Go through the list of the nearest stars, and binaries abound…but few are the close binaries needed for the iconic twin sunset scenes from classic sci-fi. Gliese 866, better known by its variable-star designation EZ Aquarii, is the nearest possibility: located 11.1 light-years from Earth, … Continue readingBlack Seas, Red Sky, Three Suns: Worldbuilding EZ Aquarii
Thalassa this, Thalassa that…yes, my version of Proxima Centauri’s potentially habitable planet (speculative, but based on real science!) is a fascinating place, but what about the rest of the system? Proxima is just one part of a triple-star system…two of which are some of the … Continue readingWorldbuilding Alpha Centauri
Recently I’ve been bouncing around several story concepts, but none have lit a fire under me that tells me “I wanna write this now! Ooh…yay!”; it’s been more like “eeeh…maybe someday”. But then I started listening to “Earthbound”, a wonderful ambient piece by Dreamstate Logic, … Continue readingA Far-Future Duology?
Weighing in at 53,000 words, my new space opera novel “The Saga of the Ilithianades” is out for your enjoyment! Buy it as an ebook, a paperback, or (ooh…) a hardcover at Amazon and crack it open! I’ll let the blurb at Amazon speak for … Continue readingThe Saga of the Ilithianades: New Sci-Fi Novel Out!
In my latest novel, tentatively titled “The Saga of the Ilithianades”, the age-of-sail-style treasure hunt for a powerful alien artifact I highlighted as part of the story only really gets started around 40,000 words into it; up until then it’s literally a simple family saga, … Continue readingThe Saga of the Ilithianades: Radon Seas and Beyond
My new sci-fi romance novel “Nereogenesis” is out in ebook and paperback! Yay! What is “Nereogenesis”? Compared to my earlier novels and stories it’s certainly the most enigmatic. You’ll have to find out for yourself what it means, but as for what it is I’ll … Continue readingNereogenesis: New Sci-Fi Romance Novel Out!
No, I’m not boiling a wicked brew for Macbeth, or for anyone else! You readers and your melodramatic imaginations. Tsk-tsk. Anyway, after the completion of my most recent short story, “A Trip to Starlit Spa”, I have several ideas for my next effort that I’m … Continue readingDouble, Double, Stories and Trouble
Although a world’s seas may be where its life is born, a world’s air also holds great meaning for mankind. In this post we will branch off from exploring exotic oceans to exploring exotic atmospheres, especially oxygen-rich ones on worlds harboring exotic oceans. Worldbuilders, for … Continue readingWorldbuilding Exotic Oxygen Atmospheres
Oceans often come to the forefront when imagining the worlds that may be out there in the wider universe, whether as an exercise in science, speculation, or creating works of fiction. In these exercises liquid water oceans predominate, because our own planet’s surface is dominated … Continue readingThe Lavender Glow of a Radon Sea: Worldbuilding Exotic Oceans