Category: JJ’s Galactic Musings

Coming August 1, 2020 – Icarus – Book #4 in the Taylor Neeran Chronicles. Pre-order a copy today! AD 3487 Taylor Neeran, Star-Killer. That’s what she was being called throughout the Xathen dominion. Turn the minor star of the Franath binary system into a black hole, and they gave...

Welcome to the galaxy! I’m J J Mathews, New Zealand science fiction author and dreamer of alien worlds. Whoop! I’m headed to GeyserCon at the end of May!  What is GeyserCon? It’s the 40th annual NZ Science Fiction and Fantasy convention, which is being held in Rotorua this year between May 31-June...

Excerpt from the postscript of Illiya – Taylor Neeran Chronicles #1. Insights into the creation of the book series, and the development of Taylor’s character. Taylor Alice Neeran. That girl has been no end of trouble for me. With the first review draft, Taylor was unbearable. Annoying, selfish, childish...

Welcome to the galaxy! I’m J J Mathews, New Zealand science fiction author and dreamer of alien worlds. This month we’re doing some Time Travel – with reflections on books, from shiny and new to very old: what makes a story readable – or not? The following is a...

Welcome to the galaxy! I’m J J Mathews, New Zealand science fiction author and dreamer of alien worlds. It has been a long week after a very dark day last Friday, but it has also been a week full of promise and hope. Today, March 22nd (NZT) at 1:32pm, people...

Welcome to the galaxy! I’m J J Mathews, New Zealand science fiction author and dreamer of alien worlds. This unplanned newsletter brings us heart-wrenchingly back from the enjoyable mental explorations of science fiction to a very real, senseless human tragedy that struck all too close to home. New Zealand has long prided itself...

Welcome to the galaxy! I’m J J Mathews, New Zealand science fiction author and dreamer of alien worlds. Last month we had a peek at the forces of nature on our own planet, so this month we swing the telescope back out towards the stars, to have a look...

Welcome to the galaxy! I’m J J Mathews, New Zealand science fiction author and dreamer of alien worlds. Our focus this month is more ‘down to Earth’, but with references to our celestial neighbours as we examine some of the forces of nature that affect our home world. February is...

Welcome to the galaxy! I’m J J Mathews, New Zealand science fiction author and dreamer of alien worlds. Since New Years Eve it has been dry, not and mostly sunny here in the North Island of New Zealand. December (and November) were pretty wet months, which tends to be the...

Welcome to the galaxy! I’m J J Mathews, New Zealand science fiction author and dreamer of alien worlds. The Taylor Neeran Chronicles are my first fictional exploration into this interesting galaxy that we inhabit, and the possibilities that lie just beyond our reach in a not-too-distant future. If you’ve...