What planet are you from?
I get asked this a lot. I grew up near Syracuse, New York, in a small town named Jordan. Our home was in the country on an abandoned farm.

Why did you write Earthbound?
I've had a lifelong love of science fiction. The character of Nykkyo Kyhana has been rattling around my head since high school, although he's changed a lot. He started as a green-skinned alien with feelers, but that would've stood out in a crowd. I've reached a point at which I'm comfortable sharing his story.

What works have influenced you?
The works of Heinlein, Bradbury, Asimov, Clarke and Herbert, as well as such films as Forbidden Planet, Logan's Run, Solaris and plenty of others. I've put hommages to many of my favorite works into Earthbound.

How do you pronounce the main character's name?
Nee-KEE-yo Kee-HA-na.

How did you come up with the notion of Planet Floran?
My original concept was for Earthlings to be a "lost tribe" whose ancestors were from Nykkyo's stock. But, I wanted to keep within the confines of current scientific thought on the origins and evolution of life on Earth. So, I decided to flip it around and make Floran the lost tribe, created by a timewarp accident.

Where did you go to school?
I received a BS in Chemistry from Clarkson College of Technology (now Clarkson University) in 1973. Afterward, I entered the Ph.D. program there, majoring in Analytical Chemistry and minoring in Electrical & Computer Engineering.

How have your day jobs contributed to your goal of becoming an author?
I have written, presented and published scientific and trade papers on various topics, including undergraduate chemical education, chemical kinetics, laboratory automation and the operation of CAT scanners. I have drawn upon my scientific training and interest in the natural sciences to make Floran's advanced civilization and techonolgy both detailed and plausible.

Where did the notion of Lingwafloran come from?
I wanted to add texture to the passages in which the language barrier was an issue. In designing Lingwa, I started with what little I know of Esperanto and attempted to extrapolate how it might evolve over five thousand years. Having struggled to learn two foreign languages, I intentionally made Lingwa devoid of the pitfalls I kept stumbling into -- namely verb declensions and complicated grammar. What I was aiming for was something that would sound both familiar and alien, and something that would withstand at least cursory linguistic analysis.

Do you have a family?
Yes, my wife, who's a food historian, contributed details about the different foods described in Earthbound. We have three daughters, aged 21, 19 and 17, and two cats.

How can I contact you?
Use our contact page.