Author name: gardensofhansen@hotmail.com

Aloha – I’m a big fan of audiobooks. I have an active account and have also placed all five of the Orion’s Spur series into ACX audiobooks. I worked for a year with voice talent Matthew David Hopkins. I knew at the time he was very talented from the samples and then the product he delivered. It wasn’t until the books were published in audible book format that I realized just how lucky I was. He not only got the words, but the feeling of the characters down pat. Sure, I’ve seen half a dozen glitches as I relistened to all five books, but I have to give him an A for his performances. Now, I realized how lucky I really was. I am a huge Robert Heinlein fan. I’ve read and re-read many of his books. On a road trip we listened to two of his books along with a couple of Jane Austin titles. Since then I have listened to two more titles. A well known actor narrated those two titles and he butchered the books. I struggled through one, and then desperate I finally gave him a second chance. No good. If I listen to any more of Heinlein’s great works, it will have to be a different narrator. So, kudos to Matthew for a job not only well done, but for doing a great job on the narration.

It has been a great three day giveaway. Today (Saturday) is the last day of the promotion. Three of the five titles in the series have broken into the top 10 for free Kindle reads this weekend. Orion’s Spur is the five book series focusing on young people conscripted from Earth and placed in the center of a 10,000 year old war between the Sagittarius and Perseus arms of the galaxy in Orion’s Spur. So how are the books faring? Demeter is ranked #23 in Crime & Mystery Science Fiction, and #80 in Galactic Empire Science Fiction. It also has made it to #241 in the broader Science Fiction Adventure category. Return to Demeter is ranked #3 in Teen & Young Adult Aliens eBooks, and #55 in Teen & Young Adult Literature & Fiction ebooks. Defending Demeter somehow has been categorized as Children’s Action & Adventure Sci-Fi Books. It is ranked at a lofty #5. Haumeah, the fourth book in the series is ranked #26 in Space Fleet Science Fiction and #77 in Teen & Young Adult Literature & Fiction Paragon’s Virtue, the final book in the series is ranked highest of all, ranking #3 in Crime & Mystery Science Fiction, #17 in Galactic Empire Science Fiction, and #49 in Science Fiction Adventure. Again thank you all for your support. Don’t miss out on your free copy or copies today, March 8th, in Kindle e-books. If you like the books you may want to check out the audiobook versions. We have a terrific reader that brings the stories to life.

Aloha – Amazon allows periodic give-aways of e-books and I’m taking advantage of that this weekend. Starting tomorrow through Saturday night you can get a free copy of the e-books in the Orion’s Spur series: Demeter, Return to Demeter, Defending Demeter, Haumeah, and Paragon’s Virtue. That is the complete series. What do I want in return? If you like them please leave a positive review. If you don’t like them do nothing 🙂 Again, this Thursday the 6th of March through Saturday the 8th of March. Enjoy!

Aloha – The complete set (all 5 books) of the Orion’s Spur series is available on eBay. Look for Orion’s Spur – Complete 5-volume set YA Science Fiction series NEW 50% off

It has been a good week for the Orion’s Spur series in Audible. Demeter rose to as high as #3 in Action and Adventure Sci-Fi for teens and broke the top 50 for Teen & Young Adult Science Fiction Action Adventure. Paragon’s Virtue (book 5 and the final book in the series) broke the top 20 for Action & Adventure Sci-Fi for Teens. In other news I received my copies of both Salt of the Earth and Project Lilliputt over the weekend. I have a few copies available if anyone would like to read and review. Let me know.

My wife and I just made it back from three weeks in the San Diego area. It is interesting to see new sites or long forgotten sites when looking for inspiration for writing. “Sea of Salt” is on deck. I’m a few chapters into it and it is starting to come together, but La Jolla Cove was helpful in reflecting on the Jon-E and E-Tan characters. I also had a great experience at Oceanside Pier watching birds on the sad looking out toward to ocean watching people. Instead of bird watching I had birds people watching. I felt like I was looking at a Far Side cartoon. Its good to be back.

I received news from the publisher today. Both Project Lilliput and Salt of the Earth are available in ebook format at Kindle, Apple, Nook, Rakuten Kobo, Google Play, Angus and Robertson, Vivlio, Fable, and Palace Marketplace. They have their own web pages at Next Chapter Publications. Project Lilliput is at https://nextchapter.pub/books/project-lilliput and Salt of the Earth his at https://nextchapter.pub/books/salt-of-the-earth They will also be offered to brick and mortar bookstores through the Ingram Catalog. What are they about? Project Lilliput In a world miniaturized to combat overpopulation, Eric Brice navigates towering dangers and colossal creatures. During a class trip gone awry, he and his friends face a battle for survival amidst giant predators and natural perils. Along the way, they uncover startling truths about the mysterious event that reshaped humanity. Salt of the Earth In Salt of the Earth, Marshall Salt, a visionary scientist, leads a bold mission to unlock the asteroid belt’s potential, turning to his estranged billionaire father for funding. Amid corporate intrigue and global conspiracies, their struggle for humanity’s spacefaring future weaves together technological ambition, high-stakes power plays, and the complexities of family bonds.

Science and Religion Over the decades science and religion have been at odds, if not at war. In my teenage years I thought the more faith an individual had the less logic or scientific mind they must have. In my twenties I put the notion of science versus faith in two separate compartments of my mind, and simply did not worry about it. I’m not so much a scientist as a person with a logic driven mind. I also have faith in God and a greater purpose. A couple of years ago, the walls between faith and science began to crumble in my mind. For example, is there only one universe? Of course the comics have spent a lot of ink of the multiverse whether DC or Marvel. But philosophers have considered the possibility for nearly three millennia that I’m aware of. This led me to a personal theory merging faith and science: perhaps these universes are like Venn diagrams. If you’re not familiar with a Venn diagram it is usually demonstrated by having two or more circles representing different sets of relationships. Where the sets overlap, the range that overlaps is the commonality between the sets. So what if God created a universe where we reside and has overlapping points where he observes or uses as a conduit to communicate. Its easier to think about than to describe in a few words, but to me it is a point where logic and faith can come together. Now add to this logic/faith quandary recent discoveries in quantum teleportation, I’ll share the link to the news article I was reading today. The most notable storyline that includes human teleportation is Star Trek of course, which is a means of transporting live entities physically across space. The science element of this has taken a pragmatic (for this century) approach and demonstrated that communication can be simultaneously in two places at the same time via forms of entanglement of photons. This is oversimplified and really the deep understanding of the science is beyond me. But now how can I apply this to my faith? Visions come to mind immediately. God has communicated via miraculous and unexplained means since the beginning of the Bible, but what if it is not so much miraculous as it is science we do not understand. In more recent days as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, things such as the first vision, and other heavenly visions become a matter of understanding the science. So, for me, science is no longer a barrier to faith, but a means of understanding the realities of faith. Of course there is a danger that when faith becomes knowledge it is no longer faith. The story related to quantum teleportation is titled, Quantum teleportation has begun to change the world https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/quantum-teleportation-has-begun-to-change-the-world/ar-AA1wrY4S?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=d6168012bcdb4fe2bc045d2b8a4688f9&ei=18 Have a merry Christmas.

What’s new? I have started writing the second book of the “Salt of the Earth”. I have struggled with this one. I don’t like writing a second book in a series unless I have a story to tell. I know the beginning and the end of this one, but have fought with the why. Usually it comes to me as I write, but this one has really been a challenge to establish the why. I decided to just start writing and see where it leads. After five chapters and wrestling with the point two things occurred to me. #1 the why came to me so now I’m much more excited about the book. #2 the first 5 chapters have good points but just aren’t write so… tear them up and start again

“Salt of the Earth” Just in time for Christmas. I have two new science fiction books out; released yesterday. Both books are now available in e-book form at Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Amazon, Google Books, and Kobo. They are also available in paperback at Amazon. If you like science fiction you’ll like one or both of these books for Christmas. In my earlier post I talk about Project Liliput. I targeted middle school and YA readers for Project Liliput, much like the Orion’s Spur series. “Salt of the Earth” is the most complex novels I’ve written and really is aimed at YA and Adult readers. It combines science fiction with the realities of what would happen in a real life environment on Earth. Don’t be mistaken, the main focus is on the adventure with Marshall, but the story follows his father in tandem with the challenges of supporting such a venture. Young, visionary scientist, Marshall Salt believes humanity’s future lies in the asteroid belt. With his closest friends, he has developed groundbreaking technology capable of extracting untold wealth from the cosmos. Their ambitions come with a staggering price tag – tens of billions of dollars. To fund their dream, Marshall must turn to the last person he ever wanted to ask: his estranged father and reclusive billionaire, Arthur Salt. As they uncover the ambitions of global power players like the Manifest Destiny Cartel, the Cibola project becomes a battlefield for control over humanity’s future in space. Meanwhile, Arthur Salt wages his own war back on Earth, navigating political manipulation, financial ruin, and legal battles – all while seeking redemption and connection with his son. Alan D. Hansen’s SALT OF THE EARTH is a gripping sci-fi epic that blends cutting-edge technology and adventure with a deeply human story of family and reconciliation. Where can you get it? In paperback and e-book at Amazon Barnes and Noble e-book https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/project-lilliput-alan-d-hansen/1146670841?ean=2940180965608 Apple Books e-book https://books.apple.com/us/book/salt-of-the-earth/id6739201848 Google Books https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=rak2EQAAQBAJ Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/salt-of-the-earth-29