Alien werewolves, blue cats, and rebellious robots might seem just wild sci-fi fantasies. But to me, they’re creative extrapolations of the real science of multidimensional universes, genetic engineering and artificial intelligence. My inclination toward real science arose from my experience working as a science communicator at such renowned research centers as Caltech, MIT, and Cornell and Duke Universities. I also hold degrees in chemistry and science writing.

So, when I decided to write science fiction, I naturally drew on that real-world experience to spin my tales. For example, my novel The Cerulean’s Secret imagines a future of genetic engineering in which companies can create and sell amazing, exotic pets, including a gorgeous blue cat. And my novel The Neuromorphs projects a future of artificially intelligent androids that programmers inadvertently give free will. The robots decide to eliminate those pesky, inefficient biological life forms called humans.

My latest novel, Mythicals, might seem to stray far afield from such hard science. I dubbed it a scifi/fairy tale that asks questions: “What if all the creatures of myth and legend—like fairies, pixies, werewolves and ogres—were real?” And, “What if they were aliens exiled to the planet for their transgressions?”

Basically, I came up with this weird notion of real mythical creatures and then decided to put a science fiction spin on it. The plot depends on such real physical theories as parallel universes and that evolution could give rise to intelligent species through very different paths. So, in other universes there really could be intelligent werewolves and fairies and such.

In fact, I'm so dedicated to conveying real science that, like all of my works, Mythicals includes a bibliography on my website of articles where readers can find out about the real science behind the book.

Kirkus Reviews has dubbed Mythicals a “wickedly clever adventure” and “a meticulously orchestrated genre mashup with an urgent, heartfelt message.” The novel has also garnered honors, including a medallion award from the Book Readers Appreciation Group, and being named a finalist in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards.

The novel’s environmental message arises from the plot in which the alien “mythicals” decide that the natives of their exile planet are ruining its ecology, and that the “terminal species” must be eradicated. The fairies and pixies are against it; the werewolves are for it; the vampires and ogres are undecided. And a mysterious cabal called the Pilgrims also poses a planetary threat.

What’s more, there’s a huge plot twist that I won’t reveal, but which almost no readers have seen coming.

I've written seven novels, and I promise more to come. At last count, I’ve got more than two dozen plot ideas buzzing around in my head, so I’ll be busy for quite a long time.

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