The Black Map

On the outer edge of the galaxy, some salvage jobs are easy and some you don't come back from. Working for the mob can be like that. For Booker Ward and the crew of the salvage ship Kristi, this new job they've just been handed will end up being more than they bargained for.
The crew's employer found what it thinks is a Centurion class battleship from the fall of the Realm. Nothing like the ship has been seen in the galaxy for centuries. Images of it from the deep space scan show some vague and grainy views. The one thing they can clearly see is the name, and its Old Realm. The scant information in the images makes Booker want to pass. It doesn't matter because the mob wants the warship and its Booker's job to go get it.
Everything about the job feels bad. The ship lays abandon on a planet at the galactic edge. Out on the edge of the black. The space between galaxies. The images don't even show if it is in one piece, more else able to be returned to space.
Bad jobs come with problems, and this one's no different. The first problem with the job is that their prize is huge. Their salvage ship can't refloat anything of the battleship's size without using the battleship's own internal power. But re-firing the engines, if they can be re-fired, means waking up the ship's Artificial Intelligence. Next problem; if the ship doesn't want to go with them then they'll also have to deal with a hostile warship. Bringing it back to life after so many centuries could end up being their undoing.
Their problems don't stop with a moody ship. If it really is a lost battleship from the Realm, every local government, militia and pirate gang in the galaxy is going to want a piece of it, not to mention the mob's real opposition. The salvage crew needs to get out there, find it, and do whatever they're going to do before the Command Authority, which controls the core of the galaxy, gets wind of the operation and sends its fleet to take over. Time is definitely not on Booker's side with this job.
And, if the crew can't get the ship back into space, then what? Booker knows he'll need a good plan B with a job like this one. The mob and everybody else in the galaxy are going to want the ship. Is there even an alternate option with such a job? Having an ace in their pocket may end up being the difference between life and death for the salvage crew.
Can they get the ship flying? Will they make it out in time or will the Command Authority show up and blow them into dust? The crew of the Kristi will be deep into danger before this job is over. Buy THE BLACK MAP today and be thrown into the heart pounding intrigue of a deep space salvage unlike any other.

When this whole craziness started, I just wanted to write a book. I don't mean publish a book or build a series, just write a complete and good story about something.

That was then. Now with some success and positive reinforcement writing has become a necessary and vital piece of my life. The creation and crafting of stories allows me to express ideas and make sense of the world around me. And, they provide great emotional satisfaction.

My writing resume went something like: wrote some bad short stories in school, and loads of technical documents for work. I was well-versed in the technical side of writing; writing work plans, technical reports, closure documents, and the like.

With this foundation, I moved on to science fiction. It was, well, not so good. I tried several stories, but nothing caught fire. In typical writer's fashion I decided to switch to something else. I used what Joss Whedon, Bram Stoker, and Steven King had taught me about vampires, and crafted the world of Sara Anne Grey.

Okay you're thinking, that's all well and good, but vampire books? Wasn't there a better option out there? I mean, cookbooks and coffee table picture books always do well? The truth was, the vampire books taught me how to develop complex characters and create settings. Once thought out, they just about wrote themselves where the science fiction did not.

With physical proof that it could be done in my hands there was no going back. The Sara Grey series allowed me to develop my writing style. After which, I was able to reach out into other genres. I've now also written adventure stories, and science fiction stories. Most recently, I've moved on to mystery/thriller genre, which produced the jet-setting, shadowy world of Doctor Kristin Hughes lead nuclear bomb technician for the DOE NEST teams.

Her world is large and richly layered, something that I took away from seven years of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. The second and third installments of Kristin's story are currently in motion. This series will no-doubt take me to new places, both emotionally as an internal journey, and externally about the planet.

I'm supremely grateful that writing has slowly become an ingrained part of who I am as a person. Every time I sit down to write, the process teaches me as much about me as it does produce great stories for others to enjoy. The goal now is to simply continue crafting great stories.