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I have now started to give away my work. Since my focus is now on my craft, I decided that I'd open up my full drafts to "beta" readers. Feel free to read and comment here, or send me an email. In return for a comment on the drafts, I'll send you a free paperback book (of any that I've published or will publish soon), if you want it (email me with your snail mail address.)
These are works in progress. There are likely typos, grammatical errors, etc. Feel free to point those out, for sure, but also know that they will at some point be dealt with. But whatever level of comment you are willing to provide is greatly appreciated (even "man, this novel sucks, in these three ways:" is welcome.)
The Right Asteroid is a straight-up hard SF first contact novel. A group of scientists and others discovers an alien artifact, and abandoned colony on Mars. They do their investigation with a backdrop of a Mars independence movement, and an authoritative Earth-based system government. The aliens arrive, and... stuff happens.
Becoming Queen is a fantasy story with a science fiction premise. There are two countries with exceedingly different ideas on the right way to live one's life. Daneli is the daughter of Duke Trevalian, a man from the Southern country, Trageri, who married a Northern woman, to seal a peace treaty. Daneli is heir to throne of the South. This world is a colony founded a thousand years ago after Earth became uninhabitable. Both countries have relatively minimal technology, largely by choice. There is court intrigue, alternative family structures, and some neat characters that develop in interesting ways. This is the first novel of a planned series.
The Expedition is the fourth novel in The Casitian Universe Series. It is not in chronological order, however. It is set in 1859. on Earth, during a Casitian expedition to Earth. A Casitian man falls in love with a widow in Oregon, and they travel together to California, and finally Richmond Virginia, her family home. The Casitian experiences racism, slavery, and the effects of the Civil war, and helps a young slave woman in the process.
Bio
Michelle Murrain is an African-American lesbian writer who lives in an intentional community in Oakland, CA. She has written scientific and technical articles, published three novels, and her poetry has appeared in two anthologies. When Michelle is not writing, she develops websites for nonprofit organizations and social enterprises.
Michelle received her B.A. in Natural Science and Mathematics from Bennington College, and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Case Western Reserve University. Michelle taught at Hampshire College from 1989 through 1999, as Assistant and Associate Professor of Biology. She started a consulting business to assist non-profits in web development projects in 1997, and, except for a brief break in 2005-6, where she spent 18 months studying theology, she has done that ever since.
Michelle Murrain has been writing science fiction since 2006, and has been an avid reader and fan of science fiction since she started to read. Since she has been both a scientist and a technologist by trade, and as a polymath, her interests span a wide range of topics, including science, technology, history, culture, politics, race, gender, sexuality, philosophy, spirituality, and religion. She brings all of these to bear in her science fiction writing, which has strong elements of exploration of all of these topics. She specializes in stories of culture clash and/or first contact, and has numerous strong female protagonists and characters.
Michelle has a philosophical approach to publishing her work - everything is licensed via Creative Commons - freely sharable and modifiable. In her spare time, Michelle meditates, cooks vegan comfort food, reads, and hacks hardware or software for fun.
Links
I've been writing poetry since 1980, memoir since 1987, and fiction since 2003. I am currently at work on a science fiction novel and it's sequels, which you'll be able to find at the home page of The Casitian Universe.
You can read my drafts in process if you're interested.
Sign up to hear more about my science fiction writing!I am a techie, as much as sometimes I'd like to not admit it. I drool over new technology, I love to play with hardware, I love to play around with new kinds of programming languages, or operating systems. As much as I see, and understand the limitations of technology, I still really enjoy it. It is, for me, a creative endeavor. I have come to realize that I am also good at translating what is often an incomprehensible set of concepts to people who are not as technically inclined as I am. And, further, I seem to enjoy doing that.
I have worked with nonprofit and educational organizations on technology issues, particularly internet technologies, since 1994, and I am a nationally recognized leader in the nonprofit technology field. I am a freelance web developer. I am on the board ofAspiration, an organization focused on software development in the nonprofit sector, and a past member of the board of NTEN, the Nonprofit Technology Network. I have worked for many years with NOSI as an open source educator and advocate.
... where you'll find all of the varied parts of my online presence. Life is rich and full. Right now, I'm busy with writing science fiction,doing web development, and, well, just living on the left coast, and all of the richness that is Oakland, CA. Check out the links at left, or my personal blog for more details on what I'm up to. You can also check out my lifestream page which is a compilation of all of my varied feeds - music, flickr photos, bookmarks, etc. Please feel free to contact me, of course.
