extraterrestrial Archives ~ From The Stratosphere

The release of Book 4, Thomas Jackson Legacy

By hsrivney | March 30, 2019

A gift for income tax deadline day, Release of Book 4 in the Rising Destiny series will be mid to late April.

You’ve been waiting, and it’s almost time. It’s almost time to release Book 4 in the Rising Destiny series, a decade from the life of the valiant star ship captain Thomas Jackson.

The name for this long-awaited novel:

The Chameleon Quasar*

After near disaster, Jackson’s future turns from bleak to charmed. He’s given near hero status when he returns home from a mission with the cure for a genetic disaster. The miracle DNA, however, exists in his daughter’s body, and Earth is not the haven it had been when he left five years earlier.
Rewarded in Book 2 with a new ship, the Science Ship Maria Mitchell, he takes a larger crew to Eta Cassiopeia. An incurable plague rampaged a civilization for three centuries. While helping to solve the crisis, Jackson discovers the piece to the puzzle is personal. It’s a history-changing secret that turns his world upside down.
When trying to keep a promise, he is diverted from a visit to Beta Hydri IV by amphibious aliens. A gigantic asteroid comes out of nowhere, threatening his wife’s home world. When an old foe seeking revenge appears, he is ready to throw in the towel. To save his family, and his crew, he agrees to be held as a prisoner for ransom. Then, he has to stop the torture, escape into space, and throw himself on the mercy of the universe.
A refuge awaits their arrival: the space station Novissimus, a marvel of industry and cooperation. Jackson must forsake custody of the time traveling mummy which bears his DNA. He’s given another task before he can go back to Earth. Jackson must take supplies to the Tau Ceti system. But when they arrive, he faces his hardest challenge: losing everyone, and everything, he cares for when an artificially intelligent android hijacks the his ship, the Maria Mitchell.

Another year is about to pass

Book 5 should be out by year’s end, but the release of book 4, is scheduled for mid-April (that’s 3 weeks, folks). It will be available individually for a short time before the Four Volume series is released as a special purchase! Don’t forget to read Serpents of My Imagination, the free prequel available here on the blog. Gamma Ray Games, a novella, is the original starter to Captain Jackson’s pioneering missions. Of course, Novissimus is a lighter tale of Jackson outwitting aliens and life forms that you don’t want to miss.

You know where you can get all of my work (click here for my Amazon author page). Every title is enrolled in the Kindle Unlimited program, so you can read for hours and hours without stopping. Choose Novissimus, Gamma Ray Games, then the free Prequel, Serpents of My Imagination (click above), then Paradox, Symbiosis, Jeopardy, and you will be ready for The Chameleon Quasar.

*An author reserves the right to change her mind…

Spring has Sprung

By hsrivney | March 25, 2018

Spring means new stars in the northern hemisphere; Sky Guide can help you find them. Sirius hangs near the horizon, under the moon, around 8 pm. West of the moon, you will still see Orion in the sky, including Betelgeuse and Rigel. Taurus’ horns are up and he is diving down in the west. Winter is over, and it’s time for new star gazing with warmer weather finally. Do you know your stars and constellations? If you’re rusty, there’s a great app I may have mentioned in the past that you will find hard to believe. It’s a few dollars, and worth every penny. It also has a monthly subscription!

Sky Guide

Sky Guide – you can get the regular app or the monthly subscription if you’re even more crazy than I am about the sky. I like it better with a pad than a phone just because you can see so much more at once, but do check it out. I can’t do it justice here, so go ha fun and look at it for yourself in the app store. No affiliate here for recommending this, I just happen to love it.

About the books …

The new book, Jeopardy, will be out before summer. I had some diversions over the winter and have been spending some time letting people know about Paradox, Symbiosis, and now Jeopardy: Firestones and Aliens. After the initial launch, I’ll be offering the three as a set, but this is an ongoing series, and as long as there’s a story to tell, I will keep going.

Book Symbiosis: Titans of Cassiopeia by H S Rivney

New covers! Paradox and Symbiosis have been redesigned with new covers fit for paperbacks! Descriptions are also getting a face lift, and for e-book lovers, more links to the science that you can examine in depth. It’s going to be a fabulous year!

Paradox, The Alien Genome, 5 star Reader’s Choice Awards

Would love to hear your feedback for novellas on the other characters, namely, Quixote, a reptilian from Draconia, and Dr Jane Ferris, descendant of a chimera. Some will be set pre- 2160, some post 2170. More novellas to come on Captain Jackson’s earlier years on the Linus Pauling, and before that, as a pilot on the carrier Saratoga.

Don’t forget to tell me what you’d like to see in the upcoming stories. I write for you – what do you want to read?

Feedback? ↓

Interview with a Starship Captain

By hsrivney | September 15, 2017

I had an opportunity to interview Captain Thomas Jackson, captain of the Science Ship Maria Mitchell, currently assigned to retrieve an extended stay science team from Beta Hydri Four. He’s just come off a successful mission in the Eta Cassiopeia system where he and his crew of the Maria Mitchell stopped a centuries-old plague being fueled by a Pegasi privateer. Welcome, Captain Jackson.

Thank you. It’s nice to be here.

The pleasure is mine. I’ve had people asking me about you, your past, what makes you tick. I hope you don’t mind if some of these questions get a bit personal.

starship captain — Captain Thomas K. Jackson

I’ll let you know if you cross a line.

Great. So, Captain Jackson, you’ve been in the North American Space Administration for twenty some years now. What drove you to the stars so to speak?

I’ve always had a fascination with space, as long as I can remember. It seemed natural to go in that direction.

What did you study in college?

I’m an alum of Caltech, California Institute of Technology. My focus was aeronautics. I met a friend, Dr. Scott Gregory, there, and he has been my ship’s astrophysicist for several years.

You’re from South California. Did you have a typical childhood?

We didn’t always live there, but after my younger sister was born we stayed put. I love the ocean. I spent every summer on the beach, camped on the beach, and I was a very strong swimmer. That’s how I ended up at Caltech. It’s still a private university, and I was awarded an athletic scholarship, on their swim team.

Is that why you joined the navy? You love the ocean?

I love flying. It was a means to an end, at least in the beginning.

So, Captain, what moved you to change from planes to rockets?

Just out of school, I was an intern, briefly, at the Jet Propulsion Lab, and went to Luna Colony on an assignment. Once you see the Earth from space, you are changed, forever. It’s indescribable. You can never go back to the ordinary again.

But you did.

I can’t say flying ion powered fighters off a carrier deck is ordinary, but I was in the navy until an accident ended my service.

Care to elaborate?

I had a mishap landing my vehicle on the deck and was injured.

Sounds like this is something in your past you would rather forget about.

You could say that, yes.

So, I’ll move on. You went from the navy to the space administration?

I joined the space program as a lieutenant but was bumped up to commander pretty quickly, then to captain. I left the navy as a captain so I was glad to have my rank again. Love a challenge, ordering people around (laughs). Not much more challenging than exploring deep space.

You were pretty young to be given a ship.

I took my first command in 2149. I was 37. That’s not so young. Just ask a teenager. Do you have a coffee service here?

The captain and I took a break and walked to the cafeteria for coffee.

So, back to the formal questions. Tell us, please, was there ever a major turning point in your life?

When I left the navy for the space program. And when I met my wife. And when I met my daughter.

Is there anything your parents did that you think significantly affected who you are today?

Absolutely. I suppose you want me to tell you what it is. My father is a dry alcoholic, but he was pretty wet when I was young. That will change the way you see things around you. Now my mother, she’s a gem. She insisted that I be friendly to everyone, to look for similarities, not differences. I think that serves me well, most of the time. I married a woman from another world, and that’s about as different as you can get.

Your wife, Rianya, is from Beta Hydri Four. She is the love of your life?

She is.

It must be difficult to captain a starship and have a family aboard. Are there other captains in the space administration with families?

I’m unique in that category. I dislike exposing them to the dangers, but we are all happier together. Missions are simply too long to be apart. There are dangers on Earth, as well. You can’t avoid life.

Indeed. What’s next, Captain? Do you still have any goals to reach for?

I’d like to see my daughter join me in space one day, not as a passenger, but as part of my crew.

If anyone can make it happen, it would be you. Thank you again for taking time to talk to us.

If you want more information, please click and enjoy!

A recent review

By hsrivney | June 20, 2017

Shameless plug: another 5 star review of Paradox. If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? Click the picture and get the e-version instantly! Read it? Rate it! Read more stories with many of the same characters: Jackson, Quixote, Rianya, Bala, Lee, Watson, Bailey, Dukvita, the Kiians, and a new species coming up – the Zlogers!

If you long for the days of Gene Roddenberry’s soulful Star Trek, or hope the Avatar movie might one day become a reality, then you are in for a treat with H.S. Rivney’s Paradox: The Alien Genome. The suggestion of a genetic cure from the world beyond captivated my imagination, as did the author’s writing style. For me, the vivid, unique descriptions illuminated this space odyssey to movie-screen proportions. A healthy dose of dialogue keeps the pace at warp speed with lots of techie jargon. But what really impressed me was the author’s sophisticated scientific knowledge—I would believe her to be an astronaut or a physicist in a previous life to dream up the concepts presented throughout the novel. The author creates a totally convincing world from ecosystems to geology, animal species to alien beings. One graphic scene was tasteful, accurate and evocative. But there’s a touch of intrigue and danger, as well as a softer side to this story, too. A great ending wraps up this exciting futuristic journey after traveling back to a nostalgic era of Kirk, Spock, and Sulu— I highly recommend the ride!

Patti Cavaliere, author of 5 star rated “Looking for Leo”, click me!

Contest – just one skill needed

By hsrivney | September 6, 2016

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/201699-paradox-the-alien-genome

Hello Friends,

It’s another give away for Paradox – because the Amazon Give Away was a great success! This time you have to go to the Goodreads site and join for free, then you can enter all the book give aways you want! All genres and authors, from one copy to a 100, try a new author and you might be surprised, and glad, you did. No risk, no money, just click that link above Saturn and enter.

By the way, Paradox is not the only available “read” – no time for a long novel? Check out my novella, 1/4 the size, 1/4 the price, currently available, Dangerous: Gamma Ray Games at (yes) Amazon ($0.99).

One more reminder: If you are a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, read both for free! No contest needed!

Do you know a friend who might like a hard science fiction read for September? Intelligent readers wanted! No dystopia, no apocalypse, no invasion of Earth, but much in common with what we face today at home. Share this post with them. They’ll thank you if they win!

Tag: extraterrestrial