EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a new series of posts called FIRST LOOK featuring excerpts from stories by up-and-coming writers. We hope you enjoy getting to know them!
Welcome to EC Holm, who was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is an
honorable veteran of the US Air Force, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree
from the University of Maryland University College in Computer Studies. He was
influenced by NASA’s space program all his life. Alan Shepard, John Glenn, and
Neil Armstrong were some of his heroes. Written works of Steven Spielberg, William
Shatner, Ursula Le Guin, E. M. Forster, and Mark Twain piqued his interest in
science fiction and adventure.
Dear Olivia,
Well, I’m out here, like I said I would, writing to you on
my tablet. I’m traveling in a cramped capsule with five other people, and all
of them are guys. Even after 10 days of travel, they have been behaving, but
I’m going nuts missing my best friend.
How are things back home in San Jose? I hope you’re keeping
yourself safe with the gang fights everywhere. Who would have thought that the
news of alien contact, a few years ago, would rupture into civil unrest
worldwide, right? The Encounter mission, to meet the aliens, has still a few
years to launch. What will happen then? Full blown wars? I hope not.
The Writers’ Lens
is about "Bringing fiction into focus." What brings your writing into
focus-- the characters, the stories, the love of words? What brings my writing into focus is the idea that the
written word is code for the brain. The brain then creates this world as
prescribed by the code. Then our soul is immersed and plays in such a world.
The reader can touch smell and taste in this world. It’s the ultimate virtual
reality. You cannot get that with a computer. In short, it’s the love of
communicating a good story.
How do you find time to write and do a
demanding job? I have two jobs. What I do is I use Google Drive/Docs to
write any free time I have, like on breaks, using my phone. At home, I write on
my laptop. Leveraging modern technology this way allows me to make progress
even with a demanding schedule.
What inspired your latest book/story? There are many companies interested in mining asteroids.
Following these efforts and other space commercial efforts helped inspire me to
write Letters to Olivia. The storyline is also inspired by my personal travels.
Ever so often, I have encountered amazing people. So this story is about
meeting new people in a new place.
What do you think readers will like
about your work? I’m working on this idea of immersing the reader into the
story. The stories are adventure stories set in a science fiction multiverse. I
have taken from an ancient book, The Book of Enoch, to create beings of a
different dimensional realm. I’ve also taken from M-theory the 11 dimensions
and fashioned 3 realms. Lastly, I’ve taken the Many Worlds Interpretation of
Quantum Mechanics that explains multiple universes or realities.
This mixture of scientific theories and religious mythology
gives a rich multiverse to explore adventures in the human condition in
relation to the vastness of space. So, I think my readers enjoy stories about
bad guys and good guys, about love and loss, about what it means to have it all
and what it means to have none of it.
How much fact is in your fiction? I do base my fiction on real science. The Earth-based ships
operate on known scientific principles. The alien ships operate on some more
exhotic principles. Though scientific principles are applied, the engineering
may not exist. Also, the dimensional beings get more fantastical, or
fictionalized, technology. I like to keep in mind modern accomplishments such
as smartphones, tablets, artificial intelligence in software, 3D printing,
Virtual Reality, etc. I like to give a nod to these as well as the developments
in commercial space.
Dr. Van Stockum has published
numerous articles in the area of law, science and creative writing. He has
published two novels of magic realism: Markman's
Home (2014) and Cosmos, the Stellar
Stalker (2015). He has also published a number of short stories including
“The Great and Terrible Wilderness” and “Ollie Deaton and the Breathitt County
Silver Mine.”
After the ARCHON 39 science
fiction and fantasy conference last October, St. Louis Magazine writer Thomas
Crone wrote of his experience: “HUSTLED, but gently: While walking through the
Gateway’s halls, I was summoned by a book vendor with this one-liner: ‘You, you
have a backpack with enough room for a book!’ As simply as that, I wandered over
and listened to the pitch by author Ronald R. Van Stockum Jr., who sold me a
copy of Cosmos: The Stellar Stalker,
which I’ve not yet delved into. His approach was so refreshing that I couldn’t
resist plunking down $12 on a sci-fi thriller taking place in 1976 Louisville.
Honestly, if this fella’s book is half as entertaining as his table persona,
I’ll get a bit of entertainment outta this one.”
