Aurora Springer's Blog, page 89
September 18, 2014
FREE eBooks: Rosemary's Quest on 19th, The Lady is Blue on 20th
Rosemary's Quest - free on Friday Coming-of-age novella: Untrained witch child Rosemary flees bullies, seeks forgotten White Wizard to destroy evil shadow king.
The Lady is Blue - Free on Saturday Scaly aliens with a mating season. What happens when their ship lands on a colony of unsuspecting humans? Secretive aliens frustrate curious scientists. Conflict erupts. What game is the hero playing? Can the heroine unravel the puzzle and engineer a peaceful solution?
The Lady is Blue - Free on Saturday Scaly aliens with a mating season. What happens when their ship lands on a colony of unsuspecting humans? Secretive aliens frustrate curious scientists. Conflict erupts. What game is the hero playing? Can the heroine unravel the puzzle and engineer a peaceful solution?
September 16, 2014
Fred Hoyle: eminent scientist and author of science fiction
Why he is interesting Sir Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) is best known as an astronomer. His science fiction plays and novels are less familiar today. I am fond of Fred Hoyle since I am a scientist and an author of science fiction. Also, I met him once when he lectured at the Cambridge University Astronomical Society.
ScienceSir Fred was a cantankerous Yorkshire man, who became a maverick outsider in the scientific community. His ideas were great, but he refused to accept evidence to the contrary.
He was an opponent of the big bang theory for the origin of the universe and advocated the alternative steady state theory.
Perhaps his greatest scientific achievement was his explanation that the elements necessary for life on earth, such as carbon, arose from nuclear fusion in the stars. He was omitted from the Nobel prize awarded for this discovery, which went instead to his colleague William Fowler, who confirmed Hoyle's idea. Fowler gave Hoyle credit:
“The concept of nucleosynthesis in stars was first established by Hoyle in 1946. This provided a way to explain the existence of elements heavier than helium in the universe, basically by showing that critical elements such as carbon could be generated in stars and then incorporated in other stars and planets when that star "dies".”
Later, Fred Hoyle promoted, with Changra Wickramasinghe, the concept that life on earth began in space and spread through panspermia. They imagined viruses riding on comets.
FictionFred Hoyle wrote science fiction, often with his son, Geoffrey Hoyle. He has diverse and interesting ideas, and although the protagonist is a man, the works include strong female scientists. Some of the endings are not happy (in more than one sense). Here are my comments on some of his works (published 1957-1982):
The Black Cloud depicts a super-intelligent cloud of interstellar gas and the problem of communicating with it.
A for Andromeda (with co-author John Elliot) was a BBC radio show, a novel, and a film. A message from the Andromeda galaxy has instructions for a computer, which gives instructions for creation of living organisms, ultimately a woman. Andromeda Breakthrough is the sequel.
Rockets in Ursa Major began as a play and is a fun read. Today it would fit into Space Opera with two sets of alien spaceships. I enjoy the opening sequence with a message found on a lost spaceship:
"If this ship returns to Earth, then mankind is in deadly peril-God help you."
Into Deepest Space is the darker sequel.
Ossian's Ride is more of an adventure with SF components. Mysterious new technologies come from the barricaded Industrial Corporation of Eire.
ScienceSir Fred was a cantankerous Yorkshire man, who became a maverick outsider in the scientific community. His ideas were great, but he refused to accept evidence to the contrary.
He was an opponent of the big bang theory for the origin of the universe and advocated the alternative steady state theory.
Perhaps his greatest scientific achievement was his explanation that the elements necessary for life on earth, such as carbon, arose from nuclear fusion in the stars. He was omitted from the Nobel prize awarded for this discovery, which went instead to his colleague William Fowler, who confirmed Hoyle's idea. Fowler gave Hoyle credit:
“The concept of nucleosynthesis in stars was first established by Hoyle in 1946. This provided a way to explain the existence of elements heavier than helium in the universe, basically by showing that critical elements such as carbon could be generated in stars and then incorporated in other stars and planets when that star "dies".”
Later, Fred Hoyle promoted, with Changra Wickramasinghe, the concept that life on earth began in space and spread through panspermia. They imagined viruses riding on comets.
FictionFred Hoyle wrote science fiction, often with his son, Geoffrey Hoyle. He has diverse and interesting ideas, and although the protagonist is a man, the works include strong female scientists. Some of the endings are not happy (in more than one sense). Here are my comments on some of his works (published 1957-1982):
The Black Cloud depicts a super-intelligent cloud of interstellar gas and the problem of communicating with it.
A for Andromeda (with co-author John Elliot) was a BBC radio show, a novel, and a film. A message from the Andromeda galaxy has instructions for a computer, which gives instructions for creation of living organisms, ultimately a woman. Andromeda Breakthrough is the sequel.
Rockets in Ursa Major began as a play and is a fun read. Today it would fit into Space Opera with two sets of alien spaceships. I enjoy the opening sequence with a message found on a lost spaceship:
"If this ship returns to Earth, then mankind is in deadly peril-God help you."
Into Deepest Space is the darker sequel.
Ossian's Ride is more of an adventure with SF components. Mysterious new technologies come from the barricaded Industrial Corporation of Eire.
September 12, 2014
Lines for SFFSat from A Tale of Two Colonies
Time for another 15 lines for Science Fiction & Fantasy Saturday
Fight for freedom! Fight to survive! The colony ship left Terra 500 years ago. What happened to it? Lily escapes the squalid confines of Terra to search for the lost colony.
from A Tale of Two Colonies (Released in August)
As she approached, the ugly head of a creature reared out of the water. Its vicious, scythe like jaws were clamped around Jim’s leg. It had a segmented body, longer than a man, with many legs thrashing in the water. Lily had no time to be afraid. She gritted her teeth and fired her laser, with little effect on the armored body. She jumped into the water, trying to jab her stick between the creature’s jaws and pry them apart. John came running from the houses, carrying a heavy duty slicer. He used the powerful laser beam to sever the creature’s head from its body. They grabbed Jim and hauled him to the bank, while the creature’s body continued to whip around, splashing in the deeper water. Its jaws were fastened tightly onto Jim’s leg. In the end, John had to cut away the creature’s jaws in order to release Jim’s torn leg. “We must carry better weapons from now on,” John said. “We can’t underestimate the unknown dangers of this planet.” Lily nodded in agreement. Looking back at the river, she saw a large winged creature swoop onto the thrashing body of the dead animal.
Click on the button to return and read the contributions of the other authors.
Fight for freedom! Fight to survive! The colony ship left Terra 500 years ago. What happened to it? Lily escapes the squalid confines of Terra to search for the lost colony.
from A Tale of Two Colonies (Released in August)
As she approached, the ugly head of a creature reared out of the water. Its vicious, scythe like jaws were clamped around Jim’s leg. It had a segmented body, longer than a man, with many legs thrashing in the water. Lily had no time to be afraid. She gritted her teeth and fired her laser, with little effect on the armored body. She jumped into the water, trying to jab her stick between the creature’s jaws and pry them apart. John came running from the houses, carrying a heavy duty slicer. He used the powerful laser beam to sever the creature’s head from its body. They grabbed Jim and hauled him to the bank, while the creature’s body continued to whip around, splashing in the deeper water. Its jaws were fastened tightly onto Jim’s leg. In the end, John had to cut away the creature’s jaws in order to release Jim’s torn leg. “We must carry better weapons from now on,” John said. “We can’t underestimate the unknown dangers of this planet.” Lily nodded in agreement. Looking back at the river, she saw a large winged creature swoop onto the thrashing body of the dead animal.
Click on the button to return and read the contributions of the other authors.
September 11, 2014
Free Saturday 13th, Captured by the Hawk
Space Operetta: Chase across the galaxy as Kat and Black Hawk Dodge the Emperor's Troops.
Captured by the Hawk Romp through space with fast-paced action, mystery, humor and romance. Interstellar spy and expert code thief, Grey Kat, is captured by the enigmatic Black Hawk, renegade captain of the Rogue Star, who terrorizes the Emperor’s spaceships. He wears black, exposing only his fierce green eyes. Kat is housed in the cabin of his wife, who died under mysterious circumstances. Captain Hawk persuades Kat to assist in his next piracy attempt, which plunges them into a series of comic misadventures as they frantically dodge pursuit, crashing through several ships and different planets. Follow their adventures from Hassam port via the dock on a small planetoid to the remote planet of Ulverkop. How will they evade the Emperor’s troops? Will Kat discover the secrets of the mysterious Black Hawk before she suffers the fate of his unfortunate ex-wife? Can she ever resume her true identity as the wealthy Mistress Trina Sligo and wed the Emperor’s son?
Captured by the Hawk Romp through space with fast-paced action, mystery, humor and romance. Interstellar spy and expert code thief, Grey Kat, is captured by the enigmatic Black Hawk, renegade captain of the Rogue Star, who terrorizes the Emperor’s spaceships. He wears black, exposing only his fierce green eyes. Kat is housed in the cabin of his wife, who died under mysterious circumstances. Captain Hawk persuades Kat to assist in his next piracy attempt, which plunges them into a series of comic misadventures as they frantically dodge pursuit, crashing through several ships and different planets. Follow their adventures from Hassam port via the dock on a small planetoid to the remote planet of Ulverkop. How will they evade the Emperor’s troops? Will Kat discover the secrets of the mysterious Black Hawk before she suffers the fate of his unfortunate ex-wife? Can she ever resume her true identity as the wealthy Mistress Trina Sligo and wed the Emperor’s son?
September 9, 2014
Creation of Characters for Captured by the Hawk
Conception of the main charactersCaptured by the Hawk The story took off once the two main characters gelled in my mind.
Katrina
The first scene has the heroine dodging around a space port, so obviously she would need to blend in with nondescript clothes and hair. Hence Grey Kat. But, she is a disguised spy with the alter ego of Mistress Trina Sligo. Mistress Trina has a distinctive appearance with red hair and Irish heritage. Her Irish cousins appear later in the story, with thank and apologies to my own Irish relatives.
Black HawkThe hero was intended to have a mysterious past, his name is appropriate for a space pirate. I imagined a mix of literary precedents - Bluebeard, notorious for killing his wives; Captain Nemo, mourning his dead wife; and Captain Hook. So, Captain Black Hawk acquired a wife who died under mysterious circumstances, as well as other similarities with the fictional characters.
Put the hero and heroine together and adventures happened. Love blossoms, with Kat struggling to uncover what horror is concealed under Black Hawk's mask
Katrina
The first scene has the heroine dodging around a space port, so obviously she would need to blend in with nondescript clothes and hair. Hence Grey Kat. But, she is a disguised spy with the alter ego of Mistress Trina Sligo. Mistress Trina has a distinctive appearance with red hair and Irish heritage. Her Irish cousins appear later in the story, with thank and apologies to my own Irish relatives. Black HawkThe hero was intended to have a mysterious past, his name is appropriate for a space pirate. I imagined a mix of literary precedents - Bluebeard, notorious for killing his wives; Captain Nemo, mourning his dead wife; and Captain Hook. So, Captain Black Hawk acquired a wife who died under mysterious circumstances, as well as other similarities with the fictional characters.
Put the hero and heroine together and adventures happened. Love blossoms, with Kat struggling to uncover what horror is concealed under Black Hawk's mask
September 5, 2014
SFFSat snippet from Captured by the Hawk
Snippet for SFFSat extracted from Captured by the Hawk, a Space Operetta.Fun, fast-paced and full of cliches. Follow the adventures of interstellar spy Kat when she is kidnapped by Black Hawk, renegade captain of the Rogue Star. Excerpt Kat rolled awkwardly across the cold floor, trying to gauge the size of her prison, despite the cumbersome bonds restraining her arms and legs. Suddenly, she bumped against a yielding object. It felt like someone’s body. A groan told her the person was alive. “Who are you?” she asked, biting her lip in anxiety. Who had they imprisoned in the room with her? “Kat?” he whispered hoarsely with another groan, and she recognized Black Hawk’s voice. She wriggled around, placing her head near his, and whispered in his ear, or as close as she could guess in the dark, “Rumors say you have a hand that cuts metal.” “Rumors are correct. They call me Niall of the Silver Hand. But, my hand is gloved to mute the power and clamped by the wrist.” She heard his regular breathing sway the cloth masking his face, “If I remove the glove, can you break the bonds on my wrists?” “Yes,” he spoke slowly and cautiously, as if he mistrusted her intentions. “I can free you.”
Please return to the SFFSat site by clicking on the button to read the offerings from other authors. Comments are always welcome.
September 3, 2014
History of Covers for New Release - Captured by the Hawk
The Road to a Cover Captured by the Hawk is a Space Operetta. Fast, furious, fun and full of cliches! Follow the misadventures of interstellar spy Grey Kat when she is kidnapped by Black Hawk, renegade captain of the Rogue Star. First Attempt at cover:
I like the galaxy for a space opera, but it's too spotty together with the hawk (actually it is an osprey) Second Try:
No, the galaxy definitely does not work! A Different Style:
Black and mysterious, which is appropriate for Black Hawk, the hero. But, it is a Space Operetta, with fun and romance. So, the cover needs brighter colors. Try Again:
The blue and orange work well, but the hawk is less conspicuous. Also, an orange planet might be confused with our harvest moon. I used this cover for the paper book. Let's try another color.
Final (so far) eBook cover:We have a blue planet, which looks more spacey, and the hawk in orange-brown is more prominent.
I like the galaxy for a space opera, but it's too spotty together with the hawk (actually it is an osprey) Second Try:
No, the galaxy definitely does not work! A Different Style:
Black and mysterious, which is appropriate for Black Hawk, the hero. But, it is a Space Operetta, with fun and romance. So, the cover needs brighter colors. Try Again:
The blue and orange work well, but the hawk is less conspicuous. Also, an orange planet might be confused with our harvest moon. I used this cover for the paper book. Let's try another color.
Final (so far) eBook cover:We have a blue planet, which looks more spacey, and the hawk in orange-brown is more prominent.
August 30, 2014
Interview of Captured by the Hawk, a Space Operetta
Rating by Liza O'Connor: [image error]
[image error] My new release (Sept. 1) Captured by the Hawk was interviewed by Liza O'Connor Read Liza's interview here.
This Space Operetta is a light-hearted romp through space with fast-paced action, mystery, humor and romance. Follow the adventures of interstellar spy and expert code thief, Grey Kat, when she is captured by the enigmatic Black Hawk, renegade captain of the Rogue Star. He is a charming pirate, except when brooding on his tragic past. Can Kat discover his secrets before she suffers the fate of his deceased wife? Will she ever resume her true identity as the wealthy Mistress Trina and wed the Emperor's son?
Read other excerpts in the Page at the top of the Blog
Short 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!”
August 27, 2014
Fight for Freedom: Free eBook on September 30 - A Tale of Two Colonies
FREE 8/30/14: Tiger Lily seeks lost space colony, finds love. A Tale of Two Colonies
Fight for freedom! Fight to survive! The colony ship left Terra 500 years ago, no signals for over 400 years, until a short burst arrived 10 years ago. What happened? Tiger Lily escapes the subterranean misery of Terra and searches for the lost colony in the treacherous mountains and arthropod-infested jungles of planet Delta.
Excerpt:
They investigated the river waters first in search of edible animals. Small fish like creatures swam in the shallow waters by the river bank. Some of the men waded into the water. Lily was more cautious and walked on the bank. Suddenly, there was a scream from the river. One of the men was struggling with something in the river. Immediately, Lily grabbed a stick from the ground and raced toward the splashing man. Two men were trying to hold onto Jim Carton, as he was dragged into the river. As she approached, the ugly head of a creature reared out of the water. Its vicious, scythe like jaws were clamped around Jim’s leg. It had a segmented body, longer than a man, with many legs thrashing in the water. Lily had no time to be afraid. She gritted her teeth and fired her laser, with little effect on the armored body. She jumped into the water, trying to jab her stick between the creature’s jaws and pry them apart. John came running from the houses, carrying a heavy duty slicer. He used the powerful laser beam to sever the creature’s head from its body. They grabbed Jim and hauled him to the bank, while the creature’s body continued to whip around, splashing in the deeper water. Its jaws were fastened tightly onto Jim’s leg. In the end, John had to cut away the creature’s jaws in order to release Jim’s torn leg. “We must carry better weapons from now on,” John said. “We can’t underestimate the unknown dangers of this planet.” Lily nodded in agreement. Looking back at the river, she saw a large winged creature swoop onto the thrashing body of the dead animal. The flying animal had a long body and round head with huge opalescent eyes, and two pairs of narrow, ten-foot long wings. Its body was an iridescent green. It grabbed the squirming segments in its front legs and flew across the river to the opposite bank. She thought it was beautiful and fierce. She wondered what other monstrous creatures lurked within the nearby forests of tree ferns.
August 25, 2014
Excerpt from New release: Captured by the Hawk
Captured by the Hawk
Interstellar spy, Grey Kay, meets renegade pirate, Captain Black Hawk.
Later in the day, she was escorted again to the Captain’s cabin. The Black Hawk was seated as usual at his table, looking at star charts. He glanced up when she was ushered into the room. His eyes lingered, registering astonishment at her red hair and fair, freckled skin. He stood and paced around her with the supple and deadly grace of a prowling tiger. He spoke in a deep resonant voice, “A dramatic change! Grey Kat is entirely washed away.” Trina was attracted strongly by the feline grace of his body in motion. When he stood still, the image of raw, feral power was replaced by the enigma of the Black Hawk, clothed entirely in black. She raised her chin provocatively, and spoke in the haughty accent of the Solarian upper class. “I am grateful for your kindness in providing me with clean clothes and a luxuriously comfortable room.” Black Hawk circled her again, insisting, “I know your face! Where have I seen it?” He halted in front of her, staring at her face with narrowed eyes. She remained motionless and silent, only her eyes revealing her insolence. “Wait,” he cried, with a confident smile curving his lips. “I have it! You are Mistress Trina Sligo, daughter of the Solarian diplomat.” She made a slight bow and said, tilting up her chin with a mocking, regal air, “You are correct, Captain Hawk! In this guise, I am Mistress Trina Sligo.” “Amazing!” he said appreciatively, shaking his head. “No one would guess you were Grey Kat, the dock thief.”
Interstellar spy, Grey Kay, meets renegade pirate, Captain Black Hawk. Later in the day, she was escorted again to the Captain’s cabin. The Black Hawk was seated as usual at his table, looking at star charts. He glanced up when she was ushered into the room. His eyes lingered, registering astonishment at her red hair and fair, freckled skin. He stood and paced around her with the supple and deadly grace of a prowling tiger. He spoke in a deep resonant voice, “A dramatic change! Grey Kat is entirely washed away.” Trina was attracted strongly by the feline grace of his body in motion. When he stood still, the image of raw, feral power was replaced by the enigma of the Black Hawk, clothed entirely in black. She raised her chin provocatively, and spoke in the haughty accent of the Solarian upper class. “I am grateful for your kindness in providing me with clean clothes and a luxuriously comfortable room.” Black Hawk circled her again, insisting, “I know your face! Where have I seen it?” He halted in front of her, staring at her face with narrowed eyes. She remained motionless and silent, only her eyes revealing her insolence. “Wait,” he cried, with a confident smile curving his lips. “I have it! You are Mistress Trina Sligo, daughter of the Solarian diplomat.” She made a slight bow and said, tilting up her chin with a mocking, regal air, “You are correct, Captain Hawk! In this guise, I am Mistress Trina Sligo.” “Amazing!” he said appreciatively, shaking his head. “No one would guess you were Grey Kat, the dock thief.”
