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2.15.20 - Query Letter

Rising from an impoverished Earth, “Crash” Downs achieved a dream: admission into the famous interstellar Ranger program. Billions will watch him and a group of underdog soldiers endure training and competition against genetically perfect opponents on the Challenge, a televised spectacle that makes celebrities out of soldiers. Yet, Crash’s fight is only a deadly distraction in a galactic game of cat and mouse between the oppressive United Corporate Federation and the star systems they subjugate. 

Behind the scenes, a savant hacker named Glitch stumbles across a devious plot by megacorporate titans to inconceivably destroy Earth completely. In a society drowning in hopelessness and fear, somehow he must convince a tenacious syndicate spy hunting him, the galaxy’s first telepath, and a gene-enhanced pilot whose dreams tell the future, to enter a fight against overwhelming odds, setting the table for the war to end all wars. The fate of humanity hangs in the balance. No matter who wins, the ultimate threat to life in the Milky Way is out in cold, unexplored space, and the waves of our gravity bomb will reach out to draw them in.

Beta Reader feedback has been overwhelmingly positive to this galaxy-crossing story told from the perspective of three imperfect souls in just under 112,000 words, Gravity’s Reach is the first of a planned science fiction saga drawing inspiration from titles like Starship Troopers, Mass Effect, and Ender’s Game.

4.6.19 - Excerpts

Drill Sergeant Black leaned against the hatch. Her cap hung low over her nose, muscular arms rippled with tattoos. “This isn’t the place for vendettas, Recruit,” she said in a flattened tone.

“Yes ma’am. Sergeant Blue’s orders were to knock my opponent out. Took me longer to get it done. Won’t happen again.” Crash kept his gaze fixed.

Her chin slightly lifted, revealing a hint at a smirk. “See that it doesn’t,” she ordered. “You showed leadership there,” Black added.

“I didn’t lead, ma’am. None of them are responsible for what happened, just me.”

The lip of Black’s cap rose, revealing sharp honey-brown eyes. “Leadership is keeping soldiers out of a fight they can’t win and shouldn’t be in.”

Crash chuckled and instantly regretted it. He winced.

“Probably a rib fracture, concussion. Is it true Earthborn take months to heal from bone breaks?”

He nodded, the blurs became clearer. “Without medical attention, yeah. Meds drop it to a few days.”

“That’s barbaric.”

“How long do you take to heal?”

Starnes gauged his balance. “Nowhere near as long,” he grinned. “Catch you later, Crash.”

Wendy adjusted her trajectory to where the Skyrunner would be with one second before the ship broke the light barrier. With two seconds left, she cut the engines. Her fighter again spun 180 degrees, sliding sideways into the open hangar bay. “NOW!” She kicked open the landing gear and full thrust, neutralizing momentum right as the carrier reached slip-stream entry.

3.28.19 - Progress Update and Excerpt

So… personal progress first: I’m having surgery tomorrow to repair the ruptured patellar tendon in my left (formerly the good) knee.. This is not how I wanted to start my spring break, but I’m trying to look at it positively. At least I’ll have close to ten straight days to recover before I have to go back to work. Hopefully within a few weeks I’ll be cleared for physical therapy and be back in the gym shortly thereafter. It’s not going to be easy, but I know I’m going to be so grateful to be back on track, working on making myself better. The gym has been my outlet for depression over the past few years. And I can’t wait to get back.

But while I’ve been on injured reserve, I finished the third draft of Gravity’s Reach, the first book in this saga I dream of getting published. Draft One came in at around 200,000 words. Draft Two knocked that down to 140,000. Draft Three got me to under the red line of 120,000, which is what I needed to get published. So I’ve gone ahead and done a few housekeeping things like creating actual chapter breaks and a table of contents. Ran spell check a few times (for what small amount of good that does), and now I’m starting Draft Four, in which I hopefully tighten everything together and make it something someone other than myself would want to read.

The good news? I’ve got ten days to dive into it, with nothing but rotating ice packs and strong medications to keep me company. Well, there’s the dog. He’ll be around.

Random wonderings when you’re writing science fiction:

People know that Sol is another name for the Sun, right?


Crash pressed against the cold window, took in the soft glow of Earth, and wondered if he would see home again.

How’s that for an opening sentence?