Sep 16-30: Sci-Fi and
Fantasy Deals -
https://books.bookfunnel.com/deals-fantasy-scifi/dvabiehh1u
Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Late September Book Bargains in #SciFi and #Fantasy
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Background to my near-future #Sci-Fi series, Taxyon Space.
In 2017, I began a new science fiction series and published the first book in November, 2017. For this series, I
planned to set the stories in the near future of our solar system, and gradually
advance outward into the galaxy. The overarching theme is the story of how
humans acquired the technology for space travel and their encounters with
aliens from other worlds. The characters would be ordinary people, not superheroes
or psychics, and various alien species.
I
invented the name, Taxyon
Space, for the series to
suggest faster than light space travel. My initial idea was to set each story
on a different celestial object, a planet or moon. For the first book, EUROPA,
I imagined a race of human-like “mermen”.
Warrish and their Society
The Warrish are
amphibious with gills and lungs to breath in water and air. They have greenish
complexions, six fingers and six toes, but otherwise could pass for humans.
Their society on their home world, Rishalt, is centered on triads and hexads.
Triads consist of three men or three woman. Ideally, a triad would be three
brothers or three sisters. Alternatively, men or women may be adopted to form a
triad. During military service, Warrish can be conscripted into a triad. Triads
are organized into the First, the Second and Third in order of age. Firsts lead
their triads. Triads have unique names and tattoos on their cheekbones. They dye
their hair in matching colors and often wear bracelets engraved with the family
emblem.
The Warrish family
unit is the hexad of two united triads, or ideally, three sisters married to
three brothers. The family name of the hexad is derived from the family names
of the male First and female First. Hence, Kiron Arqin Ramis is the second son
of the hexad formed between the parental triads with family names of Ramis and
Arqin.
The Warrish society is
hierarchical. It is governed by the three Primes and Nine Triarchs. You will
learn more about this society in the second and third books of the series. The
principal city on Rishalt, Pucklerakt, is constructed above and below the sea
like an iceberg.
The elite in Warrish
society strive to create strong alliances by arranging unions with the families
of the Primes and Triarchs. Thus, most of the elite are interconnected by the
triad and hexad system. Unfortunately, this society is not kind to those
outside the triad system. If you lose a member of your triad, you must adopt a
replacement or become an outcast. As you can imagine, people die by accident,
illness, or in battle. People with physical or mental defects are also at a
disadvantage.
EUROPA, Book 1.
Jupiter’s moon,
Europa, was an attractive prospect for the setting of the first story with its well-known
potential for life in the ocean under the surface ice. In this near future (unstated)
time, humans have established a small colony of scientists on Europa to study
Jupiter and the life in the oceans. The colonists constructed Galileo Station on
two levels, one within the ice crust with access to space, and the other on a
plateau on the seabed. The book begins with a dramatic episode where the
heroine, marine biologist Dr. Nikki Bell, escapes from a damaged spaceship only
to crash on the icy surface of Europa.
Nikki is a true
scientist, dedicated to the study of Europa’s marine lifeforms. She is also
persistent in her search for her mysterious savior. During the story, she
discovers intelligent native animals and learns how to communicate with them.
It is dark in the waters under the ice crust, and the heroine must use
artificial lenses with infrared vision and low light intensifiers when she
explores the submarine world.
I enjoy imagining new worlds and their exotic inhabitants. Some of the creatures I envisioned resemble those in the NASA poster (see below from https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/visions-of-the-future/ ) with a few twists. My creations with an alien type of intelligence are polymorphic animals that morph from a disk-shaped floater form to a squid-like shape.
The story really
crystallized in my mind after I saw the hero’s face under the ice. The heroine
has fallen into a deep crack in the ice and lands on a thin transparent sheet
of ice on the surface of the ocean. Nikki is desperate, knowing she will die
without help, when she sees a man’s face in the water. He smiles. She hopes he
will rescue her, if he is in fact a real person and not an hallucination.
This scene is a
pivotal moment in the plot. The hero and heroine are curious about each other
attractive and want to meet again despite the impediments. The human colonists
are unaware of the alien observers in their secret submarine base. Despite the
colonists’ skepticism, Nikki persists in searching for her mysterious rescuer. The
alien hero, Kiron, wishes to warn her of the dangers, and their meeting is
inevitable. Their interactions with other characters amid the hazards of the
moon lead inexorably to tragedy and exposure of the secret alien base.
The story is told from
the perspective of the two main characters, Nikki and Kiron. Their personalities
evolved, or became clearer to me, as I wrote the story. The alien hero, Kiron,
was undoubtedly the most difficult to create. He resembles a human in many ways,
but is capable of living underwater as well as on land. I had to describe his
unusual physical features, and the distinct society of his people, the Warrish.
He is not alone. He is one of the Warrish Watchers who monitor the activities
of humans form their base in the oceans of Europa. His companions are
supporting characters with their own personalities and minor story arcs. I
slipped in parts of his backstory to illuminate his character and the alien
culture. Kiron is by no means an “alpha” hero. He is abused and has suffered
misfortunes. He has a fine sense of honor and believes in saving lives rather
than killing. He is also sweet and compassionate, a romantic in a society where
romance has no place.
In creating Kiron’s
backstory for Europa, I realized his people came from an extrasolar planet. When
Nikki meets the Watchers, she quickly deduces that his people did not evolve on
Jupiter’s moon since the Warrish are unlike any of the native lifeforms.
When I was writing
Europa, I realized that Nikki and Kiron’s story had not finished. Their
friendship is doomed under the rules of Warrish society.
RISHALT, Book 2
In the second book, the
setting moves to the Warrish home world of Rishalt. Kiron’s parents demand his
return and submit to the advantageous union they have planned with a
high-ranked female. Fortunately, Nikki is recruited into a diplomatic mission
to Rishalt. She must learn to negotiate this alien society and learns the
surprising truth about its leaders. Yes, there is a happy ending.
JUPITER,
Book 3
In a new plot twist, Nikki
and Kiron are sent back to Europa with the task of unblocking the hyperspace
route from Jupiter to Rishalt. The hazards of unstable hyperspace travel are
compounded by rising tensions between humans and Warrish. Someone has stolen a
key alien device, and Earth’s governments are disputing the benefit of an
alliance with the Warrish.
After completing this
trilogy about Nikki and Kiron, I wanted to introduce new protagonists for the
next books in the series. Since Warrish culture favors triads of three brothers
or three sisters, I decided to base the next stories on three brothers, the
Tallis brothers of the Flaming Comets triad. Books 4-6 are named for the
brothers, Alarik, Baswin and Karrik. These books describe how each brother
meets their romantic mate, their adventures, and the gradual unravelling of the
mystery about the alien spaceship that crashed on Mars.
In the background to
these stories, the youngest of the Tallis brothers was crippled during their
battle against the Swarm. The two oldest Tallis brothers have been forced to
serve as undercover agents on Earth in order to support the medical care for
their youngest brother.
ALARIK, Book 4
Alarik is the oldest brother or First of the Triad and his story comes first. He is living on Earth under the alias of Rick Kent, a fake wealthy miner from the Asteroid Belt. When he reports the news about the discovery of the crashed alien spacecraft on Mars, he is ordered to investigate. His journey interweaves with the story of Phoebe Wong, a veterinary scientist on Mars, and the repercussions from the mysterious alien spacecraft. The story moves from Earth to Mars and ultimately to Europa where Phoebe and Alaric meet several characters from the earlier books.
Near Future SciFi adventure & alien
romance. Daredevil scientist and abused alien find perilous alliance
EUROPA, Book 1 Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay PRINT
RISHALT, Book 2 Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay PRINT
JUPITER, Book 3 Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
ALARIK, Book 4 Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
Taxyon Space Triad,
Boxset of Books 1-3: Amazon iTunes B&N Kobo GooglePlay
Friday, September 4, 2020
Early September Free Stories in #Sci-Fi and #Fantasy
Sep 3-Oct 9: Badass
Heroines – https://books.bookfunnel.com/badass-heroines/a8gvncnh12
Sunday, August 30, 2020
Sample my #Sci-Fi Series in this Special Boxset
FANTASTIC FIRSTS –
Venture into four different worlds in these full-length Sci-Fi stories. Meet superheroes on contemporary Earth, discover alien life in the oceans of Europa, and explore the fringes of the galaxy in an epic myth-inspired series.
This Collection
contains:
Grand Master’s Pawn, Book 1 of Grand Masters’ Galaxy - One young woman challenges the secret rulers of the galaxy and finds an impossible love.
EUROPA, Book 1 of Taxyon Space - Daredevil scientist and scarred alien forge a perilous alliance in the oceans of Jupiter’s moon.
Super Starrella, Book 1 of Secret Supers - Young superhero, Starrella, and her flying horse combat vicious killers in the skies of Atalanta.
The Lady is Blue, Book
1 of Atrapako on Eden - Intrepid
scientist discovers secret of scaly aliens.
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Copper -scaled Seltos and steel-blue Elfrise - snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa #SciFi
 |
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.
My fiction writing is temporarily
on hold while I convert my course to an online format. Meanwhile, I’m offering
snippets from Cosmic Lock, the sixth
book in my epic science fantasy series. The book is available at all major
vendors.
This week, I’ll continue
the scene where empath Violet and her 13-month old son Varan are visiting their
dragon friends. In previous snippets you met Ythris, the Black Dragon, his
mate, Silver Istrelle, and their son Istros.
You can read last week’s
snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/08/welcome-to-anothersunday-with.html
The final lines were: Istrelle pointed her muzzle to an opening in the
side of the main cave. “They are sleeping in there.”
This week, we move to another couple of Violet’s dragon friends.
Violet asked, “Have they
recovered from the flight across the fiery Rift?”
“My brother fares well, although
blue Elfrise remains weakened by the arduous transit.”
“If you will watch our sons, I’ll
examine the blue dragoness.” Leaving Varan with Istros and his indulgent dragon
parents, Violet crossed to the newly excavated chamber. The flame of an oil
lamp lit the two betrothed dragons lying in an alcove at the rear of the cave.
Copper-scaled Seltos was curled
protectively around the smaller blue dragon. He raised his head, blinked his
amber eyes, and whispered, “Zyzost Violet, my mate is feeble still. Will you
heal her?”
“Of course. That’s why I came.”
That’s the end of the official snippet. Read on if you’d like a little more.
She knelt beside him and Seltos
lifted his wing to expose Elfrise’s head. Her eyes were shut and her steel-blue
scales looked grayer than usual. Violet sensed her weariness and low spirits.
Placing her hand on the dragon’s neck, she emoted healing empathy.
Elfrise exhaled a short hiss. One
eyelid cracked open, and she murmured, “Vron Violet, your touch fills me with
new life.”
“I owe you a debt for carrying me across the Cosmic Rift.”
 |
Blurb
Three sets of enemies
and a wormhole to shut?
Follow the superpowered
Griffins on a rollercoaster adventure where new threats counter each
success.
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.
Available at : Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
 |
Venture into four different worlds in these full-length Sci-Fi stories. Meet superheroes on contemporary Earth, discover alien life in the oceans of Europa, and explore the fringes of the galaxy in an epic myth-inspired series.
This Collection contains:
Grand Master’s Pawn, Book 1 of Grand Masters’ Galaxy. One young woman challenges the secret rulers of the galaxy and finds an impossible love.
EUROPA, Book 1 of Taxyon Space. Daredevil scientist and scarred alien forge a perilous alliance in the oceans of Jupiter’s moon.
Super Starrella, Book 1 of Secret Supers. Young superhero, Starrella, and her flying horse combat vicious killers in the skies of Atalanta.
The Lady is Blue, Book 1 of Atrapako on Eden. Intrepid scientist discovers secret of scaly aliens.
Amazon B&N Apple Kobo GooglePlay
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
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Bargain Books for August - #SciFi and SciFi Romance
Aug
1-31: Summertime Sci-Fi Romance - https://storyoriginapp.com/to/mX2fgOu
Aug
1-31: August SF/F and Technothriller Super Bundle - https://storyoriginapp.com/to/nzQdzrP
Saturday, August 1, 2020
Meet Silver Istrelle in snippet from Cosmic Lock 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 giving snippets
from Cosmic Lock, the sixth book in my epic science fantasy series. The book
is published and available at all major vendors.
This week, I’m continuing
the scene where empath Violet and her 13-month old son Varan are visiting their
dragon friends. The little boy loves dragons. In last week’s snippet, the Black
Dragon Ythris gave Varan and his mother a ride through the tunnel to his
private chambers. Today, you’ll meet his mate, Silver Istrelle.
You can read the previous
snippet at https://auroraspringer.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-child-is-fearless-snippet-from.html
In the final line: Ythris rattled his glossy black scales, dislodging his riders.
Clutching her son, Violet
slid to the ground. She sensed her comrades, Seltos and Elfrise nearby, and the
silver dragoness ascending from the great hall below. Letting Varan stand on
the rock floor, she said, “Wait here. Silver Istrelle is bringing your
playmate, Istros.”
Varan’s
idea of waiting was to sing, “Dagon, dagon, dagon…” in a repetitive monotone,
while attempting to climb up the coils of Ythris’ long tail.
Twisting
his long neck to peer at the little boy, Ythris said, “Your son is persistent.
Does he ever stop moving?”
“Only when he’s asleep.” Violet laughed. “With luck, he’ll be tired after playing with Istros.”
That’s 9 lines for the official snippet. Read on if you’d like a little more.
Soon
Istrelle arrived with little, gold-scaled Istros scampering at her side. Her
voice chimed like a bell, “Violet, we are delighted to see you and your son.”
Little
Varan clambered off the Black Dragon’s tail and toddled towards his playmate.
Istros, twice the boy’s height, flapped his short wings and bent his head in a greeting
bow.
Violet
said, “I brought Varan to play with Istros, while I visit your brother and
Elfrise.”
“After the Griffin flew
them here, Seltos announced his betrothal to Elfrise. He insisted we carve out a new
chamber for them.” Istrelle pointed her muzzle to an opening in the side of the
main cave. “They are sleeping in there.”
Blurb
Three sets of enemies
and a wormhole to shut?
Follow
the superpowered Griffins on a rollercoaster adventure where new threats
counter each success.
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.
Available
at : Amazon iBooks Kobo B&N GooglePlay
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
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