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Ken Balneaves

~ About My Writing

Ken Balneaves

Tag Archives: science fiction

Star Trek; facts about fiction.

09 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by Ken Balneaves in Amazing Facts, Published Books, Television

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Tags

light speed, science fact, science fiction, Star Trek, starship Enterprise, the final frontier, The Greatest Gift, Trekkies, warp speed

As a science fiction writer, I always try to use correct science; I think it makes my books more believable. However, as a science nut, it’s easy to become sidetracked when researching science facts. Recently I found this, non-relevant but nevertheless fascinating information about one of the best science fiction programmes ever, Star Trek.

Take a look,

Find out how Star Trek's fictional high technology works in this SPACE.com infographic.
Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Ken Balneaves wrote, The Greatest Gift, available at http://amzn.to/QF7RLd (US), http://amzn.to/O12kgX (UK)


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The mating game; friend, #lover or foe?

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Ken Balneaves in Life experience, Published Books, Television

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Tags

alien, Aliens, race, science fiction, war

I hope you don’t mind, I’d like to conduct an experiment. I apologise if you’ve read this blog before. I posted it four days ago with the title “The #aliens are coming, it could be the end.”; it bombed, with only a relatively small number of hits. So, here it is again with a sexier title and seven more words. I’ll let you know in a few days how it goes this time.

“As a science fiction writer, I spend most of my life thinking about the, ‘what if’ of life and beyond. Recently, on Discovery, I watched a, ‘How the universe works’ programme about the likelihood of alien existence and it set me thinking about what has to be the biggest, ‘what if’ of all time.

But what if they do exist? Religion, race, colour, creed, wealth and power have all at some time acted singularly or conspired to keep the human race at odds with each other. To a lesser or greater extent, these factors have succeeded over countless centuries, causing wars between individuals, families, tribes, counties, countries and continents. How then, would we deal with aliens, a truly ‘different’ race from other worlds?

They might be so vastly different from us as to be totally repugnant, or they might be some sort of super race and we know what happened the last time someone tried to create that. Either way, it is likely that the differences would cause us to want to defend ourselves from the unknown. To man and woman, the unknown is fearsome and ‘alien’ in any guise, until one acquires an understanding of those differences and their aspirations, whereupon previously held prejudices can often be set aside. Some might become friends or even lovers!

It’s not so long ago that we, as a human race, considered ourselves to be split into three. Caucasian, Mongoloid and Negro. These classifications were not very helpful in terms of unification of the people of the world and thankfully, are now all but dead. But the fact remains that we are all different and until and unless we understand these differences, we will continue to fight for our corner of this planet. Still, it’s a sad edictment that there are many wars going on in our World right now. I Google searched on how many, which returned varying answers from 16 to 43. One answer however simply said ‘to many’ (sic) so I have added another, the one against ignorance. And that brings me nicely back to the reason for those wars. Let’s all hope we have a long period of amail (alien mail) contact with our intrepid interplanetary travellers, ahead of when they arrive or before we visit them. If they speak one of our native tongues that is, otherwise, it could be the end of civilisation as we know it, the ultimate war; sometimes, only survival counts.”

Ken Balneaves wrote, The Greatest Gift, available at http://amzn.to/QF7RLd (US), http://amzn.to/O12kgX (UK)

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The #aliens are coming, it could be the end.

23 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by Ken Balneaves in Life experience, Published Books, Television

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

alien, Aliens, race, science fiction, war

As a science fiction writer, I spend most of my life thinking about the, ‘what if’ of life and beyond. Recently, on Discovery, I watched a, ‘How the universe works’ programme about the likelihood of alien existence and it set me thinking about what has to be the biggest, ‘what if’ of all time.

But what if they do exist? Religion, race, colour, creed, wealth and power have all at some time acted singularly or conspired to keep the human race at odds with each other. To a lesser or greater extent, these factors have succeeded over countless centuries, causing wars between individuals, families, tribes, counties, countries and continents. How then, would we deal with aliens, a truly ‘different’ race from other worlds?

They might be so vastly different from us as to be totally repugnant, or they might be some sort of super race and we know what happened the last time someone tried to create that. Either way, it is likely that the differences would cause us to want to defend ourselves from the unknown. To man and woman, the unknown is fearsome and ‘alien’ in any guise, until one acquires an understanding of those differences and their aspirations, whereupon previously held prejudices can often be set aside.

It’s not so long ago that we, as a human race, considered ourselves to be split into three. Caucasian, Mongoloid and Negro. These classifications were not very helpful in terms of unification of the people of the world and thankfully, are now all but dead. But the fact remains that we are all different and until and unless we understand these differences, we will continue to fight for our corner of this planet. Still, it’s a sad edictment that there are many wars going on in our World right now. I Google searched on how many, which returned varying answers from 16 to 43. One answer however simply said ‘to many’ (sic) so I have added another, the one against ignorance. And that brings me nicely back to the reason for those wars. Let’s all hope we have a long period of amail (alien mail) contact with our intrepid interplanetary travellers, ahead of when they arrive or before we visit them. If they speak one of our native tongues that is, otherwise, it could be the end of civilisation as we know it, the ultimate war; sometimes, only survival counts.

Ken Balneaves wrote, The Greatest Gift, available at http://amzn.to/QF7RLd (US), http://amzn.to/O12kgX (UK)

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A sneak peek, The Greatest Gift

09 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by Ken Balneaves in General, Published Books

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Tags

hypnosis, life after death, new books, preview, science fiction, scifi, the afterlife

Here’s another chance for a sneak preview of my science fiction adventure novel. This is Chapter 1, your feedback would be appreciated.

The Greatest Gift

He had never met his grandfather. In fact no one in the family ever talked about him until his paternal grandmother, on her deathbed, told Richard the sad details of the events that had occurred in his grandfather’s life some twenty-three years before.

With enormous pride, his grandmother quietly told that her husband Stuart had been quite an athlete when he was young, a middle distance runner. Her eyes glistened with tears as she spoke affectionately about her husband. Richard listened intently to this, all the while wondering why no one in his family had ever before discussed this with him. Very soon however, he was to learn of his family’s dark secret.

“Your grandfather was an extremely handsome man,” his grandmother whispered, smiling as she talked, “full of enthusiasm for life, which is why what happened to him, was so terribly tragic’ but he made us all promise never to talk about him from the day he left us. It was his choice, not mine,” she continued.
“I don’t understand,” Richard said, thinking that, ‘the day he left us’ was his grandmother’s way of saying, the day he had died.
“Of course, I did see him again you know” said the old woman, completely ignoring Richard’s question. “Yes, I did, several times in fact.”

Richard was confused by this but permitted her to carry on without his interruption. She spoke more of her husband saying that he had graduated from Cambridge with a first in Mathematics. Later, he had worked at Oxford University where he lectured in Cosmology achieving much acclaim at the time as an assistant to a well-known and accomplished Cosmologist. However, unbeknown to nearly everyone except his wife, many of the papers published by his mentor were in fact Stuart’s own work. This career however was relatively short lived as Stuart decided after a few years that lecturing was not for him after all. He decided this because funding for research in his chosen field was so scarce that he felt he could not do the subject justice and so he made the decision to leave. The old lady continued, telling Richard how Stuart’s ill health went undiagnosed by a number of specialists and doctors. Richard also learnt that following the brief spell of ill health, Stuart had started a business in pharmaceuticals, in 1970.

On hearing this, Richard realised that this was now his dad’s and uncle John’s business. Until then, he had never known or thought to ask how or when the business began. Richard leant across, touched his grandmother’s hand and quietly asked her, “What was wrong with grandfather?”
“No one could tell.”
“What were the symptoms then?” he persisted.
The old woman took a deep breath and explained, a tear rolling down one of the creases in her old wrinkled face just like the first rains in a dry riverbed of the Kalahari. “He sometimes had difficulty breathing and occasionally had to sit down to recover,” she said slowly. “They told him he was overdoing the fitness training.”
“What was it that actually killed him?” Richard asked rather untactfully.
“My dear, dear boy,” she said smiling, looking at him for the first time, “he’s not dead, he’s merely sleeping.” Her voice raising a note at the end of the sentence. At this Richard pulled back slightly and raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t make up his mind whether she was telling the truth or she was delusional. As if for confirmation, he glanced across the bed at his mother, who had been silent until then. She had a look of disbelief on her face, however it was not disbelief of what the old lady had said, but that she had said it at all.
“Is this true Mother?” he asked.
“Yes dear, yes it is,” she replied hesitantly, adding rather sheepishly, “but I think you should let your Grandmother rest now dear.”
Turning to the old lady, Richard’s mother said, “You rest now Irene. James and John will be here to see you by the time you wake up.”
“Why can’t I stay?” asked the young man, now eager to hear more and find out what had happened to his grandfather, the man he had never met and who was never discussed other than in guarded responses to his juvenile questions when he was younger. He now realised these questions had been parried by his parents and other family members ‘in the know’. He was not about to give up now, but before he could ask any more, his grandmother slipped into sleep. “Let’s go Richard,” whispered his mother placing her hand lightly on his back and guiding him out of the room.

They left the private side ward to take a break from their vigil. James and his brother John were away on business in Switzerland when Pen took the call from the consultant at the private clinic advising that it was likely to be a matter of hours, not days, as they had previously been told, before their mother passed away. Following the call, Richard and Pen had rushed straight to the clinic calling James en-route. James and John had booked flights immediately and were now expected to arrive at the hospital in about half an hour.

Richard and his mother had a coffee in the Visitors’ lounge before returning to the side ward where they sat with his sleeping grandmother until his father and uncle arrived. Richard’s mother desperately wanted to let her husband know what his mother had told Richard, but the opportunity did not arise as when the two men arrived they immediately walked into the side ward.

They all sat round the bed with the old lady’s sons holding a hand each, waiting for her to wake which she did, almost on cue and looked at James who instantly said, “Hello Mum, I’m here, so is John.”
“I know,” she replied weakly “you all are; your father is too”. Richard’s father looked at his wife who gave a troubled smile that told him everything. He looked at Richard who nodded and raised his mouth into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and said, “She told me about my Grandfather. Dad, why didn’t you?”
“Not now son, not now,” he replied as he looked back towards his mother. The old lady was rambling, talking about old friends and past events as though they were happening for her at the present moment. Suddenly she strained to raise her head and looked at the back wall of the room saying, “Oh Stuart, it’s so good to see you. My, how handsome you look. It’s as though you never left.” They all looked round to see who was there, but no-one was and as they looked back the old lady drew her final breath and passed away. One of the attending doctors walked over to her bedside and checked her pulse. Finding that there wasn’t one, he bowed his head and pronounced her dead at 4:30 p.m.

After a few moments observing the old lady, Richard’s father leant over and closed her eyelids. They all sat there in silence looking at her again at peace at last after her long, and sometimes painful, battle with cancer.

Richard, whilst extremely upset at her passing, was also thinking that it was now his mother and father’s responsibility to fill in the rest of the details relating to what his grandmother had said about his grandfather, the man he never knew. One thing was for certain, he was determined to seek his grandfather out, whether or not his family approved.

The Greatest Gift, all formats available through my website http://www.balneaves.co.uk

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Life, not as scary as SciFi, or is it?

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by Ken Balneaves in Forthcoming books, Published Books, School

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Tags

interview, radio, scary, School, science fiction, scifi, television, Time zone

It’s not as scary as you’d think, being on the radio. There’s only you and the interviewer there (just don’t think about the thousands that might be listening).

It went well. At least, everyone who listened said so. For me, it was over in a trice. Perhaps I overdid it on the preparation front though; I had far too much information ready, just in case the DJ asked an awkward one.

The day before, I had speed read my book. That was however, a really great thing to do and has inadvertently opened up many avenues for the sequel I am currently writing. It’s amazing what I had forgotten from my first book. How difficult must it be when writing a trilogy or a series? I guess I will find out, as I intend to write a series after the sequel.

So, first radio interview over, what’s next? I’ve already done a 450 person audience presentation, as guest of honour at my old school; I presented the year’s prizes to 140 students a month ago. In many ways, that was more daunting than being on radio. However, I think the most alarming situation would be television, especially when you’ve slipped into another time zone, something the lead character from my book, The Greatest Gift, knows all about! What a nightmare!

Over prepared or not, it seems to me that my personal motto prevails; if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. And I’ve also learnt something new; there’s no such thing as being too prepared.

There’s more information about my book, and where to buy it, at, Http://www.balneaves.co.uk

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What it’s like to be a part-time author

02 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by Ken Balneaves in eBooks, Forthcoming books, General, Published Books

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Author, books, holidays, new books, science fiction, word block, writer's block, writing

Due to the fact that I tend only to write whilst on holiday, sometimes there are several months between my opportunities to work on my science fiction adventure novel. As such I wonder if, when the next time comes, my story will flow. But, when the time for writing does arrive, it’s as though each of my fingers has a mouth, the tongues of which are all working contemporaneously, licking the keyboard into submission, creating a tale that, on occasion, even I have not heard; it’s a fantastic experience, like no other that I have known in my lifetime of creation in other directions. That’s why I sometimes write long sentences, I get carried away [sorry, that was to my editor].

I’m now writing ‘Drifting Sands’, a time travelling adventure novel and sequel to ‘The Greatest Gift’, available in paperback or eBook/ePub through my website at, http://www.balneaves.co.uk

I’m also on Goodreads, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14061796-the-greatest-gift

I hope you have the chance to read them.

20120702-211104.jpg

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The Greatest Gift, a preview

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by Ken Balneaves in eBooks, Published Books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

life after death, new books, novel, preview, science fiction, thriller, time

Here’s another chance for a sneak preview of my science fiction adventure novel. This is Chapter 1, your feedback would be appreciated.

The Greatest Gift

He had never met his grandfather. In fact no one in the family ever talked about him until his paternal grandmother, on her deathbed, told Richard the sad details of the events that had occurred in his grandfather’s life some twenty-three years before.

With enormous pride, his grandmother quietly told that her husband Stuart had been quite an athlete when he was young, a middle distance runner. Her eyes glistened with tears as she spoke affectionately about her husband. Richard listened intently to this, all the while wondering why no one in his family had ever before discussed this with him. Very soon however, he was to learn of his family’s dark secret.

“Your grandfather was an extremely handsome man,” his grandmother whispered, smiling as she talked, “full of enthusiasm for life, which is why what happened to him, was so terribly tragic’ but he made us all promise never to talk about him from the day he left us. It was his choice, not mine,” she continued.
“I don’t understand,” Richard said, thinking that, ‘the day he left us’ was his grandmother’s way of saying, the day he had died.
“Of course, I did see him again you know” said the old woman, completely ignoring Richard’s question. “Yes, I did, several times in fact.”

Richard was confused by this but permitted her to carry on without his interruption. She spoke more of her husband saying that he had graduated from Cambridge with a first in Mathematics. Later, he had worked at Oxford University where he lectured in Cosmology achieving much acclaim at the time as an assistant to a well-known and accomplished Cosmologist. However, unbeknown to nearly everyone except his wife, many of the papers published by his mentor were in fact Stuart’s own work. This career however was relatively short lived as Stuart decided after a few years that lecturing was not for him after all. He decided this because funding for research in his chosen field was so scarce that he felt he could not do the subject justice and so he made the decision to leave. The old lady continued, telling Richard how Stuart’s ill health went undiagnosed by a number of specialists and doctors. Richard also learnt that following the brief spell of ill health, Stuart had started a business in pharmaceuticals, in 1970.

On hearing this, Richard realised that this was now his dad’s and uncle John’s business. Until then, he had never known or thought to ask how or when the business began. Richard leant across, touched his grandmother’s hand and quietly asked her, “What was wrong with grandfather?”
“No one could tell.”
“What were the symptoms then?” he persisted.
The old woman took a deep breath and explained, a tear rolling down one of the creases in her old wrinkled face just like the first rains in a dry riverbed of the Kalahari. “He sometimes had difficulty breathing and occasionally had to sit down to recover,” she said slowly. “They told him he was overdoing the fitness training.”
“What was it that actually killed him?” Richard asked rather untactfully.
“My dear, dear boy,” she said smiling, looking at him for the first time, “he’s not dead, he’s merely sleeping.” Her voice raising a note at the end of the sentence. At this Richard pulled back slightly and raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t make up his mind whether she was telling the truth or she was delusional. As if for confirmation, he glanced across the bed at his mother, who had been silent until then. She had a look of disbelief on her face, however it was not disbelief of what the old lady had said, but that she had said it at all.
“Is this true Mother?” he asked.
“Yes dear, yes it is,” she replied hesitantly, adding rather sheepishly, “but I think you should let your Grandmother rest now dear.”
Turning to the old lady, Richard’s mother said, “You rest now Irene. James and John will be here to see you by the time you wake up.”
“Why can’t I stay?” asked the young man, now eager to hear more and find out what had happened to his grandfather, the man he had never met and who was never discussed other than in guarded responses to his juvenile questions when he was younger. He now realised these questions had been parried by his parents and other family members ‘in the know’. He was not about to give up now, but before he could ask any more, his grandmother slipped into sleep. “Let’s go Richard,” whispered his mother placing her hand lightly on his back and guiding him out of the room.

They left the private side ward to take a break from their vigil. James and his brother John were away on business in Switzerland when Pen took the call from the consultant at the private clinic advising that it was likely to be a matter of hours, not days, as they had previously been told, before their mother passed away. Following the call, Richard and Pen had rushed straight to the clinic calling James en-route. James and John had booked flights immediately and were now expected to arrive at the hospital in about half an hour.

Richard and his mother had a coffee in the Visitors’ lounge before returning to the side ward where they sat with his sleeping grandmother until his father and uncle arrived. Richard’s mother desperately wanted to let her husband know what his mother had told Richard, but the opportunity did not arise as when the two men arrived they immediately walked into the side ward.

They all sat round the bed with the old lady’s sons holding a hand each, waiting for her to wake which she did, almost on cue and looked at James who instantly said, “Hello Mum, I’m here, so is John.”
“I know,” she replied weakly “you all are; your father is too”. Richard’s father looked at his wife who gave a troubled smile that told him everything. He looked at Richard who nodded and raised his mouth into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and said, “She told me about my Grandfather. Dad, why didn’t you?”
“Not now son, not now,” he replied as he looked back towards his mother. The old lady was rambling, talking about old friends and past events as though they were happening for her at the present moment. Suddenly she strained to raise her head and looked at the back wall of the room saying, “Oh Stuart, it’s so good to see you. My, how handsome you look. It’s as though you never left.” They all looked round to see who was there, but no-one was and as they looked back the old lady drew her final breath and passed away. One of the attending doctors walked over to her bedside and checked her pulse. Finding that there wasn’t one, he bowed his head and pronounced her dead at 4:30 p.m.

After a few moments observing the old lady, Richard’s father leant over and closed her eyelids. They all sat there in silence looking at her again at peace at last after her long, and sometimes painful, battle with cancer.

Richard, whilst extremely upset at her passing, was also thinking that it was now his mother and father’s responsibility to fill in the rest of the details relating to what his grandmother had said about his grandfather, the man he never knew. One thing was for certain, he was determined to seek his grandfather out, whether or not his family approved.

The Greatest Gift, available from my website http://www.balneaves.co.uk

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The wastrel returns triumphant

10 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by Ken Balneaves in eBooks, Published Books, School

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

School, science fiction, writing

A while ago I posted the following blog.

“Now that my book, The Greatest Gift, is available in print and eBook versions, I’ve started telling people about it.

Proud of my achievement and English being a weakness at school, I sent a copy to the Rector (headmaster) of my old school, Trinity Academy, Edinburgh, with a covering letter, quoting what the old Rector had said to me when I was fifteen, “Balneaves, you’ll never make anything of yourself Boy.”

At the suggestion of a friend, Len Russell (Author of the [now] released, A Man Who Cast Two Shadows), I also offered to give a hardback copy of the book as a prize to a student for ‘best effort in English’. To my surprise and delight, the current Rector, telephoned me to accept and also asked me to be Guest of Honour at the forthcoming school award ceremony to hand out the awards and make a short speech about my book.

So, it’s back to school for me in June and what a tremendous accolade to be asked. Thank you Sir.

Paperback available at http://www.balneaves.co.uk

EBook for Kindle and ePub for Mac and IPhone are also available through links on the same website.”

Well, it’s this Wednesday and as I live near London, I am greatly looking forward to returning to my roots in Edinburgh. The speech will be a bit daunting though. With 140 pupils, their siblings, parents and possibly grandparents, there could be 400 in all, by far my largest audience. Wish me luck.

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Publication day

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by Ken Balneaves in Forthcoming books

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Tags

new books, publication, science fiction, success, the after life, time

It’s done, printing with me, web site completed, book for sale. THE GREATEST GIFT available at http://www.balneaves.co.uk

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Epilogue for The Greatest Gift Gift

11 Friday Nov 2011

Posted by Ken Balneaves in Forthcoming books

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

forthcoming books, new books, science fiction, writing

My editor told me I needed to write an epilogue. That’s done so just waiting for the ISBN number now before publication. Should be out by Christmas.

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