I am a product of the deep South and its long tradition of storytelling. My paternal grandmother captivated me for hours with tall tales and legends from her own past that not only consumed my attention, but taught me valuable lessons about life and human nature. Later the works of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, and James P. Hogan taught me that science and storytelling resonated perfectly in my imagination and were the vehicle I would use to carry my stories to my readers.