M is for Merchanter

If space is an ocean and interstellar colonization is happening on a grand scale, then it should come as no surprise that so many starship captains are intrepid merchants, traveling the galaxy in pursuit of a good business deal.  Whether they’re doing it legally as entrepreneurs or illegally as smugglers, you can find these guys… Continue reading M is for Merchanter

J is for Jedi

As much as science fiction looks to the future, it also of necessity looks to the past.  And as much confidence as it places in the scientific method, it often turns to religion, simply because of the scope of the great cosmic questions that such stories inevitably pose. For these reasons, it should come as… Continue reading J is for Jedi

G is for Gravity

Possibly one of the most defining aspects of space is the sensation of free fall.  Of course, gravity exists in space, the same as it does everywhere else in the universe (probably), but in space we feel its effects differently because we aren’t close enough to a body of sufficient mass to feel a strong… Continue reading G is for Gravity

F is for Faster Than Light

Remember that moment in Star Wars when the Millennium Falcon went into hyperspace?  When Harrison Ford shouted “go strap yourselves in, I’m going to make the jump to light speed,” and the sky lit up as the stars streaked by?  That was my first introduction to faster-than-light (FTL) travel, and I haven’t looked back since.… Continue reading F is for Faster Than Light

E is for Empire

Almost every far future science fiction story has a galactic empire of some kind.  From Dune to Foundation, from Star Wars to Firefly, there’s always someone trying to rule the galaxy, often in a way that makes life difficult for the protagonists. Why?  Rule of drama, of course, but also because it gives the story… Continue reading E is for Empire

New book teaser — what do you guys think?

I’m getting ready to publish Star Wanderers: Dreamweaver over the weekend, but first I need to finalize the teaser / book description for Benefactor so that I can include it in the back.  Here’s what I’ve got so far: IN A COLD AND LONELY UNIVERSE, A SIMPLE ACT OF GRACE CAN RESONATE ACROSS WORLDS. Jakob… Continue reading New book teaser — what do you guys think?

An apology to my iTunes readers

If you’re one of my readers on iTunes, I want to apologize because my Star Wanderers novellas will be temporarily unavailable there for the next month or so. I’ve noticed several errors with the way my books are listed there, most notably with the titles and book descriptions.  I distribute to iTunes via Smashwords, which… Continue reading An apology to my iTunes readers

SFR Brigade Presents STAR WANDERERS: OUTWORLDER

To my regular blog readers: I recently joined an online community for readers and writers of science fiction romance called Science Fiction Romance Brigade.  Since a lot of my books fall under this sub-genre, I figured it would be good to connect with that community a little better.  If you’ve enjoyed my Star Wanderers novellas,… Continue reading SFR Brigade Presents STAR WANDERERS: OUTWORLDER

Trope Tuesday: It Has Been an Honor

If there ever was a phrase that invoked manly tears, it’s this one. “It has been an honor” is pretty much the go-to catch phrase for any Heroic Sacrifice or Bolivian Army Ending.  It’s often a precursor to a Crowning Moment of Awesome, and as far as last words go, it ranks right up there… Continue reading Trope Tuesday: It Has Been an Honor

Random thoughts on creativity and a cover preview

I’ve noticed that I tend to go through at least two revisions on most of my stories.  The first one generally identifies the problems in the rough draft and eliminates them, while the second one adds anything that’s missing and smooths the story over so that it works as a whole.  They both use different… Continue reading Random thoughts on creativity and a cover preview