Aurora Springer: February 2022

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Liftoff - Excerpt from my new Sci-Fi novella for #WeWriWa

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

I’m continuing with snippets from my new science fiction novella. Writing and editing are going well. For now, I’ll continue from last week. The heroine, Josie, has just learned that her planet is in imminent danger of invasion by the Emperor’s fleet. She is accompanied by her crew, Butch and Drin. (You may note certain modern parallels, although my plot predates current events.)

You can read last week’s snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/02/time-to-fly-next-excerpt-from-my-scifi.html

The final lines reveal her decision: She swiveled to face the Star Condor and aimed her forefinger at the sky. “We’re flying. Pronto.”

“Great,” Drin exhaled in a rush of relief.

Josie strode up the short ramp. Within a minute, she and her crew were buckling into their seats on the bridge.

“Wake up, Nina,” she called to the Condor’s AI. “We’re going for liftoff.”

She ran a perfunctory flight check. Speed was essential and she and Butch had done a full inspection only half an hour earlier.

The engines sang as the ship raced along the concrete of the airfield.

An irate voice sounded on the com, “Star Condor, Spaceport Traffic Control here. What are you doing with that ship?”

Ten lines plus a little more:

Josie called, “The Star Condor’s lifting off.”

“No ships can leave the planet. Governor’s orders.”

Hitting the starter, Josie shouted, “We have to deliver a valuable package.”

Under tight control, the ship shot up through the clouds. Nothing on the planet could stop them now.

As the Condor soared above the atmosphere, Josie felt the familiar thrill of escaping the drag of gravity at the planet’s surface.

Seated in the adjacent seat, Drin said, “Hey boss, what is this valuable cargo?”

“An old vase. It’s my Aunt Gabrielle’s inheritance from my father. The vase is an ancient Solarian artifact, an ugly greenish color, and extremely valuable.”

“Okay.” Drin quirked a grimace. “What’s our destination, boss?”

“Compute a course for Wick’s Paradise.”

. . . . More next week.

I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

If you’re in the mood for another thrilling Sci-Fi adventure, my book, Europa, is free for a limited time.

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

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Saturday, February 19, 2022

Time to Fly - Next Excerpt from my SciFi Novella #WeWriWa

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

I’m continuing with snippets from my new science fiction novella. I’ll get to the romance part soon, but for now, the heroine, Josie, is still on her home planet.

You can read last week’s snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/02/second-snippet-from-my-new-sci-fi.html

This week, I’ve skipped to the next chapter. Josie and Butch are standing by her spaceship, the Star Condor. It’s the day before they are scheduled to depart and all the provisions are on board. Note, this is still an early version and subject to change.

A yell caught Josie’s attention and she pivoted around.

Drin was running across the heat-hazed airfield toward them, yelling and waving. A pack bounced on his back and his cap was tilted askew.

“What’s up with him?” Butch said. “Thought he had a date for tonight.”

Josie was silent; an itch of foreboding had replaced the pleasant anticipation of her voyage.

Panting for breath, Drin skidded to a stop in front of her. A lanky young man of indeterminant origin, Drin’s mathematical acuity and long dexterous fingers gave him mastery of com systems. His eyes were a startling blue against his ebon complexion. At this moment, his fingers clutched the straps of his pack and his eyes popped in excitement.

Ten lines plus a little more:

He gasped, “Heard the news?”

“Tell us,” she demanded.

“Message just came in. Omalu’s fallen to the Emperor’s forces. His fleet is two jumps away from Saffeen.”

“Bad news,” Josie said. “But, we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

“Gets worse,” Drin continued. “I’ve been snooping on the local coms. Governor’s ordered conscription of all spacecraft for defense. When I saw that order, I grabbed my gear and raced to the Condor.”

Butch asked quietly, “What’ll we do?”

She swiveled to face the Star Condor and aimed her forefinger at the sky. “We’re flying. Pronto.”

Please post a comment and I’ll be happy to reply.

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

Find a catalog of my published stories HERE.

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Second Snippet from My New Sci-Fi Romance

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

I’m continuing with snippets from my new science fiction romance story. Based on last week’s comments I have made some changes. In particular, I mulled over Jean Walker’s comment that she found the name ‘Yazzie” distracting. I decided to keep the Navajo name for the heroine’s deceased husband, and change the name of his spaceship. The spaceship is now called the Star Condor to reflect his heritage without suggesting a big ego. The previous name reflected ‘Chanur’s Pride’, the name of a spaceship in a book with the same name by CJ Cherryh. You’ll understand the reference better once you meet the male lead in my story.

You can read last week’s snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/02/snippet-from-sci-fi-adventure-and.html

This excerpt continues in the perspective of Josie Yazzie. She and her engineer are standing by her spaceship. I’ve cut a couple of paragraphs from the current draft.

The roar of a spacecraft descending onto the adjacent field penetrated her reverie. The once-bustling spaceport at Eagles Landing had grown quieter after the local economy had gone into a nosedive. The emperor’s space fleet had blocked the major hyperspace routes to the inner systems and throttled trade for the independent planets outside the major sectors. Jim had not lived long enough to experience the slowdown. Nor had her father.

After Jim’s death, she had worked the star lanes for a couple of years until she learned of her father’s illness. She had felt obliged to return to the family home. Lucius Navarre was not the easiest man to live with, however, she was the only relative with the freedom to manage his medical needs and run the household during his final months. His death had come as a relief after the agonizing decline in his mental and physical health.

Nine lines and some more.

“Will we be making a long voyage, Captain Josie?” Butch asked.

His polite reference to her status made her smile. “We’ll fly to the planet of Wick’s Paradise. I promised to deliver an old vase to Aunt Gabrielle. It’s one of my dad’s weird bequests. My aunt’s invited me to stay for a week or two.” She shrugged. “After that, I’m not sure. Maybe Hokkaido. My sister’s always begging me to visit her.”

I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

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

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Friday, February 4, 2022

Snippet from Sci-Fi Adventure and Romance for #WeWriWa

Welcome to another Sunday with Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday. Sample the work of a new author. Read snippets of stories in different genres.

After a long hiatus, I’m trying to resume writing and posting snippets. My husband and I retired from our university jobs at the beginning of this year. We are still dealing with many of the same issues such as arranging our retirement funds and his dad’s estate.

We took a camping vacation on the Gulf shores of Florida in mid-January. You can see some photos at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2022/01/visit-to-gulf-shores-of-florida.html. When we returned, I dreamed up a new story with space pirates and a second chance for romance.

Today’s snippet comes from the current beginning of the story. It’s an early draft and might change. I’d love to see your comments.

Jocelyn Navarre Yazzie gazed at the sleek craft parked on the concrete outside the maintenance hanger of Eagles Landing Spaceport. She had inherited Yazzie’s Pride from Jim, her husband. The ship held many memories, happy and bitter memories of her married life. The Pride had been their home in the years before Jim had died. Her grief had faded during the subsequent five years, although she still felt a twinge of horror at his agonizing death after the disastrous accident that tore a hole tore in his spacesuit.

Butch Sullivan, standing beside her, said, “She looks good.” A typical understatement from the gruff old man who loved the ship. Butch had been their companion on the Pride, serving as engineer and odd-jobs man. His broken nose and scarred temple attested to a long and varied career. The large, sturdily-built man had been invaluable as the senior member of the small crew.

Ten lines and a little more:

Butch had remained with her after Jim’s death. They had served as interplanetary couriers to deliver valuable packages and sometimes people. Butch’s dark hair was now grizzled and he had developed a slight paunch, yet she could rely on his muscular strength and sensible advice.

“Yep,” her mild reply covered her distracted thoughts. She teetered at a crossroads in her life, recovering from yet another family death and a long debate over what to do or where to go next. Her responsibilities for her father’s estate were almost at an end. She could remain on her home world with its many civilized comforts or she could resume her ventures in space. Today, the sight of her ship, Yazzie’s Pride, spurred a burning desire to abandon the planet for the freedom of plying the star routes.

I’ll be happy to reply to your comments.

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

New 99c special: Dragon Lady, boxset of books 1 and 2 of Atrapako on Eden - Science fiction adventure and alien romance on two distant planets.