiction conventions.


From the Trade Paperback edition.