Saturday, February 25, 2017

A Glimmer of white-edged feathers - Snippet from Gargoyle Hunt for #WeWriWa #Superheroes

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors. Here, writers in different genres showcase their stories with 8-10 sentences. Join the fun and read our snippets.

I am posting snippets from Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3 of Secret Supers.

Blurb
Danger is the last thing on Estelle’s mind when she visits the University of Oxenford for a summer course. But, mysterious thefts and shadowy figures spur her into action. With Toby five thousand miles away, Estelle and her winged horse must hunt for the culprits alone. Soon they are embroiled in a mixed bag of aliens and ancient magic. Toby’s unexpected arrival throws her into turmoil and spurs events into a climax. 

Toby is in London where he has been followed. He walked into an ambush. See last week’s snippet – 
http://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2017/02/time-to-scarper-snippet-from-gargolye.html
The final sentence was: Toby agreed, “Time to scarper, cat.”

He rubbed the back of his neck where the cudgel had hit. He could feel a tender lump; the headache was only going to worsen.  
Want to ride?” the cat stretched his legs, appearing as a ghostly shape.
Yep, fastest way out! But you look like a ghost with the invisibility setting. Shoot up high.
Unfurling his wings in a glimmer of white-edged feathers, Growler purred, “Flying out is better than being caught red-handed.”  
Toby searched in the littered alley and retrieved his best jacket. He grunted, “No need to leave evidence lying around.” Stuffing the jacket under his invisible nanoshirt, he mounted the big jaguar.

 Gargoyle Hunt

Secret Supers, Book 3, Gargoyle Hunt

 Super Starrella

Buy Links for Book 1, Super Starrella 99c


 Colony

My SciFi Story about Colonists on the Planet of Giant Insects is discounted to 99c for the rest of the month. (or FREE with Kindle Unlimited)


 Comet Tales

An anthology of my shorter SciFi stories is available for preorder at 99c and release on 28th

Comet Tales: Trudge over the rocks of Mars, trek through a hazardous alien jungle, or pop across the galaxy in a pirate ship in five fun tales of adventure and romance.

As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

Please return to www.wewriwa.com to sample the works of the other writers. 

Thursday, February 23, 2017

New Release - Comet Tales #SciFiRom #ShortStories

 Comet Tales
Releasing on February 28th, Comet Tales comprises Four short stories and a novella. Pre-Order for 99c!


Trudge over the rocks of Mars, trek through a hazardous alien jungle, or pop across the galaxy in a pirate ship in five fun tales of adventure and romance. 


Buy Links:
Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N

Gifts of Jangalore
Short story set in the Grand Masters’ Universe.
Empath Rosa Spruce and Psi Master Varan seek an ancient site within an alien jungle. 

Stranded on Illumina
Jacie’s plan to meet her boyfriend on the Planet Illumina is scuttled when he skips their date.

Lonely Hearts on Mars
Love blossoms from disaster in this science fiction short story set in the near future.

Super Christmas
A glimpse into the lives of the Secret Supers.

Captured by the Hawk
A Space Operetta. 
Spaceships crash across the galaxy in the comic misadventures of spy Grey Kat and pirate Black Hawk. Will Kat uncover his mask before they are imprisoned by the Emperor’s troops? 


Tuesday, February 21, 2017

OBSIDIAN SKY Final Novel in Epic Steampunk Horror Series by AMY BRAUN #SciFi


The third and final novel in an epic steampunk horror series, OBSIDIAN SKY closes the dramatic adventures of Claire, Sawyer, Gemma, and Nash, digging up the final secrets of their past, bringing new allies into a dangerous fray, and drawing friends and foes into a battle where the cost may be too much to pay…


The final struggle against the Hellions has arrived. A trapped engineer and a desperate marauder scramble to fight an enemy with unspeakable power on its side. Time is running out, and one world will be destroyed…

After sacrificing herself to save the lives of her friends and family, Claire Abernathy struggles to outwit her Hellion captors. They torment and terrify her into working on a weapon with the sole purpose of obliterating the world, friends, and love she has struggled to save. If Claire has any chance of saving those she loves, she must delve deeper into the Hellion world, and witness nightmares she could never imagine.

In Westraven, Sawyer Kendric is desperate to find the woman he loves. To do so, he must finally embrace his family’s atrocious past and heal the wounds it has caused. He will be forced to make new allies, uncover secrets that change all he knows, and find the courage to lead a ragtag crew into the darkest, deadliest battle of their lives.

Claire and Sawyer fight to save their broken world in the final installment of the epic DARK SKY trilogy.



Buy it here:

Amazon | Kobo | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Smashwords | Goodreads




DARK SKY SERIES GIVEAWAY

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Two stories are told in OBSIDIAN SKY––the first chronicling a young engineer named Claire Abernathy as she struggles to survive the in the terrifying world of Hellnore, home of the blood-drinking Hellions, forced to serve their ghastly King and avoid the torment of Davin Kendric, the Hellion general, in hopes that she will be able to escape and return to her home and loved ones. The second story follows Sawyer Kendric, the young pirate captain who must make final peace with his own inner demons and face his responsibilities as a leader, all while uncovering secrets that will either save Claire, or seal her bloody fate. Their adventures will collide in an explosive finale that will change their lives forever, and leave one world altered forever…



While I love every book in the DARK SKY series, OBSIDIAN SKY is my favorite. I know I’m not supposed to pick a favorite, but I can’t help it. The book was just so much fun to write, allowing me the chance to write a story from two different perspectives and challenge myself as an author while bringing events to a conclusion where everything fell into place. Sometimes I worried that I was going to stray off from the main storyline, but thankfully everything fell into place just the way it needed to.

One of the great things about this novel is that it gets to move outside of Westraven. That’s been the main hub of activity throughout the first two books and two novellas, but I had made an expanded world and wanted to explore it. While Claire is stuck in Hellnore, which I modeled after Mordor from Lord of the Rings (a source of inspiration for almost every fantasy author, let’s be honest), Sawyer gets to explore the Aon, the country beyond the borders of Westraven. Both of them attract more than their share of trouble because let’s be honest, they couldn’t stay away from it if they tried.

World building aside, the best part about splitting the engineer and the marauder up was being able to focus on their individual characters and their final arcs. I did my best to balance the events and keep the tension and action flowing throughout the story, making the pacing fast for one character and slow for the other. When Claire needs a breather, Sawyer is the one getting into trouble and vice versa.

The ending is a lot more emotional than I intended, and it was sad to see these beloved characters reach their conclusions. This series has been with me for years, and there were a couple tears shed when I wrote the final chapter. I’m committed to going out with a big bang, so I worked hard with my editor to wrap up all the details and worked with XPresso Book Tours for a book blitz while organizing a second blog tour. I’ve also discounted the prices of every book in the series, and will keep them lowered for the month of February.

I can’t begin to express how excited the cover and artwork have made me. Deranged Doctor Design outdid themselves yet again, capturing everything this book is about: The red lava that represents Hellnore, the crossed swords for Sawyer, the claw marks and dents inflicted by the Hellions. I’m constantly floored by their fantastic work and can’t wait to work with them again in the future.

This is the second series I’ve closed in the past year, the first being the CURSED trilogy for urban fantasy fans. While I’m just as sad to say goodbye to this one, I’m also relieved that it’s a project off my plate. I learned so much from writing OBSIDIAN SKY and the DARK SKY series, and can’t wait to take these lessons and apply them to future work.






Q & A: Amy Braun and Obsidian Sky– MINOR SPOILERS BELOW.



Q: Were you nervous about writing the end of Obsidian Sky? Was everything planned or were some events spontaneous?

A: I’m a meticulous planner when it comes to world building and plots, but there were some events that I hadn’t intended that were added into the final story. Certain characters and events appeared in places and scenes where I hadn’t intended them to. Characters acted in ways I hadn’t originally planned, or would have to think creatively to escape a challenge. I had a great time experimenting and using a lot of “What If” scenarios where my characters were pushed to the limits and forced to react unconventionally. I felt like I was experiencing their adventures with them, and at some points, didn’t know what would happen next, either.

 Q: Did you have any challenges writing Obsidian Sky?

A: Sometimes I can’t seem to control my characters––they go off and do what they want! Sawyer was notorious for this (which isn’t a surprise, really), and his scenes often took off in directions I didn’t anticipate. Claire’s challenges were a little more planned out, though I remember a particular moment about three-quarters of the way through the book where she got to be an ultra badass. That was a lot of fun to do. Other challenges I had were with the new elements and characters being introduced. I wanted them to have a major impact to the story, and had to work with my editor to make sure their presence was balanced with the other characters. But for the most part, I was stoked to write this book and couldn’t be happier with the way everything turned out. 

Q: How did it feel to close out a series you’ve worked on for so long?

A: It’s a mix of sadness and happiness. On one hand, I realize how much I’ll miss these characters and this world. I came up with the idea when I was fourteen years old, and now over ten years later, it’s finally over. It’s a lot to let go of. But on the other hand, I feel a great deal of closure. Here was this crazy, random idea I had as a kid, and I finally went ahead and made it a reality. Now that it’s done with and received with better success than I could have hoped for, helped me establish my career, I’m aware that if I work hard, put in the time and effort, and do all the re-writes, I can transform any idea into a book. And if you’re an author still hesitant about such a thing, read the opening dedication to Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. She did the same thing, and she became published. Never give up on your idea!

Q: What will you miss most about the series and the characters?

A: I’m definitely going to miss the world and the creatures in it. Writing the Hellions and Hellnore was so much fun. I’m also going to miss Claire’s inventiveness, Sawyer’s attitude, Nash’s soft-heart, and Gemma’s tendency to scream her lungs out in battle.

Q: Is there any chance of a continuation or a spin-off series in the future?

A: A reviewer actually asked me that not too long ago. While I’ll never say never to anything, at this moment, I have no plans to continue the Dark Sky books. Nash and Gemma have both already had their own spin-off prequel novellas, titled Amber Sky and Smoke Sky respectively, and if I did do another spin-off, it would likely be a prequel series. But the odds of that happening in the near future are slim, given how I want to move onto other projects.

Q: Now that the series is over, what’s next?

A: At the moment, I’m working on two brand new series. I don’t want to say much about them to avoid giving away spoilers, but the first series will be an urban fantasy involving the Greek gods, and the second project is a Young Adult fantasy series with Gargoyles that was inspired by Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I wish I could tell you more at this point, but I can’t give you anything such as titles or release dates as both of these projects are going to be going to literary agents. I received amazing feedback on the Greek god project from one of my favorite fantasy authors, Michael J. Sullivan, and have been diligently working to improve it. I’ll know in the next month or so whether or not it’ll be going the indie or traditional route, and my newsletter subscribers and website/social media followers will be the first to know.

The same can be said for the YA fantasy Gargoyle project. I’m working on editing it and am hoping that in the next month or so I can send it to literary agents. YA fantasy is extremely popular right now, and I’m hoping that will be my “in,” but if not, I will happily take the project through independent publishing. I learned a lot last year and am ready to use that knowledge to expand my horizons and hopefully gain new readers.

At this point, the only project that will be happening will be the release of the complete Dark Sky box set in April. But anything can happen in this industry, and I doubt anything could slow me down at this point. I’m having too much fun!






Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action. She has short stories in various horror and urban fantasy anthologies and has been featured on various author blogs and publishing websites, and is an active member of the Writing GIAM and Weekend Writing Warrior communities. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, and struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction.


More From Amy Braun

CURSED

DEMON’S DAUGHTER | DARK DIVINITY | DAMNATION’S DOOR

DARK SKY

CRIMSON SKY | MIDNIGHT SKY | AMBER SKY | SMOKE SKY

STANDALONE NOVELS AND NOVELLAS

STORM BORN

PATH OF THE HORSEMAN

NEEDFIRE

Social Media Links



Saturday, February 18, 2017

Time to Scarper! Snippet from gargolye Hunt for #WeWriWa #Superheroes

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors. Here, writers in different genres showcase their stories with 8-10 sentences. Join the fun and read our snippets.

I am posting snippets from Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3 of Secret Supers.

Blurb
Danger is the last thing on Estelle’s mind when she visits the University of Oxenford for a summer course. But, mysterious thefts and shadowy figures spur her into action. With Toby five thousand miles away, Estelle and her winged horse must hunt for the culprits alone. Soon they are embroiled in a mixed bag of aliens and ancient magic. Toby’s unexpected arrival throws her into turmoil and spurs events into a climax. 

Toby is in London where he has been followed. He walked into an ambush. See last week’s snippet –
Last sentence (in italics to indicate telepathic communication): Where’s the black bird?” Toby asked Growler.

The raven flew home. She warned me about your danger.”
Standing motionless and invisible, Toby frowned at the wider road intersecting the alley. Cars trundled past; girl walked by, swinging her purse, without glancing sideways; light footsteps pattered closer. Two kids raced into the alley and halted. A boy called, “Hey, what’s going on?”
A girl squeaked, “They’re dead. Let’s scram.”
Toby agreed, “Time to scarper, cat.”

 Gargoyle Hunt

Secret Supers, Book 3, Gargoyle Hunt

Buy Links for Book 1, Super Starrella 99c


SPECIALS
 Colony

A Tale of Two Colonies
My SciFi Story about Colonists on the Planet of Giant Insects (Ha!) is discounted to 99c for the rest of the month. (or FREE with Kindle Unlimited)


I have an anthology of my shorter SciFi stories available for preorder at 99c and release on 28th. 

 Comet Tales

Comet Tales:
Trudge over the rocks of Mars, trek through a hazardous alien jungle, or pop across the galaxy in a pirate ship in five fun tales of adventure and romance.


As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

Please return to www.wewriwa.com to sample the works of the other writers. 

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Romance on Exotic Planet of Illumina #FREE #Shortstory #SciFiRom

 Stranded

Do you like reading short stories? 
Enjoy science fiction with romance on an alien planet? 

Claim a FREE copy of my special short sweet story for Valentine’s Day in your choice of mobi for kindle or ePub at https://www.instafreebie.com/free/Kfrq3

Or sample one of my full-length novels from the list HERE.

 Books

What killed him? Snippet from Gargoyle Hunt for #WeWriWa #Superhero

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors. Here, writers in different genres showcase their stories with 8-10 sentences. Join the fun and read our snippets.

I am posting snippets from Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3 of Secret Supers.

Blurb
Danger is the last thing on Estelle’s mind when she visits the University of Oxenford for a summer course. But, mysterious thefts and shadowy figures spur her into action. With Toby five thousand miles away, Estelle and her winged horse must hunt for the culprits alone. Soon they are embroiled in a mixed bag of aliens and ancient magic. Toby’s unexpected arrival throws her into turmoil and spurs events into a climax. 

Toby is in London where he has been followed. He walked into an ambush. See last week’s snippet – http://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2017/02/need-paw-snippet-from-gargoyle-hunt-for.html
The final sentence was: The next second, his eyes rolled up and his breath fled.

Zarks! What killed him?” Toby muttered, “Suicide pill?” He lowered the body next to the one Growler had trapped.
This one’s alive.” Shimmering into visibility as he moved, the jaguar sat on his haunches and pawed the leg of a prone man; his capture groaned.
Toby switched his suit to invisible and looked around to assess the damage. Besides the two thugs at his feet, two lay across each other at the far of the dirty lane. The goon who had bludgeoned Toby slumped against the wall. All unconscious, apart from the one Toby had questioned; he lay dead.
Where’s the black bird?” Toby asked Growler.

 Gargoyle Hunt

Secret Supers, Book 3, Gargoyle Hunt

 Super Starrella

Buy Links for Book 1, Super Starrella 99c

 Illumina

Do you like reading short stories? Here’s my special short sweet story for Valentine’s Day – romance on an alien planet. https://www.instafreebie.com/free/Kfrq3

Look at my gorgeous new covers for the Grand Master's Trilogy
 Pawn


As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

Please return to www.wewriwa.com to sample the works of the other writers. 


Saturday, February 4, 2017

"Need a paw?" Snippet from Gargoyle Hunt for #WeWriWa #Fantasy

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors. Here, writers in different genres showcase their stories with 8-10 sentences. Join the fun and read our snippets.

I am still posting snippets from Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3 of Secret Supers.

Blurb
Danger is the last thing on Estelle’s mind when she visits the University of Oxenford for a summer course. But, mysterious thefts and shadowy figures spur her into action. With Toby five thousand miles away, Estelle and her winged horse must hunt for the culprits alone. Soon they are embroiled in a mixed bag of aliens and ancient magic. Toby’s unexpected arrival throws her into turmoil and spurs events into a climax. 

Toby is in London where he has been followed. He walked into an ambush. See last week’s snippet – http://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2017/01/four-down-snippet-from-gargoyle-hunt.html
Final sentence last week: A hazy streak shot past; a man screamed.

Need a paw?” Growler snarled. The ghostly shape of the jaguar crouched on top of his victim. Blood dripping from his bare arm, the final thug crawled toward the safety of the main street.      
Thanks, pal.” Pausing to tug his nanomask over his head, Toby dashed after the escaping man. Hoisting the man above his head, Toby glared into his panicked eyes and grated, “Who sent you? You’re dead meat if you don’t answer.”
The man gasped, “Snake Eye. He’ll slay you!” The next second, his eyes rolled up and his breath fled.

 Gargoyle Hunt

Secret Supers, Book 3, Gargoyle Hunt

 Super Starrella

Buy Links for Book 1, Super Starrella (FREE Feb 3-4th)


 Patty's promo

Feb 4-5th: Fill Your eReader with >150 SciFi & Fantasy eBooks at 99c – http://www.pattyjansen.com/promo


As always, I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

Please return to www.wewriwa.com to sample the works of the other writers.