Aurora Springer's Blog, page 13
February 4, 2022
Snippet from Sci-Fi Adventure and Romance 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.
After a long hiatus, I’m trying to resume writing and posting snippets. My husband and I retired from our university jobs at the beginning of this year. We are still dealing with many of the same issues such as arranging our retirement funds and his dad’s estate.
We took a camping vacation on the Gulf shores of Florida in mid-January. You can see some photos at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/01/visit-to-gulf-shores-of-florida.html . When we returned, I dreamed up a new story with space pirates and a second chance for romance.
Today’s snippet comes from the current beginning of the story. It’s an early draft and might change. I’d love to see your comments.
Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie gazed at the sleek craft parked on the concrete outside the maintenance hanger of Eagles Landing Spaceport. She had inherited Yazzie’s Pride from Jim, her husband. The ship held many memories, happy and bitter memories of her married life. The Pride had been their home in the years before Jim had died. Her grief had faded during the subsequent five years, although she still felt a twinge of horror at his agonizing death after the disastrous accident that tore a hole tore in his spacesuit.
Butch Sullivan, standing beside her, said, “She looks good.” A typical understatement from the gruff old man who loved the ship. Butch had been their companion on the Pride, serving as engineer and odd-jobs man. His broken nose and scarred temple attested to a long and varied career. The large, sturdily-built man had been invaluable as the senior member of the small crew.
Ten lines and a little more:
Butch had remained with her after Jim’s death. They had served as interplanetary couriers to deliver valuable packages and sometimes people. Butch’s dark hair was now grizzled and he had developed a slight paunch, yet she could rely on his muscular strength and sensible advice.
“Yep,” her mild reply covered her distracted thoughts. She teetered at a crossroads in her life, recovering from yet another family death and a long debate over what to do or where to go next. Her responsibilities for her father’s estate were almost at an end. She could remain on her home world with its many civilized comforts or she could resume her ventures in space. Today, the sight of her ship, Yazzie’s Pride, spurred a burning desire to abandon the planet for the freedom of plying the star routes.
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
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February 2, 2022
Bargain Books for February: Sci-Fi and Paranormal Romance
Feb 1-28: Paranormal and Fantasy Romance - https://books.bookfunnel.com/pnr-sci-fi-fan-romance/t9fs3y9m41
Feb 1-28: FREE Sci-Fi – https://books.bookfunnel.com/fictiongateway-scifi/a3g0ifg3im
January 27, 2022
Visit to the Gulf Shores of Florida
We stayed in the Old Salt RV campground on the Gulf shore of Florida for a week in mid-January. We arrived after driving from Alabama for most of the day. The camp had few empty spaces, although some of the campers were unoccupied. In the evening we walked to the beach and took pictures of the sky after sunset.
Next day, we walked with the dog for about two miles on the white sand beach and paddled in the incoming waves. We got fish sandwiches at the local diner. Later that afternoon it rained. Overnight, bouts of heavy rain and wind shook the camper. Luckily, the rain had stopped by the next day and we were able to resume our walks on the beaches. We walked for two to four miles each day. We saw small flocks of sanderlings strutting by the waves and probing in the wet sand for food. The larger shorebirds included gulls and dunlin.
The local beaches had many shells or fragments of broken shells. The conchs must grow quite large, a foot or more in length, judging by the broken pieces we found. We found a store selling fresh seafood and bought a pound of large shrimp to grill for dinner. We also visited a beach near Apalachicola. This beach had more remnants of sea dwellers, including starfish, sponges and horseshoe crabs. You can see some examples in the next photo.
After a week with two rainy days, we drove north to Alabama again.
January 17, 2022
Bargain Books for Late January in #SciFi and #Fantasy
Jan 15-31: Blush-free Romantic Science Fiction – https://books.bookfunnel.com/blushfreeromanticscifi/vtyju2r9kx
Jan 14-Feb 19: Wide World of Fantasy - https://books.bookfunnel.com/wide-world-of-fantasy/llw74pkb0v
January 14, 2022
Chewacla State Park, Alabama - Our Camping Travels
On the first stage of our January vacation, we spent two nights in a camp site at Chewacla State Park in Alabama. Not many other people were in the park due to the winter season. It was cold overnight, not much above freezing, but warmed up in the afternoon. This state park has several playgrounds, picnic tables and a swimming area that must be good fun for kids in the warmer weather. The campsites are spacious and fairly private since half of them are unoccupied.
The trails loop through the woods and run along the creek. Most of the trails are for dirt bikes with humped bridges, although we saw only a couple of bikers.
We walked beside Moore’s Mill Creek for about a mile. There must have been a working mill in the past.
In my opinion, Chewacla is a lovely park with a great campground and plenty of outdoor activities for families. It was quiet when we visited in the winter, but is probably livelier in the warmer seasons.
January 5, 2022
My Book Bargains for January #SciFi and #Fantasy
These ebooks are discounted to 99c for a limited time. Grab your copy now!
A Tale of Two Colonies
Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf
This story weaves elements of folklore and medieval life in a land where magic is real.
Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
Super Starrella, Book 1 of Secret Supers
Newly fledged superhero, Starrella, and her flying horse challenge the murderous monsters threatening Atalanta in a rip-roaring adventure sprinkled with humor and sweet romance.
Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
January 1, 2022
Welcome to 2022!
I wish everyone a stellar New Year.
Surely, 2022 will be better than the last two years. My husband and I have officially retired from our university positions and will have more leisure time. We plan to travel, both in the US and internationally. As a first step to destress from the last two years, we have planned a camping trip with our RV trailer. You can see the trailer below. We will stay a week on the Florida coast in mid-January. Look out for photos of our travels in future posts.
Our travel plans will not interfere with my writing. I am working on the second book in my new epic fantasy series, Chronicles of Oakenwald. As usual, I’ll run regular promotions with discounted prices for my books.
The first book in my epic fantasy will be discounted to 99c this month.
Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf
Fantasy romance. A young witch flees the destruction of her home to seek the fabled land where elves and humans live in peace.
Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets the elf, Windswift the Wanderer. He offers to guide her across the mountain range. But what is the elf doing in human lands? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf to lead her to safety?
99c at Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
December 18, 2021
Review of My Writing Progress in 2021
Every December, I post my annual report about my progress, especially in writing fiction. 2021 was another stressful year. The covid pandemic exacerbated problems with family health and jobs. The major source of distress was my father-in-law’s drastic decline in health. My husband and I helped him find suitable care. He was hospitalized several times, entered hospice and died in September. We are still dealing with his possessions. Our university jobs also became increasingly difficult. We decided to retire in January in order to travel more and to pursue other opportunities such as writing fiction and photography.
Despite the difficulties, I published two novels and took a family camping trip to Connecticut. Here's a view of our first campsite on the way north and a scene from Harper's Ferry on the return journey.
Books Published in 2021
Baswin , Book 5 of Taxyon Space
Near future Sci-Fi adventure and romance starring alien mermen
Can a psychic woman from Earth find a home among the alien Warrish?
Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When the Earth authorities discover the secret identity of his older brother, Bas must flee to the Warrish base in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.
Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her younger sister Rosie, were chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. Rosie is eager to contribute to humanity’s advance into space. Yet she fears she may not adapt to the neuro-implants or might fail the arduous tests.
Holly meets Baswin on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but their destiny lies farther away. What obstacles will block their journey to a happy reunion with the Flaming Comets Triad?
Available at: Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay Other
Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf
Fantasy romance. A young witch flees the destruction of her home to seek the fabled land where elves and humans live in peace.
Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets the elf, Windswift the Wanderer. He offers to guide her across the mountain range. But what is the elf doing in human lands? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf to lead her to safety?
Available at Amazon iBooks B&N Kobo GooglePlay Other
These two books bring my total output for the past 7 years to 20 full-length novels, 2 novellas and 4 short stories, 5 box sets and an anthology of shorter works.
Major Promotions in 2021
Grand Master’s Pawn, book 1 in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy, was free in 2021 as an experiment. This strategy did generate sales of the other books, although results were not impressive. People who bought the second book generally continued to the current end of the series.
BookBub Featured Deal: Taxyon Space Triad, boxset of books 1-3, was accepted for a US and International Featured Deal at 99c in November. The Boxset was briefly a US and International Bestseller on Amazon. It had more than 2500 sales that month plus a good readthrough with sales of the next two books in the series.
My Goals for 2022
1) I plan to complete the second book in my new epic fantasy series Chronicles of Oakenwald.
2) Next, I hope to finish the sixth book in Taxyon Space, and also publish a boxset of books 4-6.
3) I hope to produce more print books. Eight of my stories are available in print.
Grand Masters’ Galaxy, my longest series includes a prequel, six full-length novels, and two boxsets. The first three novels are available in print.
Taxyon Space includes five novels, a short story, and a boxset. The sixth book is planned. Only the first two books are in print.
Secret Supershas three novels, a boxset plus a short story.
Atrapako on Eden comprises three novels and a boxset. The first two books are available in print.
4) Besides continuing my current efforts to market my books, I would like to explore new opportunities in social media.
December 10, 2021
Lake Neely Henry in North Alabama
This week, we spent a couple of days at Greensport campground on Lake Neely Henry in North Alabama. The place was quiet since it is winter and rain is forecast. It must be bustling with people and boats in summer.
The lake had herons, a flight of cormorants, and seagulls.
You can walk through the pine woods along the lake shore.
The campsite is family and pet-friendly. Our dog enjoyed playing frisbee in the dog park.
December 7, 2021
December Book Bargains in #Fantasy
Dec 1-31: Portal to Fantasy – December Book Fest – https://books.bookfunnel.com/portaltofantasy-dec-fest/yjot2lpwj0
Dec 1-31: December Fantasy and Magic – https://books.bookfunnel.com/winterfantasymagicfreebooks/um0yy4iqd5
Dec 1-31: Best of Fantasy - https://books.bookfunnel.com/bestoffantasy/hf7loyl06p
