Some Stories Never Leave You
I was eight years old when Star Wars: A New Hope first hit theaters. Like millions of kids, I was captivated. Spaceships, distant worlds, impossible technology, and epic battles sparked an imagination that never really turned off.
From that day on, I was hooked on science fiction.
A few years later, when I was about twelve, I came up with an idea for my own story. It was definitely inspired by Star Wars, and in my mind I called it Planet Wars.
The premise was simple:
What if humanity colonized Mars… and one day Earth and Mars went to war?
That idea stayed with me for decades.
It survived school, careers, raising a family, and writing other books. It was always there, waiting for the right time.
That time has finally arrived.
While Ready or Not, Here I Come is with my editor, I’m diving into my very first science fiction novel.
Mars Ascendant.
This isn’t a space opera. It’s a grounded story about humanity’s first civilization on another planet, the struggle for independence, and what happens when two worlds can no longer coexist.
In many ways, it’s the story I’ve been waiting my entire life to write.
I’ll be sharing updates, behind the scenes research, artwork, and progress as the novel takes shape. I can’t wait to bring you along for the journey.
After all these years, that twelve year old’s idea is finally becoming a book.
Clint Simpson
Author of the Palisade series