Life at the Precipice is the story of an Air Force officer suffering from PTSD and his journey to the mysterious community known as The Segway, the tales of its inhabitants, and his desire to make sense of it all. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I am a professor of Physics and Space Science at the Royal Military College of Canada, but in a previous career I flew as an Air Navigator with the Royal Canadian Air Force. I logged a few thousand hours on the CP-140 Aurora long-range maritime patrol aircraft. Without giving too much away, the source of the main character’s PTSD involves an incident onboard the Aurora. The premise came to me while flying on the aircraft . . . “What if this happened during a mission?” In the book it does happen. I leave that for the reader to discover. During my Aurora days I was based in Comox, British Columbia and loved my time there. I placed The Segway amidst the rugged beauty of central Vancouver Island because of my fond memories of the area.

When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?

The story takes place in 2003, the same year I first conceived the novel. I wrote a detailed outline and sent it to a large publisher. . . you could do that without an agent in 2003. An editor thought the concept was fascinating and asked to see the entire novel! I was working on my PhD at the time, so my six-month prediction for completing the book was not realistic. When I finished the novel a few years later, the editor was no longer at the publishing house. The book sat on the shelf for quite a few years as I pursued my academic career, but eventually I blew the proverbial dust off the manuscript and decided to rediscover The Segway. It took a few re-writes to get the right blend of science, intrigue, character development and humor . . . but it essentially followed the original outline. Whenever I sat down to write, the town took on a life of its own, and I felt I was there with its inhabitants, who have been described by reviewers as “delightfully eccentric” and “entertaining.” They have certainly been good company for me over the years.

Are you a fan of the science fiction genre? What other genres or books do you think most influence your work?

I like any well-written book regardless of genre. Life at the Precipice straddles several genres. It has been called a mystery, fantasy, thriller, science fiction, memoir and literary with a sprinkling of popular science and humor. My Literary Titan review claims that the novel “refuses to adhere to the rules of any single genre.” When I decided to write Life at the Precipice, I wanted to create something different, original, novel . . . that was always my main goal.

I find a problem in well-written stories, in that I always want there to be another book to keep the story going. Is there a second book planned?

With a colorful cast of characters living in such a mysterious town, there is plenty of material for a follow-up book. However, my next published novel will be The Girl on the Bridge. Whimsical, witty, and wildly imaginative, it is a love story for the ages. This book really makes me smile.

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