JC Smith SciFi

After High School in 1976, I had no idea what I wanted to be. Bummed around for a couple of months and I ran into an Air Force recruiter at “Astroworld”, a theme park outside of Houston. He convinced me to just take the ASVB test and see what I might qualify for.

As it turned out I qualified for everything. I chose “Electronic Computer and Switching Systems Specialist, 305×4” and I never looked back. I did 10 years in the AF in computers and telecom, before telecom was a thing. I left the AF in 1987, joining a small cellular company and stayed there for 35 years, retiring last October, 2022.

I have grown kids who no longer live with me but we also have teenaged twins, entering their sophomore years in HS. The driving and dropping off, picking up groceries and do wash is fine. But i was getting a little brain dead, so decided to look into volunteering. I may go with some kind of volunteer thing but along the way a sci-fi book kept trying to tell me it was time to write.

So, in February of this year I started. I wrote 18,000 words, reread it a few times and tossed it out and started over. I chatted via social media with a favorite author of mine @katiecross and got her insights on world building, organizing etc.

I now use Excel spreadsheets, one more, and a mind mapper app. I’m now past the 18,000 throwaway threshold and am feeling good about my world building, am characters, and writing! My writing is for my pleasure. It may never win any awards nor sell a million copies. But achieving a written and published sci-fi book will be one of the larger items on my bucket list crossed off.

Live life, follow you passion!