Star Trek is 50! Celebrating the legend with a giveaway
Can it really be 50 years??
I’m not sure it’s possible for me to overemphasize the effect Star Trek, in all its incarnations, has had on me as a writer. I first got hooked on the original series (TOS to us Trekkies) after it was in syndication, when I was in high school and college. I’m sure I’ve seen every one of those episodes at least three or four times by now, some of them many times more. At one point my college roommate and I used to challenge each other to see who could name an episode quickest from just one line heard from another room (I usually won).
Later I became just as addicted to STNG (Star Trek: The Next Generation, for those of you not fully indoctrinated), then DS9 (Deep Space 9), Voyager, and Enterprise. I bought an embarrassing number of DVDs of series episodes before discovering I could stream them.
But what was it that made the Star Trek universe so compelling for me? When I was young, I never thought about it much. But after I became a writer, I felt a need to figure that out. Perhaps every die-hard fan has a different answer to that question, but for me I believe it was Star Trek‘s optimistic vision of humanity’s future, in stark contrast to the depressing, even frightening future predicted in most other science fiction I viewed and read over the years. (Water World, anyone?)
When I began writing science fiction myself (after many years and many books devoted to historical romance), I almost instinctively strove to incorporate a similar positivity into the world I tried to bring to life for my readers. Judging by the feedback I’ve received, I believe I may have succeeded, at least to some small extent.
Today, to celebrate Star Trek’s half-century mark, I feel compelled to give away a few free ebook copies from my Starstruck series. Comment below for a chance to win the Starstruck novel of your choice! (If you already have them all, you’re welcome to gift your ebook to a friend you think might enjoy it!)
What do YOU think makes either Star Trek or my Starstruck books special? Do you have a favorite Star Trek episode? How about a favorite scene from my Starstruck books? I’ll choose winners from the comments and tell you how to claim your free book. 🙂