Saturday, June 2, 2018

Fiery Fountain - Snippet from COSMIC WARS 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. Find a new author and sample their work. Enjoy!

I’m continuing snippets from my WIP. Cosmic Wars is Book 5 of the Grand Masters’ Galaxy, and continues the adventures of Violet and Athanor Griffin, the super psychic Grand Masters. Once I finish this round of edits, I plan to put it on pre-order.

Draft Blurb
Grand Master Athanor Griffin has escaped from beyond the Cosmic Rift and he is eager to tackle his enemies - after he has relaxed with Violet and their baby son. Their peaceful family reunion does not last for long. The Council has declared Athanor dead and its members are fighting for his position as Chair. Hordes of bloodsucking Ixioth slavers threaten galactic civilization, and a new enemy has emerged from the alternate universe, an enemy immune to the Grand Masters’ psychic powers. Soon, the dynamic couple are swamped by pleas for help. Athanor swears to crush the insectoid Ixioths and expel the Nulls from the galaxy, while Violet has vowed to save the captive children of Cinerea. Can the two Griffins reconcile their divergent promises, or must they separate to rescue the prisoners and defeat the invading armies?

I’m continuing the first part of the story (unpolished and may change.) Any suggestions to improve my blurb and initial lines are especially welcome.
I’ve skipped a couple of chapters to introduce the mythical blacksmith in this series. Stimon, the Master Smith, runs a forge inside the crater of an active volcano. He makes various devices for the Grand Masters, and perhaps for others.
Violet and Athanor Griffin have taken their son, Varan, to visit the Smith. Athanor has a commission for Stimon.
[Edited and punctuated to fit]

The Griffin family emerged on the rock ledge protruding from the precipitous side of the volcanic crater. The repeated thud of a hammer came from the forge at the back of the ledge.
Athanor’s deep voice boomed above the crackling lava, “Master Stimon.”
The hammering ceased. In a moment, the Master Smith walked out of the forge. His long gray beard hung over his brown leather apron; a true dwarf, he was even shorter than petite Violet.
Stroking his bearded chin, he said, “By the hammer of Tubal Ilmarinen, the Griffins have survived against all odds.” He bowed to each Grand Master in turn, “You are a welcome sight, Grand Masters and your baby son.” A shower of hot sparks arced over their heads like fireworks, hissing as they dissipated in the cooler air.
Safe in his mother’s arms, Varan gazed openmouthed at the fiery fountain.


 GM Galaxy
Current Books in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy:

Love Cats & Space? Grab this Short Prequel to Thrilling SciFi Fantasy Series – It’s FREE
 Cat
When Grand Master Griffin investigates a wrecked spacecraft, his efforts to rescue the survivors lead to feline disruptions of his plans.
FREE at Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay



 Secret Supers

The first two books of my Secret Supers series are 99c each until June 7
Super Starrella - 99c at Amazon  iBooks  B&N  Kobo  GooglePlay
Starrella Falls - 99c at Amazon  iBooks  B&N  Kobo  GooglePlay
Gargoyle Hunt, Book 3  Amazon  iBooks  B&N  Kobo  GooglePlay


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29 comments:

  1. Enjoyed the snippet - very visual! Just one little point, the sound a blacksmith's hammer makes when he's hammering metal on an anvil, is usually more of a loud ringing sound than a 'thud'. (Speaking from experience here, having spent many a happy hour in a blacksmiths/farriers forge! :) )

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    1. Thanks for the correction - your experience is unusual these days.

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    2. Yes, I guess it is a bit unusual - but if you're lucky enough to live in the country as I do, it's a regular experience, and I never cease to enjoy watching the farrier at work (although not so much the bit at the end when I have to pay more than I do for my own shoes! :) )

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    3. I gleaned an awareness of the ringing peal of anvils from a totally different direction -- classical music. Verdi's Anvil Chorus features hardworking gypsies (now there's a stereotype breaker) singing about the glories of hard work and gypsy women while hammering on an anvil. Other opera composers have used anvils too. Wagner, who always went waaay overboard, called for 18 anvils (!) in one of his butt-crushingly long operas.

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    4. Can't resist butting in here, Ed. Thanks for reminding me! I love Verdi's Anvil Chorus! :)

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    5. I have corrected the description in the story.

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  2. That is quite the welcome! But, I think it's a rather dangerous place to be. I hope the meeting goes well.

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    1. Yes, it's very dangerous to live inside an active volcano. Stimon is my version of Hephaestus and many related old gods.

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  3. great descriptions. interesting snippet.

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  4. Well written and great hints of an even bigger story by mentioning they survived.

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  5. Well that's a very interesting and unique setting for a scene, really enjoyed the snippet! Can't wait for more...

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    1. Stimon's forge appears in each of the books in this series. Usually her charges a fee for his services, although he will waive it on occasion for special people or causes.

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  6. Seems like a dangerous place to be. Great imagery. I'm curious to know more.

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  7. What fantastical world-building--to live inside a volcano!

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    1. Thank you. It made sense for the blacksmith of the Grand Masters.

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  8. What an interesting character! I wonder what they want from him?

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    1. A device to protect them against the anti-psi black matter.

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  9. I'm impressed with both the griffins and the dwarf. Good snippet, Aurora.

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  10. What a great feel to this scene - visual, filled with description and unique characters. Can't wait to read more, Aurora!

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  11. Love the baby's reaction. So spot-on!

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  12. When I read "By the hammer of Tubal Ilmarinen" the line from Galaxy Guest (By Grabthar's hammer...) popped into my mind. Very visual and auditory scene. Consider adding some smells. The scene is great.

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    1. That's true. Sulfurous smells might be suitable.

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