W. Steve Wilson
I’m W. Steve Wilson—welcome to my author site.
Growing up in Southern California in the ’60s was a fantastic time for a kid who couldn’t get enough of space. With Star Trek on TV and NASA launching rockets to the Moon—it fueled my imagination. And now look where we are—Star Trek is on TV/Cable/Streaming, and NASA is getting ready to send astronauts back to the Moon and eventually to Mars.
Back in the day, my parents were more than happy to feed my passion for science and space. My father was a high school science teacher, and my mother, after a stint as a signal analyst at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, was a high school math teacher. As you might imagine, I was steeped in an intense S_ _M education. My children might suggest that it was so long ago T and E hadn’t been invented. But actually—we didn’t call it STEM—just Science and Math.
After graduating from Occidental College in Los Angeles and four years of living and working in Santa Barbara, I launched a career in Financial Services. I even kicked around in a US government job for a few years. Being a Biology major in college, I didn’t know much about business, let alone computer technology. Back to school—juggling raising kids, traveling, growing my career, and studying. With an MBA and a grounding in Information Technology, I transitioned to IT Consulting for a global consulting firm. I was often on the road over forty weeks a year. Over the years, I traveled to twenty-one states and a few foreign countries, including almost two years in Barbados—a tough job, but someone had to do it. No matter where I went, I always had a Sci-Fi or Detective novel nestled next to my laptop to read on the plane or during those inimitable delays in airports that are the lot of road warriors.
I’ve been a lifelong fan of Sci-Fi and Detective fiction, joining my first book club at age eleven. I still have my copy of Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy from that membership. To my surprise, I also located my copy of Asimov’s Mysteries, also a Doubleday monthly selection. I was happy to find the book as it had formed the basis of a term paper my senior year in college for a course entitled “The Rise of Mystery and Detective Fiction”—what better topic to write about than Sci-Fi Mysteries.
Several years ago, I had a bit of an epiphany (maybe a bit of an overstatement). A niggling question I’d had about the future of space exploration—real and fictionalized—wouldn’t go away. The question was being asked—why go to the Moon or Mars? Exploration, of course, curiosity, that indomitable human spirit, were common answers. Once we get there—what’s next? Popular entertainment (TV, movies, and books) looked at humankind’s prospects in the solar system somewhat darkly—corrupt governments, corrupt corporations, crooked cops, and downtrodden civilians.
Now I’m all for an intense, dramatic reading or viewing experience, and I love a good space opera or dystopian adventure—but what if it was different? Was there another vision? To explore that alternative—I picked up a pen (actually a keyboard) and got to work. Writing also gave purpose to my desire to read everything I could find on space, science, and technology. I hope you’ll enjoy my efforts.
Transplanted from California, I indulge my new obsession in Illinois. My very understanding wife shares my enthusiasm for Star Trek and Science Fiction and tolerates my fondness for Sci-Fi B-movies.
My friends at the St. Charles Writers Group have been invaluable in teaching me the ropes and giving honest feedback. I look forward to that collaboration lasting a long time.
Welcome and slide over to my Contact page if you have a question or would like to connect. And I would love you to join my email list.