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Eerie Depths
In Assimilation, a lonely young woman’s life is forever altered after a disturbing lake encounter that forces her to confront the secrets of her parents, her own biology, and the terrifying presence haunting the waters. What inspired the eerie beauty of the Soshone Islands, and how did you balance calm with dread in the landscape?
Spending many summers fishing the sprawling waters of Canada, I have always been spellbound by the ancient allure and unspoiled beauty of that timeless land, history and mystery written into every boulder, bog, and tributary. It was inevitable that eventually a story would emerge from those clear, eerie depths, the way all those countless submerged boulders silently watched from below as my boat passed soundlessly above them. It was exhilarating to merge my memories and awe with the haunting narrative of Kercy’s plight.
The lake scene is both surreal and intensely physical. How did you approach crafting an encounter that feels simultaneously dreamlike and traumatic?
Boating on a vast body of water for me is both physical and surreal, and doubly so at night. I drew upon my personal experiences with this inscrutable medium. How it can hold up a craft weighing hundreds to thousands of pounds, while allowing a tiny pebble to penetrate its surface without hesitation. And while that same surface can appear calm, familiar, just beneath it is a boundless, unseen world teeming with life. How can one not be excited by that!
Kercy’s emotional landscape is so rich and painful. What part of her character came to you first when writing her?
Kercy’s horrid beginnings, her trials, her struggle to survive. She was born damaged, vulnerable, an outcast in a world she knew early on she was not designed for. It was her strength and determination that pushed the story forward, along with the resolve of her mother, who felt both responsible for Kercy’s ordeal and eternally grateful for her birth.
What guided your decisions about how far to lean into each element and genre, and were there versions of the story that were more (or less) “alien”?
The storyline and characters always guide my decisions. The characters, if I’m being totally faithful to them, define where the story will take me. The circumstances around Kercy’s birth, which has taken place before the story begins, have already set the course for what she must learn about her life. Then the only question becomes how; how does she unveil her past, how will her current situation be revealed? From that point, I open myself to discovering the story, allowing it to unfold naturally, with my fidelity to Kercy and the other characters always at the forefront.
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Kercy Powell loves spending summers at their secluded island cottage in Ontario; a place where her birth defects and wheelchair are never on display. Just before her eighteenth birthday, Kercy is shocked to learn her mother sold their island paradise, offering only this grave warning, “Don’t ever go back there!”
The ensuing years bring Kercy a miraculous metamorphous, making her wheelchair unnecessary. Upon her mother’s death, she inherits the family fortune and buys back her most treasured getaway. Kercy is soon plagued by old nightmares; strange beings who visit in her sleep. One night, two men boat out to her cottage and try to assault her. She manages to escape, only to witness the unholy cries of her attackers being savagely killed.
The inexplicable murders trigger a visit from Special Agent Mallory, a cagey FBI officer who is only interested in how the two men died. But Kercy has no idea, until she comes face to face with her “protectors,” creatures who live beneath the deep, icy waters of Georgian Bay. And while they’ve rescued her before, Kercy can’t shake the notion that their intentions are nefarious.
[CONTENT ADVISORY: Intended for adult readership and contains scenes of violence, sexuality, aliens, and language that may be uncomfortable for some readers.]
[TRIGGER WARNING: Rape]
Power and Knowledge
Raq follows a loyal soldier of the Hlad race as he faces a crashed alien ship, a lone human survivor, and a truth so shattering it threatens everything he believes about his people and the universe itself. What inspired you to create the Hlad and their unique biology and culture?
Inspiration came from those stories you hear of “lost civilisations” being discovered, people who live in remote and secluded places, and their culture, customs, language, and entire lifestyle so utterly different from the “civilised” world. And vice versa. We always see the point of view from the so-called civilised, and rarely the other way around. Exploring that avenue, begged to be told. How does one communicate? Understand their ways? Those were questions I had. What would humans look like to aliens? When it came to their social structure, I decided to use animals and reptiles for behaviour and how the whole status hierarchy works. In most, the females are more dominant, and well, honestly, that was fun to exploit and expand on. Why not, right? And then developing a social structure where the females have more power and knowledge, well now, great fun to write! Creating an entirely new physiology for the Hlad required some wild imaginings. Using a replitilan base, mainly for the hardiness and adaptability to their harsh environment the story is set in, meant slapping together some wild mutations, but making sure each part of their crazy anatomy had a purpose, or not, through evolution.
Raq’s journey from certainty to doubt is so compelling. Was his arc fully mapped out from the beginning, or did it evolve as you wrote?
Yes. You get a glimpse of his uncertainty at the very beginning. I wanted him to be flexible enough so he would become more self-aware and open-minded. Accepting. And why not, right? It’s nice to have, with some effort, something hopeful happen. To know even the most extreme polar opposites of anything, can — with a little more knowledge, understanding, and acceptance — come to the middle ground to create something new and incredible. I mean, we only have to look at what’s happening in the world to draw more inspiration. I wanted Raq as if on one side of a coin he was one way, and on the other, a different way. But when you spin the coin, you get a whole picture…complete. The Raq that he becomes, so to speak. The same could also be said for the human, David.
The relationship between Raq and David develops slowly and believably. What challenges did you face in writing their communication barrier?
Tackling the language barrier was interesting, but doable. For one, I had my own experiences to draw from. My parents, being Japanese and living in an English-speaking country (in the late 1960s and onwards), encountered numerous difficulties navigating the language and customs, not to mention enduring some interesting issues by simply being different. Then, years later, as a young girl, we moved to Brazil, and the language barrier for me was overwhelming. As a 12-year-old, you pick up languages easily (maybe for me, as I was bilingual at the time, and you get an ear for it), but in the beginning, we might as well have been speaking an alien language. But in both cases, sign language was an almost universal first-choice method of communication. Using all of this, Raq took shape, with sign language as the initial way of communicating, and then the repetitive use of words until the meaning is clear, and then, the written language. The other examples I was able to draw from are actual animal behaviours. Just watching how, for example, dogs communicate with us. It’s all about observing the little things. The big and small body language and behaviours dogs make, the noises they make or don’t. Even how dogs communicate with other dogs. Of course, by the by, I also have lizards to observe — they’re regular visitors to my patio. The way they interact with their own, the fights they have, the turf wars to show their dominance, and then how they can remain so still for so long, just to catch a fly. So, yes. I simply observed all the creatures around me and went from there. I also tried to have some things that are universal, something both had in common. Even with animals and humans, emotional responses are the same: happiness, sadness, hunger, and terror. I used these core emotions so Raq and David could discover their likenesses as well as their differences.
David’s journal entries add depth to Earth’s past. What research or influences shaped the history you created?
Picturing a future Earth is exciting, with unlimited possibilities. At the rate humanity and technology are going, deep space exploration is fast approaching. For David’s history, we’re in an Earth timeline that is thousands of centuries away. Deep-space travel is the norm, and Earth, for now, has survived and endured unimaginable turmoils and mistakes, with disasters and wars, famines and diseases — the works! So in the 29th century, upon the discovery of a habitable planet, the Harbinger generation ship embarks, in search of a better place to live. Thousands of years later, Earth has become idyllic, and this is where David’s story begins, where he joins an expedition to search for the Harbinger and the lost colony on the distant planet. As for research, you only ever have to look back in history to see the great conquests and disasters, discoveries and mysteries. Then tweak it and place it in a futuristic context and let your imagination go wild!
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The Hlad are one race, the only race beneath the Great Abyss. The great Fire King deemed it so when the Great Mother birthed the Fire King’s children from the dry lake beds. All know of His power and scorn, and praise Him with each rising so He may shine down gently and with kindness.
Warrior Class Lieutenant Raq of the Imperial Guard is a proud soldier, an adoring father to his sons, brave, dutiful and honour-bound, a devout servant of the Fire King. He is a true Hlad. But his faith is shattered when an alien craft crash-lands on Hlad from the Great Abyss.
One alien, the Dayyid, survives the horrible massacre that follows the crash. Imprisoned, suffering from malnutrition, and studied by the reptilian doctors and scientists, he doesn’t forget one of the creatures from the crash site. One who hesitated to kill.
Forced to live together, Raq and the Dayyid learn to understand each other despite the language barrier. But when they learn of a threat to Earth, they discover an almost unbelievable truth that unites them against the Hlad. The rest of Hlad must learn this truth, and so, too, the rest of the universe.
The Dark Without
The Dark Without by T.K. Toppin plunges readers into a haunting vision of Earth’s future—a world ravaged by humanity’s excesses and the relentless effects of climate change. In this dystopia, the government holds a monopoly on technology and resources, leaving the rest of society to languish in darkness and poverty. The planet itself has become a sprawling wasteland, its landscape littered with the ruins of centuries. Amidst this grim reality, people cling to fragments of normalcy—attending school, eking out livelihoods—but an air of despair pervades. The bleakness of this setting provokes a deep existential question: what’s the point of it all?
From the start, the story grips you on an emotional level. The world Toppin paints feels disturbingly plausible, a terrifying extrapolation of today’s crises. Esme’s journal entries, recounting her family’s harrowing escape during riots, are especially compelling. These passages tug at the heart, vividly capturing the chaos and fear of displacement. The parallels to real-world struggles are impossible to ignore, adding layers of poignancy and urgency to the narrative.
The plot takes an unexpected turn into science fiction when Esme experiences what can only be described as an alien abduction—but not in the way one might anticipate. This twist is both startling and fascinating, tapping into speculative theories about extraterrestrial involvement in human affairs. While I don’t subscribe to such ideas, the book’s exploration of them is captivating. Toppin crafts a scenario that feels both imaginative and unnervingly credible, lending the story a thought-provoking edge.
Themes of government corruption and humanity’s self-destructive tendencies resonate deeply throughout the book. These elements ground the fantastical aspects of the narrative in reality, prompting readers to reflect on the parallels to our own world. Fiction like this—stories that entertain while challenging us to confront uncomfortable truths—has a unique power. In some ways, The Dark Without feels like a grown-up counterpart to The Lorax, delivering its cautionary tale with a sharp, sophisticated edge.
The ending left a strong impression on me. Dark and perhaps morbid, it feels entirely fitting for the story Toppin tells. It delivers a poetic sense of justice. This is a gripping and thought-provoking read. The emotional depth, compelling themes, and unexpected twists make The Dark Without a standout work of speculative fiction. Highly recommended for anyone ready to be both entertained and unsettled by a vision of what might come if we don’t change course.
Pages: 267 | ASIN : B0BT81K56W
A Sci-Fi Retelling
Pilgrims is a riveting near-future dystopian epic where humanity faces moral decay, societal collapse, and alien annihilation, forcing desperate characters to grapple with their darkest choices. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve never felt satisfied with first-contact sci-fi stories where aliens show up at Earth and we learn we’re not alone. That’s because the reasons the aliens come to Earth don’t usually stand up to scrutiny. For example, the aliens in Independence Day come to Earth because they want our “resources” despite the fact that if you can travel across interstellar space you will encounter all the resources you could ever want on lifeless rocks that don’t have pesky Earthlings defending them. The same goes for The Three Body Problem. Incredible novel, but the Trisolarans have such amazing technology that they don’t really need Earth for their species to survive. The motives are usually weak.
So I wanted to create a first-contact sci-fi story where the aliens’ reason for coming to Earth stands up to scrutiny. And, as outlandish as it sounds, aliens that are devout believers of an Earth religion (in my novel – Catholicism) have a very compelling reason to travel all the way to Earth. It’s such a good motivation in fact, that I was shocked to see no other writer had ever addressed it. And so, I took it upon myself to do so.
Austin DeSantis is an intriguing and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Pilgrims is a sci-fi retelling of Saint Augustine’s Confessions which was published sometime around 400AD. Now that’s an old book, and yet we still study it because it paints such a brilliant portrait of a troubled man finding his redemption. That’s something we can understand across the ages.
So I kept Saint Augustine as a vision when crafting my protagonist – Austin DeSantis. He is struggling at the beginning of the novel but, through the various trials he encounters, he grows, albeit in an enormously painful way.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Forgiveness – why we need it and why it is so hard. That is the core theme. But the book also explores why it can be so difficult for us to change our minds sometimes because of the things that are unknown even to ourselves that hold us back.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
Austin’s story is not over. The book concludes about fifty days after aliens arrive on Earth and proclaim to be Catholic. What happens to society ten years after such a momentous event? Fifty years? There is still so much story to tell. And I expect the sequels will be coming out over the next few years.
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Out-of-work Latin teacher and borderline alcoholic Austin DeSantis is determined to spend his final days in the arms of a prostitute-that is if the aliens don’t exterminate humanity first.
But when the aliens land at the Vatican, begin speaking Latin, and reveal themselves to be Catholic, the world turns upside down.
Pressed into service as a translator and thrust into the center of humanity’s first contact with a cryptic alien race, Austin must uncover their true intentions before religious turmoil rips the planet apart. But with Austin caught between the Catholic Church, the US military, and an enigmatic alien AI, he’ll have to decide where his loyalties lie as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
PILGRIMS is a sci-fi retelling of Augustine’s Confessions, mixing a high-concept premise à la Children of Time with the ceaseless pacing and rich characterization of Red Rising.
Born in Space: Unlocking Destiny
Born in Space: Unlocking Destiny, by Jeremy Clift, transports readers to Tucson, Arizona, in 2063, introducing the Ward family amid a society where artificial intelligence seamlessly integrates into daily life. This relatable yet futuristic setting immediately captivates, highlighting the pervasive role of AI in human existence. We learn that the children’s mother, Clara, is stationed on the Moon as a botanist, working to establish a sustainable food supply. As Earth’s conditions deteriorate, humanity seeks refuge on other planets, though these colonies also face growing unrest.
The narrative intensifies as the Ward family relocates to an orbiting space habitat, delving into profound ethical and moral dilemmas that resonate deeply. Despite its futuristic backdrop, the story remains relatable, reflecting issues not far removed from our current reality. Clift skillfully evokes emotions of remorse, pity, and sadness early in the tale, crafting a narrative that explores the essence of humanity and the potential alienation brought by technological and societal advancements. As a mother, I found myself moved to tears on multiple occasions.
The plot follows both Teagan and Hunter Ward, though Teagan’s journey particularly stands out. While Hunter’s storyline contributes to the overarching message, Teagan emerges as the central figure, her experiences deeply engaging. The antagonists in the novel are portrayed with striking malevolence, and certain scenes are intense, featuring violence and gore that may be challenging for some readers.
Born in Space: Unlocking Destiny serves as a poignant reminder of the consequences of overstepping natural boundaries, especially concerning the future of AI and technology. It’s a compelling read that I highly recommend, and I look forward to adding a physical copy to my collection.
Pages: 443 | ASIN : B0D1PWPRBJ
Dissolution of the Status Quo
Cargo Hold 4 follows eight scientists exploring a dwarf planet and collecting samples who accidentally bring aboard an unseen entity that is now trying to escape the cargo hold it is trapped in. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The idea came to me one day while I was walking. In my mind’s eye, I saw, and heard, something pounding on this huge yellow metal door, making these enormous welts. Cargo Hold 4, those were the words in my head. I let it simmer, the concept refusing to leave. Eventually, I just gave in, needing to find out about this hell-raiser in Cargo Hold 4.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
Not any character in particular, really, but more the entire crew. It was challenging from the standpoint of imagining scientists committing their lives to a mission that most of them would not return from. That set up a dynamic that wouldn’t be present in most situations, especially given that they could be in space for fifty years, and only ever encounter one another for the rest of their lives. I know most writers like to go to cryogenic stasis for space travel, but there was no story in that. I wanted to imagine what the crew interaction might be like if they remained awake, and the potential for conflict, intimacy, disagreements, and so on. Then, of course, the slow dissolution of the status quo they had established over the first five years when this entity makes itself known. It really was terrific fun playing with this scenario.
You flawlessly blend Science Fiction and horror in this book. How did you go about blending the two genres without disrupting the story?
Thank you! For me, I guess, the fusion was organic, inevitable. The nexus of the genres met in the same place; with the entity in Cargo Hold 4. Through the unknown idiosyncrasies of outer space, I found the potential for this life form, which leads to quite horrific events. Yet I didn’t want the usual “monster” with the unquenchable lust to kill humans for no reason. The life form had to be something incredible, unimaginable, with a complex intelligence beyond human comprehension.
What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it?
I actually have several books in the works. Some are finished and in the editing stage, with others I’m still working on; a dystopian SF trilogy with a fair amount of horror, and a couple of magical realism love stories I’m also very excited about, though not sure how my SF Horror “fans” will react. That’s always a risk, I guess, changing things up when the “story” takes you in different directions.
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I Enjoy the More ‘Ornery’ Characters
Suppose We follow the crew of a spaceship that crashes on an alien planet where the natives are so technologically advanced that humans are ignored, and they must find a way to get their attention and help. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
It seemed to me that the joy and passion of discovery in science fiction had gone for the last few years. I was commissioned by the publisher to write a series of novellas based on the exploration of space, discovering new planets and their inhabitants. In addition, I’ve lived a vegan lifestyle for half a century and finally wanted to incorporate some of that into a new planet’s ecosystem.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
The main character in Suppose We is the scientist Gaston and readers have told me he is really me! Even so, I enjoy the more ‘ornery’ characters and particularly enjoyed writing Commander Penn who is an intransigent, difficult, arrogant and reckless person and a carnivore to boot!
More challenging are the inhabitants of the planet. Aliens to us humans and while their technology and science are way in advance of us they still have emotions and likes even though different than ours. I like my ‘aliens’ to be really alien rather than weird-looking yet English-speaking octopi drinking in a bar!
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
A major theme is the interaction between the advanced inhabitants and the rather clumsy humans. I needed to work on such relationships knowing that when we eventually make ‘First Contact’ with an alien species it will be very different from those often portrayed in books and movies.
Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?
The sequel is Falling Up, which relates to strange gravity anomalies on the Kepler-20h planet. In the first book a genetically-modified bacteria of human and Keplerian origins is released to solve a nasty-bacteria problem on the planet. The solution, dubbed Keeps, get out of control and some of the natives form a Purist movement to rid their system of humans and their Keeps.
Other alien forms in the vicinity of the planet have their own agender and the son of Gaston and Em has Keplerian genes too making for an interesting development in Kepler’s Son.
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Bringing back a sense of discovery and wonder to science fiction.
“I’ve always found Geoff’s work both inspirational and brilliant. I know that whenever I pick up one of his works I’m in for a damned good read. For those who’ve never read any of his works before, welcome to the Geoff Nelder club.”
—Mark Iles, author of THE DARKENING STARS series.
Jon Courtenay Grimwood: FELAHEEN, PASHAZADE AND END OF THE WORLD BLUES – “Geoff Nelder inhabits science fiction just as other people inhabit their clothes.”
If you liked Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin, and Anne MccAffrey’s Dinosaur Planet you’ll like SUPPOSE WE.
Alien Invaders
The Last Will and Testament of Harley and His Dog follows a sixteen-year-old genius who infiltrates an alien spacecraft, stopping their attack on Planet Earth. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’m a mathematician who came up with the framework for the PERFECT VIRUS and human-friendly AI that wouldn’t turn on people.
When creating Harley, did you have a plan for development and character traits, or did it grow organically as you were writing the story?
Harley is autobiographical. For example, the scene where he walks into a bar and says, “My dad can lick anyone in the house” is a reprise of my actual experience of doing that to a fellow tech worker in an actual biker bar.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The most important theme is that any alien invaders should be wary of our warlike nature as a species.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
No series, but a theme. The next book (about 50% written) has aliens coming to Earth to eradicate human trafficking.
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What happens when aliens arrive, intent on destroying Planet Earth? Bad news for the aliens! One MIT hacker thwarts their attack and uses THE PERFECT VIRUS to take over not only their ship, but their entire civilization. Meet Harley Davidson and his soon-to-be-talking dog. The first 8 chapters of HARLEY AND HIS DOG won the prestigious SILVER award from Writers of the Future. Rick Bennett decided to make it a full-length novel. This might be the most unique alien invasion sci-fi novel ever written, as aliens get whacked before they fire the first shot.
LITERARY TITAN 