These stories lie midway between “hard” and “soft” science fiction.

  • On the hard side of center, the novelettes, “Heart of the Ice” and “Venusian Paradise”, take place on the Moon and Venus and leverage some findings of explorations there. They are set among a thriving ice mining enterprise at the Lunar South Pole and in a habitat floating 50km over Venus.
  • “Take the Plunge!” and “Kraken Encounter” are in the center. “Take the Plunge!” considers AI-based social media that pushes the envelope; “Kraken Encounter” is set in the Kraken Mare on Titan.
  • “Alpha and Omega” and “Sunset at SkyTyme” are on the soft side of the center. They rely on exotic, dreamed up science.

Audiobook performance by Alexander Masters. Artwork by Steven J. Catizone.

Five of these 21 tales follow a relationship between two professors, Amanda and Carl, via twists of sci-fi invention. The other 16 tales involve a broad range of characters steeped in soft sci-fi, humorous, or absurd situations.

An example of literary flash fiction was published in Bewildering Stories here. For an example of soft sci-fi, click here and then click ”Look inside!” to read the title story.

Audiobook performances by Alexander Masters and Natalie Gray, who act in separate tales. Artwork by Steven J. Catizone.

To sample or buy:

Brad Ashmore has been an engineer, writer, and inventor of several patents… not necessarily in that order.
His writing influences draw from both sci-fi and the absurd. Brad has two children and lives in Silicon Valley with his wife and a bad cat.

When he is not at “Shut Up & Write” Meetups, Brad can be found in coffee shops writing or working on his next gadget.