Hello! It’s Monday again and I’m pleased to welcome another fabulous member of eNovel Authors at Work for today’s interview.  Aurora Springer was born in the UK and has been writing science fiction and fantasy stories since childhood. Grand Master’s Pawn (Book 1 in the Grand Master’s Trilogy) is FREE today! Check it out below with a couple of Aurora’s other books.

 

The Grand Master’s Pawn is FREE on these dates in November: 16, 17, 28, 29 and will be 99c on all other dates until the end of the month. Double check the price before you place your Amazon order!

One young woman challenges the super psychics ruling the galaxy, and finds an impossible love. Science fiction adventure melded with fantasy and romance.

Young empath, Violet Hunter, travels through the galaxy on missions for her mysterious Grand Master. Life-threatening cracks appear in the vast web of portals and Violet agrees to investigate the disruptions. When she discovers the perpetrator comes from within the ranks of the Twelve Grand Masters, she must penetrate their curtain of secrecy to fulfill her task. Her challenges escalate when she meets the enigmatic man behind the griffin avatar. Armed with only her erratic powers and a mishmash of allies, she must challenge the most powerful beings in the galaxy.

VISIT AMAZON  US   UK

 

 

Psychically linked lovers fight the powerful Grand Masters dominating the galaxy.

In the wake of the Red Queen’s destruction of his castle, the rebellious Grand Master, Athanor Griffin, devises a risky plan to defeat his nemesis and solve the life-threatening portal crisis. He is joined by his loyal pawn and lover, empath Violet Hunter. They spin across the galaxy in pursuit of his strategy, contending with portal failures, hostile aliens and Grand Masters. Success will depend on Violet. But, she wrestles with erratic psychic talents and her doubts about their unequal partnership. She must surmount her insecurities and recruit allies to survive the inevitable battle with their enemies. Their worst nightmares lie ahead.

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Fight for freedom. Fight to survive – For refugees from an overcrowded Earth, dreams of a better life on an alien planet transform into a terrifying battle for survival.

Nothing will stand in the way of Tiger Lily’s dream of escaping the subterranean slums of Terra and visiting the stars. She enters the fierce competition for a place in the scout team on the next spaceship to the remote planet of Delta, where an earlier colony disappeared. Before the ship departs, the arrival of a mysterious message from Delta suggests that the descendants of the first colonists may have survived.

A dangerous mission to seek the lost colony exposes the team to unexpected dangers, and they encounter a grim warrior in the isolated valley. Has Tiger Lily met her match in the tortured man? Where is he leading them? And who are the real rulers of this strange world?

VISIT AMAZON  US   UK

 

Hello Aurora and welcome to my blog!

Hi Fros, thank you!

What has inspired you to write the Grand Master’s Trilogy ?

My inspiration arose from Alice Though the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll due to my idea of combining several short stories. The pawn is a young woman, Violet, who travels on missions to different planets under the command of a mysterious Grand Master. Once I set the main characters in motion, the story expanded into a trilogy.

Two of my short stories and skimpy notes about a dragon morphed into Violet’s first three missions. Following the chess analogy, each mission is a move in a game of chess. Assuming Violet makes the first move, after four missions she reaches the seventh square of the chess board and can be promoted to queen in her next move. At that point in book 1, Violet enters the secret world of the Grand Masters, although she is not fully promoted until the end of the trilogy.

Sounds very intriguing! What other writing have you done? Anything else published?

As an indie author, I have published five novels, two novellas and two short stories since 2014. I am a university professor in my “day job” and have published more than two hundred research papers in science journals. The majority of these papers are co-authored with one or more students and researchers, sometimes from other countries.

You’re so prolific – I’m impressed! Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

Of course, I recognize hints of myself and many other real people in the characters I create. Most of my stories are told from the point of view of a female character, and she is usually more athletic than I will ever be. Many of my characters share my determination, curiosity, optimism and sense of humor.

What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

Currently, I am concentrating on finishing the third book in my Grand Master’s Trilogy. This trilogy could be described as the adventures of psychics in space and mixes science fiction with supernatural powers. The protagonist(s) travel through several planets, often with exotic environments and alien inhabitants. The twelve Grand Masters include humans and aliens, such as an amoeboid and two plants. I thread in mythological references, often humorous. The Master Smith has his forge in a volcano. The Chair of the Council of Grand Masters calls himself the Lord of Lightning, although his juniors may refer to him as a pompous fool.

I have several other works at different stages: the start of a couple of science fiction stories and a novella with superheroes and their animal companions. Can you tell that I love animals, plants and nature in general?

Of course! I trust you have pets?

Yes – I have a dog, Augustus, and two cats. I’ve brought pictures to show you and your readers…

Oh, thank you for sharing! They look lovely! But I see only one cat here?

Yes, that’s Ollie. My other cat is too shy. As she is black, we often just see two eyes staring from under the furniture!

LOL! Which are your favorite authors, and what do you love about them?

I draw inspiration from the novels of Jane Austen and Andre Norton. I enjoy Jane Austen’s insight into real people and her ability to describe characters in a few words. Andre Norton wrote imaginative science fiction and fantasy stories where loners struggle through perils and find a home. My ambition as an author is to combine the creative world building of Andre Norton with the caustic humor and romance of Jane Austen.

What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

My personal preference is science fiction and fantasy, although I also enjoy mysteries. I like to read adventures in strange places with a happy ending for the protagonists.

Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Don’t expect your first draft to be the final one. Writing a good story takes hard work and there are many other aspects involved in publishing and marketing a novel. Join a group of authors and learn from their experiences.

Good advice! Oh, if I had a dollar for every time I edited my books… LOL! Tell us about your website/blog. What will readers find there?

My website/blog has information on my books such as excerpts and background as well as the buy links. Often I host other authors for guest posts about their new releases. On the weekends, I post snippets of my work in two writers’ groups: Weekend Writing Warriors and Science Fiction and Fantasy Saturday.

What do you enjoy the most as an indie author that you imagine you wouldn’t if you were traditionally published? If you had a choice would you still go indie?

I enjoy being in control of the whole process and having the ability to make changes, for example update the book cover or blurb. On the other hand, I have not ruled out the possibility of publishing more traditionally, since it might be an advantage for marketing.

Well said! Being an author involves a lot of sitting around. What do you do for exercise?

My regular exercises are walking the dog for one or two miles almost every day, and climbing five flights of stairs to my office at work. Occasionally I do yoga to improve flexibility. When we visit my family in the UK, we generally hike several miles a day, sometimes in the Welsh mountains.

It all sounds like great exercise, good for you! Before the end of our chat, I must ask: I hear you make extraordinary quilts, like my recent guest, the lovely Sarah Mallery. Is this true? And are there any other artistic talents you may have?

Lol! Yes, I do make quilts, although I used to do this a lot more in the past. I’ve also done a bit of acrylic painting.

Hey! Fantastic! You’re one talented lady, I knew it!

Thank you Fros. I’ve brought two more photos…

Oh my goodness, such a pleasure to have an author so eager to share photos. I normally have to pester you guys. Thank you, these are wonderful. Would you tell us a little about them?

Yes, of  course. This is me with a griffin statue at Bletchley Park in the UK. You can also see the Cliffs of the Isle of Angelsey, again in the UK. The last photo is of an America Lotus flower.

Delightful images, Aurora! Thank you so much for being here with us today. It’s been a blast.

Thank you very much, Fros. I really enjoyed our chat!

 

Aurora Springer is a scientist morphing into a novelist. She has a PhD in molecular biophysics and discovers science facts in her day job. For as long as she can remember, Aurora has imagined adventures in weird worlds. In 2014, Aurora achieved her life-long ambition to publish her stories. She writes character-driven action stories in fantastic places, science fiction and fantasy with romance and a sprinkle of humor. Some of the stories were composed decades years ago. Aurora was born in the UK and lives in Atlanta with her husband, a dog and two cats to sit on the keyboard. Her hobbies, besides reading and writing, include outdoor activities like gardening, watching wildlife, hiking and canoeing.

Visit Aurora’s Amazon page  US   UK

Visit Aurora’s website: http://AuroraSpringer.blogspot.com

Social media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aurora-Springer/885945434752937

Twitter: http://twitter.com/AuroraSpringer

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/101087717415198221200/posts

 

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