Saturday, June 27, 2020

A Family Breakfast - Snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa



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.

I’m continuing the story in Cosmic Lock. At present, I am plodding through edits/rewriting the current draft of the book.
Over the past weeks, my snippets covered much of the first chapter. To summarize, Violet and Athanor Griffin returned (at the end of the previous book) to find their 13-month old son, Varan, in danger. Null raiders had burned Mother Tingu’s cottage while she was looking after Varan. At the end of this dramatic scene, the Griffin family and Tingu teleported to the Griffin’s castle.   
I’ve skipped a couple of chapters. This scene opens with the same characters. Note, the antagonistic relationship between Athanor and Tingu began when he was a boy and her naughty pupil. He was, and still is, prone to teleport out of trouble. Marriage to Violet has improved his attitude. 

At breakfast on the following morning, Athanor winked at Violet as he bounced Varan on his lap. “If you wish, Violet, I’ll accompany you to the Academy to assess the condition of the children we rescued from the technos’ compound.”
Grinning at him, she said, “Flashy, I’d love to have your company.”
The White Mother groused, “What about my new cottage?”
Athanor said, “Hanuman has graciously agreed to lend his powers for the construction. He will join me on Avalon this afternoon.”
Tingu took a sip of tea, carefully replacing the cup on its saucer, before she replied, “In that case, I suppose I can watch your mischievous child.”
“Excellent. We’ll go as soon as you’re ready.”

A few extra lines for your amusement:
Note: Italics denote telepathic exchanges. 

Varan giggled and demanded, “Out.”
Athanor lifted the boy off his lap, saying, “Yes, Varan, we’ll play on the patio until the ladies have finished their breakfasts.”
Violet telegraphed her amusement, “Do you think Tingu will finish faster without you?
Exactly my idea. She can’t provoke me with her tardiness when I’m have fun with our son. 
His idea proved to be correct. Within five minutes, Tingu had drained her cup and declined Violet’s offer to pour more tea. Leaving Zoe to wash the dishes, the two women joined Athanor and the toddler in the garden.

 Cosmic Lock

Draft Blurb
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 little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?

Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon
I hope to release it well before the listed date.

 GM Trilogy

Final days for the 99c special price for Grand Master’s Trilogy 
Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance

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, June 20, 2020

The Griffins' Castle - snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa



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. 
I hope you are staying safe and calm in these troubled times. 
I’m sorry for skipping a couple of weeks again. Our various, non-writerly, tasks became too much. Besides planning how to return to work safely, we have to assume more responsibility for my 90-year old father-in-law, who has become slower and more fragile.  

At the beginning of my new story, Cosmic Lock, Violet and Athanor Griffin discovered their baby son was missing after an attack on the planet of Avalon. They found him with Tingu in Master Stimon’s forge in the volcanic cone. Athanor has teleported to the nearby town to deal with the outcome of the attack. Note, Violet can see what’s happening through a special amethyst he wears. Athanor has just met their staunch ally, Grand Master Hanuman.
It ended with this sentence: The white-robed Grand Master bowed, “I am at your service, Griffin.”

In the next snippet, I’ll conclude this lengthy opening scene.
Relieved that Athanor had a powerful companion for his search, Violet returned her attention to the interior of the forge. Stimon had recovered from his trance and was showing his apprentice the next batch of work. Clasping her white woolen shawl around her thin chest, Tingu gazed abstractedly at the opposite slope of the volcanic crater.  
Little Varan tugged on her hair, babbling, “Dada?”
“We’re going home,” Violet said. “Dada will come later.”
After saying goodbye to Master Stimon and his apprentice, Violet propped Varan on her hip, touched Tingu’s hand and ported to the Griffin’s Eyrie.
They emerged in the great room of the Griffins’ castle. Comfortable seats were arranged around the big fireplace next to a marble statue of a griffin. On the opposite wall, a large picture window showed a golden stripe of sunset under the darkening sky.

 Cosmic Lock

Draft Blurb
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 little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?

Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon
I hope to release it before the listed date.


 GM Trilogy

Last week at this special price of 99c for Grand Master’s Trilogy 
Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance
BookBub description: “A complete series for fans of Star Wars: Empath Violet and rebellious Grand Master Athanor battle the dark forces in the galaxy — and less successfully fight the connection between them — in these thrilling science fiction adventures!”

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, May 30, 2020

Meet Hanuman Pashtari - Snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa



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.
How are you coping with COVID19? We’re staying at home as much as possible, but the state is reopening. I had hoped for a quiet summer, but we’ve had a surge of online meetings to discuss how to reopen the university safely and how to run classes in the fall. It’s impossible to keep recommended social distancing in a full classroom, so we’ll probably have a hybrid model - online with limited in person teaching.
The good news: face masks work. The bad news: no end is in sight. Stay safe!  
Okay, let’s move on to my story. I’m running a couple of months behind for writing Cosmic Lock. Thanks for your comments last week. I’ve rewritten the conversation that appeared disjointed. In real life, people don’t always answer questions, however, in fiction, readers expect greater continuity.  
At the beginning of Cosmic Lock, Violet and Athanor Griffin discovered their baby son was missing after an attack on the planet of Avalon. They found him in the Master Smith’s forge in the volcanic cone. Athanor has teleported to the nearby town to deal with the outcome of the attack. Note, Violet can see what’s happening through a special amethyst he wears.

The final sentence was: A shuttle rested in front of the large frame of a newly erected portal.  
Now, you’ll meet another Grand Master with mythological precedents. This story in unedited and I appreciate your comments.

The rotund figure of Grand Master Hanuman Pashtari plodded into view. His resonant voice boomed, “Griffin, is your family safe?”
“By Tyche’s grace, they are safe.”  
“Indeed, I am delighted by your news. If this masquerade is over, I’ll pop in to have tea with the White Mother.”
“Tingu will be unable to offer you a cup of tea today. Her cottage was burned to a shell by the raiders. She is safe and will be a guest in my castle until we can rebuild her home.”
“A regrettable loss. We must, however, be thankful the White Mother is alive…”

End of 10 sentences and short continuation.

Interrupting Hanuman’s flow of eloquence, Athanor said, “Will you assist me in hunting for the Ixioth mothership?”
The white-robed Grand Master bowed, “I am at your service, Griffin.”

 Cosmic Lock

Draft Blurb
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 little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?

Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon
I hope to release it well before the listed date.

 GM Trilogy

Best Deal - First time in over 2 years - 99c for Grand Master’s Trilogy 
Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance - Three Volumes in One.
Spin through the galaxy, meeting exotic aliens, as young empath Violet hunts the secrets of the Grand Masters and finds a perilous love.

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, May 23, 2020

Help from Space Corps - Snippet from COSMIC LOCK for #WeWriWa



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.
Sorry I’ve been absent for a few weeks. Between the stress of online meetings and worries about COVID, I didn’t even write for a while. Now, my creativity is reviving and I’ve added a long section to my latest story Cosmic Lock. Also, the boxset of the first 3 books in this series was accepted for a BookBub featured deal at the end of this month. Good publicity and certainly inspired me to finish the story.
Here's the next snippet from Cosmic Lock. At the beginning of the story, Violet and Athanor Griffin discovered their baby son was missing after an attack on the planet of Avalon. They found him in the Master Smith’s forge in the volcanic cone.
Athanor spoke the final sentence: Now, we must squash these obnoxious invaders.”
He has teleported to the nearby town to deal with the attackers. Note, Violet can see what’s happening through a special amethyst he wears. FERIE is the entity within the volcano.

Spying through his amethyst, Violet perceived the town square with the nearest interplanetary portal. Charred timber and smashed bricks were strewn over the cobblestones. Were they remnants of the attack or the result of FERIE’s defensive blasts? Armed Space Corps troops strode through the wreckage of the houses.
Athanor stopped to speak to a Space Corps officer, “Has the mothership been located?”
“What do you mean?” the officer stared at him, assessing his questioner’s authority.
Impatient at the delay, the Grand Master emitted a puff of azure psi, “Do you have a drone in orbit?”
Startled, the man stammered, “Gr…Grand Master, we’ve been dousing the fires in the village, but, we’ve just ported in the first shuttle.” He pointed to the opposite side of the square. A shuttle rested in front of the large frame of a newly erected portal.  

 Lock

Draft Blurb
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 little son is missing. Finding him may be the easiest problem for the powerful couple. They must unite the fractious Grand Masters, stop the bloodsucking Ixioths from enslaving sentients, and seal the Rift to prevent new incursions of the vindictive Nulls. Can they overcome the challenges and secure peace for the galaxy?

Cosmic Lock is on pre-order at Amazon
I hope to release it well before the listed date.

 Trilogy

Best Deal - First time in over 2 years - 99c for Grand Master’s Trilogy 
Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance - Three Volumes in One.
Spin through the galaxy, meeting exotic aliens, as young empath Violet hunts the secrets of the Grand Masters and finds a perilous love.


 Lady

99c for The Lady is Blue, Book 1 of Atrapako on Eden
Best reviewer’s comment: “A sassy human female and an arrogant, scaled alien spaceship Captain collide. What could possibly go wrong? Or go right?”

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, May 20, 2020

My #SciFi Adventure and Medieval Romance Novels on Sale


 Audrey

99c for Dame Audrey – Adventure and romance set in Chaucer’s England.
Can a magic brooch help Dame Audrey evade the schemes to force her into wedlock with an unscrupulous merchant?

On sale until May 31st 


 Lady

99c for The Lady is Blue, Book 1 of Atrapako on Eden
Sci-Fi Adventure and Romance on a distant planet.                                            
Intrepid scientist discovers secret of scaly aliens. 



On sale until May 31st  

 GM Trilogy

Best Deal - First time in 18 months - 99c for Grand Master’s Trilogy 
Epic SciFi / Fantasy Adventure and Romance - Three Volumes in One.
Spin through the galaxy, meeting exotic aliens, as young empath Violet hunts the secrets of the Grand Masters and finds a perilous love.
Note, I am currently writing the sixth book in this series.

On sale until June 30th  


Saturday, May 9, 2020

Natural Changes - Images of Rose and Lake


Change is natural.
Buds spread their petals and bloom. 
Clouds shutter the skies and sun dispels the gloom. 


Joseph's Coat climbing rose. 
The petals change color in 2-3 days, starting pale pink and yellow and darkening to red.