Hello, I’m Gregg Mattson. author of “Field of Orbs,” a full-length novel, published as an eBook.
I began reading Science Fiction with a passion for plausible, technical stories, and not fantasy. As a reader, I found few things more thrilling than losing myself in a story where the pages play in my head like a movie. I wrote a few short stories which drew readers into their heads, but their lengths were equivalent to chapters.
While reading brilliant authors' works, I wondered if I could develop a compelling, novel-length story. Could I write a story people enjoy and find engaging? A story inviting readers to share their ideas? A story sticking in reader’s heads like a song that never ends? I craved an answer. Thus, in 2004, those questions became my inspiration and goals for creating “Field of Orbs.”
“Field of Orbs” explores a conceptual framework I developed in 2001 and found nowhere else. In 2004, I became motivated to create the novel. The story began and ended where I expected, but the journey between proved a surprise to me. While writing, the storyline carried me along on the ride. The unknown factors driving the plot were the thrill I sought from writing. This time, being a novel, the story's epic scale left me with profound feelings for the characters and their world.
Seven years later, I completed and published “Field of Orbs” in January 2011. The manuscript wound up being 433,840 words long (about 40 hours when reading aloud), but many fans told me they reread the book with a fresh perspective and enjoyed it more.
Conversations with readers and publishers who enjoyed the work felt traditional printing might become an issue should I want to see David’s story in print form one day. I began reworking the chronicle into four books. The effort, a mix of significant restructuring, having a life, and changes in technology, became a massive undertaking to where I couldn’t complete the first book until March 2020.
I wish a fascinating journey for everyone who enjoys this story. “Field of Orbs” is an easy read and appears predictable. Trust me. Predictability is not one of this story’s features. In fact, many aspects of the adventure feel wrong. In the end, however, the puzzle comes together.
The first book of the quartet, “Battle for Innocence” is available on “Smashwords.com/books/view/799068” Thank you for allowing me to present my work. Contact me with your thoughts about the story, the format, what you liked, or disliked.
Gregg Mattson
Author, “Field of Orbs”
