Aurora Springer's Blog, page 83

Cover Reveal and Pre-order for Thrill-Kinky

In the 26th century, humans and numerous alien races share the galaxy. Technology has advanced massively. Old Earth is a vast preserve and museum, and humans have spread to the stars. But some things remain the same. Love, lust, and money motivate both humans and other sentient species. Politics can get ugly. And crime can pay very well indeed.
The Malcolm, an independent interplanetary freighter, prefers to steer clear of both politics and crime, at least the kind of crime that doesn’t involve rescuing the occasional slave or exploited child on planets where such abominations are legal. Captain Mik and his loyal, if eccentric crew—Mik’s overprotective alien husband Gan, adventurous human mechanic Rita, bouncy cat-girl (and trained assassin) Xia, and PTSD-haunted ex-soldier Buck—usually succeed in keeping things only a little bit illegal. (One planet’s cash crop, after all, might be another’s favorite illicit recreational substance, and as long as no one’s getting hurt, why not get a cut of the profits?) But when a seemingly legitimate job goes supernova, the crew finds themselves up to their armpits in interplanetary espionage, art theft, and spies, and on the run from an infamous assassin. What a time to fall in love!
(Thrill-Kinky, coming 5/12/2015).
Luckily, Drax Jalricki—reformed (mostly) art thief, former (mostly) Banjali covert operative, and all-around winged hunk—has a plan to protect them.
But it involves hiding out on Cibari, the most dangerous planet in the galaxy.
Who knew Cibari was run by a felinoid warlord who might be the perfect match for Xia—if the straight-arrow detective sent from her homeworld to “rescue” her doesn’t win her heart, ears and adorable, perky tail first? And that’s not even talking about how the warlord and the detective are crazy about each other. Of course, it would help if any of them could tell the whole truth about who they are. (Book Two, Bad Kitty, coming 9/2015)
Who would guess that a hot cyborg who’s already survived more than a human lifetime could offer Buck both healing and love? But the cyborg shares a common, deadly enemy with the Malcolm’s crew, and surviving that confrontation will trigger all their inner demons. (Book Three, tentatively called Buck, Naked)
Dark secrets Mik hides even from Gan will come to a head and threaten them more than the enemies they’d hoped to escape. A mysterious stranger holds the key to Mik’s salvation… and unexpectedly, a key to both men’s hearts as well, if they’re willing to open that door. (Book Four, title TBD)

Thrill-Kinky (Chronicles of the Malcolm, Book 1)
Teresa Noelle Roberts
 Publication Date: May 12, 2015

  Sexual freefall is like a game of chicken, except the first one to let go wins.    

Chronicles of the Malcolm, Book 1
   Humans may have expanded to the stars, but they still have the annoying need to work for a living. Which is why Rita, crew member of the space freighter Malcolm, is stuck collecting recyclable slag rather than attending her favorite festival celebrating love and sexuality.
Things go from boring to interesting when she discovers a badly injured man who’s been thrown into a recycling bin to die. The catch, he’s gorgeous, winged, and naked.
   Drax Jalricki, reformed (mostly) art thief and reluctant covert operative, is on an undercover mission to protect three planets when someone in his own government brands him a traitor. By virtue of association, Rita and her crew are going down with him.
   From their first, hide-in-plain-sight quickie, the erotic spark between Rita and Drax is fueled by danger and adrenaline. But their growing suspicion that there’s more to their connection than lust may not matter if they don’t live through the night.
 Warning: Hero and heroine who straddle the line of criminal behavior—and definitely violate public indecency statutes. Exhibitionist, dangerous sex. Dark, sordid pasts. Wild risk-taking. Giggly cat-girl sidekick who’s not just another pretty…tail. And the greatest risk of all: true love.  

Buy Links: Samhain / Amazon / B&N / Kobo /All Romance eBooks / iBooks (iTunes)

Excerpt At first, what Rita was seeing in the recycling bin didn’t make sense: rust, amber and saffron-colored feathers, tipped with black, and a swath of something green and purple that might have been festival draperies.
 A gigantic bird?
  But there weren’t any birds on San’bal, according to what she’d been able to learn on the Galaxinet, and she hadn’t seen anyone on her previous visit. If there had been birds, Xia would have chased and probably caught them, even if they’d been as big as this appeared to be.
 A discarded costume with an animal underneath it? Part of last night’s festivities had involved the locals all running around in fabulous costumes, drinking copious quantities of the green bubbly booze.
 Some costumed person who’d enjoyed way too much of green bubbly and had climbed into a recycling bin to sleep it off? It didn’t seem like a desirable location for that, but maybe his equally drunk friends tossed him in as a joke.
 While she was still trying to sort it out, the lump of feathers moved.
 Rolled over.
 Opened his eyes.
 Stars and moons! Not a bird, not a costumed drunk—a Banjali.
 Maybe she should have thought of that sooner, but you hardly ever saw Banjalis off Banjal. Their glorious wings were only fully functional on low-gravity planets, and anything approaching Old Earth norm, like San’bal, was uncomfortable.
 “Hey, are you all right?” Rita asked, hoping he could understand her. “Need a hand getting out?” The gravity was probably too high for him to fly easily, especially if he was hung over.
 The Banjali stirred, giving her a better view.
 Definitely male. Definitely gorgeous. And definitely naked. Xia’s tail would have started twitching at first sight.
 The pleasure of that view, however, was spoiled by the strips of purple and green synthsilk—they could have been torn from the buntings that draped anything in the city that didn’t move fast enough—gagging him and binding his ankles and wrists.
 And by his injuries.
 The poor man looked like he’d had a run-in with an Arcturian bearcat. His golden skin was a mass of bruises, scrapes and shallow cuts, one eye swollen shut. But Arcturian bearcats didn’t use laserpistols, and she was pretty damn sure the wound in his shoulder was a pistol shot.

Teresa Noelle Roberts started writing stories in kindergarten and she hasn’t stopped yet. A prolific author of short erotica, she’s also a published poet and fantasy writer—but hot paranormals and BDSM-spiced contemporaries are her favorites. Or they were, until she realized science-fiction romances offered new possibilities for outrageous adventure, wild sex and love that overcomes serious obstacles, including being from different species! She’s also a prolific author of short erotica, and a published poet and fantasy writer.

Find her at www.teresanoelleroberts.com, on Facebook or on Twitter, where she hangs out as @TeresNoeRoberts.  

SFR Brigade Showcase – The Chess Motif in Grand Master’s Pawn

Welcome to the March Showcase

At the start of my Blog Tour, I will describe the chess analogy for my new release, Grand Master's Pawn. The key themes in this story are: perseverance, the search for truth, and the power of kindness.
This novel channels Lewis Carroll with humor and weird characters. The Pawn, Violet, is “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” She ports to different planets on missions for her Grand Master. Initially naïve, she gains power and allies until she confronts the Grand Master(s). There are four missions. In the chess analogy, the first move takes the pawn to the fourth square on the board. Each mission is a chess move, so the fourth mission takes Violet to the seventh square. She experiences a transforming experience, although her true promotion to queen will occur in Book 3 of the trilogy. The story acquired the White Mother and the Red Queen, almost by accident. But, the chess analog breaks down, as in “Looking Glass.” There are twelve Grand Masters, not eight for the chess pieces. I wanted a good mix of humans, male and female, and alien Grand Masters. Eight was not enough to eliminate some in each book, and leave some at the end. The main characters have secrets. Violet has hidden her psi talent for half her life. Her Grand Master is represented by the griffin avatar with blue eyes and a Darth Vader voice. Does he have a man’s body, or is he an alien or artificial intelligence? Violet doesn’t know. She doesn’t believe him when he says it is impossible for them to meet.
Free for 5-7th: Grand Master’s Pawn, part 1: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SG91AHEViolet’s first mission to the Catacombs of Erebus in search of the living crystals. 


ExcerptHe growled, “Why did you block off my vision several times?” 
“Grand Master, the dragon lord Ythris wished to talk in private,” Violet replied calmly. She had anticipated his question and used the dragon’s clever suggestion.
His gruff voice grew sinister, “You are unwise to thwart me, Violet Hunter. How did you block me? Why in thunder can’t you tell me the truth?” The griffin’s eyes flashed electric blue, blinding her.
Violet covered her eyes with her hands and shielded strongly. After a few minutes, she grew curious and peeped through her fingers. The blue fire had dimmed in the uncanny stone eyes. She lowered her shield very gradually, alert for another attack.
No assault came until she shut off her shield, and then he played a new tactic. Impelled by psi force, Violet shot into the air, shrieking as she flew towards the ceiling. Her rapid ascent halted just before she hit the ceiling. She slammed on her physical shield and hung in midair, rotating slowly under his power. He was playing with her!
She yelled, “Stop it! Put me down, or else I’ll never tell you the secret of the dragons.”
Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP1N5PM
 
Please comment and return to read the other contributions at SFR Brigade Showcase.

New Release - The King's Mortal

“You’re a plague. You leave destruction in your wake. You wreak havoc on everything that was created so carefully without any regard or respect. Because of you, my kind have died! You traipse around my world as though it exists for your amusement.”
On March 6th, Distinguished Press is proud to launch The King’s Mortal, the debut book in Armada West’s Wintertide series. 100% of pre-orders and sales on Friday will go to the charity To Write Love On Her Arms, a non-profit movement dedicated presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.

Synopsis:
I invite you to join me in Cimmerian, the frigid vampire realm—the home to the huntsmen of God. They have been tasked with slaughtering the humans who've released the plagued doppelgängers of mankind from their hellish prison, and it is an eternally uphill battle. Hope comes in the form of young Lana Corvin, a psychic lingering on the cusp of death with a blood disease, and wasting her precious days as the main squeeze of a notorious drug dealer. When she becomes the target of Cerberus, a kingpin drug lord, Fate will teach her that life—no matter how much or how little of it you possess—gives no second chances. That is, unless the rogue Vlad Dracula, hellbent on usurping the throne to claim Cimmerian for himself, doesn't teach it to her first.


Excerpt:
“This is a private meeting,” Gavin said. His arms hung at his sides casually, but everything about his stance was ready to move as he stared at Cerberus and his henchmen. There were ten of them, not including the dogs bristling at the ends of their chain leashes. Dear God, what kind of dogs are those? They were massive, standing only a few inches shy of her mediocre five feet, and covered with bushy fur. Maybe they were bears, not dogs at all. Lana glanced warily from Cerberus to Mónica, Donatien, and Béla. Mónica had locked up the artillery, and Lana noticed the appearance of a holster holding a gun at her hip. Donatien and Béla were now on each side of her and Gavin, and she got the uneasy sensation they were for her, not Gavin. Meanwhile Blair, Russ, and Johnson were all starting to reach for the heat they were packing.
“I was giving you the benefit of the doubt my invitation was just misplaced.” Cerberus’ beady eyes moved over to Lana’s friends. “It looks like I was mistaken.”
“You were.”
Gavin’s tone never wavered as Cerberus strutted forward. Lana shied away behind Gavin, biting down on her lip—Cerberus didn’t miss the motion. Immediately his eyes flashed to her. He was a lone wolf who scented blood.
“I know you. You’re Vic’s piece of ass.” His eyes had a cruel glimmer. “If you’re here, he won’t be. That’s rather disappointing.”
It was a slap to her already wavering confidence and Lana physically winced at the comment. All it took was that momentary distraction. She didn’t see him pull the gun out; she only heard the safety clicking off.
“Now, this is going to be nice and easy from here on out. You three” —he waved the muzzle in Blair’s direction— “will load all of that into my car. I will pay you for the merchandise.” Cerberus was mindful enough not to point the gun at Gavin. “And you . . .” He eyed her with hunger. “You can get in my car, dear.”
“I’d rather shit in my hands and clap,” she said.
Visit the release event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1577655532457325 and you can also purchase at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U58F2E6, https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/523590 More links will be added to the Facebook even as they go live.
About the author:


Armada West is an American author and model from upstate New York. Her first notable recognition was for her comedic play, "The Loo Cue", which won a playwright competition and starred actress Fiona Hutchinson. An avid gamer, West wrote articles and tech reviews for TheGamersHub.net
Her foray into publication began at Crushing Hearts Black Butterfly in 2012 with the release of her romance novella Undefeated and her first full length novel, Bottom Feeders. A short story, Underneath (The Christmas Tree), was included in the first Hot Ink holiday anthology Milf and Cookies.
West co-authored a romantic sci-fi short story, Space in the Fall, with fellow author and friend, Jadeleath. The piece premiered in the Persephone's Song anthology from Keith Publications.
In 2014 West was contracted by Distinguished Press for her series Wintertide, a re-vamping of Bottom Feeders. The King's Mortal will be available March 6, 2015. When the Gloves Come Off, a full length novel adaptation of West's Undefeated, was picked up by Roane Publishing in 2014. A release date is still pending.
As a model, Armada West has been featured in Riot Vixen magazine (February 2014) and on Inked Girls. She also worked with game developer, Jaime Fraine, for his 2014 "Tree Translator" Kickstarter campaign and was featured in two of his promotional videos.

March Blog Tour - Violet Through the Portals

Blog Tour Sites - Grand Master's Pawn
Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP1N5PM 
Visit these sites for a variety of titbits about this book, including excerpts, author interviews, and character interviews. Thanks to my generous hosts.

March 4: Pauline B Jones “Why I wrote the book” http://wp.me/p2wY7X-13C
March 5: Amy DeClerck - excerpthttp://amyreadsandwrites.blogspot.com/2015/02/grand-masters-pawn-thousand-years-in.html
Myra Lang – excerpt - http://katecorcino.com/2015/03/05/guest-blog-aurora-springer-shares-an-excerpt-from-grand-masters-pawn/
Kristina Stutts - Interview with Violet – http://kgstutts.blogspot.com/2015/03/grand-masters-pawn-by-aurora-springer.html
March 6: Usher Evans - Author Interview on
http://www.susherevans.com/2015/03/friday-book-spotlight-with-aurora.html
March 6-8: SFR Brigade Showcase – http://AuroraSpringerNovels.blogspot.com
March 10: Speculative fiction showcase - http://www.indiespecfic.blogspot.com/

March 12: Kathy Fawcett – excerpt - http://kmfawcett.com/?p=833
March 13: Sabine Priestley – excerpt - www.SabinePriestley.com
March 14: E Frost - Violet’s Interview http://emmafrostuk.wordpress.com
March 19: Diane Burton - Author Interview - http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/
March 20: Liza O’Connor - http://multiuniversesoflizao.blogspot.com/
Greta van der Rol – Grand Master’s interview –http://gretavanderrol.net/2015/03/20/new-release-grand-masters-pawn-sfrom-sfrb/
March 25: Stephanie Pajonas - guest on http://www.spajonas.com/
March 27: Melisse Aires - http://melisseaires.blogspot.com/
March 31: guest on Pippa Jay’s Teaser Tuesday - http://pippajay.blogspot.com/

Bound to You by AR DeClerck

Title: Bound to You                                               By: AR DeClerck



PRE ORDER AVAILABLE at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TZ9ZA7K/
Blurb:Jackson Baine is a man with a gift, and he has never had a problem with selling it to the highest bidder. His newest job is with one of the biggest terraforming companies in the universe, and the money he stands to make will allow him and his crew to retire on any planet in any galaxy they choose. His biggest problem: Ferrell Terraforming has assigned him a company liason to see to his needs and protect their interests. But that’s not his only problem. Lia Bernardi is smart, beautiful and strong, and she entices Jacks in a way no other woman ever has. She is a distraction he cannot afford on the surface. Anatolia Bernardi is ready to climb the corporate ladder, get out from under her egotistical boss, and impress her overbearing father. All she has to do is turn one dead, empty planet into an oasis. Her company says Jacks Baine is the key, and it’s her job to make sure he’s productive and happy. Both of which, she soon learns, are harder than she’d thought they’d be. For some reason Jacks can get under her skin and break down every wall she’s constructed between herself and the world. On the surface of a long-dead planet Jacks and Lia will be forced to face the startling realization that the past never really goes away.
Author Bio:

AR DeClerck lives in the Quad Cities, IL. She is a wife and mother of two daughters. She has two dogs and a cat, and always has her nose in a book. She’s either reading one, or writing one. She writes romance in many sub-genres, and has always had a soft spot for sci-fi romance. She credits her love of reading and writing to her mother, who always keeps a book handy.
Links:Facebook:www.facebook.com/authoramydeclerckTwitter:www.twitter.com/@ARDeClerckGoodreads:www.goodreads.com/ardeclerck

Snippet for Science Fiction & Fantasy Saturday - Grand Master's Pawn

Welcome to another Saturday with samples from Science Fiction & Fantasy stories. 

Today, I'll continue from last Saturday's snippet. Violet returned from her first mission with three crystals - two blue and one purple. In this scene she is with the other pawns.


“Where did you go on your mission, Gary?” Violet asked, ignoring his barb, despite her annoyance at his criticism of her Grand Master. She touched the crystals hidden in her pocket. Were the sapphires intended for her collar?
Gary said proudly, “I scouted the barbarian lands of a planet that my Grand Master plans to bless with her beneficent rule. My Grand Master is a great queen, and she wields power on many planets.”
Srini glanced at Violet, and a smile of derision crossed his brown face.
Violet lowered her eyes to hide her contempt. If Gary spoke the truth, he served a corrupt and dominating Grand Master. Srini’s Grand Master seemed better; he was willing to assist the Space Corps. Violet reserved judgment on her own Grand Master. At least, her mission to retrieve the crystals seemed innocuous in comparison to Gary’s arrogant claims.
She was aware of the disapproval in the minds of her friends, Lira and Srini. The other pawns were uncomfortable in Gary’s brash presence.

Buy Link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP1N5PM 
Please return to SFFSat and read the other snippets. Your comments are welcome. 

Grand Master's Pawn - Cover Reveal

New Cover
Pre-order/Buy Link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP1N5PM

Zombie Girl: Dead Awakened

Blurb:
Imagine waking up to find the world has ended, but unfortunately you're not alone...

For Connor Innis, awakening from a year-long coma with no memories, no ability to move, and unable to speak was bad enough. Then he learns that a bioweapon set off a zombie apocalypse—for real—while he was sleeping, and the world he can't even remember no longer exists.

Rehabilitation might be torture, but far worse awaits him outside. All too soon, the hospital Mentor declares him fit to leave but with nothing to go home to except a city full of mindless, flesh-eating monsters. That is, until he forms a strange relationship with the one he nicknames 'Zombie Girl'.
Zombie Girl: Dead Awakened is the first part of a YA dystopian romance trilogy, releasing 22nd April, 2015. Please add it to your Goodreads shelf HERE, or sign up HERE for my no-spam newsletter for special previews on cover reveals, new releases, the latest giveaways and discounts, and upcoming news.
Excerpts:

He woke to sensations of warmth and heaviness. The relentless thump, thump of a heartbeat and the rushing sound of someone breathing unsteadily. It took time to recognize the heartbeat as his own, to connect the breathing to air moving in and out of his own chest. How long had he been asleep? He didn't remember going to bed. He couldn't open his eyes. Confusion muddled his thoughts. Wait. Why can’t I move?Panic set his pulse racing, but a weight held him down. He choked on something pressing at the back of his throat. Nothing responded as he struggled to move. Damn, am I paralyzed? Trapped under something?"Please try to remain calm. You are perfectly safe."Remain calm? What the fuck does this moron expect?"Please try to calm yourself."He couldn't place a gender to the voice, and the flat unemotional tone meant it was probably synthetic. What were they called? Mentors. That was it. An artificial entity called a Mentor. The knowledge seeped into his awareness like blood oozing through a shallow cut. His struggles weren't getting him anywhere except a quick trip to a heart attack. He forced himself to take slow breaths, to steady himself. Not because the voice said so, but because there was nothing else he could do. He swallowed, painfully aware of the pressure of a tube in his nose and down his throat. He tried to talk, and heard a weird gurgle instead of words."Please relax. Do not attempt to move or speak at this time. Once you are calm, I will explain your situation fully."








Bio:
After spending twelve years working as an Analytical Chemist in a Metals and Minerals laboratory, Pippa Jay is now a stay-at-home mum who writes scifi and the supernatural. Somewhere along the way a touch of romance crept into her work and refused to leave. In between torturing her plethora of characters, she spends the odd free moment playing guitar very badly, punishing herself with freestyle street dance, and studying the Dark Side of the Force. Although happily settled in the historical town of Colchester in the UK with her husband of 21 years and three little monsters, she continues to roam the rest of the Universe in her head.
Pippa Jay is a dedicated member of the Science Fiction Romance Brigade, blogging at Spacefreighters Lounge, Adventures in Scifi, and Romancing the Genres. Her works include YA and adult stories crossing a multitude of subgenres from scifi to the paranormal, often with romance, and she’s one of eight authors included in a science fiction romance anthology— Tales from the SFR Brigade . She’s also a double SFR Galaxy Award winner, been a finalist in the Heart of Denver RWA Aspen Gold Contest (3rd place), the EPIC eBook awards, and the GCC RWA Silken Sands Star Awards (2nd place).
You can stalk her at her website, or at her blog, but without doubt her favorite place to hang around and chat is on Twitter as @pippajaygreen.
Website – http://www.pippajay.co.ukBlogs – Adventures in Scifi - http://www.pippajay.blogspot.co.ukSpacefreighters Lounge - http://www.spacefreighters.blogspot.comRomancing the Genres - http://www.romancingthegenres.blogspot.co.uk/SFR Brigade - http://www.sfrcontests.blogspot.co.uk/Twitter - https://twitter.com/pippajaygreenGoodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5054558.Pippa_JayFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pippa-Jay-Adventures-in-Scifi/114058821953752Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/pippajaygreen/Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/101080630877126516448/postsWattpad - http://www.wattpad.com/user/PippaJay Amazon page - http://author.to/PippaJay

Tuesday Teaser - Captured by the Hawk

Here's a new cover for my space operetta - Captured by the Hawk

Buy link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MYHSC52

Excerpt:


Kat glided over to the central com and lowered herself into the seat. The Hawk trod quietly behind and leaned his hand on the back of her seat. “Shall I open the panel?” he whispered. “No! I’ll try breaking into the com first,” Kat activated the screen and hit keys. The screen lit up, but nothing else happened. She input the first sequence of the secret code and waited a few seconds for a response, leaning back and supporting her head in her intertwined hands. If nothing happened, she would try another tactic to break in. She bent forward to begin a new sequence, when, abruptly, a loud hiss emerged from below the panel. She felt a strong gush of air. No, it wasn’t air! It smelled wrong. Immediately, she sprung out of the seat, yelling, “Gas!” and dashed for the door. She heard the crunch of metal, as if the Hawk were trying to seal off the spouting gas. Then, he was at her back and shouted, “Get out! It’s a trap!”
 

Science Fiction & Fantasy Saturday - snippet from Grand Master's Pawn

Welcome to another Saturday of Science Fiction & Fantasy snippets exchanged by writers. 
My contribution this week is from Grand Master’s Pawn, which will be released on March 5th. The pawn, Violet, has just returned from her first mission to the planet of Erebus, where she acquired 3 crystals: two sapphires and an amethyst. 


Excerpt:A familiar ebullient voice called, “Hello, my fellow pawns!” and Gary sauntered from the stone path to their table. A large ruby glinted on his neckband, almost matching the fiery red of his hair. He touched a finger to the red jewel and boasted, “My Grand Master rewarded me with a valuable gem.” 
Violet blinked at the flash of red. “Very colorful!” she said, disgusted by his ostentation. An alarm rang in her mind and she stiffened. Did Gary have the crystal stolen from the Elyrians?
“You were correct about the diversity of the Grand Masters, Lira,” he said, nodding at the cat-like alien. “My Grand Master is female. She admires beauty above all else.”
His words struck a dissonant chord in Violet’s critical mind, while she said, “I am glad she treats you well.”
“Oh, she pampers me with riches,” Gary said with a disdainful smirk. “I’ll be able to retire in luxury after the first year of my contract.” He stared at Violet’s neckband and taunted, “Your pawn collar is still plain metal. Is your Grand Master a miser?” 

Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TP1N5PM
Please return to SFFSat and read the other snippets. Your comments are welcome.