Sci-Fi has always been a setting, pretending to be a genre. Ideas that exist today but are taboo to talk about. Ideas that we never considered until we saw them. Trendlines that exist with an unknown destination.

That’s Sci-Fi. The problems of today wrapped up in the setting of tomorrow.

What problems? What trendline? Half the fun is in finding it. I’ll be sending snippets from the book for you to read and see if it’s your cup of tea. If so, pre orders for the kindle version are live now, release data, August 1.

Jakov goes home. He can’t use his shower without ads, it decides that he can only use a little bit of water, for the environment. His wife, Cindy, pregnant with his first, wants an Ambien. Since everyone in the future is given hormone blockers until they can decide their gender, their wiring is all messed.

Everyone gets pregnant via IVF. And since contamination is an issue, husbands do not sleep with wives before, or during pregnancy. Men have soft bones from early onset osteoporosis, women have masculine hands and faulty plumbing.

A simple evening after work turns into multiple potential criminal offenses

Enjoy

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Conceptual Hardcover

Welcome Home

Jakov closed his eyes tight and screamed into his thoughts. Ghost was getting stronger as the caffeine wore off. He knew his Ghost was right, but didn’t want to hear it, not from him.

He knew he was put on this earth to sous-chef Cindy’s pregnancy. She resented him for it. Jakov’s Ghost made him confront that reality. His face softened. His mood saddened. His life would finally have meaning for a few years, maybe. Jake thought to himself,

“Then what? What kind of life would that be, and what kind of pain after five years with my child? Why go through that? Why put a child through that?”

He could just walk away from it, now, meet her on the pier.

“I could go and be free with Fatahl. I’d probably die, but at least it would be my choice. And what’s the alternative? Domestic bliss with Cindy, boss and warden? Cindy grunted and grabbed her stomach, which brought Jakov back to the moment,

“Ugh. It’s kicking again.”

“Cindy, babe? Can, can I touch him?”

“Him? Goddammit, Jakov! You know you can’t assume their gender before they choose.” She grabbed onto the counter to keep her balance. She wanted to lay into Jakov more, but had an immediate concern.

“I’m sorry. I know. It was an accident. Can we keep this one between us?”

Cindy stared at him. She saw him. She saw the way she trained him to be, the way he let life choose him to be: a broken, pathetic man desperate for love. A stupid man-child who would rather live the same shit life his father had than dare to cause conflict and division. All he knew was how to ask for permission and beg. She softened, it was pathetic, but sweet in a way.

“Fine,” she said, “but don’t do it again.”

“So can I?” His puppy dog eyes were mostly stim, but it faked submission well enough.

“Oh, honey. We went over this already. The doctors said that there was a chance the bacteria on your hands might permeate my skin and cause the baby to malform. This is my last chance at a child and I don’t want you to ruin it for me.”

“Oh. Okay. I understand.”

She stared past his face, softened her vocal fry,

“Hey. I tell you what. Go take a shower. Scrub really good. I’ll put on a pregnancy shirt and you can rub it before bed. But you owe me, and don’t make it a habit.”

He lit up like an inoffensive seasonal holiday tree. He ran to the shower, almost slipping on the floor. As the water heated up, he scrubbed aggressively. He hummed a tune he had made up. He was going to be a father. Have a healthy baby. The shower drowned out his voice as he did.

“I wonder what gender they are going to choose. I bet I’m going to have a boy. I can feel it. I’ll name him Jakov Junior and we will go gaming together!”

The shower chimed, notifying him that he had used his allotment of hot water for the evening:

Thank you for adhering to our climate change requirements for personal hygiene. Remember, the world can only survive if you don’t exceed your allotment. A donation on your behalf has been made to the climate change protection fund. Thank you and have a good evening.

“Don’t forget the Ambien. You always forget!”