A mother struggles to deal with the fact that her daughter has chosen to participate in a one-way mission to Mars. Dedicated to my wife, all the foster children we've had so far, and the child that will someday grow up with us. Major Influences: The Martian, by Andy Weir, Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, and the Mars One mission proposal. Note on technology: the materials science and radiation shielding that I mention in the course of the story are based on things currently under development or proposal. My other posted stories take place in the same universe. I welcome any comments or questions on each section, either from readers or other writers. Thanks

My favorite villain from the 1980s

With the 1984 publication of Books of Blood, Clive Barker became an overnight literary sensation. He was hailed by Stephen King as "the future of horror," and won both the British and World Fantasy Awards. Now, with his numerous bestsellers, graphic novels, and hit movies like the Hellraiser films, Clive Barker has become an industry unto himself. But it all started here, with this tour de force collection that rivals the dark masterpieces of Edgar Allan Poe. Read him. And rediscover the true meaning of fear.

Dark Dimensions returns with horrific insights into the career of Richard Laymon, the Occupy Midian movement, an interview with MikeTurpen, Short Story Spotlight, a tasty competition hosted by TheOrangutan, and a film review on "The Raven".

Ouija. It's only a game, isn't it?

Featured Story - Book of the Month --- Love, death, retribution and unpredictable outcomes. She died too young, too soon and too beautiful:- What secrets did she carry with her to the grave? Meet Bill Douglas, an international assassin as he attends an emotional and personally shattering funeral of a long lost friend. Reflection and soul searching transports him and you to a time from his past. Critical events unfold and life changing consequences begin to emerge. Watch and feel yourself live the experiences as the book takes you places you have never been and shows you things you have never seen. Recent comment on the book: - Hi Doug, I've just finished reading all of Consequences Unforeseen and I must say that I really enjoyed it. You write with the kind of 'tough' style that I like in Raymond Chandler and you have brought your hero to life through the flashbacks that provide a kind of panorama of his story from childhood on. A particular strength is the way that the locations are vividly depicted, the glittering waters of Cannes contrasted with the stark countryside of Scotland and so on, this brings Ian Fleming to mind, as does the whole piece in fact... .

KILL ANYONE, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME...AND NEVER GET CAUGHT. John Savage is a special force of one. A corporate investigator who had to leave when an investigation went wrong. He's become a 21st century warrior serving overseas but not for any one government only the highest bidder. When he finds a dead body with links to his old life he returns and finds that what forced him out was only the beginning of a conspiracy to commit murder on a grand scale. The Dark Market. In which anyone can take part and anyone can be a victim. Now Savage must battle to finish what he started. "There is something refreshingly Hemingway-esque about Coles..." BBC's Focus magazine. [The story you are about to read is intended for readers age 18+ due to its content and language. It may not be appropriate for all audiences. Please read at your own discretion.]

Security specialist Gat Burroughs died once and he'll be damned if he lets it happen again. Unfortunately, somebody is determined to kill his client, a washed-up star named Max Prince, and isn't afraid to go through Gat to do it. Is it Max's debauched granddaughter and heir? Is it the deadly Suerte y Muerte, a cult that kills to steal good luck? Is it Max's own lawyer and manager, James Jerome? And how on earth did the would-be assassin get past Max Prince's top-grade AI, the one that's adopted the likeness of computer pioneer Alan Turing? Gat will have to follow the clues through L.A.'s underworld, the slums of Mexico City, and his own guilty past to find the surprising answer. “A great science fiction detective story ” - Ian Watson, author of "The Universal Machine: From the Dawn of Computing to Digital Consciousness" ** The Gat Burroughs Series ** This is the first book in the Gat Burroughs series, which includes novels and shorter fiction. Gat Burroughs is a security specialist in Los Angeles after The Fall -- not so much an apocalypse as a social collapse that changed the world he knew. The United States has been replaced by the enclaves -- former states and megacities that are now nations. Large swaths of the country have collapsed utterly, regressing to pre-technological Grey Zones. Even in L.A., which remains largely intact, the polite face of democracy has largely been stripped away and the gap between the haves and the have-nots has become a vast gulf, with little space in between. But Gat is determined to find a way to make a life for himself without compromising his humanity. Bonus: Click on my profile and look for the bonus that's only available to Wattpad readers. ** Other Titles in the Series ** "Felon and the Judas Kiss" -- available on Amazon and Kobo. "Los Angeles Honey" -- coming soon.

Horror/Suspense Lovers, Look No Further! Prepare to lose sleep as you journey through this award-winning Horror/Thriller novel with an ending you won't see coming! One Blood is a supernatural thriller that will leave you wanting more from this author. Rich themes of voodoo, family curses, political ambitions and a quest for power are dominant in this roller coaster ride set in Louisiana. Governor Randy Lafitte is popular and beloved after battling back from brain cancer, but his political success has come with a price. When his daughter is kidnapped Lafitte is confronted with a past he thought died a long time ago. However, what hasn't caught you, hasn't passed you. And what comes for Lafitte may way more than he or the forces behind him can handle as he fights the demons (literally demons) from his past. ˃˃˃ Accolades for One Blood Kirkus Review's Best of 2012 Winner of the Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Award Winner of two 2012 International Book Awards Winner of a 2012 Global eBook Award Winner of a 2012 Indie Reader Discovery Award Winner of a 2012 National Indie Excellence Book Award Finalist in the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards 2012 Reader's Favorite Book Awards Silver Medal