Sandstorm: A Sigma Force Novel

Exactly. The Road to Ubar tells the story of that amateur archaeologist and how he discovered the buried city. The place was eventually excavated and can be visited today. The fate of the city was also revealed during this archaeological dig. In ancient times, a giant sinkhole had opened up under the city and swallowed half the town. It was taken as a warning from God and the place was abandoned by its superstitious inhabitants. Eventually the desert sands swept back over the city, and it vanished into history and mythology. But is there more to the story? You’ll have to read Sandstorm to find out.

I have a cardboard file box at home where I toss articles and handwritten notes that I collect from reading magazines: National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover, Science, etc. Whenever I read something that makes me wonder “What if….?” it goes into the box. The box is not organized, it’s messy. Somewhere down at the bottom there are probably mice nesting. But I love that chaos. Strange and intriguing bits end up next to each other in the box, things I would not have connected together on my own, but the pure randomness of the contents of the box bring them together, and I begin to see how they might connect. Sometimes those connections become stories. At that point, I begin to visualize who might be involved in such a story, and the plot starts to grow.

I have, and I desperately want to go back. The landscape is so striking and varied, from its lush gardens trickling with waterfalls to its vast stretches of wind-swept dunes. But more than anything, it’s the entire region’s mix of history and mythology, religion and superstition, the ancient and the modern. With every step, this strange dichotomy calls out to you….and for a writer, it is pure magic.

Both. Technology all by itself is not that interesting. What I find fascinating about new technology is how it challenges a society, physically and morally. Such as with cloning or stem cell research or something we have yet to imagine. That’s the fodder for great storytelling. And societies don’t form out of a vacuum. Their foundations are based on a history that is oftentimes equal part fact and fiction. Blend these two ingredients, and some great stories emerge that reflect who we are, where we came from, and most importantly where we are heading.

There are parts of me in all the characters – good and bad. I also borrow traits from friends and family, from people I meet and talk to. I’m always looking for quirks that really flesh out a character. As to Painter Crowe, I think he’s more of who I would want to be, than necessarily who I am. But that’s one of joys of writing – or reading – for a time, you can be that character.

Well, I’m proud of all of them for various reasons.  I always strive as a writer to construct and tell stronger and stronger stories.  And over the course of the series, I love to see how the main characters grow, change, and evolve.  The Sigma series was born in Sandstorm.  It’s the first time you see Painter Crowe and the early start of Sigma.  Four more books follow in that series, and I’m currently working on the fifth one.

My publishers deserve credit for breaking barriers with the mass market editions of my books. With my first book, Subterranean, my publishers took a chance by developing a multiple step-back cover – the first of its kind. They pulled out all the stops when releasing Sandstorm with a lenticular holographic cover, employing a new patented technology. As a writer who delves into new sciences, what could be more gratifying?

Besides the next Sigma book, I’ve also completed the first book in a children’s series titled in English, Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow.  It blends archaeology and fantasy into a grand time-spanning adventure.  But I’m also crafting another stand-alone adventure novel that will come out next year.  So much more to come!