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It was a long walk for Gregg R. Overman in getting his work published.
I was standing at my own book signing at Waldenbooks when my doctor, Dr. Ciao Newman, came up to me and handed me a manuscript that she promised she would pass along for a friend. That next day, I sat down and read straight through it and told the author it was not something to set aside and gather dust. Off and on, I checked back with Gregg updating him on how get it published until I finally said, "I can do it now."
But before I get to Gregg's book let's look at who he is. Gregg Overman was born in New Orleans and spent most of his life in Louisiana, graduating quite some time ago from LSU with a major in zoology and a minor in chemistry. He remains interested in many areas of scientific endeavor and considers himself to be an armchair physicist. This was his first major in college. Gregg has worked as a chemist for most of his life.
In 1987, his career brought him to Memphis, TN where he started The River City Soap Co., a small manufacturing firm specializing in industrial detergents. How Gregg came about writing Blue Sunrise has been reserved for the local press exclusively.
Ben Allspot, one of the novel’s strongest characters, will grab the readers' attention in the first paragraph as he boards a shuttle for the moon, hoping against all hope that he can run from his shattered life and his drug addiction.
It is the year 2061 and the moon's surface has several mining colonies set up to harvest and process Helium 3—an isotope of Helium useful for fusion reactors and rocket engines. Earth’s economy depends on this material as much as it once depended on oil.
The first expedition to Mars finds the planet to be more interesting than they could have dreamed and more puzzling than they could have imagined as every new discovery leads to a new question. What happened to the water on Mars? What could explain the unusual geology of the red planet? Was there once life on Mars? The crew will eventually find the answers they seek, but will they survive the incident that explains it all?
Many thousands of light years from Earth a 400 year-old alien stands rooted in the ground—the normal state for all the adults of his species. His immediate task is to educate the young heir apparent of the race that has enslaved him and all of his kind. Their discussion will range from philosophy to history, and although the young alien will perhaps learn his lessons a bit too well to suit his teacher, it is the teacher whose eyes are truly opened.
There is a brief sparkling of light at the very edges of our solar system. It is repeated three times. This event is not unique in the history of the galaxy. It has happened many times in many different systems, but never before has anyone or anything ever taken notice. This time, just by chance, someone sees but does not understand. It will be many weeks before the staggering significance of the event is known.
Blue Sunrise is a 145,000 word, 450 page, 6 by 9 perfect bound print that will also become available for the Kindle. This book is now available on Amazon. The retail price is $16.95 but there are discounts running now to sell the book at $10.76. Look for it on all online bookstores in the spring of 2011.
I compare his work to Frank Hebert and that's making a serious comparison. He doesn't stop at science. He adds religion, fantasy, philosophy, politics, and every angle is covered and the whole story is charged with emotion and a detailed description of the entire scientific adventure. ~Cheryl Haynes~
A book signing for Gregg's family, friends and business acquaintances will be held at the Hilton Hotel on May 14th, from 2-4 p.m. in the afternoon.There will be a book signing open to the public at a local library but those details are not to be released at this time.
Cheryl Haynes, Publisher
