Star Trails Revisited

Fed up with Earth? Leave her behind!

My deep involvement researching and writing the Dead Horse Canyon series with Pete Risingsun has consumed my time to the point I’ve neglected my other books, particularly the Star Trails Tetralogy series. I was thinking about that the other day and realized that was unfortunate because those books relate so strongly to what is going on around the world these days.

The Brightstars are living in a dystopian world where the only way they’ll survive is through ingenuity and determination. The fact that they’re separated increases the issues, making the kids assume responsibilities they normally would not have to worry about.

The Star Trails Tetralogy series can be read in any order, but it’s better to start with Volume 1, “Beyond the Hidden Sky.”

The entire environment is hostile with lethal weather extremes plus their father is a political prisoner for the bulk of the story.

The science in these stories is based on fact with the expected sci-fi extrapolations, which in today’s world are rapidly becoming reality. That was a major challenge, to keep ahead of technology. At this point, much of what’s represented in these stories is now available, with the possible exception of their psi-linked cell phone equivalents, but I’m sure that’s on the way.

Nonetheless, those who enjoy these stories the most are young people in the “nerd” category, i.e. love science and engineering. And that is exactly the audience for which they were written! As a youth, I loved science and was always disappointed that science fiction didn’t have much real science included. Thus, these are the books I would have loved to read. Like they say, if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself. So if you know a child with strong reading skills and an interest in how the world works, I’m sure they’d enjoy this series.

Fighting for what’s right isn’t easy.

The favorite character throughout the series for many fans is Thyron, the telepathic walking plant. He’s the star of book 5, “The Terra Debacle: Prisoners at Area 51.” This story has a lot of botany in it as NASA scientist, Gabe Greenley, investigates Thyron and what makes him tick.

Everyone loves Thyron, the flora pedis telepathis (telepathic walking plant).

Best of all, this entire series is available in audiobook form narrated by Hollywood actor, T.W. Ashworth! So if your young person is not into reading but loves to listen, that option is also available.

The entire series is available in audiobook format narrated by T. W. Ashworth.

Much about these stories is a reflection of our own planet right now. They can serve as an example of how to handle bad situations and the importance of science in engineering when it’s a matter of survival.

This link will take you to them on Amazon, but print and ebook versions are available at other vendors as well.

Be sure to visit the series website, https://startrailssaga.com, for book trailers, review links, and excerpts on Bublish with author commentary.

Introduce someone you love to a new world that actually makes ours look tolerable, at least for now.

Merry Christmas. Cross your fingers that 2022 sees things improve. Meanwhile, escape with a book.

Social Media Overload

No greater compliment for an author than a reader who wants to enjoy your book(s) more than once!

I know, I’ve been a bad blogger lately. That’s what happens when you have four websites (five, including this one), four Facebook pages, two Twitter accounts, and an Instagram account with no personal assistant to keep up with them all. <sigh>

As you can see, Book 2 in the Dead Horse Canyon series is now out. Yay! Getting that book written and out the door took far longer than expected. This year has been a humdinger for everyone. I’ve been healthy, but all the background noise from a messed-up planet had me distracted enough it was hard to focus.

Another concern, which may sound crazy, is that I was worried about whether this sequel to “The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon: Cheyenne Spirits” would be as good as the book that started it all. That one won three awards, which was more humbling than anything. It was a hard act to follow.

So far the feedback indicates that Book 2, “Return to Dead Horse Canyon: Grandfather Spirits” is another page turner.

Whew!

I have to admit when a brand new fan contacted me wanting to pre-order Book 3 that it made my day. On the other hand, it was terrifying! Maintaining the quality now expected is a big responsibility!

As far as Book 3 is concerned, the good news is that it’s drafted, but that was written before I connected with my coauthor, Pete, so it requires intense collaboration. Hopefully, we’ll get it out next year. And I think it should be as good as the others, if not better, as it wraps up this story. It has some really cool, surprising stuff in there. 😉

As an introvert, I’m lousy at promoting my books. I also had it drummed into my head as a kid that it was rude to brag. It just doesn’t feel right to go out there and self-promote as shamelessly as required to get attention. I like making promotional material and especially videos. Speaking of which, here’s the trailer for Book 2.

I’ll try to be more diligent in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, be sure to follow me on my Facebook author page and on Instagram (@startrailssaga). I’m not on Twitter as much these days since Hootsuite upped their rates over 500%, something I was going to rant about here, but clearly never did.

If you’re looking for presents, please remember me for any readers on your list. Between the Dead Horse Canyon books, which are mystery/thrillers; the Star Trails Tetralogy, which is hard science fiction that’s perfect for kids interested in science and engineering; and weird stuff for that person has everything like astrology or family history, I’ve got something for everyone. Search on “Marcha Fox” in the book category on Amazon and they all come up, plus some that I did cover or editorial work on, as well as a few others for which I have no clue, but you get the idea.

I hope “all y’all” have a wonderful Christmas.