The Astounding Analog Companion blog has posted a Q&A in which I discuss the background of my story “The Greatest Day”, how my late dear friend Leslie Gelberger introduced me to Analog, the engineers and scientists who have inspired me, how I got into writing, the reading pile on my bedside table, and my career in aerospace engineering.
Category Archives: Short Fiction
“The Greatest Day” in the Special 90th Anniversary January/February 2020 Issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Analog Science Fiction and Fact traces its heritage back to Astounding Stories of Super-Science, the first issue of which appeared in January 1930. I am tremendously grateful to Trevor Quachri and Emily Hockaday for the privilege of having my story “The Greatest Day” in the 90th anniversary January/February 2020 issue of Analog alongside astounding tales by Harry Turtledove, Sarina Dorie, C. Stuart Hardwick, Sean McMullen, Jay Werkheiser, Ian Randal Strock, Douglas F. Dluzen, Izzy Wasserstein, Matthew Claxton, A.J. Ward, Wendy Nikel, Gregor Hartmann, Richard A. Lovett, Joel Richards, and Rachel Rodman.
An alternate history about the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, “The Greatest Day” is my fourth-plus-one appearance in Analog because the story is accompanied by a companion fact article in the same issue. For their 90th anniversary year, Analog has also launched a free podcast in which they feature one story from each new issue of the magazine. I am honoured to have been asked to read “The Greatest Day” as the first of these podcasts. You can listen to the podcast here.
Paul Fraser has posted a detailed review (with some spoilers) of the 90th anniversary issue. He gives “The Greatest Day” four stars, compares it favourably to Apollo 13 and The Martian, and says the story “would be in my Year’s Best”.
We Shall Be Monsters
My co-author Joseph McGinty and I are delighted to have received our contributors copies of the new anthology We Shall Be Monsters, pictured below with its original inspiration. Edited by multiple Aurora Award winner Derek Newman-Stille and published by Renaissance Press, We Shall Be Monsters commemorates the bicentennial and legacy of the ground-breaking and genre-changing novel Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. The anthology features 24 stories and poems by diverse authors from around the world, ranging from direct interpretations of Shelley’s text to innovative explorations of stitched, assembled body, and narrative experiments in monstrous creations.
Our story “F. – A Post-Modern Prometheus” is a satirical tale about a hapless modern day Victor Frankenstein struggling to raise funding for his monstrous research. Check out the bonus material related to and inspired by our story including a teaser preview, deleted scenes, and even Frankenstein’s PowerPoint presentation!
“Túshūguăn” Opens Re-Terrify Anthology...A Scary Thought!
Receiving contributor copies of a publication is a treat for any writer, but in the case of Re-Terrify: Horrifying Stories of Monsters and More edited by Kelly A. Harmon and Vonnie Winslow Crist and released by Pole to Pole Publishing, it was a surprise and delight to discover that my story “Túshūguăn” is the opening tale of the collection! Thank you to Kelly and Vonnie for the honour of being a part of this wonderfully scary anthology. Re-Terrify is available in paperback (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) and ebook (Amazon, !ndigo, Barnes & Noble, Kobo). “Túshūguăn” was first published in the Fall 2014 issue of Ricepaper magazine.
A Post-Modern Prometheus is ALIIIIIVE!!!
The New Year is kicked-off with the publication of our new story “F. — A Post-Modern Prometheus” by yours truly and Joseph McGinty, about a hapless modern day Victor Frankenstein struggling to raise funding for his monstrous research. The story appears in the new anthology We Shall Be Monsters, edited by multiple Aurora Award winner Derek Newman-Stille and published by Renaissance Press, which commemorates the bicentennial and legacy of Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking novel. We Shall Be Monsters is available in paperback and ebook.
Compostela: Tesseracts Twenty
My contributor copies of Compostela: Tesseracts Twenty arrived a few days ago. Edited by Spider Robinson and James Alan Gardner, Compostela is an anthology of speculative fiction that represent a futuristic view of the sciences and how humanity might be affected (for better or worse) by a reliance on technology. The collection includes my story “Plot Device” and work by David Clink, Miki Dare, Steve Fahnestalk, Matthew Hughes, Rati Mehrotra, Derryl Murphy, Susan Pieters, Alexandra Renwick, Rhea Rose, Robert J. Sawyer, and 23 other visionary Canadian writers.
“So come on, science fiction! Despair may be the trend du jour among the mundane masses, but we’re supposed to see farther. The stars are waiting for patiently for us to get over ourselves and come visit.”
- From the Foreword by James Alan Gardner
“We may be feeling a bit gloomy just now, but we have every excuse to hope if we want to. Depends on what we choose to sing as we walk our separate Compostelas together.”
- From the Afterword by Spider Robinson
“Decrypted” in the May/June 2017 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact
My new story “Decrypted”, set in a near future in which all classical public key cryptography has been hacked, appears in the May/June 2017 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. It was perfect to have received my contributor copies just in time for the Ad Astra science fiction convention in Toronto last month, where I was a science and author guest-of-honor. I am grateful to Trevor Quachri for my third appearance in Analog, and my heartfelt thanks to David Brin without whom “Decrypted” would not have been written.
Image Credit: Clinton Research
Sampler of Stories from Science Fiction by Scientists
Just arrived copies of Science Fiction by Scientists: An Anthology of Short Stories edited by Michael Brotherton and published by Springer. The collection features fourteen stories by scientists, engineers and other writers with a technical background and includes work by Ken Wharton, Jennifer Rohn, Andrew Fraknoi, Edward M. Lerner, Tedd Roberts, Jed Brody, Marissa Lingen, J. Craig Wheeler, Stephanie Osborn, Jon Richards, Carl Frederick, Les Johnson, J.M. Sidorova and yours truly. For a sampler of the stories, have a look at “Down and Out” by Ken Wharton or an excerpt of my story “Fixer Upper”.
A Pair of New Stories
I am thrilled to announce two new story sales. “Decrypted”, set in a near future in which all classical public key cryptography has been hacked, will be published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact. “Fixer Upper”, about a Chinese expedition to rescue the International Space Station, has been selected by Mike Brotherton for his upcoming anthology Science Fiction by Scientists (Springer). I am grateful to Trevor Quachri for my third appearance in Analog, and to Mike Brotherton for...well, a number of things (Launch Pad!) but in this case for generously expanding the definition of “scientist” to include a lowly engineer. My gratitude also to Ken Miura, whose thorough and insightful critique of “Fixer Upper” improved the story by at least an order of magnitude, and my heartfelt thanks to David Brin without whom “Decrypted” would not have been written.
“Crimson Sky” to Appear in the 2017 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide
I am grateful to Corie Weaver and her delightfully named Dreaming Robot Press for selecting my Prix Aurora Award winning story “Crimson Sky” for inclusion in their 2017 Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide. I had written “Crimson Sky” with young readers in mind and I am thrilled that Corie is helping me bring the story to a YA audience. The story was first published in the July/August 2014 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact.
