Jim Melanson

Poet, programmer, procrastinator, sci-fi geek, coffee snob, actor, writer.

A devoted Christian, Jim is a quiet and thoughtful man who tends to think deeply, and act slowly. Much of this inner reflection and self-assessment shows up in his writing. “Capturing what truly motivates us,” is how Jim describes his approach to both fiction and non-fiction. This author has a very direct, and sometimes in-your-face, way of writing. He tries to always use conversational language; and as one test reader of a work in progress put it, “made the complexities of space flight seem almost understandable.”

Jim read his first novel by Laura Ingalls Wilder at the age of eight, and so this began his love affair with the written word. Jim’s first foray into personal writing, as a child, was poetry. These and other poetic scribbling provided the content for his first book, I Apologize for Nothing, published in April, 2014.

Life, a child, a career with the Police Service, and a part-time business authoring software; all got in the way of pursuing his desire to write. In his 40’s, Jim decided to turn his hand back to writing, mainly on topics surrounding self-development, spirituality, and Reiki. However, none of these really satisfied that craving for creativity. In 2013, Jim decided to pursue his creative yearnings, and he began writing for pleasure. Drawing on a solid work ethic from his experience authoring technical manuals and writing business proposals, Jim found writing for himself to be liberating and enjoyable. While working on his first fiction novel, he kept getting sidetracked by other ideas. He dusted off an old stage play he had written and published under the title, Mama’s Slippers, with the hopes of attracting production interest. He currently continues work on both science fiction and Christian themed projects.

Originally hailing from the East Coast, Jim now lives just outside Cobourg, ON.

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On Mars: Murder at Hellas Planitia. The Mike Lane Stories, Vol.2 (Science-Fiction)

For some people, a fresh start can be exciting; for others, the thought of a new beginning can be terrifying. For Mike Lane, up and leaving Earth meant escaping the ghost of his beloved dead wife, Loreena; and all the memories that were keeping him captive from moving on with his life.

So, in 2019 Mike travelled over 100 million miles to Mars, and became the first man to arrive safely on the planet … or so he thought. As it turned out, he wasn’t alone; and not all the locals welcomed him with open arms. Unbeknownst to him, the Red Planet was a rather busy place, filled with good and bad aliens; all with their own interplanetary agendas.

As Mike is getting settled into his new surroundings, he is quickly befriended by Hlef; the beautiful, sexy, and witty alien-human hybrid; part of the clan of good aliens who are aligned with the American government, known as the Eben. Hlef helps him get settled in, and teaches him the ropes on Mars. They both quickly learn that love exceeds the boundaries of race, and that while they are quite different, they are also quite the same.

Meanwhile, the North Koreans have an agenda of their own. Bitter over Western ways, and lack of respect from the rest of the world, they engage in a partnership with the evil aliens, the Eridani. The North Koreans hope to build a colony on Mars as well, in order to dominate the planet … with the help of their new alien friends.

Then, out of nowhere, looming in the dark shadows of the galaxy, an ancient enemy of the Eben wait patiently for the perfect time to strike, and unleash an interplanetary war like none other. It is often said that revenge is “a dish best served cold”, and the Kuabatay have waited ten thousand years for dinnertime to arrive.

On Mars: Murder at Hellas Planitia, the sequel to On Mars: Pathfinder, offers the same intriguing look at the not-so-distant future; dabbling in science fiction fun, techno-babble, action, a little romance, and of course, some political humour. Dive back into the world of Mike Lane, Hlef, Achael, Gilda, the Eben, the Eridani Dominion, and the North Koreans for a taste of science fiction with a twist; as many different players vie for the political (and not-so-political) interests of the Red Planet.

Authors Note: This book contains scenes and themes not suitable for children under 16.

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On Mars: Pathfinder. The Mike Lane Stories, Vol.1 (Science-Fiction)

Mike Lane journeys over 100 million miles to Mars, to officially become the first man to make it on the Red Planet. After eight months of space travel, he arrives safely; only to have his space craft explode within six minutes after landing. It turns out he isn’t alone on Mars … and he isn’t welcome.

Swedish-based company, The Corporation, planned to send a full colony crew to Mars. Before they would be allowed to do this, they had to prove that humans could indeed survive on the red planet alone. Sent on a proof of concept mission, we meet our everyday hero: Mike Lane. The plan was set for Mike to live on Mars by himself for six years, until the first full colony team was sent; however, as with anything in life, plans changed …
While Lane survives the explosion of his space craft, the next string of events would leave him frustrated, confused, and shocked. Mike thinks he is following in the footsteps of other space exploration trail blazers, such as Alan Shepard, Neil Armstrong, and Yuri Gagarin; hoping to contribute significantly to the whole ‘one giant leap for mankind’ idea. However, as it turns out, he may have been way off base about that.

3,000 kilometers away, in a secret underground base, a beautiful alien-human hybrid woman observes Lane. Using pirated satellite signals, she sees the explosion, and the resilient Lane, moving forward and setting-up his colony site. As she watches, she admires his bravery, and his resolve.

Much, much closer, a vicious little Eridani Drone is watching him as well, but for a very different reason. The Drone must follow its Master’s orders. It must show its Master how completely devoted it is. It has to kill the human … but the hybrid woman watching will never let that happen.

Evil aliens; good aliens; an orbiting weapons platform; beautiful, sexy, and deadly alien-human hybrids; turns out, Mars is actually a pretty busy planet.

… and let’s not forget the North Koreans.

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Mama’s Slippers (Stage Play)

Share the journey of a Mother and Son as they navigate the adult child’s memories of a life filled with confusion, uncertainty, hurt and most importantly, the enduring and unshakable love of a woman who was both mother and friend. At a time in her life when Prince Charming should have been sweeping her off her feet, she found herself pregnant, shunned and ill-equipped for what life had in store for her. Physical abuse, hard work in horrible factories, isolation both physical and mental, a child she would give her life for…. and who would bear the brunt of her pain. This is the story of a powerhouse. A woman who refused to surrender, who learned as she went along and who never let them take him from her. How does a child raise an adult? One moment at a time. One tear at a time. One heartbeat at a time. This is also the story of a frightened, confused and hurting little man who didn’t know how to deal with this struggle called life. He could only see through the eyes of a child, when he was a child. Meet the man who looks back, who reflects and who finally comes to know and love, unconditionally, the woman who never let them take him from her.

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Sci-Fi, Eh?: Flash Stories & Short Stories (Short Stories)

An easy reading collection of Science Fiction flash stories (under 3K words) and short stories (under 10K words). Some are thought provoking, some are just funny, some have an edge. The short stories are the result of a writing competition, and a couple of them will contain characters you probably already know and love.

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I Apologize for Nothing (Poetry)

A man’s poetry, connecting his adult pain with this teenage experiences. We all share certain experiences. The loss of love or the loss of a loved one. We all share the commonality of this pain and hopefully, we share the commonality of the healing. In the book “I Apologize For Nothing”, we find an exploration of these themes and others in a collection of prose crafted over a period of thirty-five years.

By connecting with the pain of the past, we remember the valuable lessons that have contributed to making us who we are today. In this small collection of prose, the author explores the pain of lost love; a difficult childhood; and a father who died far, far too young. I don’t believe a person can truly do “smiles” unless they are willing to risk doing “tears”. You have to be able to risk to be able to gain, even if sometimes it is your tenuous grasp on your temporary sanity that is at risk. If you are lost in the depths of that pain, remember that you have been here before, you will be here again: and you will survive. I did…

…and I apologize for nothing.

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