Aurora Springer's Blog, page 19
November 7, 2020
Bridget's trip is postponed #WIP #Fantasy
Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors .
Enjoy a little distraction from pandemic worries. Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work.
I apologize for my absence for about two months. I needed a respite due to various stresses like family health issues, on-line teaching etc. The last week in October is an example: my husband had surgery and then we lost power for two days due to Zeta. Despite these difficulties, I have been writing the next story, and also had a successful BookBub Featured Deal for Europa (see my Blog post https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/11/anatomy-of-successful-bookbub-featured.html .)
For a change, I’ve been working on a fantasy about a displaced witch and an elf. I have a clear outline in mind and have written 20k words.
I’ll post the first lines of this story. They are unedited and may change.
A shout erupted from the lower village.
Bridget Bramble groaned. Not another interruption. She had planned to leave at sunrise, but it was already mid-morning and she could not reach the valley with the white lilies before nightfall. Soon after first light, Randall had rapped on the door and she had to attend to him. Her brother had come to collect dried indigo and madder as dyes for the next batch of wool. He lingered to discuss his family’s ills. His wife was bulging with their baby and she suffered from fatigue and swollen feet. She was unable to do many of the routine household tasks. Bridget had given him a package of herbs as a possible remedy for his ailing wife.
Draft Blurb
Bridget Bramble lives in a small cottage on the edge of a village where she carves buttons for a living. When marauders target her village and murder her family, she must escape into the woods. Armed with her Granny’s advice, a bag of magic buttons, and a wayward jackdaw she sets out on the perilous journey to Oakenwald, the fabled land where elves and men live in harmony. But as she travels farther from home, she encounters treacherous creatures from the worst kind of folktales.
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 the elf’s business in human territory? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf?
Any comments or suggestions are welcome.
My current discounted books:
Europa , Book 1 of Taxyon Space
BookBub Blurb: On a scientific expedition to Jupiter’s moons, Dr. Nikki Bell’s spaceship crashes on desolate Europa. A mysterious being saves her, but none of her colleagues believe the story of her rescue. Could there be intelligent life hidden in Europa’s icy waters? First in a breathtaking series!
99c at Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
https://books2read.com/u/bQ6vyD
A Tale of Two Colonies, my standalone novel, is discounted to 99c.
Intriguing ☆☆☆☆☆ review: tour de force assault on fallacies of 21st century culture (and a good story to boot!)
This reviewer likes to extract ideas in my stories that I didn’t consciously intend. Why don’t you read the story and tell me what you think
http://books2read.com/u/ba0dw2
As always, 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 .
November 6, 2020
Bargain and Free eBooks or November
Oct 29-Nov 14: Chilling & Thrilling reads ! 99 cents - https://books.bookfunnel.com/thrillsandchills/92xup24og2
Nov 1-15: Bargain SciFi – https://books.bookfunnel.com/scifi_bargains_nov/lyso0kfo02
Oct 30-Nov 15: There’s Still Hope – https://books.bookfunnel.com/there-is-still-hope/xdjldqbbx1
Nov 6-22: Positive Science Fiction – https://books.bookfunnel.com/positive-science-fiction/23b6rzgk32
November 1, 2020
Anatomy of a Successful BookBub Featured Deal
Book Selected by BookBub: EUROPA, Book 1 of Taxyon Space
99c Deal in All Regions on Oct 13.
Two years ago, EUROPA was selected for an International feature.
BookBub Blurb: On a scientific expedition to Jupiter’s moons, Dr. Nikki Bell’s spaceship crashes on desolate Europa. A mysterious being saves her, but none of her colleagues believe the story of her rescue. Could there be intelligent life hidden in Europa’s icy waters? First in a breathtaking series!
Available at:
Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay Other
PRINT
Sales of the later books in this series were strong.
There were also 18 pre-orders for Baswin, Book 5, which is scheduled for publication in July 2021. All the books also gained several new reviews.
I am encouraged by this successful promotion. In the next year, I plan to write and publish Books 5 and 6 in Taxyon Space.
October 10, 2020
The wild sunflowers in the top photo make a lovely splas...
The wild sunflowers in the top photo make a lovely splash of color along the roadsides at this time of the year.
We also see the purple and blue flowers of wild asters, lobelias and liatris blooming in the woods.
Native asters:
Wild blue lobelia:
Fritillary butterfly on a native liatris flower.
A seasonal special is ripe native persimmons. The fruit ripens over several months, is easy to pick, and can be used to flavor delicious muffins or persimmon bread. This composite picture shows orange persimmons on the tree, ripe fruit in a blue bowl, and a dish of persimmon muffins.
The wild sunflowers in the top photo make a lovely ...
The wild sunflowers in the top photo make a lovely splash of color along the roadsides at this time of the year.
We also see the purple and blue flowers of wild asters, lobelias and liatris blooming in the woods.
Native asters:
Wild blue lobelia:
Fritillary butterfly on a native liatris flower.
A seasonal special is ripe native persimmons. The fruit ripens over several months, is easy to pick, and can be used to flavor delicious muffins or persimmon bread. This composite picture shows orange persimmons on the tree, ripe fruit in a blue bowl, and a dish of persimmon muffins.
October 7, 2020
Books for October - Discounted and FREE
Oct 1-31: Fantasy for All - https://storyoriginapp.com/to/3bbxLIo
Oct 2-31: Night Creatures – https://storyoriginapp.com/to/xBKbihh
Oct 2-31: FREE Science Fiction eBooks – https://storyoriginapp.com/to/q2dL6rD
Oct 1-31: Girls, Guns and Galaxies - https://books.bookfunnel.com/girls-guns-galaxies/lh3c5z5zvd
September 22, 2020
Late September Book Bargains in #SciFi and #Fantasy
Sep 16-30: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Deals -
https://books.bookfunnel.com/deals-fantasy-scifi/dvabiehh1u
Sep 3-Oct 9: Badass Heroines – https://books.bookfunnel.com/badass-heroines/a8gvncnh12
Sep 15-30: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Sample Fair - https://books.bookfunnel.com/scififantasysamplefair/92h2mjpf76
September 9, 2020
Background to my near-future #Sci-Fi series, Taxyon Space.
In 2017, I began a new science fiction series and published the first book in November, 2017. For this series, I planned to set the stories in the near future of our solar system, and gradually advance outward into the galaxy. The overarching theme is the story of how humans acquired the technology for space travel and their encounters with aliens from other worlds. The characters would be ordinary people, not superheroes or psychics, and various alien species.
I invented the name, Taxyon Space, for the series to suggest faster than light space travel. My initial idea was to set each story on a different celestial object, a planet or moon. For the first book, EUROPA, I imagined a race of human-like “mermen”.
Warrish and their Society
The Warrish are amphibious with gills and lungs to breath in water and air. They have greenish complexions, six fingers and six toes, but otherwise could pass for humans. Their society on their home world, Rishalt, is centered on triads and hexads. Triads consist of three men or three woman. Ideally, a triad would be three brothers or three sisters. Alternatively, men or women may be adopted to form a triad. During military service, Warrish can be conscripted into a triad. Triads are organized into the First, the Second and Third in order of age. Firsts lead their triads. Triads have unique names and tattoos on their cheekbones. They dye their hair in matching colors and often wear bracelets engraved with the family emblem.
The Warrish family unit is the hexad of two united triads, or ideally, three sisters married to three brothers. The family name of the hexad is derived from the family names of the male First and female First. Hence, Kiron Arqin Ramis is the second son of the hexad formed between the parental triads with family names of Ramis and Arqin.
The Warrish society is hierarchical. It is governed by the three Primes and Nine Triarchs. You will learn more about this society in the second and third books of the series. The principal city on Rishalt, Pucklerakt, is constructed above and below the sea like an iceberg.
The elite in Warrish society strive to create strong alliances by arranging unions with the families of the Primes and Triarchs. Thus, most of the elite are interconnected by the triad and hexad system. Unfortunately, this society is not kind to those outside the triad system. If you lose a member of your triad, you must adopt a replacement or become an outcast. As you can imagine, people die by accident, illness, or in battle. People with physical or mental defects are also at a disadvantage.
EUROPA , Book 1.
Jupiter’s moon, Europa, was an attractive prospect for the setting of the first story with its well-known potential for life in the ocean under the surface ice. In this near future (unstated) time, humans have established a small colony of scientists on Europa to study Jupiter and the life in the oceans. The colonists constructed Galileo Station on two levels, one within the ice crust with access to space, and the other on a plateau on the seabed. The book begins with a dramatic episode where the heroine, marine biologist Dr. Nikki Bell, escapes from a damaged spaceship only to crash on the icy surface of Europa.
Nikki is a true scientist, dedicated to the study of Europa’s marine lifeforms. She is also persistent in her search for her mysterious savior. During the story, she discovers intelligent native animals and learns how to communicate with them. It is dark in the waters under the ice crust, and the heroine must use artificial lenses with infrared vision and low light intensifiers when she explores the submarine world.
I enjoy imagining new worlds and their exotic inhabitants. Some of the creatures I envisioned resemble those in the NASA poster (see below from https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/visions-of-the-future/) with a few twists. My creations with an alien type of intelligence are polymorphic animals that morph from a disk-shaped floater form to a squid-like shape.
The story really crystallized in my mind after I saw the hero’s face under the ice. The heroine has fallen into a deep crack in the ice and lands on a thin transparent sheet of ice on the surface of the ocean. Nikki is desperate, knowing she will die without help, when she sees a man’s face in the water. He smiles. She hopes he will rescue her, if he is in fact a real person and not an hallucination.
This scene is a pivotal moment in the plot. The hero and heroine are curious about each other attractive and want to meet again despite the impediments. The human colonists are unaware of the alien observers in their secret submarine base. Despite the colonists’ skepticism, Nikki persists in searching for her mysterious rescuer. The alien hero, Kiron, wishes to warn her of the dangers, and their meeting is inevitable. Their interactions with other characters amid the hazards of the moon lead inexorably to tragedy and exposure of the secret alien base.
The story is told from the perspective of the two main characters, Nikki and Kiron. Their personalities evolved, or became clearer to me, as I wrote the story. The alien hero, Kiron, was undoubtedly the most difficult to create. He resembles a human in many ways, but is capable of living underwater as well as on land. I had to describe his unusual physical features, and the distinct society of his people, the Warrish. He is not alone. He is one of the Warrish Watchers who monitor the activities of humans form their base in the oceans of Europa. His companions are supporting characters with their own personalities and minor story arcs. I slipped in parts of his backstory to illuminate his character and the alien culture. Kiron is by no means an “alpha” hero. He is abused and has suffered misfortunes. He has a fine sense of honor and believes in saving lives rather than killing. He is also sweet and compassionate, a romantic in a society where romance has no place.
In creating Kiron’s backstory for Europa, I realized his people came from an extrasolar planet. When Nikki meets the Watchers, she quickly deduces that his people did not evolve on Jupiter’s moon since the Warrish are unlike any of the native lifeforms.
When I was writing Europa, I realized that Nikki and Kiron’s story had not finished. Their friendship is doomed under the rules of Warrish society.
RISHALT, Book 2
In the second book, the setting moves to the Warrish home world of Rishalt. Kiron’s parents demand his return and submit to the advantageous union they have planned with a high-ranked female. Fortunately, Nikki is recruited into a diplomatic mission to Rishalt. She must learn to negotiate this alien society and learns the surprising truth about its leaders. Yes, there is a happy ending.
JUPITER , Book 3
In a new plot twist, Nikki and Kiron are sent back to Europa with the task of unblocking the hyperspace route from Jupiter to Rishalt. The hazards of unstable hyperspace travel are compounded by rising tensions between humans and Warrish. Someone has stolen a key alien device, and Earth’s governments are disputing the benefit of an alliance with the Warrish.
Books 4-6: the Tallis Triad
After completing this trilogy about Nikki and Kiron, I wanted to introduce new protagonists for the next books in the series. Since Warrish culture favors triads of three brothers or three sisters, I decided to base the next stories on three brothers, the Tallis brothers of the Flaming Comets triad. Books 4-6 are named for the brothers, Alarik, Baswin and Karrik. These books describe how each brother meets their romantic mate, their adventures, and the gradual unravelling of the mystery about the alien spaceship that crashed on Mars.
In the background to these stories, the youngest of the Tallis brothers was crippled during their battle against the Swarm. The two oldest Tallis brothers have been forced to serve as undercover agents on Earth in order to support the medical care for their youngest brother.
ALARIK , Book 4
Alarik is the oldest brother or First of the Triad and his story comes first. He is living on Earth under the alias of Rick Kent, a fake wealthy miner from the Asteroid Belt. When he reports the news about the discovery of the crashed alien spacecraft on Mars, he is ordered to investigate. His journey interweaves with the story of Phoebe Wong, a veterinary scientist on Mars, and the repercussions from the mysterious alien spacecraft. The story moves from Earth to Mars and ultimately to Europa where Phoebe and Alaric meet several characters from the earlier books.
Near Future SciFi adventure & alien romance. Daredevil scientist and abused alien find perilous alliance
EUROPA, Book 1 Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay PRINT
RISHALT, Book 2 Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay PRINT
JUPITER, Book 3 Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
ALARIK, Book 4 Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
Taxyon Space Triad, Boxset of Books 1-3: Amazon iTunes B&N Kobo GooglePlay
September 4, 2020
Early September Free Stories in #Sci-Fi and #Fantasy
Sep 3-Oct 9: Badass Heroines – https://books.bookfunnel.com/badass-heroines/a8gvncnh12
Aug 23 – Sep 21: Speculative Fiction –
https://storyoriginapp.com/to/dktXAGn
Sep 2-Oct 1: Sci-Fi Blast -
https://storyoriginapp.com/to/lvbuYQ6
August 30, 2020
Sample my #Sci-Fi Series in this Special Boxset
FANTASTIC FIRSTS –
Venture into four different worlds in these full-length Sci-Fi stories. Meet superheroes on contemporary Earth, discover alien life in the oceans of Europa, and explore the fringes of the galaxy in an epic myth-inspired series.
This Collection contains:
Grand Master’s Pawn, Book 1 of Grand Masters’ Galaxy - One young woman challenges the secret rulers of the galaxy and finds an impossible love.
EUROPA, Book 1 of Taxyon Space - Daredevil scientist and scarred alien forge a perilous alliance in the oceans of Jupiter’s moon.
Super Starrella, Book 1 of Secret Supers - Young superhero, Starrella, and her flying horse combat vicious killers in the skies of Atalanta.
The Lady is Blue, Book 1 of Atrapako on Eden - Intrepid scientist discovers secret of scaly aliens.
