Aurora Springer's Blog, page 21

The Griffins' Castle - snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors . Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work. I hope you are staying safe and calm in these troubled times. I’m sorry for skipping a couple of weeks again. Our various, non-writerly, tasks became too much. Besides planning how to return to work safely, we have to assume more responsibility for my 90-year old father-in-law, who has become slower and more fragile.  
At the beginning of my new story,  Cosmic Lock , Violet and Athanor Griffin discovered their baby son was missing after an attack on the planet of Avalon. They found him with Tingu in Master Stimon’s forge in the volcanic cone. Athanor has teleported to the nearby town to deal with the outcome of the attack. Note, Violet can see what’s happening through a special amethyst he wears. Athanor has just met their staunch ally, Grand Master Hanuman. You can read my previous snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/05/meet-hanuman-pashtari-snippet-from.html  It ended with this sentence: The white-robed Grand Master bowed, “I am at your service, Griffin.”
In the next snippet, I’ll conclude this lengthy opening scene. Relieved that Athanor had a powerful companion for his search, Violet returned her attention to the interior of the forge. Stimon had recovered from his trance and was showing his apprentice the next batch of work. Clasping her white woolen shawl around her thin chest, Tingu gazed abstractedly at the opposite slope of the volcanic crater.   Little Varan tugged on her hair, babbling, “Dada?” “We’re going home,” Violet said. “Dada will come later.” After saying goodbye to Master Stimon and his apprentice, Violet propped Varan on her hip, touched Tingu’s hand and ported to the Griffin’s Eyrie. They emerged in the great room of the Griffins’ castle. Comfortable seats were arranged around the big fireplace next to a marble statue of a griffin. On the opposite wall, a large picture window showed a golden stripe of sunset under the darkening sky.

Draft BlurbGrand Masters Violet and Athanor Griffin return from beyond the Cosmic Rift with two shiploads of rescued children and escaped slaves, but their enemies have not been idle in their absence. Avalon is in flames and their little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?
Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon I hope to release it before the listed date.


Last week at this special price of 99c for Grand Master’s Trilogy  Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance BookBub description: “A complete series for fans of Star Wars: Empath Violet and rebellious Grand Master Athanor battle the dark forces in the galaxy — and less successfully fight the connection between them — in these thrilling science fiction adventures!” Amazon   i Books   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6IKC44
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 . Join me on Facebook and Twitter  

June Freebies for Avid #Readers of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Adventures

June 1-30: Aliens, AI, Adventure -
https://books.bookfunnel.com/aliens-ai-adventure/v0i5osikbr


June 1-30: Furry Sidekicks - https://books.bookfunnel.com/furry-sidekicks/d17vzc54k7

Meet Hanuman Pashtari - Snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors . Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work. How are you coping with COVID19? We’re staying at home as much as possible, but the state is reopening. I had hoped for a quiet summer, but we’ve had a surge of online meetings to discuss how to reopen the university safely and how to run classes in the fall. It’s impossible to keep recommended social distancing in a full classroom, so we’ll probably have a hybrid model - online with limited in person teaching. The good news: face masks work. The bad news: no end is in sight. Stay safe!  Okay, let’s move on to my story. I’m running a couple of months behind for writing Cosmic Lock. Thanks for your comments last week. I’ve rewritten the conversation that appeared disjointed. In real life, people don’t always answer questions, however, in fiction, readers expect greater continuity.  At the beginning of Cosmic Lock , Violet and Athanor Griffin discovered their baby son was missing after an attack on the planet of Avalon. They found him in the Master Smith’s forge in the volcanic cone. Athanor has teleported to the nearby town to deal with the outcome of the attack. Note, Violet can see what’s happening through a special amethyst he wears.
You can read last week’s snippet at  https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/05/help-from-space-corps-snippet-from.htmlThe final sentence was: A shuttle rested in front of the large frame of a newly erected portal.   Now, you’ll meet another Grand Master with mythological precedents. This story in unedited and I appreciate your comments.
The rotund figure of Grand Master Hanuman Pashtari plodded into view. His resonant voice boomed, “Griffin, is your family safe?” “By Tyche’s grace, they are safe.”  “Indeed, I am delighted by your news. If this masquerade is over, I’ll pop in to have tea with the White Mother.” “Tingu will be unable to offer you a cup of tea today. Her cottage was burned to a shell by the raiders. She is safe and will be a guest in my castle until we can rebuild her home.” “A regrettable loss. We must, however, be thankful the White Mother is alive…”
End of 10 sentences and short continuation.
Interrupting Hanuman’s flow of eloquence, Athanor said, “Will you assist me in hunting for the Ixioth mothership?” The white-robed Grand Master bowed, “I am at your service, Griffin.”

Draft BlurbGrand Masters Violet and Athanor Griffin return from beyond the Cosmic Rift with two shiploads of rescued children and escaped slaves, but their enemies have not been idle in their absence. Avalon is in flames and their little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?
Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon I hope to release it well before the listed date. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0848W8DHV

Best Deal - First time in over 2 years - 99c for Grand Master’s Trilogy  Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance - Three Volumes in One.Spin through the galaxy, meeting exotic aliens, as young empath Violet hunts the secrets of the Grand Masters and finds a perilous love. Amazon   i Books   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay
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 . Join me on Facebook and Twitter  

Help from Space Corps - Snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors . Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work. Sorry I’ve been absent for a few weeks. Between the stress of online meetings and worries about COVID, I didn’t even write for a while. Now, my creativity is reviving and I’ve added a long section to my latest story Cosmic Lock . Also, the boxset of the first 3 books in this series was accepted for a BookBub featured deal at the end of this month. Good publicity and certainly inspired me to finish the story. Here's the next snippet from Cosmic Lock . At the beginning of the story, Violet and Athanor Griffin discovered their baby son was missing after an attack on the planet of Avalon. They found him in the Master Smith’s forge in the volcanic cone. You can read the previous snippet from 6 weeks ago at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/04/retaliation-snippet-from-cosmic-lock.htmlAthanor spoke the final sentence: “Now, we must squash these obnoxious invaders.”He has teleported to the nearby town to deal with the attackers. Note, Violet can see what’s happening through a special amethyst he wears. FERIE is the entity within the volcano.
Spying through his amethyst, Violet perceived the town square with the nearest interplanetary portal. Charred timber and smashed bricks were strewn over the cobblestones. Were they remnants of the attack or the result of FERIE’s defensive blasts? Armed Space Corps troops strode through the wreckage of the houses. Athanor stopped to speak to a Space Corps officer, “Has the mothership been located?” “What do you mean?” the officer stared at him, assessing his questioner’s authority. Impatient at the delay, the Grand Master emitted a puff of azure psi, “Do you have a drone in orbit?” Startled, the man stammered, “Gr…Grand Master, we’ve been dousing the fires in the village, but, we’ve just ported in the first shuttle.” He pointed to the opposite side of the square. A shuttle rested in front of the large frame of a newly erected portal.  

Draft BlurbGrand Masters Violet and Athanor Griffin return from beyond the Cosmic Rift with two shiploads of rescued children and escaped slaves, but their enemies have not been idle in their absence. Avalon is in flames and their little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?
Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon I hope to release it well before the listed date. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0848W8DHV

Best Deal - First time in over 2 years - 99c for Grand Master’s Trilogy  Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance - Three Volumes in One.Spin through the galaxy, meeting exotic aliens, as young empath Violet hunts the secrets of the Grand Masters and finds a perilous love. Amazon   i Books   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay


99c for The Lady is Blue , Book 1 of Atrapako on EdenBest reviewer’s comment: “A sassy human female and an arrogant, scaled alien spaceship Captain collide. What could possibly go wrong? Or go right?” 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. Join me on Facebook and Twitter 

My #SciFi Adventure and Medieval Romance Novels on Sale

99c for Dame Audrey – Adventure and romance set in Chaucer’s England. Can a magic brooch help Dame Audrey evade the schemes to force her into wedlock with an unscrupulous merchant? Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay On sale until May 31st 


99c for The Lady is Blue, Book 1 of Atrapako on EdenSci-Fi Adventure and Romance on a distant planet.                                            Intrepid scientist discovers secret of scaly aliens. 

On sale until May 31st  

Best Deal - First time in 18 months - 99c for Grand Master’s Trilogy  Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance - Three Volumes in One.Spin through the galaxy, meeting exotic aliens, as young empath Violet hunts the secrets of the Grand Masters and finds a perilous love. Note, I am currently writing the sixth book in this series. On sale until June 30th  

Natural Changes - Images of Rose and Lake

Change is natural.
Buds spread their petals and bloom. 
Clouds shutter the skies and sun dispels the gloom. 


Joseph's Coat climbing rose. 
The petals change color in 2-3 days, starting pale pink and yellow and darkening to red. 

Bargain and Free #SciFi eBooks for May

May 2-Jun 2: MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU - https://storyoriginapp.com/to/hd1JHsB



May 1-31: May Bargain Sci-Fi Sale - https://books.bookfunnel.com/scifi052020/hxq3ewhsr7


May 1-31: Girls, Guns and Galaxies – https://books.bookfunnel.com/girls-guns-galaxies/b3vhk5q04r

Real Background to The Lady is Blue My - First Science Fiction Romance Novel

The Lady is Blue: What Color are your Scales?
My first science fiction romance novel The Lady is Blue is set on the distant planet of Eden in a town, which mingles aspects of Yale University, USA, and Oxford University, UK. The story was written some decades ago, while I worked at Yale.
The heroine, Dr. Lucy Stannis, runs a lab in the Science Center in the main town of the small colony. The Science Center is a recreation of the Kline Biology Tower at Yale. Its 12th floor cafeteria is the site of several scenes, including an attempt to kill the heroine. The real cafeteria was popular among science faculty and students for lunch and informal discussions. No scaly aliens have dined in the cafe to my knowledge, although I once met a famous ballet dancer who had been smuggled in under the fake name of Mr. Brown because he wanted to see real research laboratories.  Kline Biology Tower, Yale University
When the aliens are released from quarantine, Lucy and Sa Kamizan often stroll around the nearby park. The park and bridge over the river are transported from Oxford University Parks.  Rainbow Bridge, Oxford University Parks
The Lady is Blue: What Color are your Scales? Book 1 in the series Atrapako on Eden    Dr. Lucy Stannis leads a quiet life as the chief biologist in the small human colony on Eden until an alien spaceship arrives. Undaunted by the scaled bodies and vicious claws of the formidable Atrapako, Lucy befriends the captain, Sa Kamizan Veedak. But, soon she grows suspicious of the aliens’ intentions and believes they are hiding a secret.      Sa Kamizan is desperate to find a haven for his exiled people and he cannot permit the puny humans to scuttle his plans to settle on the fertile planet. He longs to claim the beautiful human scientist as his mate, but he has sworn to conceal the Atrapako weakness. Yet Lucy’s skills astound him at every new challenge, and he is forced to rethink his devious scheme to seize control of the colony.     Conflicts with the arrogant Atrapako threaten to destroy Eden’s peaceful society. Can Lucy discover the aliens’ secret weakness in time to save the colony or must she and Sa Kamizan separate forever?
Buy Links:
What Reviewers say about The Lady is Blue“Really Captivating and Fun!”“A sassy human female and an arrogant, scaled alien spaceship Captain collide. What could possibly go wrong? Or go right?” “I loved the twists and turns of the story.”“An amazing, adventurous romance between curious adversaries.”

Main CharactersHumansThe main protagonist is Dr. Lucy Stannis, a scientist and secret Terran agent. She is aided and abetted by Dr. Colin Murti, her physician; Roger Fourno, her (soon to be ex-) lover; Dr. Trisha Duran and Dr. Jun Danzhu, her friends and scientific colleagues, and her students, especially the beautiful Sonia. The elected Governors of the independent colony on Eden are: Mossy Fairweather, Don Vargos and Bernal Mathis. Lucy is in contact with Admiral Simon Sinclair on a Terran Spaceship.
AtrapakoThe Atrapako Blue, Sa Kamizan Veedak, Captain of their spaceship is the major player. He is supported by the old Blue judge, Sa Radekis Volkin, and the Green scientists, Te Suzzaine Sukla and Te Tamarkis Varenne. He is opposed by the young Blue Sa Varasek and the other Blues, including the Honorable Lady Kamilla. The Atrapako have a rigid class system and their scales are colored according to their class. Blues are the leaders. They scheme for power and expect instant obedience from the other classes. Greens are the technologists, scientists, and mechanics. Reds are strong and massive. They are soldiers and laborers and rarely speak. They have no names as far as the other classes are concerned. Yellows are the children and anyone not included in the other three classes. For instance, an artist would be a Yellow since art is an unvalued talent, unnecessary for survival on Vkani. 
Short Conversation between the Main Characters:    “Why do you talk to me anyway?” Lucy said.      He laughed and seemed to relax again. “Your questions are very direct, Dr. Stannis. I like your fearlessness. The others are nervous or afraid of me.”“I’m not surprised they are nervous,” she retorted. “You have vicious teeth and sharp claws.”     He curled one set of claws in front of her face and ran them lightly down her arm.     It tickled and Lucy grinned. “Oh, you are so mild mannered you wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on me!”      Sa Kamizan gripped her wrist firmly. “Call your committee and tell them they need another token female scientist. Then, you can see me at the meetings.”     “I may be a disruptive influence.” Lucy grimaced, she hated restraints. Suddenly, she twisted her wrist against his thumb in a maneuver intended to free her arm. It was a mistake. Her arm slipped free, but she felt claws scrape her skin as Sa Kamizan quickly pulled his hand away.     She examined her arm. Blood was welling from two shallow punctures. Most humans would blame Sa Kamizan if the incident were known. She glanced up. He looked wary, waiting for her response with crest lowered. “I hope your nails are clean,” she remarked nonchalantly, while searching through her pockets with the uninjured hand.      He stared at his hand. Then, he offered her a wad of tissues from a desk drawer. “Let me help you.” He wiped off the blood.  “You should be more cautious in future when playing with Atrapako,” he said softly. 



The series Atrapako on Eden includes three novels. The Lady is Blue, Book 1  Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  PRINTDragons of Vkani, Book 2  Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  PRINTTrapped on Vkani, Book 3  Amazon  Apple  B&N  Kobo  GooglePlayDragon Lady, Boxset of Books 1 & 2  Amazon  Kobo  Apple  B&N  GooglePlay

Tips for Coping with Social Isolation

Vegetable Garden - Detail by southernfoodswaysalliance

Many of us, all over the world, are under lockdown or shelter in place orders. We may be bored, sick or distressed. Other people, who are working in essential, perhaps risky jobs, would benefit from a chance to relax. What are you doing to ease the stress? I asked my newsletter subscribers to send their tips for coping during the COVID crisis. 
Here are a Few of Their Tips for Coping
B: I'm easing it with my beloved books and the Internet.
A: Here are some things to do during the shelter in place - Foster a dog to go on short walks; Gardening; DIY project; Puzzles
P: Try 3D puzzles:https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-1994-Puzz-3D-Victorian-House-Fully-Dimensional-Puzzle-New-Sealed-MB-700-Pcs/223961742664and also looking at some relatively large lego sets: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lego-DOCTOR-WHO-MIB-21304-L-K-RARE-Retired-BBC/303391076028
J: Cooking..playing video games with my daughter...listening to music[image error][image error]
S: Painting furniture on my days off from work. I can't go to the thrift shops to change out furniture, so I have been painting some of it to make it feel like new furniture. Right now my daughter and I are painting her bedroom furniture.

Retaliation? Snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors . Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work. I hope you are managing to cope with the crazy world. We are in isolation, yet busier than before with online teaching and virtual meetings. Last weekend, I took a short break as a respite. I’m posting snippets from the first chapter of my new story, Cosmic Lock , the 6thbook in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy . This series stars Grand Masters Violet Hunter and Athanor Griffin. Their powers include teleporting interstellar distances. On returning from a dangerous venture, they have found their son in Master Stimon’s forge, a cave on the side of an erupting volcano.  You can read my last snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/03/calming-volcano-snippet-from-cosmic.html Moving on a few sentences, we meet the other people at the forge. Lizanne is Master Stimon’s apprentice and lived with Mother Tingu, Violet’s acerbic old tutor.
     Lizanne asked, “Why did that ship attack our cottage? Avalon’s a peaceful planet with little of value for raiders.”      Athanor groaned, “Hades. The Nulls might have blasted Avalon in retaliation for our destruction of their city of Bruniston. Their planet, Gorland, is Avalon’s parallel in the alternate universe beyond the Cosmic Rift. A shipload of their technos fled from their space station while we were organizing transport for the slaves we rescued.”       Shaking ashes from her shawl, Tingu said tartly, “Except for drawing the Nulls’ wrath upon Avalon, I gather your mission was a success.”      “By Viche’s grace, we fulfilled Violet’s promise to the Cinerean mothers. Now, we must squash these obnoxious invaders.”

Draft BlurbGrand Masters Violet and Athanor Griffin return from beyond the Cosmic Rift with two shiploads of rescued children and escaped slaves, but their enemies have not been idle in their absence. Avalon is in flames and their little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?
Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon I hope to release it well before the listed date. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0848W8DHV

My short prequel to this series, Grand Master’s Cat , is free through April. When Grand Master Griffin investigates a wrecked spacecraft, his efforts to rescue the survivors lead to feline disruptions of his plans.
Special Price of 99c for Super Starrella
Supergirl with snarky flying horse, two suitors and a comically evil villainBuy links: Amazon   iBooks   B&N   Kobo   GooglePlay
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 . Join me on Facebook and Twitter