Richard V. Rupp

March 23, 2022

Good Wednesday morning! I'm novelist Richard V. Rupp, writing from Burbank, California. Here's my RUPP'S NOTES/FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMANN SERIES post for this week.

 

Apparently, just a few days ago, spring has sprung. I don't know about where you live, but it appears to have skipped over Burbank It was 90 here yesterday. Not our usual spring numbers. More like mid-summer. Spring officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere on March 20 with the vernal equinox as the entire world experiences an equal day and night. With the advent of climate change, I'm not sure the concept of seasonal temperature changes exists anymore.

 

I've received a lot of questions lately about SKYWARD, the novel I've been working on for quite some time now. Here's a compilation of the questions and my answers to them.

 

Q. Is SKYWARD part of the FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMANN SERIES? It doesn't seem to fit in with DEATH & TAXES and DEATH ON THE HIGH SEAS, which are in the procedural crime genre, and this one goes off into the sci-fi genre.

 

A. It is part of the series. When the United States decided to support the development of a colony (maybe U.S. Territory) on the Moon by a group of young civilian billionaires, it was recognized that the group going needs to be vetted and that a colony needs some form of law enforcement. It is decided that the concept already existing for "Space Law be applied to the colony." They lean on the provision in that set of laws that any crime committed by a person in space will result in that person being extradited back to Earth. The advisors of POTUS assigned to monitoring and helping the development of the Bowman Moon Colony decided if the FBI is designated to investigate Crimes on the High Seas, they should investigate Crimes in Space.

 

As FBI Special Agent Hartmann is edging up on the FBI mandatory retirement age of 57 and knows the San Francisco Bowman family, the principles involved with developing the space colony, he is selected to work on the Skyward Moon project. Little does he realize that his involvement will go well beyond the vetting and protecting process, and he will be an FBI Special Agent well beyond the FBI mandatory retirement age.

 

This may lead to a new TV show for the CBS FBI series. The FBI: SPACE.

 

Q. How did you get off on the SKYWARD tangent?

 

A. I have a story I want to tell about how vulnerable I believe the human race is here on Earth. Tribalism, overpopulation (like too many rats in a cage who end up hyper-aggression, failure to nurture young, failure to breed at all, increased mortality, abnormal sexual patterns, increased illnesses, increased mental illnesses, and infant cannibalism), climate change, nuclear holocaust, or errant asteroid could extinguish life here on Earth, long before the expected expiration date of 1.75 billion years.

 

I also believe that the human race can colonize the universe, extending its survival, possibly into infinity. Even if I'm wrong about what I express first in this answer, why not take steps to colonize the universe today, just in case.

 

Q.  Will you get back to finishing the original Harmann Series stories you had planned?

 

A. Assuming I live long enough, I will. I love the original concept, and as I have mentioned in previous posts, I have several plots outlined ("Death Behind the Pink Wall," Death at the Presidio, "Death and the Chicks, etc.). But, for the moment, I'm off on the SKYWARD bent.

 

Q. How long do you think it will take to finish SKYWARD?

 

A. Good question. Much longer than I anticipated for several reasons. First, the plot extends from 1910 to 2050, and a thing called Covid 19/Pandemic occurs during this period. I feel it needs to be addressed in my story. Second, my knowledge of spaceflight, space propulsion methods,  and the make-up of the universe are limited, so I'm spending more time on research than anticipated. Third, I have found three different stories to be told. So, I'm leaning toward three books to tell them. This will allow the initial SKYWARD story to get out sooner.

 

Q. What are the three stories?

 

A. SKYWARD – Which tells the story of why a group of wealthy young millennials decides to establish a colony on the Moon. It provides a backstory for the venture and the logistics needed to get to the Moon and establish the colony. The problems faced in the development of the colony. It also indicates that the settlement only exists to build electromagnetic catapults to launch spacecraft to establish a similar settlement on Mars.

 

Next is the story (SKYWARD II), where numerous spacecraft are launched from the Bowman Moon Colony to Mars. Each spacecraft takes a nine-month trip to Mars to develop the Bowman Mars Colony. As Mars has more gravity and some atmosphere, the development is different and more extensive. But, again, it is only a stopping point. A sophisticated observatory is established, and explorer space vehicles are sent out into the universe to find a planet similar to the Earth. Once the new Earth is identified, the Mars electromagnetic catapults are used to send colonists to it.

 

Finally, there is SKYWARD: THE NEW EARTH. A story that tells about the trip to the New Earth (located in a galaxy far, far away. Sorry STAR WARS, I couldn't resist) and what is found there. This trip takes over one hundred years, which means it is multigenerational. This requires special habitational spacecraft and a new mindset for the travelers. Some will be born and die during the trip. Getting each generation ready for what's ahead takes a unique social structure. Then at what stage is the New Earth as respects development. Will, the colonists face a JURASSIC PARK experience or is it in a Triassic or Cretaceous era stage. You and I will only find out if I live long enough to write this book.

 

All of the above stories reflect on what has or is going to happen on Earth. At least in my mind.

 

Q. What will the RUPP'S NOTES/FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMANN SERIES posts be about while you are writing these three books?

 

Q. Rather than being book marketing-oriented, they will take you on my research and writing journey. I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not. Only time will tell. And, hopefully, you will be interested in reading each book when it is published. You will know a lot of spoilers during the journey. Hopefully, you will want to see how all the pieces finally fit together.

 

Before I begin this new format, here's my last book promo for a while. You may want to read my first two novels to get an idea of my writing style and learn about FBI Special Agent Hartmann. You can purchase them on Amazon. Here is the link www.Amazon.com: Death & Taxes: 9781480819641: Rupp, Richard V.: Books

 

Until next week, when the new journey begins.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright©2022 by Richard V. Rupp