Over the next several days, I’m going to address some questions that have come up about the book.  For example, someone brought up the question about why there were not more details about the Gomer Ships? Today, I’m going to address this question and see where it takes us.

First, there is a vague description in the book about the size, type, and purpose of each Gomer Ship encountered.  On a battlefield, this is about all you have to go on, . . . . at first.  There are at least two more books in this series, and there will be more answers as each book unfolds.  Like a stripper, would you rather they came out stark naked, or would you prefer to be teased?

I also like to let people use their imaginations to “see” the threat.  Call me old school, but of the two versions of the movie Psycho, the first one is far more frightening to me.  Sometimes it is the horror you don’t see that will trigger your own imagination as the reader.  I assume that the average science fiction reader already has a vivid imagination, and as someone who can dream within the realm of science, you can create something far more frightening to you than I ever could in a million years.

Authors, like actors, have to deal with criticism. Some will be helpful and constructive, and others will make you wonder if they really read your work. Recently, I received a book review from a book critic who said several things that made me seriously wonder if they ever actually read the whole book. Skimmed maybe, but the details were so wrong I was beginning to wonder. At the same time, I got a glowing review from another reviewer that honestly made me blush. I think the key here is taste and view point. While one understood what was written, the other drug out a rather archaic word to “poke” me. I have to say that both reviews were useful to me as an author. One affirmed what I was doing, while the other reminded me why not everyone will understand or “get” science fiction. Oh, and just for the record, the Gomers are NOT arachnids. ~ Michael S. Pauley

Looking back over the last few postings, I’ve noticed that they are somewhat darker than normal.  Okay, if they were any darker, you’d need a flashlight to read them.  So, this time around, I thought we should lighten it up a bit.  Let’s talk Gomers!  What is a Gomer?  First, I’d say, read the book.  We have some pretty good descriptions for you, and in the second and third books, these descriptions are even more complete.  Still, what generally is a Gomer?  A Gomer is a term that soldiers often use to describe a nondescript enemy.  If you don’t have a clue what else to call them, then he/she/it is a Gomer.  Similar to the Air Force calling an unidentified “blip” on the radar as a bogie, the Gomer is something out there that goes “bump in the night.”  You will find in the second book that the Gomers actually come from somewhere, but when a name sticks, it sticks.  So, despite the Gomers having a place from which they originated, in the hearts, minds, and even psyche of the characters, they will always be known as Gomers. ~ Michael S. Pauley

I try not to climb on my soap box, but here I am, yet again, standing firmly and squarely on that box.  Here goes.  There is a segment of the public that believes that all Generals are “War Mongers.”  I’m sorry to disappoint anyone, but Generals, like Captains, Sergeants, and especially Privates, virtually to a man, do not like war.  It is a messy dangerous business that will haunt you the rest of your life.  For most within the profession of arms, a war signifies a failure to deter, not some vehicle for personal glory or advancement.  It signifies the loss of friends or family, and it also signifies the end of the way we lived before it ever started.  That is why most soldiers will tell you, IF you’re going to send us to fight one, then please make the cause just, and give us a chance to win.  The one more question that a General should add to that list is “while you’re at it, before you send us, please give us an exit strategy.” ~ Michael S. Pauley

Politics!  Politics!  Politics!  I can’t help but chuckle at the human condition, and our somewhat strident and staunchly held political views.  As a society, we run the gamut from the “far left” to the “far right”, with many of us holding some view that is a combination or variation of those philosophies.  How many of us are liberal on certain issues, while conservative in others?  There are a lot of people that are quite liberal on social issues, yet extremely conservative on religious or fiscal issues.  (There are others with the exact opposite view.)  In fact, there are so many variations, combinations, permutations, and even “one issue” people, that we will spend our adult lives watching the pendulum swing from left to right.  I have devoted my entire life to governmental service, either as a soldier, a prosecutor, a judicial law clerk, or even as a policeman in my college years.  My governmental service has also allowed me to see how it works at the local, state, and federal levels.  Through all that service, I have watched a lot of different political figures come and go, each placing his own stamp on our lives, yet in the end, we are never that far off from where we started.  In other words, politicians engage in the re-invention of the wheel, and despite your feelings for the man/woman in a particular office, don’t worry, it will change.  If you have studied history, you know that it is nothing more than a recurring cycle, and that pendulum is never that far from swinging the other way.  The best we can do is hope it doesn’t hit us as it goes by! ~ Michael S. Pauley

In my last posting, I alluded to the notion of having more material and ideas for future books.  This time I would like to build on that idea, by asking a question.  I chose Science Fiction as the genre to tell stories, mainly to share ideals, concepts, or maybe even spread a little humor.  There is nothing written in stone as to that genre.  I’ve got years of experience in the military, in a civilian courtroom, and solving problems and even mysteries.  So, now comes the question.  Should I continue to place things in the guise of Science Fiction, or should I expand into another genre?   I am asking you for your input. ~ Michael S. Pauley

The Third Book is still moving along, although not at a pace I would prefer.  The problem isn’t the story or the ideas, those I’ve got in great quantities.  Nope, it is finding the time to sit down unmolested to put those ideas on paper.  The last week has been a plethora of distractions and interruptions, all thanks to that pesky “day job”.  Still, we are moving it forward, which is a good thing.  I’ve always read, usually in an article or memoir written by other authors, that you should devote at least an hour a day to your writing.  Right now, I’d be happy to have an hour a day that wasn’t filled with a crisis.  Still, out of the ashes of the various disasters that accompany life, more ideas arise.  I’m thinking that while it might be busy now, the material and ideas for future books are simply building. ~ Michael S. Pauley

The third book is coming along, and should have just enough twists and turns to make it “alike but different” from the previous two books.  I love it when a plan comes together!  In the meantime, for anyone interested, I will be happy to answer any questions anyone might have about the first book.  Feel free to write me, and just shoot me a question, I promise I will respond.