Aurora Springer's Blog, page 3

New Art for Sale on Prints or Merchandise

 

You can find Aurora’sWhimsical Art at her Fine Art Store: https://www.playfulgallery.com/digital-art

Top-quality prints withor without frames, and selected merchandise. 

The pictures include several new designs of fantastic creatures: dragons, unicorns, a flying horse, a griffin, and a wee fairy. 

The Galactic Mystery Bundle of Books #SciFi

 

Discoverancient interstellar secrets, mythical alien races and mind-blowingtechnologies!

The Galactic Mystery  bundle iscurated by Simon Kewin. This collection of eleven awe-inspiring novels bybestselling authors and rising stars is available at https://storybundle.com/scifi .

Youdecide what price you want to pay for this bundle!

$5minimum for 4 core books:

•          Synthesis: Weave by Rexx Deane

•          Agrotharn byMilo James Fowler

•          InfiniteWaste by Dean F. Wilson

•          Grand Master's Pawn by Aurora Springer

•          

 

$20 forall 11 books, including the 4 core books and:

•          Lift Off byTyrean Martinson

•          Dead Star - The Triple Stars Vol. 1 by Simon Kewin

•          Dark Nebula - Books 1-3 bySean Willson

•          Birds of Paradise by Rudolf Kremers

•          The Galathea Chronicles byJ.J. Green

•          Loophole byIan Stewart

•          Milijun byClayton Graham

 

TheGalactic Mystery bundle runs for a limited time only. It will end on March21st.

Galacticadventures await! Grab your copy of the Galactic Mystery Bundle now! Click on https://storybundle.com/scifi

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with two romantic fantasy adventures.

 

February’s bargainbooks: Start my two fantasy series with a 99c special!

Super Starrella , Book 1 of the Secret Supers series, Superpowered collegestudents with fantastic animals.

The quiet summer before her freshman year turnsfrighteningly weird after Estelle Wright trespasses onto an Army base. Blowninto the air and knocked unconscious, she wakes with a nascent superpower. Notto mention a winged horse with a snarky attitude and a mind of her own.

Back home in Atalanta, a serial killer is targeting thestudents at Goldman University. Before long she must juggle college classeswith sneaking out of the house after dark to battle alien monsters. Estelle’slife is in danger, but who can she trust: handsome Mark Copper from militaryintelligence, or hunky Toby, the tough gangster with a motorbike? Both men havesecret agendas, but falling in love is not in their plans.

Superheroes at college, quirky animal sidekicks, and a dashof romance enliven this thrilling adventure. Book 1 of the Secret Supers.

99c at my Webstore and other retailers .

See the complete series(to date) at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/secret-supers.html

 

* * * * * 

BridgetBramble and the Wandering Elf, First book in the Oakenwald Chronicles.Epic fantasy quest and romance. A young witch escapes the destruction of herhome and seeks the fabled land where elves and humans live in peace. 

Ina land threatened by cruel invaders from the east, Bridget Bramble lives in asmall village where she barters herbs and carved buttons. When marauders targether village and murder her family, she flees into the woods. Armed with herGranny’s advice and a bag of magic buttons, she sets out on the perilousjourney to Oakenwald, the fabled land where elves and men live in harmony. Asshe travels farther from home, she encounters malicious creatures from theworst kind of folktale.

Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets theelf, 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? 

This story weaveselements of folklore and a quest for a safe haven in a land where magic is realand dangerous.  

99c at my Webstore and other retailers .

See the complete series(to date) at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/oakenwald.html

 

 

NEW YEAR PLANS FOR 2024

 

The year 2024 marks the tenth anniversary of my foray intopublishing novels. I published my SciFi novels: The Lady is Blue , Dragons of Vkani , A Tale of Two Colonies , and Captured by the Hawk in 2014. Also, I published my young adult fantasy novella, Rosemary’s Quest , although with a different title. This prolific output wasbecause I had written The Lady is Blue, Rosemary’s Quest, and parts of A Taleof Two Colonies some years earlier. Later in the year, I hope to celebrate mytenth anniversary as an author by making a special edition of at least one ofthese stories.

 

This year, we celebrate the Chinese New Year ofthe Dragon. In honor of the Year of the Dragon, I am planning a Kickstartercampaign to create an Art Book, Whimsical Creatures, with images of mythicalanimals and short poems or pithy messages. The book cover(s) will featuredragons. Other images will have unicorns, anthropomorphic cats and dogs,fairies, merfolk etc.

Please join my campaign at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/auroraspringer/whimsical-creatures-an-art-book-of-fantastic-animals

 

NEW STORIES/BOOKS

1. I will continue work on the third book in my new epicfantasy series, the Oakenwald Chronicles . For the fourth book in this series, I plan to revamp adifferent unpublished story.

2. Next, I have some ideas for novella-length stories in mySciFi/Space Opera series, Second Chances in Space .

3. Iwill continue making beautiful books with illustrations of my stories. AI-artplus photo-editing can provide fantastic images of characters, scenes, andsimply pretty art. You can see examples at WhimsicalArt . Two of my special illustrated books ( Super Starrella and the OakenwaldChronicles ) werepublished in 2023 as a result of successful Kickstarter campaigns. 

 

DIRECT BOOKSTORE

All my stories are available at a discount from my virtual store https://payhip.com/AuroraSpringerNovels.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

I post images and videos about nature, my travels, my booksand art on Facebook,  Twitter/X,  YouTube,and Instagram 

 

Report on my Writing and Art for 2023

 

In 2023, I published a SciFi novel, an epic fantasy story,and ran two Kickstarter campaigns for special illustrated hardback editions of twobooks. Also, I created and polished digital art images for print-on-demand.

 

NEW BOOKS

I published two novels in different genres and series.

In March, I published Karrik , Book 6 in TaxyonSpace ,near-future Sci-Fi adventure and romance.

 

The fates of six peopleare at stake. 

Karrik Kenton Tallis, Third of the Flaming Comets, enduresa miserable existence in a hospice on his home planet. Unable to walk or speakmore than a single word, he misses his older brothers and is unaware of theirsacrifice to ensure his care. He cherishes a faint hope of recovering hishealth.

Karrik’s life improves when his brothers return to Rishaltwith their human companions. Alarik, First of the Triad, is escorting PhoebeWong with her brother and a mysterious alien object for an audience with PrimeJadel. The middle brother, Baswin, is traveling home with Holly and Rosie Moon.The Moon sisters are enrolled in an experimentalprogram to train human psychics to navigate in hyperspace and relieve Earth’sgovernments of their onerous reliance on Warrish tripilots. Rosie, a psychichealer, desires to help Karrik despite the conflict with her duty to humanity.

But the water world of Rishalt holds many hazards, bothabove and beneath the waves. Can the alien treasure help the three brothers toconquer the challenges and unite with their chosen partners? Read thescintillating story of the Flaming Comet brothers to learn the answers.

https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/karrik.html

 

Early in December, I published Bridget Bramble and the Dragon Ship. This book is the sequelto Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf and establishes my newepic fantasy series, OakenwaldChronicles. 

 

Step into the fabulous realm of Oakenwald with BridgetBramble and the Dragon Ship!

Bridget Bramble hopesto make a home with the elf, Windswift, in the peaceful land of Oakenwald. But,her hopes for a peaceful life are crushed when news arrives of a fleet of enemyships threatening the southern shores. The enemy’s pincers are closing aboutthe enchanted land. Once a humble herbwife and button maker, Bridget and herelf partner are recruited into a perilous mission to scout the roads to thesouthern port. The perils increase as they travel farther from the elf queen’sdomain. Will Bridget’s handful of spells and Windswift’s keen sword besufficient to defeat the invaders and ensure the safety of the warded land?

https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/bridget-bramble-and-dragon-ship.html

     

KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGNS

This year, I ventured into Kickstarter and ran two low-key,yet successful campaigns for illustrated hardbacks of different books. My thirdcampaign is at the pre-launch stage.   

1)  In May, I ran a Kickstarter campaign to create a Special Illustrated Edition of Super Starrella. The campaignreached the funding goal, enabling me to make the special edition in eBook,Paperback and Hardback formats. Each format includes a special chapter imageand 7 color illustrations of characters or scenes from the story. This SpecialIllustrated Edition of Super Starrella is only available in my WebStore at https://payhip.com/b/Bnh4g .

 

2)  In September and October, I ran a Kickstarter campaignto create a Special Illustrated Edition of the Oakenwald Duology. The OakenwaldDuology comprises the first two books in my new epic fantasy series, the OakenwaldChronicles (Bridget Bramble and the Dragon Ship and Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf). The special edition includes custom chapter headers and21 color illustrations of characters or scenes from the story. The SpecialIllustrated Oakenwald Duology is only available in my WebStore at https://payhip.com/b/cYhDJ.

 

3)   My next Kickstart campaign is in pre-launch. I propose to createan Art Book with 100 pictures of Whimsical Creatures. If you love dragons,unicorns, and fairies, follow my project at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/auroraspringer/whimsical-creatures-an-art-book-of-fantastic-animals  

    To celebrate the Chinese New Year of theDragon, I plan to launch the campaign in the middle of January and run through February.

ART

Find Aurora’s WhimsicalArt at her Fine Art Store: https://www.playfulgallery.com/digital-art

Top-quality prints withor without frames, and selected merchandise.

Or at her RedBubbleshop for a wider variety of merchandise:

https://www.redbubble.com/people/auroraspringer/shop

 

PRINT

All my books are available in paperback. Check individualtitles on my Catalogue .

AUDIO

More than half of my stories are available as Audiobooks.

(See my Catalogue )

 

Direct Bookstore.

My books are available at a discount in my virtual store (https://payhip.com/AuroraSpringerNovels).

 

I invite you to join meon Facebook ,  Twitter /X,   YouTube, and Instagram  

The Joys and Tribulations of AI-generated Art.

 

AI-art is fun! I have spent more than a year creating AI-images. Despite significant improvementsin the algorithms in the past year, the initial images often contain errors. Undesirablefeatures are common and annoying when creating images of people or mythiccreatures.

This post illustrates some common problems and describes the fixes forthose errors.

Here is an image of a dragon created in NightCafe Studio. Can you seethe problems? 

I’ve outlined three errors in the dragon’s anatomy in the next image. 

These types of errors are relatively easy to fix by photo-editing in softwaresuch as Photoshop or GIMP (free). The extra leg and pieces of wing can be erasedor replaced by background colors. I also brightened the eye. The correctedimage is shown below:

This image and other dragons are available as prints or on merchandiselike totes, mugs, and T-shirts at https://www.playfulgallery.com/digital-art

And at https://www.redbubble.com/people/auroraspringer/shop

 

You can find more fantasticanimals in pictures and poems at my campaign -   https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/auroraspringer/whimsical-creatures-an-art-book-of-fantastic-animals

Follow the campaign tojoin the fun and help to choose pictures for the Art Book, Whimsical Creatures. 

The Oakenwald Chronicles - New Epic Fantasy Series

 

The Oakenwald Chronicles is my new epic fantasy series.

See https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/oakenwald.html

This new series evokes the grit and whimsy of old folk tales.

In a world tormented by cruel invaders, Oakenwald, the fabled land whereelves and men live in harmony, is a beacon of peace and freedom.

 

Book 1: BridgetBramble and the Wandering Elf

 

A young witch escapesthe destruction of her home and seeks the fabled land where elves and humanslive in peace.

In a land threatened bycruel invaders from the east, Bridget Bramble lives in a small village whereshe barters herbs and carved buttons. When marauders target her village andmurder her family, she flees into the woods. Armed with her Granny’s advice anda bag of magic buttons, she sets out on the perilous journey to Oakenwald, thefabled land where elves and men live in harmony. As she travels farther fromhome, she encounters malicious creatures from the worst kind of folktale. 

Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets theelf, 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 adventureand romance with darker overtones. This story weaves elements of folklore and aquest for a safe haven in a land where magic is real and dangerous. 

 

Book 2: BridgetBramble and the Dragon Ship

 

Step into the fabulousrealm of Oakenwald with Bridget Bramble and the Dragon Ship!

Bridget Bramble hopesto make a home with the elf, Windswift, in the peaceful land of Oakenwald. But,her hopes for a peaceful life are crushed when news arrives of a fleet of enemyships threatening the southern shores. The enemy’s pincers are closing aboutthe enchanted land. Once a humble herbwife and button maker, Bridget and herelf partner are recruited into a perilous mission to scout the roads to thesouthern port. The perils increase as they travel farther from the elf queen’sdomain. Will Bridget’s handful of spells and Windswift’s keen sword besufficient to defeat the invaders and ensure the safety of the wardedland?  

Look out for Book 3 in 2024!

 

THANKSGIVING SPECIAL for Sci-Fi and FANTASY eBooks

 

Check my books at https://payhip.com/AuroraSpringerNovels

Use Code KWMMPYDROI for30% discount on any book.

You can choose from 26 booksin five different series.

This deal is anexcellent bargain for my boxsets. 

Browse  my art for prints or other merchandise at RedBubble and WhimsicalArt . 

Book Bargain Bonanza for Fall 2023 #SciFi and #Fantasy

Bargain Bonanza: the firstBooks in my 4 longest series will be discounted to 99c through October 31st!

 

GRAND MASTER’SPAWN, Book 1 in the Grand Masters’Galaxy,ScienceFantasy with psychics in space and dragons.

One young womanchallenges the secret rulers of the galaxy and finds an impossible love.

Young empath, VioletHunter, dreams of exploring exotic planets as a Grand Master’s pawn. But breaksin the teleportal network threaten countless lives, and suspicions point to thetwelve Grand Masters. Violet must penetrate their curtain of secrecy to identifythe culprit. Her challenges escalate when she meets the enigmatic man behindthe griffin avatar. She plunges into a world of deadly intrigues and risks aperilous love. Armed with only her erratic powers and a mishmash of allies, shemust battle the most powerful beings in the galaxy.

Fans of Anne McCaffrey’sstories will love this epic science fantasy series starring super psychics,dragons and a variety of aliens.

99c at my Webstore and other retailers.

See the complete series(to date) at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/grand-masters-galaxy.html

 

 

EUROPA, Book 1 in Taxyon Space,Near future Sci-Fi thriller and alien romance.

Whatalien creatures lurk under the icy surface of Europa?

Dr.Nikki Bell’s plan to discover intelligent life on Jupiter’s moon hits a rockystart when her spaceship crashes on the icy surface of Europa. Seconds beforeshe blacks out, she spies a man’s face in the water beneath the ice. When shewakes on the submarine Station, nobody believes her story. Convinced themysterious stranger saved her life, Nikki searches for him while she exploresthe ocean and its alien inhabitants. 

KironArqin Ramis chose exile as a Watcher on a remote outpost to redeem his family’shonor. He never expected to find an attractive Earther woman close to death. Heviolates the prime policy by rescuing her. Despite suffering the penalty, hestrives to warn her about his hostile leaders.

Nikki’sunexpected meeting with Kiron triggers a chain of disasters in Europa’sperilous oceans. Can the daredevil scientist and scarred Watcher forge a newalliance despite their people’s antagonism?   

Thestories in this series are set on Jupiter’s moon, Europa, Mars, a near futureEarth, and two planets in a remote star system.

99c at my Webstore and other retailers.

See the complete series(to date) at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/taxyon-space.html

 

 

Super Starrella,Book 1 of the SecretSupers series, Superpowered college students with fantastic animals.

The quiet summer before her freshman year turnsfrighteningly weird after Estelle Wright trespasses onto an Army base. Blowninto the air and knocked unconscious, she wakes with a nascent superpower. Notto mention a winged horse with a snarky attitude and a mind of her own.

Back home in Atalanta, a serial killer is targeting thestudents at Goldman University. Before long she must juggle college classeswith sneaking out of the house after dark to battle alien monsters. Estelle’slife is in danger, but who can she trust: handsome Mark Copper from militaryintelligence, or hunky Toby, the tough gangster with a motorbike? Both men havesecret agendas, but falling in love is not in their plans.

Superheroes at college, quirky animal sidekicks, and a dashof romance enliven this thrilling adventure. Book 1 of the Secret Supers.

99c at my Webstore and other retailers.

See the complete series(to date) at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/secret-supers.html

 

 

The Lady is Blue,Book 1 in Atrapakoon Eden, Sci-Fi and Alien Romance.

Intrepid scientistthwarts invasion of scaly aliens.

If you like plucky heroines and mysteries where deceptionsabound, then you’ll enjoy this science fiction adventure and sweet romance witha surprise twist at the end.

99c at my Webstore and other retailers .

See the complete series(to date) at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/atrapako-on-eden.html

 

 

Captured by theHawk, Book 1 of SecondChances in Space, Space opera andsecond chance romance with interstellar spies and space pirates. The books can be readin any order.

Intrepid Irish SpyTangles with Notorious Space Pirate

Katrina Sligo leads adouble life. She works undercover as Grey Kat, the interstellar thief, whileshe is also Mistress Trina, a welcome visitor in the Imperial court. Grey Katis escaping with stolen codes when she is captured by notorious pirate, CaptainBlack Hawk, a stern man who hides his face behind a mask. In order to buy herfreedom, she agrees to help him to steal one of the Emperor’s spaceships. Butthe heist goes terribly wrong. Soon, they are dashing across the galaxy withthe Emperor’s troops in hot pursuit. The two fugitives struggle to escape andprotect their secrets. Can they reconcile their differences in time to eludetheir enemies?

Grab your copy and diveinto the comic misadventures of Grey Kat and Captain Hawk.

99c at my Webstore and other retailers.

See the complete series(to date) at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/second-chances-in-space.html

 

The two books in mynew epic fantasy series, Chronicles of Oakenwald,are available in my Kickstarter campaign for the OakenwaldDuology. 

My Kickstarter Campaign for the Oakenwald Duology is live!

 

Join my campaignto create a special illustrated edition of the epic fantasy Oakenwald Duology.

The Oakenwald Duologyincludes two books in my new series: 1) Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf,and 2) Bridget Bramble and the Dragon Ship. 

 

The Special Edition of the Oakenwald Duology will have custom header images for each chapter and color illustrations of characters and scenes in the stories. 

Check for more details about the stories and Special Edition at  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/auroraspringer/oakenwald-duology-new-series-and-special-hardcover-edition

HOW CAN YOU BACK AKICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN?

 

1.    Click on “Back this Project”

2.    Select Your Reward from the list.

3.    Click on the Green Button to Pledge

4.    You will need to log in to Kickstarter to provide paymentdetails.

5.    Your pledged funds will be taken at the end of the campaignONLY if it has reached the total funding goal.

6.    Wait for your reward to arrive.

Note: Kickstarter doesnot provide the funding to the author until about 2 weeks after the end of thecampaign. The author will give updates about the fulfillment of the rewards.

 

Please support mycampaign by pledging at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/auroraspringer/oakenwald-duology-new-series-and-special-hardcover-edition