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Alan Smale

@alansmale.bsky.social
789 followers 218 following 91 posts

SF writer: CLASH OF EAGLES trilogy (Del Rey), plus HOT MOON, RADIANT SKY, and BURNING NIGHT (Arc Manor), 50+ short stories. Three-time Sidewise Award winner. Singer with The Chromatics (high-energy a cappella). Astronomer, NASA scientist (emeritus)

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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Ten days and counting! "The Year's Top Science Fiction" drops on October 16, including my Sidewise-nominated story, "Darwin's Rocket." And it's in fantastic company--that's quite a Table of Contents, definitely a best-of collection worth a look!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Off to Capclave tmrw! My panel schedule: Sat 11:30am. Are we truly facing "The End of Reading"? Sat 2:30pm. Panel: Research Rabbit Holes Sat 8:30pm. Mass Autograph Session Sun 10:00am. Author Reading Sun 11:30am: Holy Trilogy Sun 1:00pm: Alternate Apollos: The Space Programs That Might Have Been
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
And here it is! The plaque for my Sidewise Award arrived today, and now it feels official!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The receipts from today's Sidewise Award announcement, with more photos to come. A very young Julius Caesar is kidnapped by Cilician pirates ... which -may- just change a few things in world history ...
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Blown away to have won my third Sidewise Award today!! -- for "Caesar at Sea", from the ZNB anthology SKULL X BONES, edited by David B. Coe and @joshuapalmatier.bsky.social. Alas, I couldn't be at Worldcon for the presentation, but all props to @alexshvartsman.bsky.social for accepting in my stead.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Well, this is a thrill: I’ve received -two- nominations for the 2025 Sidewise Awards: for “Darwin’s Rocket”, which appeared in The Sunday Morning Transport in October, and “Caesar at Sea”, from the ZNB speculative pirate anthology “Skull X Bones” in December!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
I applied the Page 69 Test to my latest (short) novel, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, out a couple of weeks ago from @especbooks.bsky.social , and here's the result (with inevitable minor spoilers): page69test.blogspot.com/2026/06/mad-... I also reread the blog entries for my 3 Clash of Eagles novels. Fun!
page69test.blogspot.com
"Mad Dogs & Englishmen"
Alan Smale writes science fiction and fantasy. His novella of a Roman invasion of ancient America, "A Clash of Eagles," won the 2010 Sid...
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
In which I am interviewed by the great @paulsemel.bsky.social, and provide some background, insight, and fun facts into my latest book, Mad Dogs & Englishmen (did I mention this came out today?!) paulsemel.com/exclusive-in...
paulsemel.com
Mad Dogs And Englishmen · Alan Smale · Exclusive Interview · paulsemel.com
Exclusive Interview: "Mad Dogs And Englishmen" Author Alan Smale \ In which he talks about this rural / dark supernatural thriller novel.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
A cluster of handy buying links for MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN, my Yorkshire cryptid tale, out today ... www.alansmale.com/maddogs/inde...
alansmale.com
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Happy Book Birthday to me! From alternate history to alternate zoology... Today marks the release of MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN, my cryptid thriller in the acclaimed Systema Paradoxa line from eSpec Books! It's set in present-day Yorkshire, England, with plenty of action. I hope you'll check it out!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Tonight I answered "Sopwith Camel" and the correct answer was "biplane" which is one of very many reasons why I should never go on Jeopardy.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Off to Balticon next w/e! • Fri 4: When Han Wasn’t Solo-Writing the Support System • Fri 5:30: Divergent Points+Alt.Hist • Sat 10: Writing Novels: the Long Haul • Sat 1: Alternate Alt.Histories • Sat 5:30: Logistics+Tactics: Writing Campaigns schedule.balticon.org/people/1901
schedule.balticon.org
ConClár Program Guide
Balticon 60 Programme Guide
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Mayday, Mayday! I'm fine, but pumped to have a new novella coming out soon. My cryptid passion project, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, set in the Yorkshire countryside where I grew up, comes out from @especbooks.bsky.social on May 19th! especbooks.com/2026/05/01/m...
especbooks.com
MAY NEW RELEASES
It has been a minute, but we are making up for it this month with three amazing new titles by eSpec veterans, Three solo titles: Mad Dogs and Englishmen (volume 29 in the Systema Paradoxa series, f…
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Off to Ravencon tomorrow! My schedule: Fri 9:00pm: For All Mankind: Alt.Histtory in SF Media Sat 1:00pm: Signing Sat 4:00pm: Cryptid Biology Sat 9:00pm: Watching the Monsters Fade Away Sun noon: Writing a Better Fight Scene Sun 3:00pm: Final Drafts-Are We There Yet? www.ravencon.com/alan-smale/
ravencon.com
Alan Smale -
Alan Smale will be a Program Participant at RavenCon 26 this April in Richmond, Virginia.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Some light listening! A week ago my Eating the Fantastic interview with the great @scottedelman.bsky.social went live, but I didn't have the bandwidth to publicize it. So here it is: our chat about my Apollo Rising series, my new cryptid tale, the joys of "retirement" and travel, and lots more.
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Scott Edelman @scottedelman.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
My day in D.C. for Awesome Con began with meeting @alansmale.bsky.social for lunch at Mariscos 1133 — and you’ll be able to eavesdrop on our chatting and chewing when the conversation goes live on a future episode of Eating the Fantastic. I hope you’ll decide to join us! pod.link/1083737796
Alan across the table from me holding up his taco platter. He’s wearing a horizontally striped sweater. Broad stripes, as much as six inches wide, Marion and black.
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Tom Doyle (SF/F author of the American Craftsmen series) @tomdoyle.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
I have a panel tonight at #AwesomeCon at 6:30--Alternate Apollo: The Fictional Space Race Goes On. Panelists are Alan Smale (@alansmale.bsky.social), Rosemary Claire Smith (@rcwordsmith.bsky.social), and Andy Duncan (@andyduncansf.bsky.social). Hope to see you there! awesome-con.com/programming/...
awesome-con.com
Programming Schedule - Awesome Con
Find Awesome Con's full Programming Schedule and plan out your day with can't miss panels & events! Be in the know and where you need to go
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Thrilled that Radiant Sky is still finding an appreciative audience!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
In which I am interviewed by John Goodwin for the Writers & Illustrators of the Future podcast, for an in-depth discussion of my latest Cold War space race novel, Burning Night, and "its combination of real science, real geopolitics, and imaginative fiction." writersofthefuture.com/podcast/epis...
writersofthefuture.com
Writers of the Future Podcast Episode 362
Retired NASA astrophysicist Alan Smale concludes his Apollo Rising trilogy with Burning Night. Explore alternate-history Cold War tension on the Moon and compared with L. Ron Hubbard's prescient 1948 ...
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Happy Book Birthday to SKULL X BONES, featuring space pirates, fantasy-world pirates, and in my case, ancient world alternate pirates! (Mine is called "Caesar at Sea", which gives you a clue ..). Anyway, me hearties, this is a really varied and interesting bunch of pirate tales, so give it a look!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Just released! My exclusive Q+A with the great Paul Semel about the genesis and influences on my new novel, Burning Night, the third and final volume in my Apollo Rising sequence. (No spoilers beyond what you'd get anyway if you read the book cover copy or Amazon description.)
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Podcast Monday! Okay, so that's not actually a thing, but ... my interview with Edward Willett on the Worldshapers podcast went live today! Hear me wax lyrical about the third book in my Apollo Rising trilogy, and various other topics, at the link! theworldshapers.com/2025/12/08/e...
theworldshapers.com
Episode 206: Alan Smale - Burning Night (Apollo Rising: Book 3) | The Worldshapers
A conversation with Sidewise Award-winning author Alan Smale about Burning Night, Book 3 in his Apollo Rising alternate-history science fiction trilogy.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Okay cool but do it like Rocky Horror: fling our empty popcorn buckets for the trash compactor, do the wave for "These are not the droids you're looking for" and OBVS shriek, "If you strike me down now..." That would rock. Let's "make it so" (crap, wrong universe). www.starwars.com/news/star-wa...
starwars.com
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Launch day! Happy Book Birthday to 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩, the final book in my Apollo Rising series. Hard SF alt.hist set on and around the Moon (and beyond) during the Cold War, following the adventures of astronaut Vivian Carter and her various NASA crews and Air Force colleagues… and Soviet adversaries.
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The Sunday Morning Transport @morningtransport.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
The Sunday Morning Transport soars today with a story from Alan Smale (@alansmale.bsky.social) in which a familiar figure follows a very different arc. Read a sample or subscribe for the whole story - and our whole catalog!
sundaymorningtransport.com
Darwin’s Rocket
Alan Smale, rocket scientist and acclaimed alternate history author, joins us with a new tale about an evolution that could have been…
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Delighted to announce the release of "Darwin's Rocket", in Sunday Morning Transport! -in which we meet Charles Darwin and sister Caroline in a tale about an evolution that might have been... Subscription-only, but here's a link for a 60-dy free trial... www.sundaymorningtransport.com/subscribe?co...
sundaymorningtransport.com
Subscribe to The Sunday Morning Transport
An amazing science fiction/fantasy short story each week. Click to read The Sunday Morning Transport, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
I thought it was a well-balanced panel and a very informative conversation. Thanks for putting it together!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
Why yes, I will be appearing on the SFWA Stage at the Baltimore Book Festival on Saturday 13th with these fine people, talking about alternate history, historical fantasy, and who knows what else? We're doing the Twist! (Pro tip: the rest of the BBF schedule is terrific, too.)
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
My interview series with the award-winning SciFi Thoughts podcast continues ... and today my reading from the beginning of Radiant Sky has gone live! Catch up at lancerkind.com/series/scifi...
lancerkind.com
Lancer Kind
Science fiction author
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Podcast Thursday! Check out my conversation with @lancerkind.bsky.social about Hot Moon, Radiant Sky, and all things #science and #apollo ... you'll find it at lancerkind.com/podcast/319-...
lancerkind.com
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
It's all go! Tomorrow night I'll be presenting, live and in person, at the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. And since it's Friday 13th, please wish me All the Luck for the drive up ...
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Happy Release Day to a new Baen reprint anthology dedicated to the Rome of the past and future, including "The Wandering Warriors" by Alan Smale + Rick Wilber (which originally appeared in Asimov's)! We're in great company in this book, which contains several classics I look forward to (re)reading.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
I retired from NASA after a thirty-five year career a year and a half ago (+), and still today's budget news broke me.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Yes, I'll be at #Balticon this weekend! I'll be moderating four "craft of writing" panels: Sat 4:00 PM Writing Action Scenes Sat 5:30 PM Writing Dialogue Sun 1:00 PM Juggling POV Mon 10:00 AM Basic Novel Writing Organization Otherwise, look for me at the Arc Manor table in the dealers room!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
Out today! Hugo-award-winning zine Journey Planet, Issue 90, covers an astonishing 60 museums on 7 continents. Includes my feature about the National Cryptologic Museum, plus articles by several friends and fellow writers. [Download free, no reg. required!] www.journeyplanet.org/journey-plan...
journeyplanet.org
Issue 90 - My Favorite Museum
The great Steven H Silver comes aboard to bring us looks at the favorite Local (for values of local...) museums of dozens of fantastic contributors!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Next week is Ravencon, in Glen Allen, VA! (Richmond-adjacent.) If you're going to be there, come find me at one of my five panels, my reading, or my (debut) solo presentation "Points of Divergence: Writing (and Reading) Alternate History"! (... Yes, all that in <48 hrs...)
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Podcast Thursday! "Casual Space, Ep.260: Alan Smale, Blending Science, History, and Imagination", in which I chat with fabulous host-with-grace Beth Mund about Cahokia and my Clash series, my writing process, NASA work, Hot Moon books, and the power of story. www.bethmund.com/casual-space...
bethmund.com
260: Alan Smale: Blending Science, History, and Imagination — Beth Mund
Alan discusses how his extensive travels and deep scientific knowledge influence his writing, leading to immersive stories like the Clash of Eagles trilogy and the Apollo Rising series.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Happy Book Birthday to us! "Shapers of Worlds, Volume V" drops today from Shadowpaw Press, edited by @edwardwillett.bsky.social, and featuring my original story, "Red-Eye and Thunderbird", along with new tales from a strong cast of other writers who have recently appeared on the "Shapers" podcast.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
Ten years ago today my first novel, CLASH OF EAGLES, came out from Del Rey. Here's the picture I posted on social media that day. I seem quite cheerful about it ...
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
So a lot happened today, but also: I delivered BURNING NIGHT, Apollo Rising: Book 3 (aka Hot Moon 3) to my publisher. We celebrated with champagne, bangers and mash, and Scrabble. Because you can never have enough words.
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Video of the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost landing. I love the way the dust kicked up by its plume just drops straight back down to the surface, because there's no air; it's an effect I describe in the Hot Moon books, and very cool to see happening here in real life. www.facebook.com/watch?v=1007...
facebook.com
Redirecting...
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
And we're off! The new ZNB Kickstarter for original SF/F pirate anthology SKULL X BONES is live, for your backing and (eventual) reading pleasure. I'll have a story in this antho, and so will many other fine writers. Please take a look and consider helping us set sail for adventure!
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Podcast Thursday! Everything is bonkers so I paused these, but... if you want to escape from reality for a while, check out Ep.50 of "The Science in the Fiction", just released, in which I chat to Marty K. about lunar warfare in an alternate past ... www.buzzsprout.com/2201157/epis...
buzzsprout.com
Ep 50: Alan Smale on Lunar Warfare in 'Hot Moon' - The Science in The Fiction
Marty talks to Alan Smale, a professional astronomer and author of hard science fiction, alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, and horror. We talk to him about his most recent book 'Hot Moon...
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Virginia peeps! Tomorrow I'll be at Book People in Richmond, 1pm-3pm, reading from RADIANT SKY, taking any and all questions, and signing. Please show up and say Hi if you're in the area, and feel so inclined. www.bookpeoplerichmond.com/event/alan-s...
bookpeoplerichmond.com
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Thrilled by my latest Analog review: “[The books] make for intriguing speculation.. Smale, who has twice won the Sidewise Award for alt.history, can be counted on to give readers clear-eyed, nuanced takes on alternative events that could plausibly have transpired.” www.analogsf.com/current-issu...
analogsf.com
The Reference Library - Analog Science Fiction and Fact
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Podcast Thursday: From a land down under! I'm interviewed by Michelle Hamadache, professor of English Studies and Creative Writing at Macquarie University on the literary podcast, “From the Lighthouse”, about books, creativity, imagination, and perseverance. www.fromthelighthouse.org/2025/apollo-...
fromthelighthouse.org
Apollo Rising: An Interview with Celebrated Author and Former NASA Astrophysicist Alan Smale
Home Podcasts MQSWF Events Student Testimonials Research Seminars About Contact
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
“The Billion Insights” podcast explores culture, science, technology, art ,business, etc. with guests from around the world. I join host Shree for a deep dive into astrophysics, AI, alt.hist, SF movies, my Apollo Rising books, and many other topics. Podcast: thebillioninsights.com/podcast/epis...
thebillioninsights.com
Episode Details
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
New feature: Podcast Thursday! I've done a -lot- of podcast interviews and radio shows and such recently, and I'll be rolling them out here, once a week, until I catch up. Here we go:
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
One of the most fascinating things about researching my CLASH OF EAGLES series was learning about how the North American river system and the various watersheds work. I spent days staring at maps like this, making measurements and calculating Viking longship and canoe travel times, etc ...
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Alan Smale @alansmale.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
It's Wright Bros. Day! I thank my friend Tom Doyle for reminding me! And yes, if you want to read an alternate history story about the Wright Brothers (and Sister) -- well, there's the handy link.
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