A Tale of Two Blogs
Yes, I know, it is hard enough to find the time to keep up with one blog - and I probably won't do a very good job of doing so. In fact, it is not at all my purpose to provide a daily online log of my activities.
My two personae are working in opposite directions.
One, the incipient science fiction writer, aims to turn science into science fiction where the science is real and drives the story. It would be great if it got readers interested in science, technology, engineering and even mathematics - and helped engender the next generations of great scientists and engineers, researchers and explorers. The relatively sparse updates relating to this aspect will be focused on providing information about my writing, forthcoming publication, etc. This blog is
https://martiscifi.blogspot.com/
Two, the experienced researcher and teacher, inspired by such greats as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and Astroboy, aims to guide science with science fiction. Science fiction is a great way to explore the real world outworkings of our technology, asking the question 'what happens if...', exploring the ethical implications, offering alien perspectives on our earthly conception of the universe. The more frequent updates from this identity will relate to the research I am currently carrying out both in the real world and in my imagined worlds. This is
https://martiward.blogspot.com/
No Spoilers
I'm conscious of the issue of spoilers in engaging in discussion of elements from my books. I won't be giving away key plot points (and neither should you), and the science I talk about won't necessarily even be related to specific books. Sometimes, I might talk about other SciFi work. How can I talk about robots without at least thinking about Asimov's three (or four) laws? Even my AI characters will of course be aware of Clarke's HAL and compare themselves with him!
My Background
I write under a number of different names for a
number of reasons. One of these is that people tend to put other people
in boxes, even if they don't like being put in a box themselves.
Moreover, when you engage in a different kind of writing, enter a
different genre, move from real science to science fiction, it is
convenient to be able to keep the writing compartmentalized so people
find just what they are looking for. And then I can choose what else I
point people to. I have hundreds of published works, including a few
books - even I find it hard to find what I'm looking for!
In
general pseudonymous identities aren't really secret - the publishers
and editors and beta readers all know. For some controversial political
or allegorical writing expressing unpopular or untolerated opinions, it
might be expedient to write anonymously or pseudonomously. In the case
of Marti/Martin/Martina Ward, it is simply a matter of distance from my scientific
writing, although sometimes I might even use Martina's work in my
teaching or research presentations because of the way the issues I am
trying to explore as a scientist are worked out in the novels.
So
what is this mysterious "scientific" work I do. After all, a B.Sc. and a
Ph.D. can cover just about anything. In fact my remit does cover just
about anything, from behavioral, biological and biomedical science
through to artificial intelligence, cognitive science, green energy,
robotics and vehicle engineering. I also have a background in physics
and chemistry, philosophy and theology, linguistics and neuroscience,
engineering and entrepreneurship.
Yes, I invent things
and start up companies to exploit the technology. However, I don't usually get
involved hands-on in the companies, because my life is my research and
teaching, training up the next generation of researchers while pursuing
my own research interests on a variety of fronts. My family, even the
cat, would all agree with that - although I do try to make some time for
them, otherwise one of them will eventually pull me away from my laptop.
The Topics
The Paradisi System is in the Andromeda Galaxy, and we use a wormhole to get there. So that's a good starting point: what is the science behind
wormholes, what is it actually like to go through one, and what does a scifi author need to know about
astrophysics to get there?
The drives we use are
EmDrives based on the use of electromagnetic radiation and driven by
Thorium Reactors. These heat up very quickly and that creates the problem of how to cool them... These elements were nicely thought out by Cheri Lasota and the team of authors that originally designed the Paradisi Universe.
The Paradisi System has a number of
Goldilocks planets which are in a sweet spot in relation to their sun, Paradisi, that offers the potential for humans to survive on them, and in one case hopefully live just as comfortably as on Earth. The Paradisi System was very carefully and scientficially designed by Bill Patterson, and I rely heavily on his background material. Other basic concepts in the idea of where to locate your operations in a new solar system, and how to get around it efficiently, relate strongly to NASA's ideas of the Interplanetary Superhighway and Interplanetary Transfer which in turn depend on the idea of Lagrange Points or
Lagrangians.
Then it would be nice to have some sort of
gravity, at least a centrifugal simulation of gravity but ideally
antigravity. And for the long trips (months to years) some sort of
cryobeds would be fundamental. Then we also need
radiation shielding, in case we meet a solar flare or other kind of ion storm, and given we are likely suffer various kinds of
injuries or illness, we need
medbeds and
treatment regimes. Then there's the
biological and
medical knowledge and background for dealing with not just those that relate to the dangers of space, but also those that relate to colonizing a planet that already has its own indigenous life, from
microorganisms to
macrofauna.
Then of course there are the
quantum computers,
emergent conscious AIs,
nanites and nanobots,
self-replicating von Neumann machines.
Finally, there are the questions of ethics that come up, whether to do with taking over an
ecosystem or with how to deal with conscious AIs, or even those AIs that are not (yet) conscious but just follow orders.
My Paradisi Lost books
Kindle paperback
edition ISBN-13: 978-1696380911
Kindle
enlarged print edn ISBN-13: 978-1708810108
D2D paperback ISBN: 979-8223141938 all retailers
D2D eBook (epub) ISBN: 979-8223930112 libraries and retailers (except Amazon)
Kindle paperback edition ISBN-13: 978-1679850080
D2D paperback ISBN: 979-8215751763 all retailers
D2D eBook (epub) ISBN: 979-8223441458 libraries and retailers (except Amazon)
Kindle paperback edition ISBN-13: 979-8640426106
D2D paperback ISBN: 979-8223481393 all retailers
D2D eBook (epub) ISBN: 979-8223749523 libraries and retailers (except Amazon)
My Paradisi Lost books are part of a bigger multiauthor Paradisi Universe, and most of the world building is due to the creators of that universe, whom I thank for allowing me to play in their world:
https://paradisichronicles.wordpress.com/
Author/Series pages and Awards
Series and Author pages:
WorldCon2020 presentation (COVID-style):
Global Book Awards 2021 (Gold and 2 Silvers):
https://globalbookawards1ny.spread.name/?filter=Category-%3AScience%2520Fiction (Casindra Lost, Gold)
https://globalbookawards1ny.spread.name/?filter=Category-%3AScience%2520Fiction%252F%2520Adventure (Moraturi Lost)
https://globalbookawards2.spread.name/?filter=Category-%3AScience%2520Fiction%2520Series (Moraturi Ring/Series)
Paradisi Chronicles Lost Mission page:
And the big reveal (Amazon outed me):
