Aurora Springer's Blog, page 15

Swim in calm seas - excerpt from BASWIN 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 posting excerpts from Baswin , the fifth book in my Sci-Fi Romance series, Taxyon Space . Baswin is an alien Warrish ‘merman’ who is living in secret on Earth disguised as a human. His brother Alarik, another covert agent, has traveled to Mars, partly to escape their unknown enemies.

Baswin has called Alarik to warn him about the masked men searching his apartment. You can read last week’s excerpt at:  https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2021/08/swim-clear-of-earth-excerpt-from-baswin.html

The final lines were: Offering a confident smile, Alarik said, “Assuming the captain isn’t sent an order to net me, I’ll change my destination to Europa. Explain I’m planning to sell ores to the mermen.”

Their conversation continues in this week’s snippet:

“Might flow smoothly.” After a short pause, Baswin said, “I’ve already dived into cover.”

His First invoked the usual good wishes, “May you swim in calm seas.”

Hiding his fears behind a smile, Baswin said, “You also. Call from the Belt if you’re free.”

“I’ll transmit in code first. It’s safer.”

“Urish.” Baswin flattened the palm of his hand on his cheek in a farewell gesture.

His brother echoed the gesture and shut the connection.

Ten lines and a little more:

Baswin frowned at the blank screen. His brother risked discovery if the searchers found DNA evidence of his alien origin. But, Alarik hadn’t seemed overly concerned.

He gave a mental shrug. He could not control his brother’s actions. Alarik might be diving into trouble by taking the space ferry to the Asteroid Belt. Whichever direction his brother chose to swim, he must take precautions to protect himself.

Last week, many of you expressed the same concerns about Alarik’s confidence in his plan.

 

An alien spy on the run.

Two human sisters chosen to train as astronavigators.

Their paths are destined to converge.

Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her sister Rosie, are chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. The sisters are eager to promote humanity’s advance into space. Will they succeed? They must pass a series of rigorous tests and adapt to the alien neuro-implants.

Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When Earth agents discover the secret identity of his older brother, Baswin must flee to the Warrish embassy in the Pacific Ocean.

Holly and Baswin are swept together on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but their destiny lies farther away and many forces threaten to drive them apart. Can they overcome the obstacles and find a haven?

Follow the adventures of the three brothers of the Flaming Comets Triad in Baswin, Book 5 in Taxyon Space.

Available at: Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay  Other

 

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 .

Join me on Facebook and Twitter  

 

Post 2: Southbound Travels on Vacation

 

Last month, my husband and I took two weeks vacation. We drove from Atlanta, Georgia, to visit our son in Willimantic, Connecticut. You can see pictures from our northbound trip at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2021/07/summer-travels-part-1-north-to.html

On our return trip, we stopped for a couple of days in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and in Asheville, North Carolina.

Harper’s Ferry lies at the junction of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. The right header image has a view over the Potomac from Harper’s Ferry.

A railway bridge and another bridge for pedestrians cross the river. The Appalachian Trail follows the pedestrian bridge (see image). 

When we visited, ospreys had nested on the bridge. We saw an osprey fly to the nest carrying a fish. The image below shows an osprey on its nest. If you look closely, you can see the wing of a second bird.  

One of the historic attractions in Harper’s Ferry is John Brown’s Fort (see left image on header). This building originally housed a fire engine and now stands by the Potomac River.

Our next stop was in Asheville. We walked around the town and ate at different cafes with outdoor seating. We ate at a restaurant with Appalachian foods, a brewery and a French bistro. The image shows the colorful flowers and seating area of the French bistro. 

Unfortunately, we were in Asheville too early in the week for the musical entertainments. Maybe next time we visit! 

Swim Clear of Earth - Excerpt from BASWIN 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 posting excerpts from Baswin , the fifth book in my Sci-Fi Romance series, Taxyon Space . Baswin is an alien Warrish ‘merman’ who is living in secret on Earth disguised as a human. His brother Alarik, another covert agent, has traveled to Mars, partly to escape unknown enemies.

In last week's snippet, Baswin called Alarik after receiving an alarm about strangers entering his brother’s apartment. You can read the previous excerpt at:  https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2021/07/professional-searchers-snippet-from.html

 

This excerpt continues directly. 

Baswin mouthed in their native language, “Are you secure?”

“No bugs here.” Alarik covered a yawn. “What’s the problem, Bas?”

“Didn’t you get the alert? Your apartment’s been rifled.”

“I must have been asleep. What did they hook?”

“Two men entered at night. Searched the whole place. Professional job.”

Ten lines and a little more:

“I left nothing to indicate my true identity.” Alarik fingered the scar over the triad mark on his left cheekbone. “Did they find your super bug?”

Proud of his miniature device, Baswin grinned. “No.”

“Take anything?” Alarik asked.

“Not that I saw.” He added a caveat, “But, they weren’t always in view. You blocked the bug in your wash room.”

“Tantra’s teeth,” Alarik swore. “If they were looking for DNA samples, they’ll pin me as Warrish.”

“Just as we feared.” Baswin placed forefinger across his lips to emphasize his warning. “You’d better swim clear of Earth.”

“My escape route is still open. I’m booked on the ferry to the Asteroid Belt.”

Exasperated with his brother’s blithe unconcern, Baswin shook his head. “How does that help? You can’t survive for long among the asteroids even if you steal a ship.”

Offering a confident smile, Alarik said, “Assuming the captain isn’t sent an order to net me, I’ll change my destination to Europa. Explain I’m planning to sell ores to the mermen.”

 

 

An alien spy on the run.

Two human sisters chosen to train as astronavigators.

Their paths are destined to converge.

Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her sister Rosie, are chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. The sisters are eager to promote humanity’s advance into space. Will they succeed? They must pass a series of rigorous tests and adapt to the alien neuro-implants.

Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When Earth agents discover the secret identity of his older brother, Baswin must flee to the Warrish embassy in the Pacific Ocean.

Holly and Baswin are swept together on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but their destiny lies farther away and many forces threaten to drive them apart. Can they overcome the obstacles and find a haven?

Follow the adventures of the three brothers of the Flaming Comets Triad in Baswin, Book 5 in Taxyon Space.

Available at: Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay  Other

 

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 .

Join me on Facebook and Twitter  

 

A Walk in the Woods of Connecticut

 

My husband and I visited our son in Willimantic, Connecticut, in July. He took us for a short walk on a local woodland trail. It was too hot for a long hike. We enjoyed seeing the familiar scenery since we lived in Connecticut when we first met years ago.

The photo at the top shows the view from a rock on the summit of a hill.

 The woods have many outcrops of rock like the one in the image above. 

This trail passed several wet patches and this pond with waterlilies. The waterlilies had red flowers, although the flowers are difficult to see in the photos. 

You can find a catalog of my published books at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/my-books.html

Professional Searchers - Snippet from Baswin 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 skipped the last couple of weekends while my husband and I were traveling to Connecticut to visit our younger son.

I’m posting excerpts from Baswin , the fifth book in my Sci-Fi Romance series, Taxyon Space . Baswin is an alien Warrish ‘merman’ who is living in secret on Earth disguised as a human. He is worried about being discovered. His brother Alarik, another covert agent, has traveled to Mars, partly to escape unknown enemies.

In my last excerpt, Baswin received an alarm about strangers entering his brother’s apartment.

My last snippet on July 4th introduced Baswin. You can read the snippet at: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2021/07/intruders-threaten-his-secret-mission.html

 The men made a cautious circle of the open living area. They did not speak. At an unspoken signal, they separated. One man went to check the bedroom and adjacent washroom, while the other scoured the furniture in the main room. Each man searched the cabinets, shelves and drawers, removing individual articles and replacing them methodically. They ran their gloved fingers along the window frames and edges of the doors, feeling for hidden bugs.

Efficient and careful. Professionals, Baswin guessed.

Within a few minutes, the two men reunited by the sofa. Exchanging nods, but no words, they departed.

Ten lines and a little more:

He had to warn his brother.

This intrusion into Alarik’s apartment only intensified his worries. Their mysterious enemies had penetrated his brother’s primary residence and likely compromised his alias as Rick Kent. Pondering the sequence of events, Baswin drummed his fingers on the rover’s control bar. By this date, Alarik ought to have arrived on Mars. He might be safer on that planet, beyond the jurisdiction of any searchers, assuming their bosses were based on Earth.

He keyed the code for his brother’s qtel.

After a minute, Alarik’s face appeared on the screen.

“Bas?” He rubbed his eyes as if he had just been roused from sleep. It might be nighttime in his location on the red planet. 

 

 

An alien spy on the run.

Two human sisters chosen to train as astronavigators.

Their paths are destined to converge.

Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her sister Rosie, are chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. The sisters are eager to promote humanity’s advance into space. Will they succeed? They must pass a series of rigorous tests and adapt to the alien neuro-implants.

Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When Earth agents discover the secret identity of his older brother, Baswin must flee to the Warrish embassy in the Pacific Ocean.

Holly and Baswin are swept together on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but their destiny lies farther away and many forces threaten to drive them apart. Can they overcome the obstacles and find a haven?

Follow the adventures of the three brothers of the Flaming Comets Triad in Baswin, Book 5 in Taxyon Space.

Available at: Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay  Other

 

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 .

Join me on Facebook and Twitter  

Summer Travels Part 1: North to Pennsylvania

 

Traveling North on Vacation

This July, my husband and I took our first vacation in about eighteen months. We drove from Atlanta to visit our son in Willimantic, Connecticut, 1000 miles each way and passing through 10 states along the East Coast. This journey partially replicates our moves over the past

On the outbound trip, we spent five days sleeping in a tent at two different campsites. The campgrounds were almost empty.

The left picture on the header image at the top shows our first campsite in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia. It’s across a stream from the road though the campground and quite private.

The most exciting event occurred when we were driving along a quiet stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway. A black bear cub jumped into the road in front of the car and quickly retreated.

We climbed Sharp Top Mountain. The heat with temperatures in the low 90’s made the short, steep ascent of about 1.5 miles more difficult.

Images of the view from the top of Sharp Mountain (above) and the peak (below).

We drove north to Pennsylvania and camped at Caledonia State Park. Again, the weather was hot with occasional rainstorms. Luckily, we escaped the rain while we were preparing meals and the tent kept us dry at night. We hiked on a trail near the campground. When we returned to camp, we had a burst of heavy rain. We just sat in the downpour in our rain gear and I opened my umbrella. The rain stopped quickly.

The image shows a stream we crossed on our hike. I paddled in the water and we saw some small trout in another stretch of water.

We returned via Harper’s Ferry and Asheville for a dose of history and culture. The image on the right of the header has a view over the Potomac River from Harper’s Ferry. I’ll describe our southbound trip in a second post.

 

Writing News: My latest book, Baswin,will be available on the 29th

         An alien spy on the run.

Two human sisters chosen to train as astronavigators.

Their paths are destined to converge.

Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her sister Rosie, are chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. The sisters are eager to promote humanity’s advance into space. Will they succeed? They must pass a series of rigorous tests and adapt to the alien neuro-implants.

Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When Earth agents discover the secret identity of his older brother, Bas must flee to the Warrish embassy in the Pacific Ocean.

Holly and Baswin are swept together on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but their destiny lies farther away and many forces threaten to drive them apart. Can they overcome the obstacles and find a haven?

Amazon    iBooks    Kobo    B&N    GooglePlay   Other

Book Specials for July #SciFi and #Fantasy

 

July 1-31: Every Summer Needs a Story - https://books.bookfunnel.com/everysummer/5bkmh06hep

 

Jul 1-31: Portal to Fantasy - https://books.bookfunnel.com/portaltofantasy-july/qk267hjx0w

 

July 1-30: Urban Fantasy 99c Sale - https://books.bookfunnel.com/uf99-jul21/hiv3fi49be

 

Jul 1-31: Otherworldly Romance - https://books.bookfunnel.com/otherworldlyromance/s705utjspb

Intruders threaten his secret mission - excerpt from Baswin for #WeWriWa

 

Happy fourth of July!

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 excerpts from Baswin , the fifth book in my Sci-Fi Romance series, Taxyon Space . Sorry I skipped last week due to other events. My snippets will not be posted regularly in July since I hope to be traveling and may not have wifi everywhere.

This weekend, you can meet Baswin, the alien merman of the title. He is living on Earth disguised as a human and is worried about being discovered. His brother Alarik has traveled to Mars, partly to escape unknown agents who detected his transmission. Note, their home planet of Rishalt is mostly ocean with small islands.

Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of the Flaming Comets Triad, flew the rover over the vast forested slopes of the North American wilderness. Checking on the map, he located a passage between the mountains and gained altitude for the crossing. After programming the route, he flipped the controls to auto and leaned back against the headrest of the seat. He could relax, perhaps hook a little sleep, while the rover flew on a westward course.

He dozed; life in the warm, salty waves of Rishalt saturated his dreams.

Alerted by a tickling on the underside of his left wrist, Baswin woke with a start and glanced at his com. He had incorporated a secret quantum communicator in the standard Earther device. The qtel registered a signal coming from one of his personal monitors. Its alarm was designed to warn him of intrusions and potential threats to his mission of infiltrating Earther society.

Nine lines and a little more:

He tapped on his qtel to locate the origin of the alarm. The signal came from the super bug he had given Alarik to override the monitors in his apartment in the city. The extra precaution seemed warranted after his brother had warned him about the discovery of his hideout in a rented room. Alarik had swiftly abandoned his seedy rental and dropped his secondary alias in favor of his primary identity as wealthy Rick Kent, the mining magnate.

Baswin synched the rover’s display with the viewer on the remote monitor, being careful to select his secret channel and bypass the vehicle’s black box memory. He flipped through the monitors in the upscale apartment.

Two men were standing inside the door. Obviously on illicit business, their faces were concealed by masks and they wore gloves to avoid making fingerprints. Their dark suits gave no clue to their origin. Were they government agents or independent operators? Whoever had sent the intruders, they represented another threat to his brother’s career as a covert agent on Earth.

 

An alien spy on the run.

Two human sisters chosen to train as astronavigators.

Their paths are destined to converge.

They must overcome many challenges to find a haven.

Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her sister Rosie, are chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. The sisters are eager to promote humanity’s advance into space. But will they succeed? They must pass a series of rigorous tests and adapt to the alien neuro-implants.

Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When Earth agents discover the secret identity of his older brother, Bas must flee to the Warrish embassy in the Pacific Ocean.

Holly meets Baswin on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but their destiny lies farther away. Many obstacles will hinder their journey to a happy reunion with Baswin’s brothers. 

Follow the adventures of the three brothers of the Flaming Comets Triad in Baswin, Book 5 in Taxyon Space.

Preorder at: Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay  Other

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 .

Join me on Facebook and Twitter  

 

 

Mid-Year Report on My Writing and Publishing Progress in 2021

 

My Writing and Publishing Progress in June 2021

 Published in February: Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf

Fantasy romance. A young witch escapes the destruction of her home and embarks on a perilous quest for 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? 

Epic fantasy adventure and romance with darker overtones. This story weaves elements of folklore and a quest for a safe haven in a land where magic is real.  

Available Amazon    iBooks    B&N    Kobo   GooglePlay    Other

 

Coming at the end of July: Baswin , Book 5 of Taxyon Space

Near future Sci-Fi adventure and romance starring alien mermen

Two human sisters chosen to train as astronavigators.

Their paths are destined to converge.

Can they overcome the obstacles and find a haven?

Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her sister Rosie, are chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. The sisters are eager to promote humanity’s advance into space. But will they succeed? They must pass a series of rigorous tests and adapt to the alien neuro-implants.

Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When Earth agents discover the secret identity of his older brother, Bas must flee to the Warrish embassy in the Pacific Ocean.

Holly meets Baswin on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but they are destined to travel farther away. Will their separate journeys unite them or force them apart?

Follow the adventures of the three brothers of the Flaming Comets Triad in Baswin, Book 5 in Taxyon Space.

Preorder at: Amazon    iBooks    Kobo    B&N    GooglePlay   Other

 

Plans for the second half of the year.

If all goes well, I will have several options. My priorities are the second story in my new epic fantasy series (as yet unnamed), and the sixth book in Taxyon Space.

 

No time to scarper - #Snippet for #WeWriWa from Baswin

 

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 excerpts from Baswin , the fifth book in my Sci-Fi Romance series, Taxyon Space . The main characters are an alien merman and two psychic sisters. By the end of the story, the elder sister (Holly) will match up with the alien (Baswin).

You can read last week’s snippet at – https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2021/06/an-invitation-for-moon-sisters-excerpt.html

The Moon sisters have just received an invitation to “undergo a critical assessment of your paranormal abilities.” 

 

Wrinkling her forehead, Holly looked at her sister. “It’s a strange letter.”

Rosie cocked her head and murmured, “What do you think?”

Holly stared at the neatly printed lines of the letter. “It’s phrased as a polite invitation for some unspecified important international business. But we haven’t been offered a choice. There’s no request for a reply. No com code given for any questions.” 

“It’s a puzzle. Should we go?” Rosie’s eyes brightened in anticipation.

Ten sentences and you can read a little more:

“I don’t know.” Holly frowned at the letter. “How on earth did this Braithwaite find out about our psychic abilities? Only a handful of people believe in our talents. Even our neighbors in the village are skeptical. They joke about our quaint notions.”

 “Not all of them,” Rosie said. “Dr. Greene believes my healing touch helps her patients to recover. And Sergeant Powell trusts you to find missing people.”

Checking the date on her com, Holly said, “We’ll soon find out. Tomorrow’s the fifteenth.”

Rosie scrunched up her lips in disapproval. “They didn’t give us much time to prepare.”

“No time to scarper,” Holly joked.

“Well, I’m going for the interview,” Rosie said in a decisive tone. “I’d love to have a free trip to the city.”

Holly shrugged. “Okay. We might as well go. If only to learn why the guys at the Ministry for International Affairs are so keen to assess our paranormal skills.” 

 

An alien spy on the run.

Two human sisters chosen to train as astronavigators.

Their paths are destined to converge.

They must overcome many challenges to find a haven.

Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her sister Rosie, are chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. The sisters are eager to promote humanity’s advance into space. But will they succeed? They must pass a series of rigorous tests and adapt to the alien neuro-implants.

Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When Earth agents discover the secret identity of his older brother, Bas must flee to the Warrish embassy in the Pacific Ocean.

Holly meets Baswin on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but their destiny lies farther away. Many obstacles will hinder their journey to a happy reunion with Baswin’s brothers. 

Follow the adventures of the three brothers of the Flaming Comets Triad in Baswin, Book 5 in Taxyon Space.

Preorder at: Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay  Other

 

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 .

Join me on Facebook and Twitter