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. 


Book 1, The Lady is Blue

Intrepid scientist solves mystery of scaly aliens.

Dr. Lucy Stannis leads a quiet life as the chief biologist in the remote human colony on Eden until an alien spaceship arrives. She is thrilled to meet the captain, the formidable Blue, Sa Kamizan Veedak. But, the arrogant scaled Atrapako disdain the puny humans. Conflicts between the cultures threaten the whole planet as well as her tenuous friendship with Sa Kamizan. Lucy must employ her skills as a covert Terran spy to discover the aliens’ secret and save the colony.

Book 2, Dragons of Vkani

Rescue mission to hostile planet of scaly aliens

When the Blue Atrapako, Sa Kamizan Veedak, and his mate, Dr. Lucy Stannis, receive a distress call from his sister, they must undertake the perilous mission to rescue her from the war-torn planet of Vkani. As an exile, Sa Kamizan risks death if he is recognized, while the humans face slavery or worse if they are captured. The motley crew of Atrapako and human scientists will need all their skills to combat treachery by brutal warlords and survive the hostile environment. 

99c at Amazon  Kobo  Apple  B&N  GooglePlay

 

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Thursday, January 27, 2022

Visit to the Gulf Shores of Florida

 


We stayed in the Old Salt RV campground on the Gulf shore of Florida for a week in mid-January. We arrived after driving from Alabama for most of the day. The camp had few empty spaces, although some of the campers were unoccupied. In the evening we walked to the beach and took pictures of the sky after sunset.

Next day, we walked with the dog for about two miles on the white sand beach and paddled in the incoming waves. We got fish sandwiches at the local diner. Later that afternoon it rained. Overnight, bouts of heavy rain and wind shook the camper. Luckily, the rain had stopped by the next day and we were able to resume our walks on the beaches. We walked for two to four miles each day. We saw small flocks of sanderlings strutting by the waves and probing in the wet sand for food. The larger shorebirds included gulls and dunlin.

 


The local beaches had many shells or fragments of broken shells. The conchs must grow quite large, a foot or more in length, judging by the broken pieces we found. We found a store selling fresh seafood and bought a pound of large shrimp to grill for dinner. We also visited a beach near Apalachicola. This beach had more remnants of sea dwellers, including starfish, sponges and horseshoe crabs. You can see some examples in the next photo.

 


After a week with two rainy days, we drove north to Alabama again.

 

Friday, January 14, 2022

Chewacla State Park, Alabama - Our Camping Travels

 


On the first stage of our January vacation, we spent two nights in a camp site at Chewacla State Park in Alabama. Not many other people were in the park due to the winter season. It was cold overnight, not much above freezing, but warmed up in the afternoon. This state park has several playgrounds, picnic tables and a swimming area that must be good fun for kids in the warmer weather. The campsites are spacious and fairly private since half of them are unoccupied.

 


The trails loop through the woods and run along the creek. Most of the trails are for dirt bikes with humped bridges, although we saw only a couple of bikers.


We walked beside Moore’s Mill Creek for about a mile. There must have been a working mill in the past.


In my opinion, Chewacla is a lovely park with a great campground and plenty of outdoor activities for families. It was quiet when we visited in the winter, but is probably livelier in the warmer seasons.  

 



Wednesday, January 5, 2022

My Book Bargains for January #SciFi and #Fantasy

 


These ebooks are discounted to 99c for a limited time. Grab your copy now!

 


A Tale of Two Colonies

Explore a dangerous planet in this SciFi Romance. Tiger Lily escapes the grimy slums of Terra for a dangerous mission to find a lost colony on a remote planet. A strange warrior saves her life in the icy mountains. But, who are the real rulers of this alien world?

Amazon   iBooks   Kobo   B&N

 

 


Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf

Epic fantasy adventure and romance. A young witch flees the destruction of her home and meets an elf on her journey to the fabled land where elves and humans live in peace.

This story weaves elements of folklore and medieval life in a land where magic is real.  

Amazon   iBooks   B&N   Kobo  GooglePlay   Other

 

 


Super Starrella, Book 1 of Secret Supers

Newly fledged superhero, Starrella, and her flying horse challenge the murderous monsters threatening Atalanta in a rip-roaring adventure sprinkled with humor and sweet romance.

Amazon   iBooks   B&N   Kobo   GooglePlay   Other

 

 

Saturday, January 1, 2022

Welcome to 2022!

 


I wish everyone a stellar New Year.

Surely, 2022 will be better than the last two years. My husband and I have officially retired from our university positions and will have more leisure time. We plan to travel, both in the US and internationally. As a first step to destress from the last two years, we have planned a camping trip with our RV trailer. You can see the trailer below. We will stay a week on the Florida coast in mid-January. Look out for photos of our travels in future posts.

 


Our travel plans will not interfere with my writing. I am working on the second book in my new epic fantasy series, Chronicles of Oakenwald. As usual, I’ll run regular promotions with discounted prices for my books.

 The first book in my epic fantasy will be discounted to 99c this month.

 


Bridget Bramble and the Wandering Elf

Fantasy romance. A young witch flees the destruction of her home to seek the fabled land where elves and humans live in peace.

In a land threatened by cruel invaders from the east, Bridget Bramble barters medicinal herbs and buttons for a living. 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. On her travels, she encounters malicious creatures from the worst kind of folktale.

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 is the elf doing in human lands? Can an ordinary, or almost ordinary, human girl trust a cold hearted elf to lead her to safety? 

99c at Amazon   iBooks   B&N   Kobo   GooglePlay   Other