Steve Challis


Publisher info

I was born in England in 1951, and migrated to Australia in 1964. I studied Agricultural Science at Adelaide University and worked as a research technician at the Waite Agricultural Institute for 17 years.
My wife and I have owned and run an aquarium shop in the Adelaide Hills since 1990. We have 4 children and 2 grandchildren.
I have written a number of science fiction books, but am currently branching out into other genera.

Where to find Steve Challis online


Publisher of



Kangaroos    by Steve Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 7620 words. Published by Steve Challis  on May 4, 2012. .

This book is about Kangaroos. It describes 12 widely differing species and has general information about the group as a whole. A number of myths are addressed. Illustrated with color pictures.
Joey in the Outback    by Richard F. Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 6700 words. Published by Steve Challis  on January 28, 2012. .

A collection of 5 short stories for children with Joey, a little boy living in outback Australia. The 5 stories: "Joey’s New Job", "Joey and the Boomerang Tree", "Joey and the Didgeridon’t", "The Dog That Lived On Paper" and "Joey and Tyrannosaurus Rex" total 4700 words. There is also a brief explanation of a few of the many Australia references in the stories. Illustrated with colour pictures.
The Local War    by Steve Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 37140 words. Published by Steve Challis  on January 1, 2012. .

The Flagship of the Earth fleet investigates the homeworld of aliens who have been wiping out life in the Local Group of galaxies. The mischievious 11 year old tele-empathic identical twins Chance and Nigel play a vital part in the investigation with Chance borrowing a shuttle and getting marooned on the planet. He has to cope with hostile aliens, bloodsuckers and nocturnal predators.
Interludes    by Richard F. Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 7500 words. Published by Steve Challis  on December 30, 2011. .

The author spent a month's holiday each year staying with his grandmother in rural Suffolk from the time he was ten to when war broke out when he was fifteen. This is a collection of six true short stories only totalling about 5700 words in which the author is able to capture the society and atmosphere of 1930's country England, and convey images of a bygone era.
Luna the Autobiography of a Super Cat    by Luna Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 5410 words. Published by Steve Challis  on August 28, 2011. .

(5.00)
I am a Cat who has had a lot of experiences in my 4 years. In my Autobiography with 21 pictures and 5000 words you can meet my friends like Michael, the local mob and the kind farmer, hate my enemies like the Big Fat Ugly Dog, the Bad Man and the Satanic Cat and laugh at the strange ideas of the enigmatic Bad Boy. This book is 99 cents; Michael says the money will pay for some nice cat food.
The Science of the Bad Boy Quadrilogy    by Steve Challis
Price: Free! 5510 words. Published by Steve Challis  on August 28, 2011. .

This free book discusses some of the more controversial aspects of the scientific basis of the Bad Boy Cycle. This includes questions of: Are heading towards a much warmer world or another ice age? Can Humans can hybridize with Apes? Is Faster than Light Travel possible? Could Parallel Universes exist? Are Comets made of Antimatter? Nanomachines? Unknown Civilizations? And other questions
War and Space    by Steve Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 17910 words. Published by Steve Challis  on August 27, 2011. .

After 150 years of peace on Earth the unarmed Interstellar Exploration Ship, the "Highway to Heaven" is attacked without apparent provocation by unknown aliens with much more advanced technology than the Earthmen.
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence    by Steve Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 69210 words. Published by Steve Challis  on August 16, 2011. .

The Fourth book of the Bad Boy Quadrilogy. The Interstellar Exploration Ship, "The Highway to Heaven" ranges widely through the universe in its search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. The multispecies crew discover many unexpected things.
ExtraSolar Menace    by Steve Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 103320 words. Published by Steve Challis  on July 22, 2011. .

This is the Third book of the Bad Boy Cycle. Ali solves the crisis in Colombia and becomes an astronaut. As head of the Moon Base he has to deal with a threat to the Human race from outside the Solar System. Extraterrestials are discovered. Ali is forced to choose between his extreme honesty and world peace.
The Old Firm    by Richard F. Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 60950 words. Published by Steve Challis  on July 12, 2011. .

The Old Firm is the story of how the genial, generous and gregarious George Charlesworth, master painter, manages to find enough work to feed his family and keep his men employed during the Great Depression of the 1930's. This is closely based on the Author's own father and his company. One difference is that Gregory Challlis had 10 children.
Ali the Peacemaker    by Steve Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 125550 words. Published by Steve Challis  on July 9, 2011. .

This is the second Book of the Bad Boy Cycle. Ali, the Bengladeshi Orphan survives extreme danger and reaches a surprising place of safety. We follow his life as he becomes known as "Ali the Peacemaker", as he battles disease, war and ignorance. Ali discovers several things about himself and has a very strange dream which might be a lot more than a dream.
A Bad Boy    by Steve Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 111160 words. Published by Steve Challis  on July 4, 2011. .

Sam O’Reilly is a juvenile delinquent involved with sex, violence, theft, and other crimes. Andy Jones is a shopkeeper with his own problems, but tries to prevent the bad boy Sam from turning into an evil man. When Sam at 18 pleads guilty to raping a 13 year old girl, Andy believes he has failed. Eventually Andy is persuaded by Sam’s little sister to investigate. This is not an erotic book.
Time and Chance    by Richard F. Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 34680 words. Published by Steve Challis  on June 29, 2011. .

Time and Chance is the business autobiography of Richard F. Challis, covering his life from when he was 15 and became a management aprentice until he was 36 and was his company's area sales manager for the north of England. The author describes the cutthroat politics of the office.
When Angels Travel    by Richard F. Challis
Price: $0.99 USD. 36690 words. Published by Steve Challis  on June 22, 2011. .

When Angels Travel is a fictionalized account of the international business travels of Richard F. Challis during the 1960's. It starts with his visit to Moscow. He visited many countries in 4 continents. His style is very personal and easily readable. This story follows on from his business autobiography, "Time and Chance".


Steve Challis’s tag cloud

1930s    1950s    1960s memoir    adventure    alice springs    alien    alien abduction    american business    ape    apes and monkeys    astronomy    australia    australian aboriginal    australian animals    autobiography    bad boy    billabong    biography    boomerang    business    cat    cat tree    church    climate change    comet    company    copper    corruption    cottage    disaster    disease    dog    europe    extinction    extraterrestials    faster than light travel    feral cat    first contact    fork lift    frog    germany    global warming    great depression    hotel    ice age    india    joey    kangaroo    kangaroos    koala    laser    lifeboat inn    literature    lizard    love    marsupial    maser    missile    mob    moon    moscow    mouse    mouse plague    nanomachines    novella    office    office politics    oil from algae    outer space    painter    pakistan    parallel universes    paris    peace    pete of the apes    plague    polar bear    polar melting    quokka    ratkangaroo    rural england    sci fi    science and religion    science fiction    sea level rise    secretary general    space    space action    space adventure    space and time    space ark    space captain    space colonies    space colonization    space combat    space cow    space cowboy    space humor    space laser    space men    space ship    space ships    space time    space travel    space war    steal    submarine    suffolk    suffolk county    sun    swagman    symbiosis    telepathy    the old firm    thief    travel memoir    tree kangaroo    tyranosaurus rex    u k    uk    united nations    unknown civilizations    venice    wallaby    wallaroo    war    war between intelligent species    wheat   

Steve Challis's favorite authors on Smashwords


Smashwords book reviews by Steve Challis

  • Jonathan Rush and the Star Academy on July 10, 2011
    star star star star
    A good young peoples' book can be read with enjoyment by people of any age. This book is intended for young people, but although I am not young I still enjoyed it immensely. “Jonathan Rush and the Star Academy” is well worth reading.
  • Between Honor & Glory on July 10, 2011
    star star star star star
    This is a very well written story with considerable excitement as well as real messages about honor and responsibility. I recommend reading it.
  • Greetings! From the Galactic Federation on July 11, 2011
    star star star star star
    An excellent story with the classic short story unexpected twist at the end.
  • Unknown SuperHero on Aug. 05, 2011
    star star star star
    This seems like an interesting start, but is too short to really assess the idea. I look forward to reading the longer release.
  • I Am A Submariner on Aug. 06, 2011
    star star star star star
    This is an excellent book. I would have liked it to be longer; it is very clear that the author has enormous knowledge of his subject.
  • Proper Motivation: A Fish Story on Aug. 06, 2011
    star star star star star
    A very good short story.
  • What Dragons Prefer on Aug. 06, 2011
    star star star star star
    A very good short story with a classic twist at the end. This story is very well worth reading.
  • Jack the Frogmaker on Aug. 06, 2011
    star star star star star
    Good story.
  • The Sunset of Big Oil on Aug. 12, 2011
    star star star star star
    This is a very readable story that once I had started reading I read straight through without a break. As a printed book it would be very difficult to put down. As well as the story 'The Sunset of Big Oil' there was the added bonus of information about other books by Terry Compton, and the quite long first chapter of another good book by Mr. Compton.
  • Smite Me, Oh Dark One on Aug. 29, 2011
    star star star star star
    An excellent but unusual story. Very well written. I look forward to reading more of Steve Thomas's books.
  • Riggity Rabbit and the Cookie on Aug. 30, 2011
    star star star star star
    Amusing, but well worth reading! I liked the cover as well.