Worldbuilding opinion has it that if you create a situation where aliens come to Earth, they must be ‘aggressive’. I’ve thought about this a long time in terms of population ecology (which is what I was trained to do) and have come to the conclusion that yes, this is correct,…
Shifting Reality is set in a space station orbiting Epsilon Eridani b. The planet, which my characters call Sarasvati, is a gas giant which I have given rings, and the station’s main industry is the harvest of ice from these rings for the production of water, oxygen and fuel. The…
The lives of real scientists are quite different from the way they are often portrayed in fiction. If you’re looking for some reality, then here are a few pointers. Some background info: I lived and worked with science types for many years. I married one (until he decided to go…
Fertility-related topics commonly pop up in SF and even in fantasy. One such trope is the notion that some time in the future/on another planet, women will no longer give birth, but that babies will be designed and grown in an artificial environment, or carried by a surrogate. There are…
A crash course in SCUBA diving for writers. Because, y’know, I like it when people get it right. If you go diving, you need two essential parts of equipment: a tank with breathing mask, and an inflatable vest. That’s it. Well, you may need a diving suit, because you might…
The May 2013 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact contains my story Geospermia. Martin Shoemaker alerted me to a discussion on the F&SF forum about the issue in which a few people mentioned my story Geospermia. For those who have followed me on various social networking sites, this is…
Another example of how science in science fiction can add extra colour to a novel. This post features a real astronomer. The fictional Beniz-Yaza solar system plays an important role in my space opera world that is covered in the Ambassador and Return of the Aghyrians series. It is, in…
The last few days, I’ve spent some time doing some research I’d been avoiding. It’s no secret that I am interested in astronomy, am not afraid of chemistry or physics, but I’ve rather been avoiding medical science, since I don’t feel particularly qualified to tackle it. But since I’m developing…
