TO THE STARS is the first book in a science-fiction trilogy concerning an intrepid group of space explorers in the year 2107. Harry Irons dreams of escaping poverty and an over-crowded Earth by gaining employment with the Braithwaite Corporation. After proving himself in a series of tests, Harry gets his wish and soon enough finds himself struggling to survive on an alien world. TO THE STARS was written for a general audience and is sure to satisfy both younger and older fans of alternative fiction.
My fascination with alternative or speculative fiction began as a boy. Hot Texas summers were filled with baseball, fishing, and reading. In college, I was a mediocore student, studying writing, classical literature, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science. Struggling with finances, I dropped out my senior year and enlisted in the Navy, serving two tours of duty with the Seventh Fleet in the closing years of the Vietnam War. Afterwards, I returned to school to complete my first degree and subsequently landed a position as a teaching fellow in the English Department at North Texas State University. It was either that or go to Fiji with the Peace Corps. To be honest, I think I would have preferred Fiji.
I have worked as a teacher, technical writer, systems analyst, martial arts instructor, and various other odd jobs. For a while, I thought I would end up as a musician, but music would have been a poor career move, sort of like deciding to be a fiction writer.
My stories are most often in the science fiction genre depicting characters under stressful and extraordinary settings. Even in a fantastic setting, I strive for honesty by creating characters who respond to their circumstances as I believe actual people would. The aliens, however, are unpredictable because of their very nature. That's why we call them aliens.
