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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Guest Author: Excerpt from Aurora Springer's STARRELLA FALLS

Veronica: Without further ado, welcome to our guest and here's her excerpt:

Excerpt from Starrella Falls, Book 2 of Secret Supers

Starrella dropped off the windowsill onto the mare’s back and locked their nanocoats together. Rockette leaped up. Thrusting her wings vigorously, she climbed into the treetops and rose higher into the cloudless night sky. They soared far above the light-streaked highways and spots of light from the suburban houses. To the west, the bright line of city towers delineated the north-south connector. To the east, the bald top of Stone Mountain protruded on the horizon. A cold wind brought the hint of rain from the north.
I love to fly!” Starrella breathed, admiring the faint constellations of stars far above, and the glorious panorama of the city nestled within its darker wooded environs. Exhilarated by the rush of frosty air, they wandered out of the suburbs toward the city skyscrapers.
Flicking her ears back, Rockette warned, “Something’s buzzing closer.”
We’d better investigate,” Starrella said.
Rockette straightened her wings and glided silently toward the sound.
Seconds later, Starrella spotted an object traveling toward them. Approaching fast, the object had spinning rotors on top of a thick disk. Dots of light blinked around the rim of the disk. She whispered uncertainly, “I think it’s a drone.”
Not a Zarnoth thingy?” Rockette inquired, twitching her ears back nervously.
Not sure.” Starrella frowned. “Fly out of its path.”
The mare tilted her wings to veer away. The drone whirred in a tight turn to follow the horse. Rockette flicked her tail. “Bleeding horse flies! It’s chasing us.”
Speed up!” Twisting to look backward, Starrella felt a stab of fear. The drone had accelerated to keep pace. “Get ready to dodge. Whoever is at the controls wants to catch up with us. Might not be Zarnoth. It could be the army, or someone curious about us.”
Rockette skittered above the city, zigzagging back and forth. Starrella bent low, clasping her arms around the mare’s neck and clamping her knees onto Rockette’s flanks. Tossing her head, Rockette squealed, “Yikes! It’s buzzing on my tail.”
Glancing round, Starrella saw the drone a scant two paces behind the mare. Its lights blinked faster.
Taking evasive action, Rockette looped around and zoomed underneath the whizzing drone. Lights flickered and a blue beam emerged from the disk. Beating her wings, the mare dodged sideways. The blue ray shot past, barely missing one dangling hoof.
Starrella yelped and flung fire at the drone. Flames licked over the rotors. The drone sizzled and exploded in a shower of blue sparks. 
The blast tossed the mare head over hooves. They tumbled across the night sky.
Clinging tightly to the mare, Starrella muttered, “Too bleeding close for comfort!
Their rapid summersaulting slowed. Regaining control, Rockette flapped her wings and circled back. Fiery fragments of the wrecked drone descended onto the city roofs like meteors.
Stinging Zarnoth for sure,” Rockette whinnied. “Caught a whiff when it burst.”
We’d better warn Toby.”
Too late!” The mare hovered in place, wings whirring like a hummingbird.
A dark shape rose toward them, outlined against the city lights. Toby and Growler zoomed closer.
Growler isn’t pleased,” Rockette groaned, transmitting the jaguar’s unspoken rebuke.
The winged jaguar slowed to match the mare’s speed. Toby shouted, “What do you think you’re doing? Told you to stay off patrols.”
Reluctant to admit any guilt, Starrella explained, “We found a Zarnoth drone. It shot at us.”
He barked, “I know. We were tracking it. Don’t you realize it transmitted your image to Zentor? You’re his top target.” Stretching his hand across the gap between their flying steeds, he gripped her wrist and said, “You could have been killed!”

Blurb
College freshman Estelle Wright has it all: a superpower, a flying horse, and a hunky boyfriend. All is threatened when her old enemy swears revenge, ruthless killers target Atalanta, and Toby is under pressure to dump her. But, Estelle’s knack of finding trouble scuttles his plans. Their lives are at stake and they face agonizing decisions. The wrong choice will lead to disaster. 
If you enjoy superhero adventures with quirky animals, thrilling chases and a rollercoaster romance, read this fun story.

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Author Bio
Aurora Springer is a scientist morphing into a novelist. She has a PhD in molecular biophysics and discovers science facts in her day job. She has invented adventures in weird worlds for as long as she can remember. In 2014, Aurora achieved her life-long ambition to publish her stories. Her works are character-driven romances set in weird worlds described with a sprinkle of humor. Some of the stories were composed thirty years ago. She 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.

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