Stacey S. Thompson Pilgrims' Moon Excerpts Reviews Bio Upcoming Events Message Board Contact Stacey
|
|
|
|
I'm a scientist (chemist)
and love science fiction stories, especially those that are exciting, make
scientific sense, and are populated by believable characters. I wrote
"Pilgrims' Moon" with those ideas in mind. I hope my readers will enjoy it
as much as I enjoyed creating it. |
Stacey S. Thompson grew up on a farm in Indiana and often daydreamed of space adventures and alien worlds.He attended Purdue University and majored in chemistry. Presently living in the Chicago area, he has decided to put some of his daydreams to paper. Pilgrims' Moon is his first novel.
Longtime sci-fi
fan publishes first novel
Posted 8/11/03
Cass Cliatt of the Daily Herald
You can now add the name of one of Wheeling's own to the publications already on your book shelf.
We recently received notice that Stacey S. Thompson, 41, of Wheeling, has written a science-fiction novel titled "Pilgrims' Moon" that has been published by PublishAmerica of Maryland.
It's the first novel for Thompson, who is trained as a chemist. He works as a manager of regulatory affairs at Baxter Healthcare Corp. in Round Lake.
"I was raised on a steady diet of 'Lost in Space,' 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars,'" said Thomas, who said being published is "a dream come true.
"It seemed natural to me to want to write something just as exciting," he wrote in the book's press release.
Thompson began writing in 1983, when he won the Honeywell Futurist Award - a nationwide essay competition predicting future technology in the year 2000.
Thompson says it took him a lot longer than he expected to become a published author. Still, he's encouraging other would-be writers to follow their dreams.
"There are so many more options available to the writer today," Thompson said. "Previously, publishing houses didn't want to take a chance on a new author due to the huge financial investment in manufacturing thousands of books via traditional printing."
Thompson was able to take advantage of advances in printing technologies that allow books to be printed as orders are received, which significantly reduces costs, he said.
"The new technology lowers the entrance barrier to where anyone who can write and has a good story to tell can be published," Thompson said.
Publication: NEWS-SUN
Publication date: 09/13/2003
By: Jim Newton
ROUND LAKE -- Stacey Thompson arranged a marriage between two of his favorite things and achieved a lifelong goal. Thompson, a 41-year-old scientist who works at Baxter Healthcare in Round Lake, is now a published author with the release of his debut novel Pilgrims' Moon, a science-fiction saga about a group of space travelers who awaken to find themselves 500 years in the future with Earth well out of reach.
A love of science fiction and a gift for writing gave Thompson the opportunity to write the novel. "Basically, I've always wanted to do it. I've always had the dream of being a writer," Thompson said. "When you have something you can do well and you don't do it, it's kind of sad. "Busy career
So, despite a busy career as manager of regulatory affairs for Baxter, Thompson devoted his free time to completing a story he began in 1993 as a 15-page premise concerning the fate of those aboard the space freighter Argo, which enters a "space-time anomaly" while they are in "biostasis" slumber.
The result is the 416-page Pilgrims' Moon, published by PublishAmerica of Frederick, Md.
Thompson, who says he was raised "on a steady diet of Lost in Space, Star Trek and Star Wars," drew on both his love of science fiction and his scientific background in penning the tale.
"I'm a chemist by training. I was in the lab for several years," he said. "That kind of attention to detail is a good fit with writing skills. I love science and I have a thirst for knowledge."
Thompson's writing career began in 1983 when he won the Honeywell Futurist Award, a nationwide essay competition involving technological predictions for the year 2000.
Thompson said he likes creating new alien races and landscapes, although "it takes a lot out of you. I like inventing these worlds."
He's back at it again in a second effort, a novel entitled Endangered Species. The story again takes place in the future, after Earth has been conquered by aliens who killed most of mankind and sent the survivors to an exile planet. The protagonist of the story is a young lad who hopes to save the species.
Rough draft completed
A rough draft of Endangered Species has been completed and Thompson said he hopes to punch it up and complete the novel by the end of this year.
Thompson said the story is analogous to what the white man did to Native Americans in America. Much of science fiction involves such allegories, he said, noting Star Trek subtlety touched on themes such as interracial dating, prejudice and the Vietnam War.
Pilgrims' Moon also contains some messages, Thompson said, including perhaps the ironic twist that the "pilgrims" caught up in the tale had been searching for a simpler, less technological life before landing in their predicament. They also find that warfare is a truly universal problem.
Thompson said he is pleased with the reaction to Pilgrims' Moon.
"People who have read it say they like it. They seem to be enjoying it," he said. "That's the kind of feedback I was hoping to get."
With the near completion of his second book, Thompson feels he his hitting his stride. Possibly even on the way to fulfilling another dream.
"I'm dedicated to my job at Baxter," he said. "But my dream would be to be a writer. A full-time writer."
Pilgrims' Moon is available in paperback from www.PublishAmerica.com and most other online book vendors. More information on Stacey S. Thompson is available at www.authorsden.com.
Copyright © 2003 Stacey S. Thompson. All rights reserved.