Aurora Springer's Blog, page 8

Character Sketch 1: Violet Hunter in Grand Masters’ Galaxy

 

Violet Hunter is the point of view character for the novels in my epic science fantasy series Grand Masters’ Galaxy . She is a petite young woman with green eyes. Violet is an empath, and defies the Grand Masters’ prohibition to become a pawn and explore unknown worlds. Unbeknownst to her Grand Master, she is investigating the secrets of the Twelve Grand Masters. Her powers amplify during the series, especially after she meets Athanor Griffin in person. 

We first meet Violet as a young teenager in my short story, Violet’s Quest .

 I evolved the same image to show Violet as a young adult at the start of the first novel, Grand Master’s Pawn .

 During her adventures, she wins a magic suit of armor and sword. Here’s a picture of Violet in her armor. 

Please leave a comment to let me know if you like my sketches.

 

Two of Violet’s images are available at my site for WhimsicalArt as prints,  or on T-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise . 

BOOKS IN GRAND MASTERS’ GALAXY

SciFi Fantasy - Super psychics in space. One young woman challenges the super psychics ruling the galaxy, and finds an impossible love

Gifts of Jangalore FREE short story set about 400 years prior to the main stories.

Violet’s Quest , Short Prequel

Grand Master’s Cat, Short Prequel

Grand Master’s Pawn, Book 1

Grand Master’s Game, Book 2

Grand Master’s Mate, Book 3

Cosmic Rift, Book 4

Cosmic Wars , Book 5

Cosmic Lock, Book 6

My stories are discounted at my direct BookStore .

My novels and novellas are available in paperback as well as ebook. Many also have audio-versions. Check the individual titles in my book  catalogue .

Find prints, T-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise at my site for WhimsicalArt .

View my pictures and videos on Twitter , Instagram , YouTube , TikTok and Pintrest .  

Twelve Days of Character Sketches for My Stories

In the spirit of the holiday season, I’ll post a new character sketch on each of the twelve days after Christmas. The sketches will include images and descriptions of major characters from my stories. I’ll also post the sketches daily on Instagram.

I created the images using text prompts to illustrate my idea of the character. In some cases, I may have more than one image for a particular character. The header images were created in the same way. 

Please leave a comment to let me know if you like the sketches. If this idea proves popular, I can combine sketches into a booklet to offer readers.

All my stories are discounted at my direct BookStore .

My novels and novellas are available in paperback as well as ebook. Many also have audio-versions. Check the individual titles in my book catalogue.

Find prints, T-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise at my site for DigitalArt .

View my pictures and videos on Twitter , Instagram , YouTube , TikTok and Pintrest .

Snippet from KARRIK for #WeWriWa and #SnippetSunday Sci-Fi Alien Romance

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

I’m continuing from the beginning of my wip, Karrik, Book 6 of SciFi series, Taxyon Space . In last weeks’ snippet, Karrik was lying in a room in a hospice run by the Pearl Sisters. He has been in a semi-comatose state for months. This excerpt explains much of the backstory from the previous books.   

He remembered diving under green waves in a vast sea. Two others swam with him. His brothers. Had he been like them once?  

Now, he could not swim. Not with a single arm and leg. Shame stabbed into his foggy brain. He was only half a man, less than half, because he could not utter the words beating at his mind. Drenched in misery, he groaned.

Nobody noticed.

Ten sentences and a few more

He slept, woke, swallowed what they fed him, and slept again.

The monstrous mandibles clamped onto Karrik’s arm, crunching into his flesh. His battle booster blurred the pain. Bone cracked. He screamed.

And woke, panting with terror.

Just a nightmare.

He reached up to rub his bleary eyes. No hand. His right arm ended in a stump at the elbow.

He groaned. It was not a nightmare, but his vivid memory of a real event. The Swarm attack that left him maimed and as helpless as a newborn. His brothers had defied their orders and run to rescue him. Where had they gone? Alarik and Baswin, the energetic First and loyal Second of the Flaming Comets Triad? 

His brothers' stories are described in the earlier books, Alarik and Baswin . The three brothers are aliens, Warrish ‘mermen’, and the elite in their society despise physical deformities. 

Monthly Bargain: 99c for Dame Audrey, Medieval Fiction with Fantasy and Romance. 

In fourteenth century Britain, Dame Audrey cherishes her independence as the widow of a wealthy cloth merchant. But some of the wealthier traders covet her profitable business and she fears they will invoke the Abbot’s authority to compel her to marry a man of their choice. Her worst nightmare is suffering under a cruel husband like the hateful jeweler, Henry Goldsmith, who has threatened to curb her lively spirits.

Audrey joins a pilgrimage to Glastonbury to pray for guidance. The holy relics give her no inspiration nor do her fellow travelers. On the homeward journey, she aids the dying victim of a brutal robbery. She wins the stranger’s blessing and a gold brooch with a green dragon. Back in her hometown, the faerie brooch attracts trouble from thieves of all ranks and the attentions of a handsome yeoman, Selwyn Drake. As her nightmare looms nearer, she grows desperate to preserve her freedom.

Can the magic brooch help Audrey evade the schemes to force her into wedlock or must she submit to a brutal husband’s will?

99c at: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other  

Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.

All my stories are discounted at my direct BookStore.

View my pictures and videos on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Pintrest.

Find prints, T-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise with my whimsical images at DigitalArt.

 

First Lines of Karrik, SciFi Romance, for #WeWriWa and #SnippetSunday

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

I’ve taken a break from posting snippets for several months. During this interval, I have slowly been writing the 6th book in my SciFi series, Taxyon Space. I pursued new skills in making videos and AI-generated art. My husband and I also spent three weeks in Hawaii, visiting three of the islands, Oahu, Big Island and Kauai. You can see my pictures and videos on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Pintrest.

My snippet is taken from the beginning of the story, Karrik, and shows the problems faced by the protagonist. Karrik lost an arm and a leg in battle and survives in a semi-comatose state. His older brothers made a sacrifice to arrange care for him. Their stories are described in the earlier books, Alarik and Baswin. The brothers are aliens, Warrish ‘mermen’, and the elite in their society despise physical deformities. 

Note, the story is still incomplete and has not yet been edited. 

 

He lay alone.

Memories stirred in his fuzzy mind. They called him Karrik. Was Karrik his name? He could not remember. His befuddled thoughts oozed as slowly as molasses in a maze. Words emerged at random. Remembering terror and pain, he whimpered.

The hammock rocked beneath his aching body.

People came and went.

Ten sentences, and a few more:

They wore white robes and pleasant faces. They touched him with gentle hands.

Their mouths opened.

He heard sounds. Meaningless babble interspersed with a word he recognized.

One or two at a time, people walked in and spoke to him. Their voices were as clear and cheerful as if he were a baby.

He understood a few simple words. But often, the meaning floated into his mind long after the people had left the room. 

I hope you can appreciate why this story has been difficult to write. In addition to Karrik’s slow recovery, I have to continue his brothers’ stories. The two earlier books, Alarikand Baswin, both end with the brother and his favorite human woman traveling to the aliens’ planet.  

Monthly Bargain: 99c for Dame Audrey, Medieval Fiction with Fantasy and Romance.

In fourteenth century Britain, Dame Audrey cherishes her independence as the widow of a wealthy cloth merchant. But some of the wealthier traders covet her profitable business and she fears they will invoke the Abbot’s authority to compel her to marry a man of their choice. Her worst nightmare is suffering under a cruel husband like the hateful jeweler, Henry Goldsmith, who has threatened to curb her lively spirits.

Audrey joins a pilgrimage to Glastonbury to pray for guidance. The holy relics give her no inspiration nor do her fellow travelers. On the homeward journey, she aids the dying victim of a brutal robbery. She wins the stranger’s blessing and a gold brooch with a green dragon. Back in her hometown, the faerie brooch attracts trouble from thieves of all ranks and the attentions of a handsome yeoman, Selwyn Drake. As her nightmare looms nearer, she grows desperate to preserve her freedom.

Can the magic brooch help Audrey evade the schemes to force her into wedlock or must she submit to a brutal husband’s will?

99c at: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other  

 NEW: Violet’s Quest. Illustrated Short Story and Prequel to the Epic Science Fantasy Series, Grand Masters’ Galaxy.

Teen empath, Violet Hunter is vulnerable to the pain and negative emotions suffered by other people. She is desperate for a solution. But, psychics must practice their skills in secret due to the Grand Masters’ prohibition. Only the legendary White Mother is rumored to defy the ban to teach young psychics. When her mother refuses to help, Violet runs away to seek the mysterious White Mother, who lives somewhere on the planet of Avalon. Will Violet succeed in her perilous quest?

Available Now and Discounted to 99c with Coupon Code 3UMLHH6RTV at my Webstore https://payhip.com/b/9wg3u  (Coupon valid until 22nd)

Or Pre-order at Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N GooglePlay  Other

 

Please return to http://wewriwa.blogspot.com/ to sample the works of the other writers.

All my stories are discounted at my direct BookStore.

View my pictures and videos on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Pintrest.

Find prints, T-shirts, mugs, and other merchandise at my site for DigitalArt.

 

Our Holiday in Hawaii, Part 5 Kauai

 

In the last week of our multi-island trip to Hawaii, we stayed in Kapaa, Kauai. This island is cooler and rainier than Big Island. A deep canyon, Waimea canyon, runs along the mountain spine of Kauaii. The top photo has a view over the canyon. For a panoramic view, see https://youtu.be/CwJ5BHt5KE0

 

The island has spectacular views of ocean and mountains. We also saw several pairs of Hawaiian Nene in Kiluaea park. See the video at https://youtube.com/shorts/P9zKPvfdXy0

The roosters crow loudly at night in Kauaii. See a pretty rooster at https://youtube.com/shorts/HY8-nRObN4Y

 

We stayed in an apartment in an interesting building in Kapa'a with statues of Buddha, mosaic tiles, and a lot of cats as well as the ubiquitous Kauai chickens. Calico cat was the friendliest of the cats (see above).

 

This photo of a cat lying on the lap of a statue encapsulates the vibe of the place in Kapa'a. It must have been built originally as a meditation center.

 

Our Holiday in Hawaii, Part 4 Waimea, Big Island

 

For our final days on the Big Island of Hawaii, we stayed on a small farm in Waimea. The farm had two goats, several sheep, a large friendly cow and a goose. I petted the goat in the top photo.

 We visited Lapakahi State Historical Park and saw ruined walls of old dwellings and the reconstructed hut in the photo above.

 

The adjacent stretch of beach, shown below, is restricted to protect the native Monk seals. It was too hot to walk in the sun for long, so we drove to another park with a sandy beach and swam for a while.

Next stop on our trip, the island of Kauai in the north west of Hawaii.

Our Holiday in Hawaii, Part 3 Volcanoes National Park

 

During our stay on the Big Island of Hawaii, we visited several different sections of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  In the main park, we walked part way around the rim of Kilauea Caldera. The top picture shows a view overlooking the smoking crater.

The trail goes past a series of steam vents and Sulphur Banks. The steam vents are best seen in my video on YouTube - https://youtube.com/shorts/8K51WMfvSqg .

 The unusual yellow color of the Sulphur Banks is due to deposits of the element Sulphur from volcanic emissions. You can smell the sulfur when you walk past the bank.

 

We drove to Puuloa and hiked for about a mile across the old lava field to see the petroglyphs. It’s a desolate landscape, although some plants grow in the rocks. The picture below shows a petroglyph with a figure of a man. Many petroglyphs are circles, dots or simple depressions in the rock. 

 On our final day near the Volcanoes National Park, we walked up the first part of the trail to Mauna Loa. The terrain is rocks with scrubby plants. Some have edible berries, which Nene and other animals eat. 

We stopped by the fence to the rest of the trail. It’s a three to four day hike to the volcano and requires proper back-country gear. Maybe we’ll do it another time. Hawaii is certainly a place we’d love to see again. 

News about My Books #SciFi and #Fantasy Adventures with Romance

All my novels and novellas are now available as paperbacks. T he picture shows the first books in my main series, Secret Supers, Grand Masters' Galaxy, Atrapako on Eden, and Taxyon Space. 

Y ou can clink on the series title for more information.

 

 I have discounted all my ebooks at my Direct Bookstore.

Our Holiday in Hawaii, Part 2 Rainforest on Big Island

We spent a week in a ‘Rainforest Retreat’ near Naalehu on the Big Island of Hawaii. The two-room house was ‘off the grid’ using solar power for electricity and collecting rainwater. 

The house was surrounded by rainforest and adjacent to part of the Volcanoes National Park.

The bromeliads are home to the notorious coqui frogs that chirp loudly at night. They were introduced only recently to the island.

Other introduced plants, like the Nunshood Orchid, are beautiful. 

We were comfortable in the house, although we tried to minimize our use of electricity at night. Water was not a limitation since it rained almost every afternoon and night.  

My Visit to Hawaii - Part 1, Waikiki Beach

 

We spent three weeks visiting the Hawaiian islands. Since we flew into Honolulu airport on Oahu, we stayed in Waikiki for our first three days.

The top picture shows the view from one end of Waikiki Beach over the bay to the distinctive peak of Diamond Head.

During our stay, we walked along the beaches, discovered the ABC stores, and several good places to eat within a short distance of our room.

You can see more pictures and videos of Hawaii on Instagram and YouTube.

Here's a tropical view of palm trees and blue sky. 

We saw one or two glorious sunsets from the beach. This photo shows the boats in the harbor silhouetted in sunset colors and their reflections in the water.  

There are pleasant parks beside the beaches with many colorful birds and plants. This photo shows a Java Sparrow and a Saffron Sparrow. The videos on Instagram and YouTube give a better impression of the birds.

We also found a family of cats living in a tree by the beach. They were not friendly, although someone had left bowls of water under the tree for them. 

After Waikiki we flew to the Big Island of Hawaii.