Years into the future, humans are mining the resources of the asteroid belt. On a lonely station, a station chief’s job involves balancing the pressures of corporate execs demanding higher yields and greater efficiencies with the usual tensions that arise on an isolated station housing more than a hundred people. But Chief Sutton’s a pro.

Recently assigned to the station to get the mining operation back on track, she soon finds the typical trouble people get themselves into when they’re locked away inside an asteroid for a year or more may not be typical.

What’s causing people to turn violent, even murderous? Is it the environment? Is it psychological?

With the only help coming from Earth by way of "remoting", can Sutton figure out what’s going on before she becomes a victim of it?

About the Book:

I don’t want to delve too deeply into the inspiration for the story as it takes away from where the story goes. Suffice it to say that inspiration provided an amazing look at a future that was darker than most. But beyond that, the story mixes a variety of elements that I just love: science fiction (fiction rooted in the science that created it), an environment where gender is not a yardstick for what you’re allowed to do, and mysteries (murderous and otherwise) that give you just the right amount of chills as you delve deeper into them.

More importantly, the story toys with a future concept that may not be too far out there given recent progress in VR, quantum entanglement and the use of technology to extend humanity’s reach where restricted by nature or disability. The idea of "remoting" into a machine to operate it isn’t that far-fetched at this stage. We already use rovers to explore the deepest oceans, operate some ridiculously massive equipment from a little booth, and now with VR are seeing uptake in acceptance of the virtual environment with higher fidelity experiences. Meanwhile, prosthetics is advancing as well, bringing us a step closer to "jacking in" like William Gibson made so famous.

Inspired by the above, I wrote a screenplay, more as a challenge for myself than a desire to see it made. Along the way, I found the thread of a story I really loved. The problem with screenplays and film is the limitation you have in terms of the time and detail you can apply to the story. Geek and Sundry’s contest came around and I found out about this platform. Now, I’m using the screenplay as an outline of the story, a foundation to build on in a medium that allows more room for that detail you can’t fit into a script.

So, while I don’t have a finished book just yet, I do know where it leads (in fact, I have an epilogue already written). There are so many more ways to explore the environment, expand on the subplots and characters, and play around with the hapless victims that will be wandering the halls of a lonely mining outpost in space...space...space... (sorry, had to be done).

I hope you’ll find something you like and feel free to give me feedback. 

About the Author:

When I was a kid, I was an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy. I was an avid writer too but mostly of stories and bits of novels that would never get finished. Life sauntered in and two careers later I’m finding myself reading RPG rule books (for the stories) and dipping my toes back into the latest and greatest. I’ve always loved writing fiction and have a number of stories I’d love to tell.

I’m based in Los Angeles but I’ve got my eye on the Pacific Northwest. I’ve studied the molecules bouncing around your cells (well, not the actual molecules obviously as that’s a bit intrusive), am part of the reason you are getting more automated calls (in fairness, we focused on getting schools connected with parents...I can’t be held responsible for what the companies we worked with went off and did elsewhere), and plan to resist our robot overlords when the time comes...unless they have cookies, then we can be friends.