It also seems good for my social life, gave me an opportunity to meet people. I am trying to be more outgoing, more social these days. The whiny nerd I now knew myself to have been, is gone. Mostly.
I had learned a lot about opening up and enjoying life at those big group dinners on 'Planet Oz' and have no wish to retreat from that. I am still an introvert at heart, but that does not mean I must indulge those feelings. I now understand the rewards of a robust social life. It is challenging at times, but I am a different man, and up to the challenge.
I took up running, ran a couple of marathons. Again, I found I must hold back. Compared to our brutal runs, a 12K city marathon was hardly even a run, almost laughable. It would not do to outrun the entire field, breaking course records and attracting attention. I debated running nude in the upcoming 'Bare to Breakers,' nude runners are well received in the city.
Maybe; we'll see.
I also bought some classy clothing, a couple of Brooks Brothers suits and several of their beautiful, if expensive, shirts. Custom tailored, of course, to compliment my newly developed physique. I've never been big on fancy clothes, but I have had enough running around naked for a while. I'm going to try it the other way, just for now.
The Story Continues...
“Chromosome Conspiracy: Everyone needs a personal MiB” is now available and continues the saga when the Fur-Girls come to Earth in search of Fitz.
In between the two books I wrote a short story titled “The Threshold” to serve as a bridge between the two books. Very different in tone from either book, it tells how one of the fur-girls made her way to Earth, in search of Fitz.
A third book has now been added to the series, “Chromosome Warrior.” Now available on Amazon, it tells the tale of Jill, the lady “MiB” and her quest to defeat humanity's greatest enemies.
A fourth book in the series is under development. The title is “Dingy Hat” and it tells the tale of a lowly Cyber Warrior in the employ of a secretive government Agency as he comes to grips with a serious Cyber-threat to the entire planet. What is his connection to Petchy, Teena and Fitz? You will just have to read it to find out.
Epilogue
The Hero's Journey is a basic story pattern that dates from antiquity. Perhaps the earliest example we can easily point to is the Epic of Gilgamesh. This pattern is universally found in the story-telling of every language and culture. The tales of Jonathan Swift, the Arthurian adventures and countless more have used, more-or-less, this pattern.
Star Wars burst onto the scene in 1977 and in the wake of its overwhelming success George Lucas talked openly about Joseph Campbell's work, and the process of myth-making.
Although the pattern of the Hero's Journey has been used and understood since ancient times, Joseph Campbell is widely acknowledged as the first modern academic to describe the elements of the tale, and name the stages the protagonist goes through from The Ordinary World, to hearing the Call to Adventure, Meeting the Mentor, and then finally Crossing the Threshold from the Ordinary World to the Mystical World, where the real adventure begins. Dorothy rode the Tornado much the same way Luke Skywalker rode the Millennium Falcon, to a mystical world of adventure.
Campbell described seventeen steps, or stages of the Hero's Journey. Some have described the inner journey of the hero and contrasted it to the events happening to him, while others have adapted the ideas to the feminine and called it the Heroine's journey.
If my little attempt at story-telling amuses and entertains you for a brief while, then I have accomplished my goal.
If I have failed, then I can only promise to try harder next time.
About the Author
Nathan Gregory has 25+ years of experience in telecommunications and Internet technologies. Nathan is an accomplished motivator of technical and professional staff, and experienced technical team leader. He is a technology generalist with experience covering both hardware and software disciplines in many related fields. His present day-job is in Internet security, where he serves as CTO and Chief Scientist for a novel Internet company.
In his spare time he satisfies his penchant for fantasizing about the future, technology and societal forces by writing science fiction.
PLEASE REVIEW!
Authors need opportunities to get the word out about our work. Online advertising venues often have requirements such as a certain number of reviews before they will accept an ad.
Reviews help get a book seen. Mysterious algorithms determine which books pop up on things such as the “you might also enjoy this” suggestions. It takes a minimum number of reviews on some sites before a book is added to those “also bought” and “you might also like” lists. Authors need your reviews.
Authors truly do appreciate the time and effort it takes readers to write and post reviews. Authors know your time is every bit as valuable as ours, so I for one would like to thank everyone who has ever taken the time to leave a review.
Other Books
by Nathan Gregory
Mr. Gregory's non-fiction work consists of three documentaries. The first is a massive genealogy research effort documenting the origins and mythology of the Gregory families in America. Although a niche market, it is of interest to anyone named Gregory or married to a Gregory, or descended from a Gregory. A second edition with extensive updates is planned for release in paperback format on Amazon in late 2018.
His second non-fiction work is a documentary devoted to the history of the Commercial Internet as experienced by the author is now available on Amazon in both paperback and eBook. “Securing the Network” tells the story of the birth of today's Internet, as it has never been told before.
Finally, his most recent documentary is titled “The Tym Before ...” and tells the story of the cold-war origins of computer time-sharing, and the rise of networking, and how private, commercial networks merged with publicly-funded government-run networks to create the Commercial Internet and Cloud-based services we know today. There are many histories of the Internet, but until now no one has told the other half of the story, the true origins and the role that Tymshare, Tymnet, Telenet and others played in creating the networking world we know today.
A YouTube video presentation from The Tym Before may be viewed at: https://youtu.be/1rrYQOpZ3Q0
The author's fantasy fiction consists of four volumes. 'Chromosome Quest' is followed by a sequel 'Chromosome Conspiracy' that brings the fur-girls to Earth. A third installment 'Chromosome Warrior' tells the story of Jill, the female MiB introduced in Conspiracy, and her fight to vanquish the ultimate villain.
All three are now available exclusively on Amazon. The fourth volume is titled 'Dingy Hat' and is currently in development with a target release of late 2018.
Visit the author's personal website, https://www.ChromosomeQuest.com for information on these and other projects. If you leave your email address you will receive occasional emails with updates, promotions and a special discount deal on 'Dingy Hat' when it is published.
Chromosome Quest- a Hero's Quest Against the Singularity Page 24
