Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Review of My Writing Accomplishments in 2020

 


2020 was a difficult year in many ways. Besides the pandemic, we had to deal with several family health problems, and make an emergency conversion to on-line teaching at the university. In spite of these stresses, I was able to publish two new novels and a box set, write most of a third, and set up a pre-order of another novel.

 

Books Published in 2020

 


Alarik, Book 4 of Taxyon Space

Near future Sci-Fi adventure and romance starring alien mermen. 

Two people fleeing their planets discover a shared destiny.

When an alien spacecraft crashes on Mars, the repercussions sweep throughout the solar system and endanger the fragile new alliance with the Warrish mermen.  

Alarik Kenton Tallis, Eldest of three brothers, was forced to infiltrate human society on Earth as a spy to insure his injured brother receives proper medical care. But when his transmissions are detected, he must flee the planet.

On Mars, Phoebe Wong, a veterinary scientist with dubious family connections, is desperate to escape the underworld gangs terrorizing the domed city. She jumps at the chance to join the colonists bound for a distant exoplanet.

Their paths converge on a space ferry bound for the outer planets. Troubles arising from the mysterious spacecraft pursue them to Jupiter. Will their flight end on Europa, the hyperspace gateway to the stars protected by three diverse species?

 Buy at: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other



 

Cosmic Lock, Book 6 of Grand Masters’ Galaxy 

SciFi Fantasy - Super psychics in space.

Grand Masters Violet and Athanor Griffin return from beyond the Cosmic Rift with two shiploads of rescued children and escaped slaves, but their enemies have not been idle in their absence. Avalon is in flames and their baby son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest of their problems. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the cosmic rupture to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. The clock is ticking. They have twelve days to squash their enemies before their final venture into the alternate universe. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?

Read the exciting conclusion to the Cosmic Trilogy, books 4-6 of an epic science fantasy series with super psychics, aliens of all types, and the legendary dragons of Sythos.

Buy at: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other

 

Cosmic Trilogy, Boxset of Books 4-5 in Grand Masters’ Galaxy 

Complete set of

Cosmic Rift, Book 4

Cosmic Wars, Book 5

Cosmic Lock, Book 6

Buy at: Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other

 

These published stories bring my total output to 18 full-length novels, 2 novellas and 4 short stories, 5 box sets and an anthology of shorter works since I began publishing in 2014.

 

Coming in July 2021: Baswin, Book 5 of Taxyon Space



Near future Sci-Fi adventure and romance starring alien mermen

Can a psychic woman from Earth find a home among the alien Warrish?

Alien merman, Baswin Kenton Tallis, Second of his Triad, lives on Earth disguised as a human. When the Earth authorities discover the secret identity of his older brother, Bas must flee to the Warrish base in the depths of the Pacific Ocean.

Psychic sensitives, Holly Moon and her younger sister Rosie, were chosen as candidates for Warrish training as hyperspace navigators. Rosie is eager to contribute to humanity’s advance into space. Yet she fears she may not adapt to the neuro-implants or might fail the arduous tests.

Holly meets Baswin on an island in the Pacific Ocean, but their destiny lies farther away. What obstacles will block their journey to a happy reunion with the Flaming Comets Triad? 

Preorder at: Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N   GooglePlay  Other


  

Strategic Goals for 2021

1) I’m planning to write longer series to gain more return from promoting the first book.

Grand Masters’ Galaxy, my longest series has a prequel, six full-length novels, and two boxsets.

Taxyon Space  includes four novels, a short story, and a boxset. The fifth book is available for preorder in 2021 and a sixth is planned.

Secret Supers has three novels, a boxset plus a short story.

Atrapako on Eden comprises three novels and a boxset.

2) Next year, I hope to publish the first book in a new epic fantasy series. This will expand my repertoire in the fantasy genre.

 

BookBub Featured Deals

The Grand Master’s Trilogy was accepted for a 99c International Featured Deal at the end of May. This boxset had about 600 sales and generated additional sales of books 4 and 5 and preorders for book 6. 

In October, Europa was accepted for a US and International Featured Deal at 99c. Europa became a US and International Bestseller on Amazon for the first time. It had more than 2000 sales that month plus a high readthrough with sales of subsequent books in the series and several preorders of the fifth book.

 

Other promotions of Free books in the spring gave disappointing results.

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Bridget flees into the woods #snippet for #WeWriWa

 


Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors.

I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday.

Reading is a safe pastime during the pandemic. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

I’m writing a new fantasy romance about a witch and an elf. The main character, Bridget Bramble, lives in a small cottage on the outskirts of a village. Her plans to go on a foraging expedition in the woods go awry when a troop of armed men marched into the village and beat up the residents.

You can read my last snippet here: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/12/a-furious-witch-snippet-from-fantasy.html

Note, it is an unedited draft of the story. Your comments are valuable.  

A scream, abruptly cut short, propelled her into action.

Her thoughts buzzing in alarm, she ran to the chest by her bed and grabbed her most precious belongings, the bag of her best buttons, her sewing kit, and carving tools. She stuffed them in a satchel along with a spare shirt. She hesitated over her three books. The herbal treatise and book of ballads would be too heavy to carry a long distance, although she decided to keep her great grandparents’ travel journal. Its pages had a wrinkled cover of oiled leather. She wrapped the small book in a cloth. She grabbed the pouch of medicinal herbs, her tin cup for heating water, and added food from the shelves, the rest of the barley cakes, strips of smoked mutton and dried fruit stored for winter.

End of 8 lines and a few extra. 

She hoisted the straps of the laden bags onto her shoulders and flung her cloak on top. Cautiously opening the rear door, she peered out. Just beyond the doorsill, a well-trodden path led uphill into the woods. Raspberry and currant bushes lined the path and provided a screen from the marauders in the village.

Heart thumping in fright, she lowered her hood over her head. She crouched below the tops of the bushes and scurried up the path into the shelter of the trees. 


Draft Blurb

In a land troubled by invaders from the east, Bridget Bramble lives in a small village where she barters herbs and carved buttons. When marauders target her village and murder her family, she flees into the woods. Armed with her Granny’s advice, and a bag of magic buttons, she sets out on the perilous journey to Oakenwald, the fabled land where elves and men live in harmony. As she travels farther from home, she encounters malicious creatures from the worst kind of folktales.

Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets an elf, Windswift the Wanderer. He offers to guide her across the mountain range. But what is he doing in human territory? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf? 

 

Two of my books are discounted to 99c this month. 


99c for The Lady is Blue, Book 1 of Atrapako on Eden

SciFi adventure & romance. Intrepid scientist solves mystery of scaly aliens.

5-star review: “This book grabbed me with sharp alien claws from the very first and would not let me go.”

Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Smashwords Other



99c for Europa, Book 1 in Taxyon Space

Near Future SciFi adventure & romance. Daredevil scientist and scarred alien dive into  the perilous oceans of Jupiter’s moon.

5-star review - “Awesome storyline, great character building and enough action to keep you turning pages till the wee small hours, highly recommend.”

Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other 


I’ll be happy to reply to your comments. 

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

Find a catalog of my published stories HERE.

Join me on Facebook and Twitter 

 

Saturday, December 12, 2020

A furious witch? snippet from fantasy story for #WeWriWa

 


Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors.

Enjoy a little distraction from pandemic worries. Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work.

I broke my arm two days before Thanksgiving, so I’m typing with one hand. Yet another disaster in a horrible year! Still, I’m making slow progress on the new fantasy romance about a witch and an elf. The main character, Bridget Bramble, lives in a small cottage on the outskirts of a village. Her plans to go on a foraging expedition in the woods were interrupted when a troop of armed men marched into the village and beat up the residents.

You can read my last snippet here: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-harmless-old-man-snippet-for-wewriwa.html

Suddenly furious, Bridget resolved the horrid foreigners would not capture her or steal her best buttons. Shutting her eyes, she rubbed her fingers over the charm-inscribed buttons on her bracelet and considered what to do. Her cottage stood on the slope of a hill at the edge of the woods, well separated from the rest of the village. She would have a few minutes respite before the raiders came.

Randall and his pregnant wife lived in the village, but she had no way to defend them against the attackers. Few of the spells in her scant knowledge of magic were designed to harm people. She had only once used her best weapon, the repulsion spell, when the blacksmith’s son had tried to rape her. Later, he took revenge by spreading rumors that she was a witch who hated men. Repulsion made an effective defense against a man at close quarters, but at this distance, it would not work on the enemy. Her only option was to flee before the invaders captured her.

Extra paragraph: 

She was dressed for her expedition in a boy’s trousers, woolen shirt, jerkin and leather ankle boots. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and tucked under her cap. Randall had complained about her clothes. He scolded her about being unfeminine. It was useless to argue with him. He was only voicing his wife’s opinion, likely shared by the old biddies in the village. Bridget preferred the freedom of a man’s clothing for foraging in the woods. She had planned to spend the whole day gathering rare herbs, nuts and mushrooms. She had already packed a bag with barley cakes, a chunk of cheese, two apples and leather flask of ale for her midday meal. What else could she take for her flight?

 

Draft Blurb

In a land troubled by invaders from the east, Bridget Bramble lives in a small village where she barters herbs and carved buttons. When marauders target her village and murder her family, she flees into the woods. Armed with her Granny’s advice, and a bag of magic buttons, she sets out on the perilous journey to Oakenwald, the fabled land where elves and men live in harmony. As she travels farther from home, she encounters malicious creatures from the worst kind of folktales.

Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets an elf, Windswift the Wanderer. He offers to guide her across the mountain range. But what is he doing in human territory? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf? 

 

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

I’ll be happy to reply to your comments. 

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

 

Find a catalog of my published stories HERE.

Join me on Facebook and Twitter 

 


Wednesday, November 25, 2020

My Black Friday to Cyber Monday eBook Sales

 


Several of my novels are discounted to 99c to celebrate the holidays.

The stories include Sci-Fi romance, Superhero, and Medieval Romance.

 

Europa, Book 1 in Taxyon Space

Near Future SciFi adventure & romance. Daredevil scientist and scarred alien merman in perilous alliance

“Awesome storyline, great character building and enough action to keep you turning pages till the wee small hours, highly recommend.”

99c at Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other 

 

Super Starrella, Book 1 in Secret Supers

Fantasy adventure & romance. Newly fledged supergirl Starrella and her flying horse combat alien killers.

“a flying horse. 2 good-looking suitors, her first year at college, and a mysterious super-villain make for a fun read.”

99c at Amazon  iBooks  B&N  Kobo  GooglePlay  Other

 

A Tale of Two Colonies, standalone novel

SciFi adventure & romance. Has Tiger Lily met her match on an alien planet of giant arthropods?

Tour de force assault on fallacies of 21st century culture (and a good story to boot!)”

99c at Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N 

 

Dame Audrey, Medieval romance with a touch of fantasy

Young widow seeks true love amid the turmoil of Chaucer’s England.

“Audrey is simply beautiful after being married at 14 to a man 30 years her senior. She deserves a strong and caring man after being widowed. And the HEA? Perfection!”

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


Saturday, November 21, 2020

A Harmless Old Man - snippet for #WeWRiWa

 


Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors.

Enjoy a little distraction from pandemic worries. Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work.

I’m continuing with snippets from the first chapter of a new fantasy story about a witch and an elf. The main character, Bridget Bramble, lives in a small cottage on the outskirts of a village. Her plans to go on a foraging expedition in the woods were interrupted when a troop of armed men marched into the village.

You can read last week’s snippet here: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/11/a-small-army-enters-village-wewriwa.html

Please note, the text is unedited and subject to change.

Elder Grantham stomped onto the road to confront the troop of strangers. Old Grantham called himself the village chief and fancied he ran the place. He raised his hand and asked a question, his words inaudible at this distance.

The men’s leader barked an order.

A man in the front rank punched his fist into Grantham’s face.

The grey-haired old man crumpled, his body thumping onto the road.

Aghast, Bridget gulped. Grantham might be a pompous ass, but what cruel kind of person would mistreat the harmless old man?

A woman screeched inside the adjacent cottage. 

 

And a few more lines:

 

The intruders, clearly enemies, split into two groups. The first group rushed into the nearest cottages and dragged the occupants onto the road. A second set of men entered the houses and carried out boxes of valuables.

Villagers yelled in anger, or screamed and begged for mercy. The raiders beat off the scant opposition and herded the others into a field. 

 

Draft Blurb

In a land troubled by invasions from the east, Bridget Bramble lives in a small village where she barters herbs and carved buttons. When marauders target her village and murder her family, she flees into the woods. Armed with her Granny’s advice, and a bag of magic buttons, she sets out on the perilous journey to Oakenwald, the fabled land where elves and men live in harmony. As she travels farther from home, she encounters malicious creatures from the worst kind of folktales.

Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets an elf, Windswift the Wanderer. He offers to guide her across the mountain range. But what is he doing in human territory? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf? 

 

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

 

My discounted book:

Dame Audrey 


Young widow seeks true love amid the turmoil of Chaucer’s England. 

In fourteenth century Britain, Dame Audrey cherishes her independence as the widow of a wealthy cloth merchant. Her worst nightmare is suffering under a cruel husband like the hateful jeweler, Henry Goldsmith, who has threatened to curb her lively spirits. When Audrey aids a wounded traveler, she wins the stranger’s blessing and a gold brooch with a green dragon. But, 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 husband’s will?

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


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

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

 

Find a catalog of my published stories HERE.

Join me on Facebook and Twitter 

Saturday, November 14, 2020

A small army enters the village #WeWriWa #Fantasy

 


Welcome to another Sunday with
Weekend Writing Warriors.

Enjoy a little distraction from pandemic worries. Meet writers in various genres and read 8-10 sentence snippets of their stories. Find a new author and sample their work.

I’m continuing with snippets from the first chapter of a new fantasy story about a witch and an elf. The main character, Bridget Bramble, lives in a small cottage on the outskirts of a village. Her plans to go on a foraging expedition in the woods have been interrupted.

You can read last week’s snippet here: https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/11/bridgets-trip-is-postponed-wip-fantasy.html 

Please note, it is unedited and subject to change. 

More yelling from below drew her to the window overlooking the road.

She peered out.

Well-armed men in a double line were marching into the village. Their helmets, sword hilts and spear points glinted in the sunlight. They wore thick doublets over kilts of leather dyed dark red. A helmeted man rode a black horse in the vanguard, his blood-red cloak billowing in the breeze. Walking behind the rider, another man carried a banner. In the rear of the column of fifty men, horses pulled two empty wagons.

And a few extra lines:

As they advanced, she watched in trepidation and puzzlement. Why were they entering the village? Had they come to collect tithes for King Athelric? Surely it was too early in the season. The tithe collectors always came after the harvest was gathered.

 

Draft Blurb

In a land troubled by invasions from the east, Bridget Bramble lives in a small village where she barters herbs and carved buttons. When marauders target her village and murder her family, she flees into the woods. Armed with her Granny’s advice, and a bag of magic buttons, she sets out on the perilous journey to Oakenwald, the fabled land where elves and men live in harmony. But as she travels farther from home, she encounters malicious creatures from the worst kind of folktales.

Lost in the foothills of the mountains, Bridget meets the elf, Windswift the Wanderer. He offers to guide her across the mountain range. But what the elf’s business in human territory? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf? 

 

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

 

New: Cosmic Trilogy, Boxset of Books 4-6 in the Grand Masters’ Galaxy 


Contains: Cosmic Rift, Cosmic Wars and Cosmic Lock

If you’ve enjoyed reading the first books in this series, the new boxset is cheaper than the 3 individual ebooks. 

Amazon  iBooks  Kobo  B&N  GooglePlay  Other

 


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

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

 

Find a catalog of my published stories HERE.

Join me on Facebook and Twitter