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The “Sea of Salt” is moving forward. “Sea of Salt” is the sequel to “Salt of the Eart” I’m on chapter 16 in the writing/draft stage. The following excerpt from chapter 6 introduces you to some shadowy characters that have been in the background so far. They meet Justin Nelson and his bride that has a reveal that becomes central to the plot that is unfolding. Keep in mind this is first draft material 🙂 Ada and Justin were enjoying the fifth day of their two-week honeymoon on Maui. They had rented a car and were enjoying the narrow road and bridges on the Road to Hana. “I think someone is following us,” Ada leaned into Justin as he drove the small SUV. Justin had been enjoying the scenery and his new bride and grumbling to himself that he hadn’t rented a full-size SUV for his longer legs. “Where?” he jerked his head nervously and the car veered out of its lane garnering a loud honk from an oncoming vehicle. Ada growled, “Keep your eyes on the road!” She leaned back in, “two cars back, a beige Toyota I think. I noticed them in Paia. They were both staring at you at the gift shop. I saw them again where we parked to see the Garden of Eden, but they never left their car.” The hair on the back of Justin’s neck stood up, “We probably should have agreed to a bodyguard for the trip.” “For our honeymoon?” Ada gave him a dour look. “I could have invited my brothers too… and my parents.” “Okay,” Justin paused. “They could be kidnappers. I’ve been through that once already. What did they look like?” “They are both short, not much taller than me,” she laughed nervously. But the shorter of the two looks like solid muscle. The other one is a bit taller, but he has a full head of hair, very curly.” Justin turned off to his left following a side road toward the ocean. “I don’t think we should go someplace isolated,” Ada cautioned. “I’m not,” Justin smiled without confidence. We’ll stop at Waianapanapa park. There should be plenty of people around. The black sand and rocky beach against the blue sky was very inviting, but rather than moving toward the beach, Justin pulled over near several other cars with people entering and exiting. The Toyota pulled over to the next available parking spot along the road, three parked cars back. Justin wearing brightly colored swimming shorts and a t-shirt that did not quite cover his midriff, and Ada wearing full length white beachwear and a white straw hat walked back to the Toyota hand-in-hand. Justin stopped and tapped on the front driver side window of the car. The electric motor of the window purred as it descended about three inches, and Justin could see the curly mop of hair of the driver. “Why are you following us?” Justin asked bluntly. The passenger of the Toyota leaned over the driver, “Dr and Mrs Nelson. We need to speak with you about an urgent matter.” Ada growled, “What is so urgent that you want to interrupt our vacation?” “Perhaps it would be better to discuss this somewhere private,” the curly headed man suggested. “Why? So you can stuff us in a bag and ship us to the Yakuza?” Justin snapped. “Yakuza?” both of the young men looked perplexed. “We wanted to talk about our fathers: Roger Eddington and Jake Rockwell. You might have known them better as Red and Rock.” Justin stood mouth agape, Ada recovered more quickly, “We’re so sorry for your loss. They were great men.” “We know, but they never finished what they started,” the curly headed man frowned. “We need your help.” A municipal ballpark was nearby, so they moved their cars to the park and sat at a nearby picnic bench. The curly haired man-boy started. He looked like he might be between 20 and 30, but sounded like he was still a teenager, I’m Jon-E and this is my friend E-tan. For starters, Roger and Jake were both pseudonyms and technically they weren’t parents as you know them but our guardians and sector leaders. R-kay and J-kay are closer to their real names.” E-tan continued, “When we learned the destination of your mission, we realized that you had likely discovered the cache of Kolob, so they managed to get berths on the ship. “We are not from Earth, although we have lived here for several generations,” Jon-E volunteered. “As we are refugees, so are you. We believe your ancestors came from Mars, most of ours were from Lantis, the planet that exploded creating what you refer to as the Asteroid Belt.” Justin remained silent, but Ada quizzed, “You’re not from Earth? You claim we’re not from Earth? Where are you getting your information? What source?” We can go into that later, but R-kay and J-kay were supposed to monitor your mission and if you were successful in retrieving kolob they were to either negotiate for, or if need be steal some kolob pearls.” “Why?” Justin jumped back into the conversation. “Our world, the moon you know as Enceladus, is dying. Our energy sources are nearly spent. It was by happenchance that we had a large research center in Enceladus when Lantis exploded,” Jon-E put his arms out open handed. “We need your help. We need to speak with your leader, Marshall Salt. We cannot get to him without your assistance. He always has bodyguards nearby to intercept and send us on our way.”

Well, its been a great weekend. The series has been active in multiple categories, ranking as high as #4 in Teen & Young Adult Aliens. I’m still not sure how it got to #6 in Children’s Action & Adventure Sci-Fi Books. Ranking in the top 30 in Crime & Mystery Science Fiction, Galactic Empire Science Fiction and even Space Fleet Science Fiction. Thanks to all of you who have taken advantage of the event. Meanwhile, the Orion’s Spur series is also available in Audible with a great narrator.

Celebrate the 4th of July with a stellar deal—all five volumes of the Orion’s Spur sci-fi series are FREE on Kindle this holiday weekend (July 4–6)! Jump into the full saga: Grab your free Kindle eBooks here: Demeter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBD91N8V Return to Demeter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OKMZ5TK Defending Demeter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R1XMYL2 Haumeah https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YT6X48Q Paragon’s Virtue https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019JP9HYQ If you enjoy the series, a quick review means the world. Happy Independence Day—and happy reading!

In March of 2020, as the country locked down for the COVID pandemic, teenagers were suddenly left with limited options for entertainment and social connection. That same month, my wife and I decided to host a movie night, inviting our four teenage grandchildren to join us. We rearranged the furniture to mimic a drive-in theater and even created posters to go along with the popcorn and theater candy. It’s now 2025—and the weekly movie night continues. The posters are long gone, but popcorn, theater candy, and now dinner have become permanent fixtures. One of our grandkids is now 21, the youngest is 17. Not long after we started, they asked if friends could come too, and we happily said yes. These days, we typically have anywhere from three to ten teenagers over every Friday night. Somehow, after five years, we still haven’t run out of movies—though most of the classics, like Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, and My Man Godfrey, have been well covered. Coming up with something fresh (even if it’s old) can be a challenge. It turns out that movies more than five years old can feel entirely new to them. Recently, we showed Rear Window with some hesitation—yet it turned out to be a hit. Fiddler on the Roof, on the other hand… not so much. This summer, I’m planning to show three science fiction films. As much as I’d love to screen Zardoz (yes, the one with Sean Connery in red suspenders—but that’s a story for another time), we’re starting with Mars Attacks! this Friday night. This 1996 box office flop was Tim Burton’s tongue-in-cheek homage to 1950s B-grade sci-fi films. It’s glossy, weird, occasionally hilarious—and very much in the spirit of Ed Wood. And what a cast: Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Natalie Portman, Jim Brown… The kids actually enjoyed Roger Corman’s The Raven (1963), so maybe Mars Attacks! will land well too. It’s certainly got the camp factor. The other two sci-fi picks for this summer are The Fifth Element (1997) starring Bruce Willis, and the more recent Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017). Both films remind me of European graphic novels—and for good reason. The Fifth Element was, at the time, the most expensive European film ever made, and it was especially successful in Europe. We’ll see how it plays here in central Utah.

Aloha – A quick note on Sea of Salt, the sequel to Salt of the Earth. I’m moving forward at about a chapter a week and anticipate having final draft completed by the end of the year. I’ll share another excerpt in the next few days. Meanwhile, “Project Lilliput” is moving to Audible. I have a great narrator (he did the entire Orion’s Spur series) and he is about a third of the way through the book. I’m hoping to have this available on Audible by the end of the summer so its time to refresh with excerpts from the book for fans and readers. The book is available on Amazon both in e-book and paperback. So lets begin at the beginning. Chapter 1 Cloud Dragons Eric Brice was a firstling. He was not unique. All 27 members of his class were firstlings. They were the first born after the Transition and provided evidence that the planet-wide initiative had worked. Eric often wondered what his mother had thought. Had she been afraid? Did she think she would die? He realized that his mother must have been the bravest person in the world. Correction, all the mothers of his generation must have been the bravest people on the planet. Trying to imagine the fear they must have endured for nine months terrorized him even now at seventeen years of age. “Beautiful, isn’t it,” a voice startled him. “Huh?” Eric turned to see the smiling face of his friend Kviiiy as she slid in facing him on the padded bench seating. “I just noticed that you were looking out the window, and assumed you were taking in the rolling hills of Iowa,” Kviiiy responded smiling. “Or were you just meditating again?” Kviiiy was the same age as Eric and had been his best friend since they were both six years old. She was a bit shorter than Eric and had recently filled out with a solid, curvy build. She had red curly hair that she was always fighting, and a face full of freckles. When they were eight, she asked Eric to count the freckles on her face, but he lost count at a hundred. Turning back to the window, Eric replied reflectively, “Yes it is pretty, a lot nicer than the brown weeds of home.” The bullet train they were riding sank back to the surface after zipping across a bridge spanning the North Skunk River. “Haven’t we crossed this river already?” Kviiiy asked, leaning across Eric to get a closer look. “You smell good today,” Eric grinned. “Making another play for Tony?” “He’ll come around,” Kviiiy smiled knowingly. “To your question,” Eric spoke as he turned back to the window, “we’ve crossed the North Skunk River three times and will cross it once more according to the maps. It writhes back and forth like a snake. The train line is moving southwest, so we intersect it four times before we cross into Illinois.” Kviiiy plunked down beside Eric. She was dressed in a denim shirt and jeans, and wore a white headband holding back her rebellious red hair. “How fast are we going now?” Eric scowled. “200 miles per hour with the mag-lev system. You know all this; don’t play dumb with me. What gives?” “I’m bored,” Kviiiy replied. “So Tony blew you off?” Eric grinned. “No… yes… sort of.” Kviiiy sulked. “Chanel is all over him.” “Okay, how about a game of cards?” Eric exhaled slowly. He reached under his seat to pull a deck from his backpack when the lights inside the car flashed to warn that the train was slowing down. Even so, he toppled over onto Kviiiy as the train quickly decelerated. As he recovered, he noticed her blue eyes staring into his. “Sorry.” he blushed as he stood back up. Eric was stocky but tall compared to his peers. His ink black hair contrasted his pale face, which exacerbated the scarlet color that rose when he blushed. He preferred slacks to jeans and wore a blue, button-down collared shirt, which was his signature look. “I wonder why we’re stopping. We’re still in Iowa. We shouldn’t get to Springfield Central for another hour.” As the train came to a rest, the lights flashed again, and a neutral computer voice came over the PA ordering everyone to stay in their seats. Eric and Kviiiy joined their classmates, ignoring the announcement, crowding around the windows trying to figure out what was going on. It was a lightly wooded area with green rolling hills. The area immediately surrounding the train was thick with some sort of thorny wild berry plants. The fruit on the bushes had formed but was still green. “I’m going outside to see what the problem is.” A voice that Eric recognized as belonging to Anthony Dennett rose above the din. Tony was the class president. He was also captain of the junior class basketball team. “I’m going with you,” came another voice. Female. Chanel Savage obviously, Eric thought. Kviiiy moved to stand, but Eric dragged her back into her seat. “This is neither the time nor place to be wandering outside,” he whispered. “But…” Kviiiy began. “No buts.” Eric cut her off. “We wait and see.” Several minutes passed before the chatter of classmates resumed when Tony returned. Standing at the doorway he announced, “Looks like a broken tree limb blocking the track. They’re unloading the lasers to cut it away.” “Come on out,” Chanel called. It’s a beautiful day out here, just a bit muggy.” The call to enjoy a sunny day in Iowa was too much for Eric’s classmates, as they rose from their seats and started to disembark. “Don’t you want to go outside?” Kviiiy asked as she got out of her seat. “I’m thinking about it,” Eric stalled. “It would be interesting to watch the lasers at work.” He had a sudden urge to scratch at the scars on his back. “I think I’ll stay here,” he replied indecisively. “Come

Aloha Orion’s Spur fans. “Sea of Salt” continues to move forward slowly. This week I wanted to share a piece of Chapter 8. Justin and Ada are enjoying their honeymoon on the island of Maui. They notice that they are being followed on the Road to Hana. Fearing a possible kidnapping attempt the couple decide to pull over and confront the people following them (not necessarily a bright idea). They are in for a surprise. Note: Remember this is part of an extended rough draft and may not look like this after I go through three proofreading and editing steps 😊 The black sand and rocky beach against the blue sky was very inviting, but rather than moving toward the beach, Justin pulled over near several other cars with people entering and exiting. The Toyota pulled over to the next available parking spot along the road, three parked cars back. Justin wearing brightly colored swimming shorts and a t-shirt that did not quite cover his midriff, and Ada wearing full length white beachwear and a white straw hat walked back to the Toyota hand-in-hand. Justin stopped and tapped on the front driver side window of the car. The electric motor of the window purred as it descended about three inches, and Justin could see the curly mop of hair of the driver. “Why are you following us?” Justin asked bluntly. The passenger leaned over the driver, “Dr and Mrs Nelson. We need to speak with you about an urgent matter.” Ada growled, “What is so urgent that you want to interrupt our vacation?” “Perhaps it would be better to discuss this somewhere private,” the curly headed man suggested. “Why? So you can stuff us in a bag and ship us to the Yakuza?” Justin snapped. “Yakuza?” both of the young men looked perplexed. “We wanted to talk about our fathers: Roger Eddington and Jake Rockwell. You might have known them better as Red and Rock.” Justin stood mouth agape, Ada recovered more quickly, “We’re so sorry for your loss. They were great men.” “We know, but they never finished what they started,” the curly headed man frowned. “We need your help.” A municipal ballpark was nearby, so they moved their cars to the park and sat at a nearby picnic bench. The curly haired man-boy started. He looked like he might be between 20 and 30, but sounded like he was still a teenager, I’m Jon-E and this is my friend E-tan. For starters, Roger and Jake were both pseudonyms and technically they weren’t parents as you know them but our guardians and sector leaders. R-kay and J-kay are closer to their real names.” E-tan continued, “When we learned the destination of your mission, we realized that you had likely discovered the cache of Kolob, so they managed to get berths on the ship. “We are not from Earth, although we have lived here for several generations,” Jon-E volunteered. “As we are refugees, so are you. We believe your ancestors came from Mars, most of ours were from Lantis, the planet that exploded creating what you refer to as the Asteroid Belt.” Justin remained silent, but Ada quizzed, “You’re not from Earth? You claim we’re not from Earth? Where are you getting your information? What source?” We can go into that later, but R-kay and J-kay were supposed to monitor your mission and if you were successful in retrieving kolob they were to either negotiate for, or if need be steal some kolob pearls.” “Why?” Justin jumped back into the conversation. “Our world, the moon you know as Enceladus, is dying. Our energy sources are nearly spent. It was by happenchance that we had a large research center in Enceladus when Lantis exploded,” Jon-E put his arms out open handed. “We need your help. We need to speak with your leader, Marshall Salt. We cannot get to him without your assistance. He always has bodyguards nearby to intercept and send us on our way.”

A couple of decades ago, I stumbled upon Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold in the science fiction section of Barnes & Noble. From that first read, I was hooked. The series, which soon centered on the unforgettable Miles Vorkosigan, has been a delightful, thought-provoking journey. My wife and I have enjoyed reading most of the series together—a shared adventure that still stands out as a favorite. While Miles has taken a backseat in recent years, Bujold has turned her formidable talents to fantasy, particularly in The World of the Five Gods series. Originally, I thought of it as a trilogy, beginning with The Curse of Chalion. The setting evokes an alternate medieval Spain infused with magic, and Bujold’s writing is so masterful that I think of her work as genre literature—transcending the usual boundaries of science fiction and fantasy. Recently, my daughter sent me a copy of Penric’s Progress, a collection of three novellas that return to the Five Gods universe. Reading it aloud with my wife, I was reminded how richly Bujold builds worlds and characters. The first novella, Penric’s Demon, is light on plot but rich in atmosphere and detail. Penric and the Shaman continues in the same vein, with a little more momentum. By the third novella, Penric’s Fox, Bujold hits her stride—blending compelling character development with an engaging mystery plot. So was it worth it? Absolutely. After finishing Penric’s Progress, I immediately researched the rest of the series. While the novellas are available individually on Audible, I opted to buy the next volume, Penric’s Travels, which contains the following three stories. It should arrive this week—and yes, my wife and I are both looking forward to diving in. If you enjoy rich medieval settings, subtle magic, and deeply human characters, I highly recommend the Penric and Desdemona novellas. They’re a quiet joy—one that grows with each installment.

Aloha – I’m working steadily on the science fiction sequel to “Salt of the Earth”. Along the way I’m going to continue to share short excerpts of the work in progress. Many of the characters in “Sea of Salt” will be familiar from the first novel. Marshall Salt and his now wife Naomi are still center stage, although major sub-plots involving Blake are making this a fun write. Blake is the close friend of Justin who is getting married at this point in the novel. He has sequestered himself away to work on the new element they found trying to determine what can be done with it. He destroyed one lab and is isolated in southern Utah when Marshall and Naomi come to march him off to the wedding. Meanwhile we get introduced to a couple of new characters who are spying on Blake and his work: Hank and Tom tommy Matinson. “That’s not something you see every day,” Hank turned to his companion who was trying to find some shade in the wash where they had been coming every day for the past three weeks. His companion, Tom tommy Matinson a stocky middle-aged man from the East Coast, lay with his back against the red clay gully wall with all but his feet in the shade. “Uh-uh. This is the only cool spot in this god forsaken place, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to move.” “Well, you’re missing quite a show,” Hank drawled, holding up his smart phone and snapping pictures. “How do you put this thing on video again?” Tom tommy looked at his companion suspiciously. Hank was a local hire. He was tall, lanky, and in no hurry to do much of anything. More importantly, his record showed that he had been in and out of the county jail twice in the last year and knew the area. In three weeks, Hank had also demonstrated an irritable propensity for practical jokes, including setting a ceramic rattlesnake half buried in the sand just yesterday. Finally, Tom Tommy worked his way to a standing position, and brushed himself off. “Okay, what’s the joke?” he spat out with a lower-class Boston accent. “Not a joke,” Hank grinned. “Up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a…” “House,” Tom tommy’s mouth dropped. “Give me that phone. We need video.” “I think I’ve got it now,” Hank pushed a button that showed himself and part of Tom tommy’s faces. “Well, how did I…?” “Give me that,” Tom tommy grabbed for the phone. Hank pulled it away, “How do I get it to switch back?” he kept pushing buttons. “Oh-oh.” “What?” Tom tommy snapped. “I think I turned it off,” Hank handed the phone over to his companion. It was nearly a full minute before Tom tommy could get the phone powered back up and find the camera button. “Okay, where did it go?” “Back on the ground,” Hank pointed. “Shit!” Tom tommy threw the phone to the ground and reached for his pistol, then thought better of it. Bending down he picked up the phone. “Did you get any pictures at all?” “I think so,” Hank shrugged. * * * The house had landed about fifty yards from where it had been sitting. The ground was not even, and the stress was causing the house to buckle in places. “The door won’t open now,” Blake complained. I think you’re going to have to bring it up again,” Marshall observed. “Any chance of controlling the direction?” “No,” Blake frowned. “It is simply vertical lift; I don’t have anything designed to try to control direction.” “Your ten minutes are up,” Naomi blurted out. She threw a roundhouse kick bursting the door open to the outside. “But this is fantastic,” Blake complained. I need to make notes and replicate the experiment. I need to understand the nuances of the degree of application. Plus, why did I get the whole house rather than the plate?” “All good questions,” Naomi nodded as she stepped out onto the uneven ground and took a short tumble to the flattened surface of the driveway. Spitting out some dirt and sage twigs she rose to her feet. “Questions,” she growled, “that you can answer after the wedding. Now let’s get going.” Marshall and Blake looked at the equipment, then back at Naomi in unison. Without a word, Blake removed and pocketed the round ball, then grabbed his coat.

Aloha, Readers! We’re celebrating the author’s birthday Hobbit-style—by giving you the gifts! 🎉 In honor of this special occasion, we’re hosting a free eBook giveaway of the entire Orion’s Spur series. Starting this Friday, you can download Book 1: Demeter for free on Kindle—and every day after, another book in the series will be available for free! Here’s the full giveaway schedule: Friday – Orion’s Spur: Demeter Saturday – Orion’s Spur: Return to Demeter Sunday – Orion’s Spur: Defending Demeter Monday – Orion’s Spur: Haumeah Tuesday – Orion’s Spur: Paragon’s Virtue 📚 That’s five epic books—five days—totally free. All we ask in return? If you enjoy the journey, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Reviews mean the world to authors and help more readers discover the series. Happy reading—and thank you for being part of this celebration!

What is Science Fiction? Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a broad and fascinating genre that explores speculative futures, alternative realities, and the potential of science and technology. Over time, numerous subgenres have emerged, each with its own flavor. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular subgenres of science fiction. 1. Space Opera Space opera emphasizes grand space warfare, heroic adventures, and sweeping interstellar conflicts. Interestingly, the term space opera doesn’t come from opera music but draws from horse operas (Westerns) and soap operas (melodramatic radio or TV shows). The idea is to capture melodrama, large-scale scope, and formulaic but beloved storytelling. Classic examples: Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, John Carter of Mars. Modern examples: Star Wars, The Expanse series. 2. Alternate History This subgenre imagines how history might have unfolded if key events happened differently. It blurs the line between science fiction and speculative fiction. Best-known example: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. Other examples: Fatherland by Robert Harris, 11/22/63 by Stephen King. 3. Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic These stories depict civilization’s collapse and humanity’s struggle to survive in a changed world. Today, this is one of the most popular subgenres, especially in movies and TV series. Examples: The Hunger Games, Mad Max, The Walking Dead, A Quiet Place, Fallout, Terminator, No Blade of Grass. 4. Biopunk Biopunk focuses on biotechnology and genetic engineering, often portraying science itself as a double-edged sword. Classic example: The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. Modern examples: Gattaca, Altered Carbon. 5. Time Travel Time travel stories explore the possibilities and paradoxes of moving through time. Must-reads and watches: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, 12 Monkeys, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Timeless (TV series), and the upcoming reboot of The Time Tunnel. 6. Hard Science Fiction Hard science fiction emphasizes scientific accuracy and technical detail, sometimes at the expense of character-driven storytelling. Examples: 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain, The Martian, Interstellar, Gravity. My Own Sci-Fi Writing Journey When working on my own books, I often blend these subgenres: Orion’s Spur: Coming-of-age meets space opera and deep world-building. Salt of the Earth: A complex mix of hard and soft science fiction, focusing on asteroid mining, future economics, and political struggles. Project Lilliput: An adventurous dystopian tale set on Earth, with optimistic themes where society remains intact—poised to evolve into a space opera series. Conclusion: Why Sci-Fi Subgenres Matter Understanding these subgenres helps both readers and writers navigate the rich landscape of science fiction. Whether you’re drawn to grand space battles, alternative timelines, dystopian futures, or hard science, there’s a sci-fi niche for everyone.