I know. It’s been a long time. I have a good excuse, though. I have been working on a top secret project with punishment for security breaches being on the order of immediate death.

In my years of creative endeavors, there has never been one like this—one where I was doing the water-skiing, but someone else was driving the boat. I never knew where it was going to go, and I had no control on any of it except my part, which was to follow behind and make it interesting.

I am a writer of creative non-fiction for adults. This is not that. This is sci-fi, action adventure for teens on up to old age. I include old age because I’m now 70, and I found every inch of the story/journey intriguing, engrossing, and sometimes riveting. I’m telling you this because I don’t like suspense. Tension even in a movie soundtrack makes me so nervous I can hardly stand it, and here I am, giving the color and descriptive detail to a story that is a combination of engaging characters (who develop and grow as they grapple with adversity) and action that put me on my sympathetic nervous system even as I colored in the sequences. In case you don’t remember what the sympathetic nervous system is, it’s the one you switch to when you’re running from the bear. It was exhilarating to work on fiction of this caliber, where imagination drops you into an entirely different world and stretches your Willing Suspension of Disbelief into a new perception of reality.

All that to say, I am astonished by this book that I co-authored with my friend, Dan Worley, who had the idea in his mind for two years before he got up the nerve to try writing a book. It’s full of surprises with a plot that cannot be guessed. I love the characters, I love the story, I love the themes, and the setting of a unique type of space colony that blends the resources of energy with technology in a truly original way.

I’m really proud of this book, mostly because it wasn’t my idea. If you, your kids or grandkids like sci-fi or action and adventure, or if you’re just in the mood for a good story, this book is a fast trip into another world—a vacation for your mind.

It’s available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback: Z9 City: Coming of Age

Loved it! Great book! Definitely enough
action to last the next century.

—Nicholas Del Bosco, young reader

Exciting and captivating! Just the right description about this future world to make it plausible and intriguing. I really cared about the individuals in the story, their relationships and character. A very enjoyable read.
I couldn’t put it down.

—Debra Franklin, adult reader