I’ve been writing science fiction since grade school, but didn’t start publishing until 2003. Most of it is in print magazines, but there are a few free samples online, and I may occasionally post a story reprint here on my own. If you like them, please go to the books section of this website and buy a book!
Science Fiction
Neptune’s Treasure: The Adventures of Floyd & Brittney
This is my one and only novel. It’s built from my Floyd & Brittney novellas that ran in Analog, winning an AnLab Award in one year and finishing high in the voting in others. Floyd is a loner space-tug pilot in the Outer Solar System. Brittney is his AI symbiote who is “supposed” to be just a computer program but emotionally and intellectually is just as alive as Floyd, and wants to be an equal partner in their quest, which starts on Saturn’s moon Titan, but soon extends to Neptune and beyond, as they seek not only to survive and coexist, but to respect each other in the stark beauties of the Solar System’s last frontier. “The adventures of Floyd and Brittney are the kind of stories that got me into science fiction in the first place. They’re full of wonder and excitement and speculation and just plain fun. Plus Floyd and Brittney are two of the most memorable characters in the history of the field.”—Jerry Oltion, Nebula award winner, and two-time Hugo nominee. Available here, in print or Kindle.
Phantom Sense & Other Stories (with Mark Niemann-Ross)
Sgt. Kip McCorbin must choose between a military sixth-sense or the love of his family. Courtney Brandt lies frozen on a glacier, but warm to the touch. Her killer is already claiming another victim. Valerie Akwasi stumbles onto the deadly side of a vineyard. Michael Graves could be your best friend or your worst enemy. Too bad you’re just an experiment. The book contains two AnLab winners, including the title story, which was described as “a lesson in how to write a short” by the Hugo-nominated review site Tangent Online. “From the start it grabs you and never lets go,” Tangent wrote. “In every way this story reminded me how good Science Fiction shorts can be.” Purchase now in paperback or Kindle.
How To Write Science Fiction Short Stories
I’ve written a number of short e-books on various aspects of this topic, with more pending. Maybe one day I’ll sweep them together into a book. Meanwhile several are out as 99¢ ebooks. I get a whopping 30¢ of that if you buy one, so if you like them, pass it on. I have to sell a lot of them just to pay off the proofreader! But they are a lot of fun to write, and got good reviews when they first appeared, one-by-one in Analog. This one is #3 in the series. Available here, on Kindle. The rest of the series links to it.
The Science Behind the Fiction
Here Be There Dragons: Exploring the Fringes of Knowledge, From the Rings of Saturn to the Mysteries of Memory
Science and science fiction often go hand in hand–though sometimes science is simply fun in and of itself. Based on a format once used by Isaac Asimov, this book’s many chapters examine research on a wide array of topics: from the recesses of the outer Solar System to the depths of the human mind, the origins of civilization, and the sub-sub-sub sections of the particle we call the atom. “If you’re interested in what real scientists are investigating, right now, and what that could mean for our world, this is essential reading.” —Trevor Quachri, Editor, Analog Science Fiction & Fact
Available in print and Kindle, here.