Kate Rauner

Biography

Kate Rauner, Hanover, New Mexico, USA
A science fiction writer, poet, firefighter, and engineer on the way to becoming an eccentric old woman.

I write science fiction novels and science-inspired poetry, and serve as a volunteer firefighter. I'm also a retired environmental engineer and Cold War Warrior (honestly, that's what Congress called us) because I worked in America's nuclear weapons complex. Now living on the edge of the southwest's Gila National Forest with my husband, cats, llamas, and dog, I'm well on my way to achieving my life-goal of becoming an eccentric old woman.

Find more and contact me at https://kateraunerauthor.wordpress.com/

Series

Fantastic Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Join visitors to strange worlds in these short stories and flash fiction (shorter stories) from Kate Rauner, prize winning short-story author. Presented singly or in small collections, these books are perfect for a break during your day. Or curl up in your favorite chair with the series.
On Mars
A one-way journey to Mars may be a mistake. Discover how the first settlers survive and build a colony on the Red Planet.

Books

Stunning Short Stories of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Price: Free! Words: 34,370. Language: English. Published: November 22, 2020 . Categories: Fiction » Anthologies » Short stories - multi-author, Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
Otherworldly adventures to touch your heart and thrill your imagination. Four superb authors present stories ranging from hard science fiction to ghostly fantasy. Whatever your mood, you'll find a captivating tale in this collection of eight tales. Each offers a distinct style with unique characters. Winner of the 2021 New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards, eFiction category. Click to Buy Now
Dragon Bones a Fantastic Tale: Gold Rush Story
Series: Fantastic Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 5,900. Language: English. Published: February 5, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Historical, Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
Two brothers find misery in California's Gold Rush until a Chinese doctor promises them riches. They should have asked, at what price? A short story by Kate Rauner, a reader's choice Best Scifi Writer at Ooorahs! webzine. Set in California's Trinity Mountains, this short story of 5,400 words is perfect for a break during your busy day.
Three Fantastic Tales: Artificial Intelligence, Renaissance Italy, and Interstellar Space
Series: Fantastic Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 4,330. Language: English. Published: February 5, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories, Fiction » Fantasy » Historical
Travel to three fantastic worlds. Burritos and a birthday party keep a computer developer from his AI project, but he'll never succeed without them. A painter ensnared in his master's Renaissance studio discovers a deadly escape. For one micro spaceship crossing interstellar space, sacrifice is part of the mission. Each under 1,000 words - perfect for a break during your busy day.
Two Fantastic Tales: Quantum Physics and Time Travel
Series: Fantastic Tales of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 8,360. Language: English. Published: February 5, 2019 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Hard sci-fi, Fiction » Science fiction » Short stories
Travel to two fantastic worlds. A trio of physics students find that theory is safer than practice. A lonely woman on a deadly mission receives a second chance, if she can seize it before it's too late. Two short stories by Kate Rauner, a reader's choice Best Scifi Writer at Ooorahs! webzine. Each under 4,000 words. Perfect for a break during your busy day.
Colony on Mars
Price: $6.99 USD. Words: 421,480. Language: American English. Published: January 13, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure, Fiction » Science fiction » Hard sci-fi
(5.00 from 1 review)
Abandoned on a hostile planet, colonists struggle to build their lives. But first they have to survive. Read the complete series through generations. Praise for Colony on Mars from a real reader like you: Many science fiction books tend to be more fiction than science, but in this book I found both. The plot is never boring, and the science is rock solid. Click Now & Join the Colony if You Dare
Storm on Mars Colonization Book 5
Series: On Mars. Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 85,380. Language: American English. Published: January 13, 2018 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure, Fiction » Science fiction » Hard sci-fi
Zeker plans to change Mars. Once adult-qualified, he joins the elite Tower Guilds. But neuroplasticity treatments may have failed, because his own impulses are his biggest challenge. When he storms out of the Towers, Zeker lands in a lawless burg filled with desperate people. Farther from his goals than ever, he must find a way back to the Towers, because more than his project is in peril
Water on Mars Colonization Book 4
Series: On Mars. Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 86,850. Language: English. Published: November 18, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure
Bliss is certain this is the best time to be Mars-born. The colony has grown - no disaster could possibly wipe them out now. She's leaving her little burg and childhood sweetheart behind to move to Kamp Kans, the largest city on Mars with six hundred eighty-two people. There's a dark side to Kamp and her new boss is crazy, but she won't let that spoil the fun.
Hermit on Mars Colonization Book 3
Series: On Mars. Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 92,230. Language: English. Published: September 29, 2016 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure, Fiction » Science fiction » Hard sci-fi
A call for help sends Sig into the Tartarus Mountains of Mars. Delivering repair parts to his mother offers a temporary escape from his miserable life in the colony, but there are dangers in her cavern and on the surface of the hostile Red Planet he hadn't expected.
Rhyme and Reason Three - Poetry Inspired by Science
Series: Rhyme and Reason. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 5,580. Language: English. Published: June 25, 2016 . Categories: Poetry » Themes & motifs » Nature, Poetry » Contemporary Poetry
Poetry that favors rhyme; Inspired all by science; Outward to the edge of time; Or tied to earthly cadence. Light and written all for fun, There is no angst to hide. You're invited now to sample one Of my poems inside. Enjoy over forty short, descriptive rhymes of science. Includes the popular Desert Watermelon, a few haiku, and learn how to say Cruithne (Earth's second moon?)
Born on Mars Colonization Book 2
Series: On Mars, Book 2. Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 74,430. Language: English. Published: November 20, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure, Fiction » Science fiction » Hard sci-fi
(5.00 from 1 review)
Contacting recent settlers half a planet away is the only hope for a rebellious young man's failing colony, though the conflicts they bring from Earth could be deadly. Jake is born into a dying colony, abandoned by Earth, and Mars yields none of the minerals they need to survive. A second colony arrives half a planet away, but visiting the newcomers is more perilous than he imagined.
Glory on Mars Colonization Book 1
Series: On Mars, Book 1. Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 80,880. Language: English. Published: November 7, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure, Fiction » Science fiction » Hard sci-fi
(4.75 from 4 reviews)
Something is terribly wrong on Mars. The colony's psychologist just walked out an airlock to her death, but that doesn't stop roboticist Emma Winters. She leaves Earth forever. A strange sickness cripples the colonists' efforts. Emma must discover the truth before the planet's lethal surface kills them all. Emma planned to be one of the first humans on Mars. Now she may be one of the last
Rhyme and Reason Two - Poetry Inspired by Science
Series: Rhyme and Reason. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 5,040. Language: English. Published: July 11, 2015 . Categories: Poetry » Contemporary Poetry
Kate's 2014 collection of poems in rhyme; Inspired all by science; Outward to the edge of time; Or tied to earthly cadence. Light and written all for fun, There is no angst to hide. You're invited now to sample one Of my poems inside.
Rhyme and Reason - Poetry Inspired by Science
Series: Rhyme and Reason. Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 7,130. Language: English. Published: May 5, 2014 . Categories: Poetry » Themes & motifs » General
(4.00 from 1 review)
Expanded 2nd Edition! A collection of short poems in rhyme; Inspired all by science; Outward to the edge of time; Or tied to earthly cadence. Light and written all for fun, There is no angst to hide. You're invited now to sample one Of my poems inside.
Glitch
Price: $0.99 USD. Words: 86,890. Language: English. Published: June 21, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Science fiction » General, Fiction » Science fiction » Hard sci-fi
What does the 21st century hold for us? Find out with Kate's predictions surrounding a story of one fantastic discovery - an improbable glitch in space that opens a path to another star system. Stretching from advances within our grasp, like self-driving cars and a private space industry, to rewilding a depopulated prairie with cloned mammoths, glimpses a future rooted in today's science. Jo

Kate Rauner's tag cloud

adventure danger in lava tube surface geology    adventure danger mars surface    adventure danger on elysium surface geology    air travel    airplane    airport    alternative universe    alternative world    artificial intelligence    asteroid    australia    basic universal allotment    birthday party    build a settlement robotic construction    building a new society    california gold rush    captivating discovery by scientists    chinese in america    chinese medicine    climate    climate change    collection book of rhyme verse poems    colonization    colonization of mars    colony of settlers with robots spaceships explore battle dangers and sickness to live on mars growing tilapia fish mealworms potatoes in garden greenhouse    colony on mars    danger    depression on another planet    exoplanet data    exploration    exploration and colonization series    fantasy science fiction books    fantasy story    female author    female author authors poet    female authors author poet    female authors poet    first colony on mars    folk medicine    fossil hunting    futurism    geeks rhyming poems    ghost deities psychic witch aliens nordic exploration magic colonization humor first contact    haiku    hard science fiction    helios    historical    inspired by richard feynman physicist    interstellar space craft    italian historical fantasy    italy    journey    life living on mars    living with robots artificial intelligence    living with robots artificial intelligence in near future    mars    mars adventure mars colony mars colonization    mars colonization    mars colony colonies exploration    mars colony colonies rover exploration flight mission    mars colony colonization exploration    mars survival    martian adventure    menu    midlife crisis opportunity    mission control    multiple authors    new adults ya    new adults ya young adult stories    new mexico    new releases books 2020    nuclear bomb    octopus    paranormal    paranormal paranatural    poetic ebook    poetry    poetry inspired by science    prospecting    prospector    quantum computer    quantum physics    renaissance italy    rhyme    rhyme and reason    rhyme book    rhyme books    rhyme stew    rhymed poetry    rhymes poems    robotics    sci fi    science    science fiction    science fiction anthology 2020    science physics biology astronomy environment learning humanity rhyme    scifi    scifi by women    scifi by women authors    scifi si fi syfy by women    short stories for adults    social building society on mars    space    space colonies    space exploration and colonization series    space science fiction    spacecraft    spaceport    spaceport america    speculative fiction short stories    synesthesia    time travel    volcano on mars    young adult and teen adventure    young adult new adult   

Kate Rauner's favorite authors on Smashwords

E J Randolph
Latest book: Gun Runners: Psy Corps.
Published July 6, 2021. (5.00 from 1 review)

Smashwords book reviews by Kate Rauner

  • Tevun-Krus #1 - First Contact on Nov. 07, 2016

    I've contributed to Ooorah on Wattpad and it's great to see I can now download the e-zine here. I like having the stories collected by theme - that makes it easy to find what I like. I recommend this month and the series. Collect them all - you're sure to find stories you enjoy.
  • Gun Runners: Psy Corps on July 06, 2021

    Colony from Earth has lost advanced technology, but illegal weapons will allow one king to conquer. That sets up the fun tale of a civilized psychic in a medieval world. I enjoyed the contrast as Tvella hides her advanced tools and skills. Fun short read.