Years ago, my son asked me to write him a Star Trek story. I was working on Civil War fiction and found it liberating not having to work around actual events or worry where railroad stations were i...view moreYears ago, my son asked me to write him a Star Trek story. I was working on Civil War fiction and found it liberating not having to work around actual events or worry where railroad stations were in Nashville in 1862. For years, I spun fiction as a family game with my son and a cousin. Finally, I decided I wanted my own universe, as complicated and practical as my life in insurance made me believe the future must be. Having invented one, I filled it with characters I like to read about.view less