Aurora Springer's Blog, page 12
April 9, 2022
Moping about lost loves - Excerpt from Lured by the Lion for #WeWRiWa and #SnippetSunday
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
My new Sci-Fi Romance, Lured by the Lion , released last Wednesday. This story is part of a new series, Second Chances in Space, withstandalone stories about space pirates, spies and second chances for romance.
Relevant background: Josie, a taser-toting captain of a small spacecraft, has flown to another planet to visit her aunt. She meets Penelope Horlis, a schoolfriend of her younger sister, and her father, Leonardo Horlis, a widower still mourning his deceased wife (according to his daughter). The Horlises are unusual. They are Felicines and have characteristic thick fur like cats. Josie is having lunch with them.
In last week’s except, Mr Horlis learns that Josie has also lost her spouse. You can read the excerpt at: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/04/y-cats-excerpt-from-lured-by-lion-for.html
Horlis spoke the last lines: “Forgive me. I did not realize you had endured a loss as great as mine.”
Involuntarily, she touched the top of her tunic concealing her wedding ring, which she wore on a chain around her neck. “It’s been tough, but we had a schedule to complete, deliveries to make. I had little time to mope about my loss.”
Horlis withdrew his hand and twisted the ruby ring around his finger. He seemed to be mulling over her words.
Did he suspect she was disparaging his lingering grief? Had she offended him? She groaned inwardly. What was wrong with her? Blathering about cats and moping about lost loves.
Ten sentences plus a little more:
The bit about not moping was purely a dig at him and not really true. She had suffered months of aching grief and sleepless nights. Her anguish had lost its initial intensity in the numbing blur of subsequent events. In a flash of clarity, she knew what was wrong. Her tongue was out-pacing her thoughts from nervousness because she sat opposite him with their knees almost touching. Leonardo Horlis was incredibly attractive, more attractive than any man since Jim. Yet, how could she pursue an intimate friendship with a man barricaded by an impenetrable misery? She could not hope to compete with his beloved dead wife.
Widow with a spaceship meets widower with a dangerous secret.
After the death of her ailing father, Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie is free to roam the galaxy in the Star Condor, the spacecraft she inherited from her deceased husband. She embarks on a trip to deliver her father’s bequest to her aunt on a rural planet outside the civilized sectors.
A chance encounter with the crippled Leonardo Horlis changes her future. Horlis suffers from a debilitating malady and expects to live for less than a year. Josie is strongly attracted to him, yet she cannot hope to compete with his beautiful dead wife, whose portrait dominates his house and his memories. Sympathizing with his grief and illness, Josie offers to transport him in her spaceship to the top medical center of the ultracivilized inner planets.
Their attraction intensifies in the cramped quarters of her spaceship. But, Leo has a dangerous secret that threatens to terminate their voyage and their lives. Can Josie and Leo escape the perils and vanquish the ghosts of their past to find happiness together?
Available at Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
The first book in this new series, Captured by the Hawk , is a fun and fast-paced space opera. An intrepid Irish spy is captured by the notorious space pirate, Captain Hawk, a widower with a tragic secret.
Discounted to 99c at Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.
Find a catalog of my published stories HERE .
April 4, 2022
Month-long Book Promotions in #SciFi and #Fantasy
Apr 1-30: Wide Permafree PNR, Sci-Fi Romance and Fantasy Romance Book Fair -
https://books.bookfunnel.com/april-pnr-sci-fi-fantasy-romance/32cw5y91ex
Apr 5 – May 5: Age of Fantasy - https://books.bookfunnel.com/age_of_fantasy_april/yljjuo2mbe
April 2, 2022
Too many cats - excerpt from Lured by the Lion for #WeWriWa and #SnippetSunday
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
My new Sci-Fi Romance, Lured by the Lion , released last Wednesday. This story is part of a new series, Second Chances in Space, withstandalone stories about space pirates, spies and second chances for romance.
Relevant background: Josie, a taser-toting captain of a small spacecraft, has flown to another planet to visit her aunt. She meets Penelope Horlis, a schoolfriend of her younger sister, and her father, Leonardo Horlis, a widower still mourning his deceased wife. The Horlises are unusual. They are Felicines from the planet Felicia and have characteristic thick fur like cats. They invite Josie to have lunch in their home.
In last week’s excerpt, Josie entered their house and saw a large portrait of Leonardo Horlis’ deceased wife. You can read the excerpt at: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-portrait-excerpt-from-lure-by-lion.html
The last sentence was: Suppressing a shudder, she wondered if the dead woman’s specter haunted the house and disturbed its occupants.
I’ve skipped a few lines to where they are finishing lunch.
Horlis asked, “Are you enjoying the visit with your aunt?”
She brushed a strand of hair off her face and shook her head. “It’s not exactly enjoyable. My aunt offers little in the way of entertainment. She chatters nonstop on trivial topics, and she’s addicted to cats.”
“Cats?” He arched his bushy eyebrows.
“Yes. Her house is full of cats. They’re either sleeping or squabbling, and you can’t sit down without removing one from the chair.”
Ten sentences plus a little more:
His eyes twinkling, Horlis leaned forward. “Too many cats can be a nuisance.”
Recalling his origin, she said hurriedly, “Don’t misjudge me. I’m fond of cats. We kept a cat on our spacecraft for several years.”
Penelope asked, “What happened to the cat?”
“He made a new friend on a space station and declined to rejoin our crew.”
“Oh, you must be teasing us,” Penelope cried.
“It’s true.” Josie chuckled. “Our cat adopted the old woman who ran the cafe. Jim said her need was greater than ours.”
Horlis’ smile vanished and his brows snapped together. “Jim?”
Wondering why he looked annoyed, she flushed, explaining, “Jim Yazzie was my husband. After he died, I inherited his spacecraft and courier business.”
He slid his fingers across the table to touch her hand. “Forgive me. I did not realize you had endured a loss as great as mine.”
Widow with a spaceship meets widower with a dangerous secret.
After the death of her ailing father, Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie is free to roam the galaxy in the Star Condor, the spacecraft she inherited from her deceased husband. She embarks on a trip to deliver her father’s bequest to her aunt on a rural planet outside the civilized sectors.
A chance encounter with the crippled Leonardo Horlis changes her future. Horlis suffers from a debilitating malady and expects to live for less than a year. Josie is strongly attracted to him, yet she cannot hope to compete with his beautiful dead wife, whose portrait dominates his house and his memories. Sympathizing with his grief and illness, Josie offers to transport him in her spaceship to the top medical center of the ultracivilized inner planets.
Their attraction intensifies in the cramped quarters of her spaceship. But, Leo has a dangerous secret that threatens to terminate their voyage and their lives. Can Josie and Leo escape the perils and vanquish the ghosts of their past to find happiness together?
You can pre-order Lured by the Lion for release on the 30that Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
The first book in this new series, Captured by the Hawk , is a fun and fast-paced space opera. An intrepid Irish spy is captured by the notorious space pirate, Captain Hawk, a widower with a tragic secret.
Discounted to 99c at Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.
Find a catalog of my published stories HERE .
March 26, 2022
The portrait - excerpt from Lure by the Lion for #WeWriWa and #SnippetSunday
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
I’m posting another excerpt from my new Sci-Fi Romance, Lured by the Lion. This story is part of a new series, Second Chances in Space, with standalone stories about space pirates, spies and second chances for romance.
Relevant background: Josie, a taser-toting captain of a small spacecraft, was delivering a vase to her aunt when she rescues a frightened young woman from a gang of bullies. She offers to walk to the woman’s home and discovers that Penelope is a school friend of her younger sister. Josie meets her father, Leonardo Horlis, a widower still mourning his deceased wife. The Horlises invite Josie for lunch next day.
You can read last week’s excerpt at: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-grieving-widower-excerpt-from-lured.html
I’ve skipped the next chapter where Josie delivers the valuable vase to her aunt. Here, Josie has arrived for lunch with Penelope and Leonardo Horlis and meets Penelope at the door. This excerpt introduces a conflict.
Josie stepped into the hallway and looked around, curious about their home. The hallway ran the full length of the building with two doors on either side wall and a glass door at the farther end. Coat hooks were mounted on one wall next to a mirror in an ornate frame of carved ebony wood. The life-size portrait of a woman hung on the wall opposite the mirror.
Penelope pointed at the portrait. “That’s Mama. Isn’t she beautiful?”
The painting showed an ethereal lady with large brown eyes and a halo of blonde curls. Her rose-pink gown had the same high neckline and long sleeves as her daughter’s dress. Perhaps it was a style peculiar to the Felicines’ home planet.
Ten sentences plus a little more:
“Very lovely,” Josie agreed.
“I wish I were beautiful.” Penelope sighed and shook her head. “I’ll never be as beautiful as Mama.”
Scrutinizing her forlorn face, Josie felt compelled to encourage the modest girl without being untruthful. “Perhaps not. I think you look charming. And, if you wore your hair like your mama’s loose curls it would frame your pretty eyes.”
“Do you think such a style would improve my looks?”
“Undoubtedly.” Privately, Josie thought the girl’s sweet smile was her greatest asset.
Pursing her lips in thought, Penelope withdrew her gaze from her mother’s portrait to look at the glass door at the end of the hallway. “We should join Tata on the patio. He’s waiting for us.”
Josie laughed. “And for his lunch, I’m sure.” As she walked along the corridor, the mother’s luminous gaze seemed to follow her. Suppressing a shudder, she wondered if the dead woman’s specter haunted the house and disturbed its occupants.
Widow with a spaceship meets widower with a dangerous secret.
After the death of her ailing father, Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie is free to roam the galaxy in the Star Condor, the spacecraft she inherited from her deceased husband. She embarks on a trip to deliver her father’s bequest to her aunt on a rural planet outside the civilized sectors.
A chance encounter with the crippled Leonardo Horlis changes her future. Horlis suffers from a debilitating malady and expects to live for less than a year. Josie is strongly attracted to him, yet she cannot hope to compete with his beautiful dead wife, whose portrait dominates his house and his memories. Sympathizing with his grief and illness, Josie offers to transport him in her spaceship to the top medical center of the ultracivilized inner planets.
Their attraction intensifies in the cramped quarters of her spaceship. But, Leo has a dangerous secret that threatens to terminate their voyage and their lives. Can Josie and Leo escape the perils and vanquish the ghosts of their past to find happiness together?
You can pre-order Lured by the Lion for release on the 30that Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
The first book in this new series, Captured by the Hawk , is a fun and fast-paced space opera. An intrepid Irish spy is captured by the notorious space pirate, Captain Hawk, a widower with a tragic secret.
Discounted to 99c at Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.
Find a catalog of my published stories HERE .
March 18, 2022
The grieving widower - Excerpt from Lured by the Lion for #WeWriWa and #SnippetSunday
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
I’m posting the next excerpt from my new Sci-Fi Romance. This story will be the second in a new series, Second Chances in Space. This series will have standalone stories with space pirates, spies and second chances for romance.
Last week, the widowed heroine, Josie Navarre Yazzie, met Leonardo Damocles Horlis, a grieving widower with a lame leg and a 22-year old daughter, Penelope.
You can read the excerpt at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/03/a-crippled-lion-excerpt-for-wewriwa-and.html
We continue directly from last week.
She returned his warm smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir.”
After pressing her hand again, he released her. His expression reverted to the sad, haunted look, which seemed habitual to him. This aura of grieving tugged at Josie’s sympathy. She also knew the misery of losing a beloved spouse.
Penelope took her father’s forearm, saying, “Josie is Annabelle’s sister.”
His brows compressed. “Annabelle?”
“Don’t you remember Annabelle Navarre, my friend from Summerfield Academy on Saffeen?”
Ten sentences plus a little more:
“We did not meet, although I remember you talking about her.” His gaze switched to Josie. “Mistress Yazzie, what may I ask are you doing in this godforsaken town?”
“I’m visiting a relative, my Aunt Gabrielle. Her lodgings are on Wardle Lane, two streets north of here.” She glanced at the sky where the sun was dipping toward the hilltops. “In fact, I ought to be going there. She expects me for dinner.”
“Josie,” Penelope interrupted, “I’d love to see you again.” Her voice rose in a plea, “Won’t you come to visit us?”
“Penelope,” her father said in a gentle tone, “She might have other plans.”
“My aunt invited me to stay for several days,” Josie said. “I’d be glad to visit you.”
“You could come for lunch.” Mister Horlis sounded as keen as his daughter for the visit.
“Oh, yes,” Penelope agreed. “We can sit outside on the patio. The garden is lovely on a sunny day.”
Josie smiled at their eagerness. “Sure. How about tomorrow?”
After arranging the time, she said goodbye.
Penelope smiled.
Mister Horlis clasped her hand, conveying his gratitude by his warm pressure. “We look forward to your visit.”
Space opera and second chance romance with a moody hero and pirates.
After the death of her ailing father, Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie is free to roam the galaxy in the Star Condor, the spacecraft she inherited from her deceased husband. She embarks on a trip to deliver her father’s bequest to her aunt on a rural planet outside the civilized sectors.
A chance encounter with the crippled Leonardo Horlis changes her future. Horlis suffers from a debilitating malady and expects to live for less than a year. Josie is strongly attracted to him, yet she cannot hope to compete with his beautiful dead wife, whose portrait dominates his house and his memories. Sympathizing with his grief and illness, Josie offers to transport him in her spaceship to the top medical center of the ultracivilized inner planets.
Their attraction intensifies in the cramped quarters of her spaceship. But, unexpected perils threaten to tear them apart and terminate their voyage. Can Josie and Leo escape the dangers and vanquish the ghosts of their past to find happiness together?
You can pre-order Lured by the Lion for release on the 30that Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
The first book in this new series, Captured by the Hawk , is a fun and fast-paced space opera originally published in 2014.
An intrepid Irish spy is captured by the notorious space pirate, Captain Hawk, a widower with a tragic secret.
Discounted to 99c at Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.
Find a catalog of my published stories HERE .
March 12, 2022
A Crippled Lion - excerpt for #WeWriWa and #SnippetSunday
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
Sorry, I had to miss last week because the internet was too spotty at the place we were staying. This week, I’m happy to announce that my new SciFi novella is coming up for pre-order and releases at the end of March. Instead of continuing from previous snippets, I’ll jump ahead so you can meet the future romantic lead. First, here’s the title and blurb.
Lured by the Lion
Space opera and second chance romance with a moody hero and pirates.
After the death of her ailing father, Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie is free to roam the galaxy in the Star Condor, the spacecraft she inherited from her deceased husband. She embarks on a trip to deliver her father’s bequest to her aunt on a rural planet outside the civilized sectors.
A chance encounter with the crippled Leonardo Horlis changes her future. Horlis suffers from a debilitating malady and expects to live for less than a year. Josie is strongly attracted to him, yet she cannot hope to compete with his beautiful dead wife, whose portrait dominates his house and his memories. Sympathizing with his grief and illness, Josie offers to transport him in her spaceship to the top medical center of the ultracivilized inner planets.
Their attraction intensifies in the cramped quarters of her spaceship. But, unexpected perils threaten to tear them apart and terminate their voyage. Can Josie and Leo escape the dangers and vanquish the ghosts of their past to find happiness together?
In my earlier excerpt, Josie and her crew launched from her home world to travel to the planet of Wick’s Paradise (see https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/02/liftoff-excerpt-from-my-new-sci-fi.html).
Relevant Background: Leo Horlis is not a lion shifter, although he has the characteristic thick cat-like fur of the Felicine race.
Josie has arrived in the principal town of Wicksport and she is walking to her aunt’s house to deliver the valuable vase. On the way, she rescues a young woman from a gang of bullies. As Josie escorts Penelope Horlis to her home, the girl discloses that her father has been in low spirits since his wife died.
The story is in Josie’s perspective.
As they walked up to the house, the door swung open and a man stepped onto the stoop. A tall man with a dour visage and shaggy rust-red hair. His clothes were a funereal black that emphasized his broad shoulders and firm chest. His short-sleeved shirt exposed muscular arms covered in dense brown hair from his biceps to his wrists. He leaned on a stout wooden stick.
“Tata.” Penelope ran to embrace him.
“Penelope, what has delayed you?” His deep, gravelly voice quivered with anxiety.
Nine lines plus a little more:
“I got lost and strayed into a mite of trouble.” Indicating Josie, she said, “Josie rescued me from a gang of bullies. She chased off the brutes. She’s so brave.”
Mister Horlis stared at Josie. His frown lifted, his brown eyes brightened, and his gaze lingered on her face. A smile warmed his gloomy visage.
His charming smile stirred a flare of attraction in her, surprisingly intense, the strongest she had felt since losing Jim. Despite the grief engraved on his face, her interest in Horlis deepened.
Seizing her cue, she stepped forward, holding out her hand to greet him. “Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie. I’m glad to help.”
He hooked his cane over his elbow and grasped her hand in both of his, a firmer and warmer greeting than she had expected. Short brown curls covered the backs of his large hands. A distinctive ring gleamed on the index finger of his left hand, a wide gold band inset with a large ruby. He growled, “Leonardo Damocles Horlis. I am deeply grateful to you for leading my daughter safely home.”
His name fitted the man. His unruly mane of hair, short beard, and broad shoulders gave him a leonine appearance. Yet, he was a crippled lion supported by a cane and suffering from the loss of his mate.
Lured by the Lion is available for pre-order at Amazon iBooks B&N
I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
If you’re in the mood for reading, you can find more than 140 Super Free Science Fiction and Fantasy eBooks at https://pattyjansen.com/pages/sff-promo-main/
These books are free at retailers for the five days of the promotion from 12-16thof March. I can highly recommend many of these books and authors. The collection includes my books, Europa and Grand Master’s Pawn.
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.
Find a catalog of my published stories HERE .
March 11, 2022
Star Wars, SciFi and Fantasy Books for March
Mar 1-31: Star Wars Fan Giveaway - https://clcannon.net/giveaways/starwarsfan
Mar 1-31: Superhero Sale – https://books.bookfunnel.com/superherosale/a1hlc32xq8
Mar 1-31: FREE Sci-Fi and Fantasy - https://books.bookfunnel.com/free-fantasy-and-sci-fi-ebooks/ovgnyw3uzs
February 26, 2022
Liftoff - Excerpt from my new Sci-Fi novella for #WeWriWa
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
I’m continuing with snippets from my new science fiction novella. Writing and editing are going well. For now, I’ll continue from last week. The heroine, Josie, has just learned that her planet is in imminent danger of invasion by the Emperor’s fleet. She is accompanied by her crew, Butch and Drin. (You may note certain modern parallels, although my plot predates current events.)
You can read last week’s snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/02/time-to-fly-next-excerpt-from-my-scifi.html
The final lines reveal her decision: She swiveled to face the Star Condor and aimed her forefinger at the sky. “We’re flying. Pronto.”
“Great,” Drin exhaled in a rush of relief.
Josie strode up the short ramp. Within a minute, she and her crew were buckling into their seats on the bridge.
“Wake up, Nina,” she called to the Condor’s AI. “We’re going for liftoff.”
She ran a perfunctory flight check. Speed was essential and she and Butch had done a full inspection only half an hour earlier.
The engines sang as the ship raced along the concrete of the airfield.
An irate voice sounded on the com, “Star Condor, Spaceport Traffic Control here. What are you doing with that ship?”
Ten lines plus a little more:
Josie called, “The Star Condor’s lifting off.”
“No ships can leave the planet. Governor’s orders.”
Hitting the starter, Josie shouted, “We have to deliver a valuable package.”
Under tight control, the ship shot up through the clouds. Nothing on the planet could stop them now.
As the Condor soared above the atmosphere, Josie felt the familiar thrill of escaping the drag of gravity at the planet’s surface.
Seated in the adjacent seat, Drin said, “Hey boss, what is this valuable cargo?”
“An old vase. It’s my Aunt Gabrielle’s inheritance from my father. The vase is an ancient Solarian artifact, an ugly greenish color, and extremely valuable.”
“Okay.” Drin quirked a grimace. “What’s our destination, boss?”
“Compute a course for Wick’s Paradise.”
. . . . More next week.
I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
If you’re in the mood for another thrilling Sci-Fi adventure, my book, Europa, is free for a limited time.
Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay Other
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.
Find a catalog of my published stories HERE .
February 19, 2022
Time to Fly - Next Excerpt from my SciFi Novella #WeWriWa
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
I’m continuing with snippets from my new science fiction novella. I’ll get to the romance part soon, but for now, the heroine, Josie, is still on her home planet.
You can read last week’s snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/02/second-snippet-from-my-new-sci-fi.html
This week, I’ve skipped to the next chapter. Josie and Butch are standing by her spaceship, the Star Condor. It’s the day before they are scheduled to depart and all the provisions are on board. Note, this is still an early version and subject to change.
A yell caught Josie’s attention and she pivoted around.
Drin was running across the heat-hazed airfield toward them, yelling and waving. A pack bounced on his back and his cap was tilted askew.
“What’s up with him?” Butch said. “Thought he had a date for tonight.”
Josie was silent; an itch of foreboding had replaced the pleasant anticipation of her voyage.
Panting for breath, Drin skidded to a stop in front of her. A lanky young man of indeterminant origin, Drin’s mathematical acuity and long dexterous fingers gave him mastery of com systems. His eyes were a startling blue against his ebon complexion. At this moment, his fingers clutched the straps of his pack and his eyes popped in excitement.
Ten lines plus a little more:
He gasped, “Heard the news?”
“Tell us,” she demanded.
“Message just came in. Omalu’s fallen to the Emperor’s forces. His fleet is two jumps away from Saffeen.”
“Bad news,” Josie said. “But, we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
“Gets worse,” Drin continued. “I’ve been snooping on the local coms. Governor’s ordered conscription of all spacecraft for defense. When I saw that order, I grabbed my gear and raced to the Condor.”
Butch asked quietly, “What’ll we do?”
She swiveled to face the Star Condor and aimed her forefinger at the sky. “We’re flying. Pronto.”
Please post a comment and I’ll be happy to reply.
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.
Find a catalog of my published stories HERE .
February 12, 2022
Second Snippet from My New Sci-Fi Romance
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday . Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.
I’m continuing with snippets from my new science fiction romance story. Based on last week’s comments I have made some changes. In particular, I mulled over Jean Walker’s comment that she found the name ‘Yazzie” distracting. I decided to keep the Navajo name for the heroine’s deceased husband, and change the name of his spaceship. The spaceship is now called the Star Condor to reflect his heritage without suggesting a big ego. The previous name reflected ‘Chanur’s Pride’, the name of a spaceship in a book with the same name by CJ Cherryh. You’ll understand the reference better once you meet the male lead in my story.
You can read last week’s snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/02/snippet-from-sci-fi-adventure-and.html
This excerpt continues in the perspective of Josie Yazzie. She and her engineer are standing by her spaceship. I’ve cut a couple of paragraphs from the current draft.
The roar of a spacecraft descending onto the adjacent field penetrated her reverie. The once-bustling spaceport at Eagles Landing had grown quieter after the local economy had gone into a nosedive. The emperor’s space fleet had blocked the major hyperspace routes to the inner systems and throttled trade for the independent planets outside the major sectors. Jim had not lived long enough to experience the slowdown. Nor had her father.
After Jim’s death, she had worked the star lanes for a couple of years until she learned of her father’s illness. She had felt obliged to return to the family home. Lucius Navarre was not the easiest man to live with, however, she was the only relative with the freedom to manage his medical needs and run the household during his final months. His death had come as a relief after the agonizing decline in his mental and physical health.
Nine lines and some more.
“Will we be making a long voyage, Captain Josie?” Butch asked.
His polite reference to her status made her smile. “We’ll fly to the planet of Wick’s Paradise. I promised to deliver an old vase to Aunt Gabrielle. It’s one of my dad’s weird bequests. My aunt’s invited me to stay for a week or two.” She shrugged. “After that, I’m not sure. Maybe Hokkaido. My sister’s always begging me to visit her.”
I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.
New 99c special: Dragon Lady , boxset of books 1 and 2 of Atrapako on Eden - Science fiction adventure and alien romance on two distant planets.
Book 1, The Lady is Blue
Intrepid scientist solves mystery of scaly aliens.
Dr. Lucy Stannis leads a quiet life as the chief biologist in the remote human colony on Eden until an alien spaceship arrives. She is thrilled to meet the captain, the formidable Blue, Sa Kamizan Veedak. But, the arrogant scaled Atrapako disdain the puny humans. Conflicts between the cultures threaten the whole planet as well as her tenuous friendship with Sa Kamizan. Lucy must employ her skills as a covert Terran spy to discover the aliens’ secret and save the colony.
Book 2, Dragons of Vkani
Rescue mission to hostile planet of scaly aliens
When the Blue Atrapako, Sa Kamizan Veedak, and his mate, Dr. Lucy Stannis, receive a distress call from his sister, they must undertake the perilous mission to rescue her from the war-torn planet of Vkani. As an exile, Sa Kamizan risks death if he is recognized, while the humans face slavery or worse if they are captured. The motley crew of Atrapako and human scientists will need all their skills to combat treachery by brutal warlords and survive the hostile environment.
99c at Amazon Kobo Apple B&N GooglePlay
Find a catalog of my published stories HERE .
Join me on Facebook and Twitter
