Rome's Revolution is a science fiction series about a man from the 21st century and a woman from the 35th century who meet and fall in love. Along the way, they face dangers bigger than the sun and smaller than the eye can see. Rei Bierak, the hero, is one of 543 humans, frozen and launched in the Ark II toward the stars with the hope of establishing a colony on a habitable world in the Tau Ceti system. However, the ship is damaged and tumbles in an uncontrolled fashion until it is discovered 14 centuries later. The 24-chromosome mind-connected humans of the future called the Vuduri are efficient, indifferent, and emotionally deficient. The Vuduri have conquered faster-than-light travel and have established an outpost in the Pi3 Orionis system (aka Tabit) to study why certain stars are disappearing. They thaw Rei out, he meets Rome and the adventure begins.

Cinematic in scope, Rome's Revolution offers romance, comedy, heart-pounding thrills, suspense, "legal" time travel, and meticulously researched hard science. It is a love story and a culture clash that celebrates the triumph of the individual over a mass-mind that thinks it is infallible. Rome's Revolution has it all: robots, aliens, computers, genetic manipulation, spaceships that travel faster than light and some that travel a lot slower.

I never had any intention of being an indie author. I just wanted to be an author. I wrote stories, novels, submitted them to agents for years and never got anywhere. Suddenly, this wonderful option became available and I have embraced it wholeheartedly. I can publish, edit, advertise, revise, do whatever I need to gain a wider audience.

Smashwords offers a streamlined method of submitting the books to platforms that were heretofore inaccessible. This includes the iPad, Diesel, Sony and also participants who want to download from Smashwords directly. The publicity offered when the books are first released is priceless.

I am currently working on a new series tentatively entitled Vuduri Knights. The first book, The Milk Run, is already underway. It stars Rei and Rome's son Aason. The second book, tentatively entitled Vuduri Knight, stars Aason's son Rory and his sentient plant friend B'Shev. The final book, as yet untitled, possibly will feature the return of Rei and Rome who have been given virtual immortality by a well-meaning but misguided computer friend.

Growing up, I loved H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Burroughs and many of the classic authors. As I got older, I loved the works of Frederik Pohl, Roger Zelasny, Issac Asimov, Brian Aldiss, Larry Niven and others. Nowadays, I mostly like science fiction movies. I think the power of computers in rendering CGI graphics are creating visual novels unlike any other genre.

I have a day job. I love the Phillies and Eagles. I take out the trash. I sleep. I eat. The usual stuff. Oh, yes, I clean other people's computers from virus infections. That eats up a lot of time. And I market my books. I watch TV in the fall. I like Survivor.

I must admit I do not read many ebooks. I actually like real books that you can hold much better. Isn't that ironic?

My stories grow in a very organic way. The idea for the next novel just comes to me. I look back over all the pieces I have written over the years to see what is relevant. Then I fit it into an outline, a short one, but an outline nonetheless. I figure out how long each chapter needs to be and what is the purpose of the chapter. Then I start writing. I usually write the more interesting (to me) chapters first then go back and fill in the connecting chapters. Luckily, my characters supply most of the dialog. I simply have them accomplish the goal and they are very cooperative. Finally, after the book is written, I hand it out to my stable of readers for feedback. Finally, I read the entire book into a recorder (on the computer) to make sure it reads well and sentences or ideas that seem so clear in my mind actually sound clear in the real world. Then I publish and accept feedback.

The first science fiction story I ever read was "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle. It was the first science fiction book I ever read. As I worked my way through it, I realized this was how I wanted all my books. I love the fantastic and science fiction is the only genre where there are no limits. As long as you can justify it, you can throw it in there. It is very liberating and also challenging.

I try and think about the book and what is the seminal moment? There are usually several. I have to pick the one that teases but does not give the whole plot away. In Rome's Revolution, it was a snapshot of the Stareater arriving in the Tabit system. For The Ark Lords, it was when the Darwin people nuked Rome's library. For Rome's Evolution, it was an image of The Hand of Deucado. Once I have the image in hand, I sketch it out (I'm a terrible artist) and then give it to my immeasurably talented brother, Bruce, who then renders into a beautiful and completely professional cover.

I have employed uncounted methods of marketing but the single biggest boost to sales is when I release another book. People stumble across it, see that it is yet another in a series and go back and purchase the first then the second and so on. So I have made it my life's goal to crank out a new novel every nine months. We'll see where that takes us.

My whole work area is very plain. There are no pictures on the wall. There are no toys or novelties. I can't have anything drawing my attention since the world I am creating in my mind. Other than my computer monitor, a keyboard and a printer, that's about it. Sometimes when I am into something heavy, I may have a few papers lying around but nothing that anybody would consider interesting.

To me, writing has always been a hybrid between writing and reading. I have an idea of what the characters are going to do and where they have to be but they always surprise me with things they say and do. Sometimes I can barely keep up with their conversations. It is more like I am transcribing than authoring. It is an incredible and enjoyable experience.