Aurora Springer's Blog, page 49

The Lady is Blue #SciFi #Romance

The Lady is Blue
5 Star Review: A sassy human female and an arrogant, scaled alien spaceship Captain collide. What could possibly go wrong? Or go right?
What color are your scales? 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 vessel makes first contact with the colonists. She is thrilled to meet the spaceship captain, the impressive Blue, Sa Kamizan Veedak, despite the scaled bodies and sharp claws of the formidable Atrapako. Conflicts arise, threatening the whole colony as well as Lucy’s tenuous friendship with Sa Kamizan. Lucy must employ all her skills to discover their secret and save the colony. If you like feisty heroines and mysteries where deceptions abound, then you’ll enjoy this science fiction adventure with a surprise twist at the end. Start this tale of culture clash and sweet romance today. Book 1 of Atrapako on Eden.   
FREE June 29th to July 3rd and always FREE with Kindle UnlimitedUS: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K1N951Q International: http://authl.it/B00K1N951Q?d

Dragons of Vkani 
Rescue mission to hostile planet of scaly aliens When the Atrapako Blue, Sa Kamizan Veedak, and Dr. Lucy Stannis receive a distress call from his sister, they must undertake the dangerous mission to rescue her from the war-torn planet of Vkani. As an exile, Sa Kamizan risks death if he is recognized. Their motley crew of Atrapako and human scientists will need all their skills to combat treachery by brutal warlords and survive the hostile environment. If you enjoy science fiction adventures with battles and betrayals mixed with romance and scientific explorations, read Book 2 in the series, Atrapako on Eden.
Buy Links:US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LS1EU6K/International: http://authl.it/B00LS1EU6K/?d

Major Sapient Species in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy #SciFi Series

This series has many alien characters on a variety of planets or moons. 
Comments: This list is by no means a complete accounting of the species in the stories. In some cases, Violet encountered individuals of undetermined species or questionable sapience. For instance, she met several entities in the oceans of AguaSalva, including one that claimed to be the sole member of its species. 
Aman-ellans: Bipedal feline/humanoid entities with soft fur and cat-like ears.
Brululians: Crustaceans resembling man-sized lobsters with triangular heads bearing eyestalks, ocher carapaces and many legs. Five genders; two compatible genders are required to produce offspring.  
Dragons: Winged reptilian species inhabiting the planet Sythos.
Elyrians: Bipedal, slender humanoids who communicate by telepathy. Each Elyrian bears a colored crystal on its forehead.
Flia: Flightless avian entities with brightly colored feathers, beaks and clawed arms. Only females travel off their native planets.  
Humans/humanoids: Inhabitants of Terra or the many planets colonized by humans over thousands of years. Occur in a variety of sizes and colors.
Ixioths: Giant insectoids with six red eyes, six legs, and a hump-backed carapace with vestigial wings.
Jangalorans: Monkey-like inhabitants of Jangalore with six eyes, six legs and a puff of a tail.
Maanaans: Giant mushrooms with a domed hood and short foot/stalk.
Umloa’s Brood: Giant amoeba-like entities that can assume protean forms and engulf food or enemies.
Wistralians: Plantoids resembling giant flowers with three petals, a short stalk, and trailing roots.
Yelliasts: Entities resemble serpents with three round eyes and three pairs of wings. 




Books in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy
Teleport through the galaxy in this thrilling SciFi Space Opera / Epic Fantasy adventure and romance
FREE Short story: Gifts of Jangalore  Amazon  iBooks  B&N  Kobo  Scribd
Short Prequel: Grand Master’s Cat AmazonWhen Grand Master Griffin investigates a wrecked spacecraft, his efforts to rescue the survivors lead to feline disruptions of his plans.
Grand Master’s Pawn, Book 1 Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&NOne young woman challenges the secret rulers of the galaxy, and risks a perilous love. Young empath, Violet Hunter, dreams of exploring exotic planets as a Grand Master’s pawn. When life-threatening cracks appear in the teleportal web, she is tasked with investigating the disruption. Suspicions point to the twelve Grand Masters, and she must penetrate their curtain of secrecy to identify the culprit. Her challenges escalate when she meets the enigmatic man behind the griffin avatar. She plunges into a world of deadly intrigues and risks a perilous love. Armed with only her erratic powers and a mishmash of allies, she must battle the most powerful beings in the galaxy.
Grand Master’s Game, Book 2 Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&NPsychically linked lovers fight to save the galaxy. The rebellious Grand Master, Athanor Griffin, devises a risky plan to uncover the culprits responsible for life-threatening failures in the portal web. His loyal pawn and lover, Violet Hunter, is the key to success as they contend with hostile aliens and Grand Masters. But, she wrestles with her erratic psychic talents and doubts about their unequal partnership. She must surmount her insecurities and recruit allies to survive the inevitable battle with their enemies. Their worst nightmares lie ahead.
Grand Master’s Mate, Book 3 Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&NYoung empath, Violet Hunter, and the crafty Grand Master, Athanor Griffin, tackle the villains threatening civilization. Their worst enemy rampages across the galaxy, while blocked portals prevent normal interplanetary commerce. Compounding their problems, half the Grand Masters on the Council vow to eliminate Violet. To restore peace, Violet and Athanor embark on a hazardous quest for a weapon hidden by the ancient psychic masters. But the weapon proves elusive, dangers lurk in the ancient sites, and new alliances forged with bizarre entities may not suffice to thwart their foes and save the galaxy.
Cosmic Rift, Book 4 Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N Empath Violet embarks on a new and desperate mission to find her missing lover.Violet’s happy family is shattered when Athanor Griffin vanishes. The formidable Grand Master might have teleported anywhere in the galaxy. Violet strives to find her psychic partner, while looking after their baby and fulfilling his duties on the Council. Her frantic search uncovers a new threat to galactic civilization along with resurgence of the infamous Ixioth slavers. The Council dithers in response to her call for action, and even her former allies believe the Griffin is dead. She must risk her son, her psi-powers, and her life to rescue her beloved mate in the hope they can unite to fight the menace.

Grand Master’s Trilogy, Box set of Books 1-3  Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N

Released Today - Cosmic Rift, Book 4 in the Grand Masters' Galaxy #SciFi

Cosmic Rift, Book 4 
Empath Violet embarks on a new and desperate mission to find her missing lover.Violet’s happy family is shattered when Athanor Griffin vanishes. The formidable Grand Master might have teleported anywhere in the galaxy. Violet strives to find her psychic partner, while looking after their baby and fulfilling his duties on the Council. Her frantic search uncovers a new threat to galactic civilization along with resurgence of the infamous Ixioth slavers. The Council dithers in response to her call for action, and even her former allies believe the Griffin is dead. She must risk her son, her psi-powers, and her life to rescue her beloved mate in the hope they can unite to fight the menace. 
Buy Links: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N

Kill them! Snippet from Cosmic Rift for #WeWriWa #SciFi Adventure

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors . Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories.
I’m posting snippets from my forthcoming release, Cosmic Rift, Book 4 in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy.
BlurbEmpath Violet embarks on a new and desperate mission to find her missing lover. Violet’s happy family is shattered when Athanor Griffin vanishes. The formidable Grand Master might have teleported anywhere in the galaxy. Violet strives to find her psychic partner, while looking after their baby and fulfilling his duties on the Council. Her frantic search uncovers a new threat to galactic civilization along with resurgence of the infamous Ixioth slavers. The Council dithers in response to her call for action, and even her former allies believe the Griffin is dead. She must risk her son, her psi-powers, and her life to rescue her beloved mate in the hope they can unite to fight the menace.
Informal Tag line: Even galaxy-trotting heroines need a babysitter.
You can read last week’s snippet here: http://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2017/06/amarylla-threeleaf-snippet-from-cosmic.html I’ve skipped ahead to a new scene and new characters. In her search for Athanor, Violet visits the next place on his agenda, the planet of Ravaleen, Meilai of Marina. Violet learns of explosions and a possible attack on a southern island. She and Ravaleen teleport there to investigate. Apologies for creative punctuation to fit into 10 sentences.
They emerged on a beach of tawny sand; fragments of shell littered the shore from the tideline above the lapping waves to the base of the craggy cliffs further inland. A line of people trudged toward a spaceship, poised ready for blastoff. Six-legged aliens with glossy black carapaces scuttled alongside the line of thin, hunched figures, the blue-hued inhabitants of the islands.  Shielding quickly, Violet flung a cloak of invisibility over herself and Ravaleen. Her swift action worked as far as she could tell, no one looked at them or raised an alarm. A small figure caught her attention by the dazed torment of her mind and wobbly legs; the scrawny girl stumbled and fell. The nearest alien lashed an energy whip at the cringing child; whimpering, the girl scrambled back into the line, her pain and misery seared into Violet, hardening her resolve to save them.  “What are they?” Ravaleen whispered, tilting her dainty chin at the slave masters. “Voids!” Violet swore, “I’ve seen their hellish kin in Athanor’s memories; they’re Ixioth slavers.” Her tone rising in fury, Ravaleen hissed, “Kill them!”
Now you have met one of the key antagonists in this story, adding a further impetus to Violet’s search. 
Cosmic Rift, Book 4 in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy is on pre-order for $2.99 and releases on June 23rd at: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N
To encourage new readers of this series, Grand Master's Trilogy, the boxset of Books 1-3 is discounted to $2.99 through this weekend. 
Grand Master’s Trilogy Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N

Solstice Special 99c Sale in SciFi Romance runs June 16-19:  http://author.carolvannatta.com/solstice-sfr-99-cent-sale/
I may have to skip the next two weekends since I’ll be in the UK visiting my family and possibly without internet for a few days. 
As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to www.wewriwa.comto sample the works of the otherwriters. 

Bargain & FREE eBooks in Romance, SciFi Romance, SciFi & Fantasy

June 16-19: Solstice SciFi Romance 99¢ Sale http://author.carolvannatta.com/solstice-sfr-99-cent-sale/

June 12-16: Show Me the Romance – Bargain eBooks - http://erinbedford.com/romance

June 12-18: SciFi & Fantasy 99c - http://sffbookbonanza.com/99c-books/
Sign up for FREE stories: 

June 12-18: Best of British - FREE eBooks by British Authors http://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/best-of-british.html

June 12-18: Mega SciFi & Fantasy FREE eBooks http://sffbookbonanza.com/freebooks/

June 12-25: FREE eBooks in Multiple Genres - http://www.lincolncole.net/freebies

Amarylla Threeleaf - Snippet from Cosmic Rift for #WeWriWa #SciFi

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors . Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories.
I’m posting snippets from my forthcoming release, Cosmic Rift, Book 4 in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy.
BlurbEmpath Violet embarks on a new and desperate mission to find her missing lover. Violet’s happy family is shattered when Athanor Griffin vanishes. The formidable Grand Master might have teleported anywhere in the galaxy. Violet strives to find her psychic partner, while looking after their baby and fulfilling his duties on the Council. Her frantic search uncovers a new threat to galactic civilization along with resurgence of the infamous Ixioth slavers. The Council dithers in response to her call for action, and even her former allies believe the Griffin is dead. She must risk her son, her psi-powers, and her life to rescue her beloved mate in the hope they can unite to fight the menace.
Informal Tag line: Even galaxy-trotting heroines need a babysitter.
You can read last week’s snippet here: http://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2017/06/no-psychic-link-snippet-from-cosmic.html Violet discovered she has lost the psychic link with her husband, the formidable Athanor Griffin. When her initial effort to restore the connection fails, she sends a message to their ally, Brightness Amarylla Threeleaf. Note, Amarylla communicates by rustling her leaves or emitting scents, and Violet’s translator is not perfect. (Apologies for slightly irregular punctuation to fit 10 sentences.)
Before five minutes had passed, a pillar of pink radiance appeared in the middle of the library. Spinning to a stop, the shimmering pillar resolved into the giant three-petalled flower of Amarylla.  Violet sprang to her feet and bowed, “Brightness, you are welcome.” The scent of roses wafted across the room, and Amarylla rustled, “Peace, friend Violet, Brightness deemed your query urgent.” “I’m not sure,” Violet admitted, “but, I’ve lost all sense of Athanor. It was sudden, only a few minutes ago.” “Brightness tastes your acute senses.” Her petals opened wide and the edges crinkled, “You fear the Griffin drifts into danger.” “But where?” Violet shivered. She reached the tip of her forefinger to touch the edge of a rosy petal, “I have to find him; rescue him if need be.”

Cosmic Rift, Book 4 in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy is on pre-order for $2.99 and releases June 23rd at: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N
In my effort to encourage new readers of this series, the boxset of Books 1-3 is discounted to $2.99 this week. 
Grand Master’s Trilogy - $2.99 at Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N
I may skip some weekends toward the end of June and early July since I’ll be in the UK visiting my family. Possibly without internet – I shudder at the thought of the accumulation of messages. 
As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.
Please return to www.wewriwa.comto sample the works of the otherwriters. 

Epic Fantasy and Mythic Elements in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy

The Grand Masters’ Galaxy comprises four full-length novels and a short prequel. The stories in this series combine epic fantasy with space opera and romance. It’s a hybrid of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars with hints of Anne McCaffrey’s stories.
Several Reviewers have enjoyed the fantasy or paranormal aspects of the books:
“Fast paced, lots of action and great characters. If you are into fantasy, paranormal and romance then this for you.” https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R2D5KTUKGYF3GO/
“This was a phenomenal book I enjoyed it so much, it was everything I could wish for in the start of a paranormal series. It left me eager to continue the journey with the grand master and his pawn. Beautifully written, imaginative, romantic and so exciting. I can’t praise it enough.” https://www.amazon.com/review/R221E8NHGJPPS9
“Exciting and vivid sci fi/fantasy/adventure, grounded in real emotions and fully realized characters” http://www.amazon.com/review/R3CANUFT4PBY9D/

Fantasy and Mythic References
You can consider Violet Hunter as a young Elf warrior on a quest. In the course of the first book, she acquires an amethyst crystal, a magic sword, and befriends a dragon, as well as Grand Master Athanor Griffin.    The twelve Grand Masters resemble powerful mages of different species. Some are benevolent, some are malevolent, and others may be indifferent. All Grand Masters emit deadly psychic rays.
The White Mother Tingu is clearly a wise old woman and possibly a witch. She lives in a thatched cottage on the pastoral planet of Avalon.
One of my characters is a dwarf, the Master Smith Stimon, who also shows aspects of the Roman deity, Vulcan. His forge is carved inside a volcanic cone in the mountains of Avalon.  I don’t have Ents, however, Grand Master Amarylla Threeleaf is a giant flower and glides on thin roots. Eziz often appears as a bunch of twigs, but can expand into a large tree.
The ethereal Elyrians of Erebus resemble elves. They wear gems on their foreheads and communicate telepathically. 

Stories in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy
FREE Short story: Gifts of Jangalore  Amazon  iBooks  B&N  Kobo  Scribd


Short Prequel: Grand Master’s Cat Amazon 
When Grand Master Griffin investigates a wrecked spacecraft, his efforts to rescue the survivors lead to feline disruptions of his plans. 











Grand Master’s Pawn , Book 1 Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N 
One young woman challenges the secret rulers of the galaxy, and risks a perilous love. Young empath, Violet Hunter, dreams of exploring exotic planets as a Grand Master’s pawn. When life-threatening cracks appear in the teleportal web, she is tasked with investigating the disruption. Suspicions point to the twelve Grand Masters, and she must penetrate their curtain of secrecy to identify the culprit. Her challenges escalate when she meets the enigmatic man behind the griffin avatar. She plunges into a world of deadly intrigues and risks a perilous love. Armed with only her erratic powers and a mishmash of allies, she must battle the most powerful beings in the galaxy.




Grand Master’s Game, Book 2 Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N 



Psychically linked lovers fight to save the galaxy. The rebellious Grand Master, Athanor Griffin, devises a risky plan to uncover the culprits responsible for life-threatening failures in the portal web. His loyal pawn and lover, Violet Hunter, is the key to success as they contend with hostile aliens and Grand Masters. But, she wrestles with her erratic psychic talents and doubts about their unequal partnership. She must surmount her insecurities and recruit allies to survive the inevitable battle with their enemies. Their worst nightmares lie ahead.








Grand Master’s Mate, Book 3 Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N 

Young empath, Violet Hunter, and the crafty Grand Master, Athanor Griffin, tackle the villains threatening civilization.Their worst enemy rampages across the galaxy, while blocked portals prevent normal interplanetary commerce. Compounding their problems, half the Grand Masters on the Council vow to eliminate Violet. To restore peace, Violet and Athanor embark on a hazardous quest for a weapon hidden by the ancient psychic masters. But the weapon proves elusive, dangers lurk in the ancient sites, and new alliances forged with bizarre entities may not suffice to thwart their foes and save the galaxy.





Grand Master’s Trilogy, Box set of Books 1-3  Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N 

Cosmic Rift, Book 4  Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  

Empath Violet embarks on a new and desperate mission to find her missing lover.Violet’s happy family is shattered when Athanor Griffin vanishes. The formidable Grand Master might have teleported anywhere in the galaxy. Violet strives to find her psychic partner, while looking after their baby and fulfilling his duties on the Council. Her frantic search uncovers a new threat to galactic civilization along with resurgence of the infamous Ixioth slavers. The Council dithers in response to her call for action, and even her former allies believe the Griffin is dead. She must risk her son, her psi-powers, and her life to rescue her beloved mate in the hope they can unite to fight the menace.

This week's 99c and #FREE #eBooks in Young Adult, SciFi & Fantasy

June 8-9: 99c Young Adult eBooks 
https://jlhendricksauthor.com/2017/06/04/99c-young-adult-sale-just/


June 5-11: 99c Sci-Fi and Fantasy eBooks 
https://www.epleymarina.com/99c-books



June 5-11: Sci-Fi and Fantasy Giveaway https://www.epleymarina.com/free-books



June 1-30thYoung Adult - https://jlhendricksauthor.com/2017/05/30/ya-instafreebie-just/

No Psychic Link - snippet from Cosmic Rift for #WeWriWa #SciFi Fantasy

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors . Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories.
This week, I’ll continue posting snippets from my forthcoming release, Cosmic Rift, Book 4 in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy.
BlurbEmpath Violet embarks on a new and desperate mission to find her missing lover. Violet’s happy family is shattered when Athanor Griffin vanishes. The formidable Grand Master might have teleported anywhere in the galaxy. Violet strives to find her psychic partner, while looking after their baby and fulfilling his duties on the Council. Her frantic search uncovers a new threat to galactic civilization along with resurgence of the infamous Ixioth slavers. The Council dithers in response to her call for action, and even her former allies believe the Griffin is dead. She must risk her son, her psi-powers, and her life to rescue her beloved mate in the hope they can unite to fight the menace.
Informal Tag line: Even galaxy-trotting heroines need a babysitter.
You can read last week’s snippet here: http://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2017/05/pain-stabbed-snippet-from-cosmic-rift.htmlThe final line was: Had they heard Athanor or just picked up on her alarm?(I’ve skipped a couple of lines and re-punctuated to fit.)
She couldn’t think clearly with the baby crying. Damping the upsurge of her emotions, she picked up her son and soothed him with a song. Ten minutes later, he quietened and she laid him back on the mattress. His quiet breathing comforted her. The two fluffies curled against his small body. Only the cat was still roused and angry, his tail whipping like an orange flag, he stood on his hind legs and pawed at her thigh. The pain had eased, but, something had changed. Violet froze in sudden comprehension; Athanor had gone. What had happened to their psychic link?

Cosmic Rift, Book 4 in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy is on pre-order for $2.99 and releases June 23rd at: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N
I may skip some weekends toward the end of June and early July since I’ll be in the UK visiting my family. If you would like a glimpse into some of my favorite British places, read this story set in Oxford and Southeast England: Gargoyle Hunt: 99c or FREE with Kindle Unlimited at Amazon (Discounted this week)


As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments. Please return to www.wewriwa.comto sample the works of the otherwriters. 

My Next Novel is Set on Europa #SciFi #amwriting

Facts about Europa
Sixth moon of Jupiter. Fourth largest moon of Jupiter.A little smaller than Earth’s moon.Surface layer of ice over an ocean of water and iron-nickel core. The thin atmosphere of oxygen. These aspects suggest there may be life on the moon, probably in the ocean. 
The moon orbits at a distance of about 400,000 miles from JupiterIt orbits Jupiter in about 3.5 days with the same side facing the gas planet like our moon. 

Europa is named for one of the lovers of the Greek god Zeus. Zeus took the form of a white bull when he abducted her. 
Here is a NASA artist's concept of the landscape of Europa NASA-ESAK-Retherford-SWRIDoes Europa look like a good setting for a science fiction story?