To Catch a Flieff

By Julia Rios

Alessia is an engineer who just wants to have a smooth trip home to celebrate Mizzentide with her family, but what are those pawprints leading into the Astral Dancer's engine room? Darmanda didn't mean to let an arctic flieff loose aboard a spaceship, but once she has, her only choice is to go after it. Now the two women have to work together to find the flieff, AND pretend to be dating so the Astral Dancer's captain doesn't suspect anything out of the ordinary. Fake dating, only one bed, awkward lesbians, and a fluffy agent of chaos add up to a holiday romance that is truly out of this world!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robot Dinosaur Press
• Release date: Dec 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215790649

Book preview

Cover for To Catch a Flieff: A Holiday Romance … in Space by Julia Rios, featuring a spaceship emitting a trail of hearts as it travels through the stars. The teaser text reads, “Fake dating, a holiday feast, a fluffy agent of chaos… just a routine trip abourt the Astral Dancer!”

TO CATCH A FLIEFF

A HOLIDAY ROMANCE … IN SPACE

JULIA RIOS

Robot Dinosaur Press

Robot Dinosaur Press

Robot Dinosaur Press is a trademark of Chipped Cup Collective.

The Chipped Cup Collective is a global author cooperative founded in 2021, comprising Robot Dinosaur Press, featuring queer inclusive science fiction and fantasy stories, and our sibling imprint, Latte Literary, which is focused on Romance/Erotica.

To Catch a Flieff

Copyright © 2022 by Julia Rios

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, and events portrayed in this work are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover and interior design by Julia Rios

CONTENTS

To Catch a Flieff

Author’s Note

About the Author

Also from Robot Dinosaur Press

TO CATCH A FLIEFF

Alessia frowned at the central circuit board of the Astral Dancer. Paw prints. Again.

She heaved an exasperated sigh. Mr Tumnus, I have told you a thousand times, you can’t go into the engine. I don’t care how bright and sparkly it is, it’s not for cats!

The cat did not reply. In fact, he was nowhere to be found, not even after she pried up the 3D printed plastic shield and wedged her upper half as far into the engine core as it could go without accessing the underside.

That was weird.

Usually if Mr Tumnus got in, he sat in a smug loaf on top of the accelerator panel, fluffy orange tail swishing as he batted at the flashing lights.

Then she heard the chittering.

Oh no. No no no.

Only one thing made this sound: Arctic Flieffs from Vorpalix. They were the most adorable puffballs, always a winner for page a day calendars and cheer up memes—and they wrought havoc on any habitat that wasn’t their own.

The chittering was a sign that this one was about to nest. In the engine core of the Astral Dancer.

"No, no, noooo," Alessia moaned.

Mrrp, a small voice agreed. Great, now Mr Tumnus entered the chat.

Alessia carefully extracted her head and torso from the engine core and snapped the shield back into place before acknowledging the wayward ship cat.

Where were you when this intruder got in, huh buddy? she asked.

Mr Tumnus rippled languorously and thrust his orange head into Alessia’s outstretched hand for scritches.

Oh yes, so helpful, Alessia murmured.

Mr Tumnus began to purr. 

Traitor. Alessia snorted. We’ll see who’s purring when the White Witch in there tears up our engine to make an ice cave…

The Astral