Is everything we thought we knew wrong?
Woven into our thinking about hypothetical first contact between Earth and an alien races are a couple of assumptions.:
- We will necessarily know when it happens, and
- Alien motives are likely to be malevolent.
But are either assumptions true? In Tier Zero, Vol. I of the Knolan Cycle, first contact happened over thirty years ago, but life on Earth, or Kurrithaal, as the Knolans call it, goes on (at least for now) as though nothing has changed. But for Marty Tellus and Lysia his Waykeeper mentor, the change has been dramatic and transformative. Neither will ever be the same.
And the Knolans’ motives for making contact in the first place? Let’s just say it’s…complicated. Tier Zero is the first stage on Marty’s perilously beautiful journey, altering not only his journey but many whose lives he touches along the way.
Dirk’s path to authorship wasn’t quite accidental, but almost. Through two previous careers, first as a Marine officer and subsequently as a corporate trainer, Dirk started way more stories than he finished. But in the backwash of 2008 financial meltdown, his final employer filed for Chapter 11. Cordially invited to leave and not return, Dirk found himself out of work and excuses.
Since then,he has published West of Tomorrow, Best-Case Scenario and a collection of short stories entitled Through the Windshield, Drive-by Lives. He is currently working on a The Year of Maybes, Act II of Nyra’s Journey, the second volume in the Nyra Westensee story. He is also in the process of editing Eryinath-5, Vol. II of the Knolan Cycle. You can follow Dirk’s work by subscribing to his “Updates,” at the top right of this page.