Science Fiction

I sigh, you sigh, we all sigh for sci-fi…

Long ago in a galaxy not so far away, I thought I’d grow up to become an astronaut, an astronomer, or a writer of science fiction or epic fantasy, like Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, or J.R.R. Tolkien. Although my books so far have been mostly about animals and nature, I still dabble with short (and long) stories of speculative fiction. Two of those tales are available on Kindle for the low, low price of just a couple quatloos.

One is a time travel short story for children. The other is a fractured fairytale for grownups.

The Valhalla Wager

Some people have all the luck. Grant Gunderson, a recently divorced high school math teacher, isn’t one of them—until a surprising choice transforms an ordinary workweek into a fantastical journey to the planets. When Grant buys a lottery ticket on a whim, he knows the odds and fully expects to lose his money, but what happens next turns his world upside down—and a few other worlds, too. Grant’s luck takes a turn after he encounters a Norse trickster, a disgraced ballplayer, and a grumpy Zeus in the most unlikely of places. That’s when his troubles really begin.

Inspired by fractured myths like Xo Orpheus, “The Valhalla Wager” is a 12,000-word fantasy about hope, mythology, baseball curses, and astronomy.

The Time Machine Next Door

When Nathan moves from the city to a small town, he thinks his only problem will be making new friends, but it doesn’t take long to get into big trouble when there’s a time machine involved.

Something strange is happening in the neighbor’s garage. Flickering lights and loud buzzing noises pique the curiosity of Nathan and his science-club pals. This 3,300-word middle grade science fiction short story about the thrills and perils of time travel originally appeared in the anthology Live Free or Sci-Fi. A quick read for when you wish you had more time.