The biggest problem they faced right now was power... ----- Chapter 5. "You sure it's safe there, Sergeant?" "Sure I'm sure," he answered, focusing again at the indicator in his retinal display. "The 300M's got real good shielding. Barely above background levels outside the shell, even when operating. Right now she's down, so the only way it'd be dangerous is if I cracked the shell open and she was still hot inside. I only see about twenty-five service hours indicated on the system, so the lining's [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Odyssey: Chapter 4
May 30, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Well, it was time for our heroes to start fixing things... ------- Chapter 4. "What next, Sergeant?" Xander asked as they put the wrappers from the ration packs into the disposal. "Yeah, that's the question, isn't it?" Sergeant Campbell glanced around the shuttle's cabin. "What do you think, son?" "I think you're probably better qualified to answer –" "Damned right I am, son, but in this situation we all need to learn to be qualified. We're in an [ Continue reading... ]
The Craft of Writing: When I Ignore Science
September 22, 2015 By 1 Comment
Writing science fiction – especially hard science fiction, where you're expected to keep to what modern science believes is possible, rather than inventing force fields, lightswords, faster-than-light-drives, or other accoutrements of space opera – is a demanding task. It's not necessarily harder than writing, say, good epic fantasy; they're both equally difficult, in my view, just with different areas of difficulty. It does, however, have external demands that other types of speculative fiction don't really have to worry about. In my "day [ Continue reading... ]
Under the Influence: Usenet
March 20, 2015 By 2 Comments
I have previously discussed, in more broad terms, my entry into and participation in the world of online communication, starting when I was only 14, discovering the existence of email and bulletin boards through the local high-school computer network. There were, and are, many different ways of participating in social interaction online – email in its many guises, bulletin boards, IRC, LiveJournal, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook – but the one that has been the longest-enduring for me, and certainly the most influential on me over the [ Continue reading... ]
Castaway Planet: Chapter 9
November 10, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Now that they're down and alive, time to do some exploring! ------ Chapter 9 "Okay, Sakura, now cycle the lock again, exhausting to the outside." Whips wasn't taking any chances. Before letting anyone step out of the shuttle, he wanted Dr. Kimei and her husband to check the air readings. So they'd put Laura Kimei's omni, which had a lot of built-in sensors for medical purposes, into the starboard airlock, let it open to the outer air, and left it there for an hour to [ Continue reading... ]
Teaser Chapter: Castaway Planet Lincoln
October 23, 2013 By 1 Comment
Today, a sample of the book Eric and I have been working on lately (I just finished the first draft edits). It's a YA space adventure, set in the future of the Boundaryverse! Note that the title is subject to change -- it hasn't been officially confirmed yet -- and since this is a first draft much may yet change. ----- Chapter 1. Sakura Kimei lay as still as possible on the set of pipes, listening for the creature's approach. Could be very near. She gripped the weapon in her right hand and steadied [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 25
March 6, 2013 By 2 Comments
This is the last snippet of PORTAL that I'll be posting, since the eARC is now available for those who HAVE to read the rest NOW; this puts you just under halfway through the book. I may post a few more chapters just before the release of the hardcover. ----- Chapter 25. "My God this is beautiful!" It wasn’t the first time she'd expressed those sentiments in the last hour, but Helen couldn't restrain herself, and the others didn't seem bothered. The walls of the huge, [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 24
March 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
There was still some other work to do before they went on their jaunt... ----- "Careful!" Joe said reflexively as the huge assembly wobbled. "Sorry," Horst said from the other side. "It is not easy, moving this thing while keeping it steady. Not exactly the best-balanced object we've moved." He couldn't argue that. Nebula Storm's rocket nozzle, once meant as a replacement for Nobel's in case of damage, was a massive, bell-shaped assembly that looked deceptively simple from the [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 23
March 1, 2013 By 1 Comment
They had repairs to do... ----- Madeline checked the integrity of the support structure member again. We don't want a repeat of the last time, that is for certain. The new gantry was being heavily reinforced. While they didn't expect to have this problem again, especially with a new set of modified automated brakes in place that Brett and Joe had designed and tested, no one saw any point in taking chances. Athena's new supports would hold even if the probe fell a good thirty meters instead [ Continue reading... ]
PORTAL: Chapter 22
February 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Well, SOMETHING bad had happened... ----- "Holy shit!" A.J. did not apologize for the curse. At nearly the same instant, Joe Buckley said, "God damn it!", followed by "Ow ow OW!" "I see yellow and red on your telltales, Joe!" Petra said, having obviously switched in her medical monitors. "Talk to me!" "Goddamn… stupid… universe…" they heard Joe mutter. "Got a hole punched through the suit." "Through the carbonan?" A.J. said incredulously, jamming [ Continue reading... ]
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