iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 30/09/2026

Hey so, this was in the mail today. Original postage is from 7/27/06, just made it to the mailbox today. Looked like this when I got it. If you know Jessica Metrick from Clearwater, let her know I apparently have her wedding negatives from 20 years ago.

Image of an old envelope with a lot of writing all over it.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 16/09/2026

I'm writing a serial sci-fi story! Raised to hate aliens, colony doctrine demands James kill any alien on site. That is, until a threat to his family means he has to leave. Now he has to find out for himself if aliens are anything to fear. #writing #booksky www.nicholasballou.com/contents/

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Table of Contents

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/09/2026

THE ESCAPE is now 27 chapters and over 50,000 words. I'd love to hear what you think of it! First 10 chapters are free for everyone, and I'll comp Full Access memberships to the next three free signups. Ready to start the journey? www.nicholasballou.com/contents/

nicholasballou.com

Table of Contents

Find your next read in the Nexus of Worlds

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 22/08/2026

Well. I did not know his cat’s name. Searched it up. Found an article that started the first four paragraphs talking up the whimsical, unique name and then WHAT THE HECK?

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 22/08/2026

That was not the post. The post was that even with insurance, American MRIs are more expensive than a luxurious trip to China. Which is not universally true. Who pays for the MRIs in China? For the doctors and buildings and nurses and electricity? Is it… the government?

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 22/08/2026

Had a PCP appointment today. You know when they go over all your current medications? It took her so long to list them my mind wandered. Then referred me to three more doctors and I‘m willing to bet it all ends in more medications. I don’t think I would have survived before the 21st century.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 22/08/2026

ACA, $0 premium, $610 a year out of pocket max. Now I pay $95 a paycheck for a $6000 out of pocket max, which I max out every year by June. Then I do financial assistance through the hospital and they forgive all the debt and I don’t have to pay for services for the rest of the year.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 22/08/2026

Yeah I think they should remake the original so it is not so… problematic.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 22/08/2026

I have watched every episode of every series and I’d say do not watch The Original Series. I hope they take the sets from Strange New Worlds and remake the entire series.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 21/08/2026

I had a cardiac MRI done. With insurance it cost me under $600. Flights to China must be dirt cheap these days.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 21/08/2026

Chapter 26 of The Escape is up! The justice panel has made their decision. Will James face charges for the crime he committed at 14? #writing #booksky #scifi #serial NicholasBallou.com/the-escape-chapter-twenty-six

nicholasballou.com

The Escape: Chapter Twenty-Six: The Books

Will James’s past destroy his future?

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 07/08/2026

We‘re boycotting Paramount already and it seems like we were correct. Sad to see this. Not surprised, though.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/08/2026

My BabyPurrPurr was called Cali, because she was a calico. My roommate adopted her and named her Ember. When I took her she got her legal name.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/08/2026

That is what I would refer to as a “little fwoof.”

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/08/2026

We decided it was time to let BabyPurrPurr go. She passed at home yesterday in my arms. While we are devastated, this was the best choice for her. Please keep her in your thoughts.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 28/07/2026

Chapter 24 of The Escape is up! Horrors from James's past surface, and it could jeopardize his new life. #SciFi #Serial #Writing www.nicholasballou.com/the-escape-c...

nicholasballou.com

The Escape: Chapter Twenty-Four: The Suspect

James encounters the law.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/07/2026

Hello! Sorry for not replying sooner. BabyPurrPurr had to be hospitalized, but she is doing better. The best place to begin the story is Chapter One of The Escape. www.nicholasballou.com/chapter-one-...

nicholasballou.com

The Escape: Chapter One: The Intervention

James does whatever it takes to be the model citizen. Usually.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 26/06/2026

Chapter 22 of The Escape just posted! I can't wait to hear your thoughts. All proceeds from Nexus of Worlds goes to BabyPurrPurr's chemo - The Escape has 10 free chapters - Revolution is currently free - Most of the Bonus Content is free #scifi #writing #serial www.nicholasballou.com/contents/

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Table of Contents

Find your next read in the Nexus of Worlds

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 24/06/2026

Militia leadership is hereditary, so he was in line to become the Grand General. Thinking of his son having to take over the title after him helped motivate him to escape!

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 24/06/2026

James grew up knowing he had no choice but to join and eventually lead the colony militia. When he escapes the colony, he finally has the freedom to even consider what he wants to do, and he does exactly that.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 19/06/2026

Getting pet insurance is probably the best thing I’ve done in the last year. I highly recommend you look into it if you have pets, regardless of their age or health.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 18/06/2026

How funny because when I read it, my first thought was “Oh, interesting, he’s clearly grown a lot in the last 30 years.” So there’s that.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 12/06/2026

James begins his first story at age 22 with barely an eighth grade education, and has to catch up to his peers. In later stories, he is much better educated and more skilled. He’s a highly respected tech creator by 38.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/06/2026

Star Trek: Voyager is my emotional support show, and since I am boycotting CBS/Paramount, I can’t watch it despite needing the emotional support. So, I am reading some of my ST:V books. So many coworkers are teasing me 😂

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/06/2026

This was my immediate reaction as well.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/06/2026

One of my favorites! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 06/06/2026

Nexus of Worlds: The Escape 🏛️ Cult vibes ☣️ Dystopia colony 🔥 Escape at gunpoint 👨‍👩‍👦 Parents who prioritize their son 👽 Aliens 🧬 Engineered bloodlines 🙏 Theology crisis 🩸Violent secrets 🪐 First contact 🌐 Post scarcity society Read it here: NicholasBallou.com/contents #booksky #scifi #serial

Colorful space scene with the words “Nexus of Worlds: The Escape”

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 03/06/2026

I live in a place where you might find a coyote or alligator in your backyard at any given time. My cat’s oncologist said that here in our county, the life expectancy for an outdoor cat is ~2 years due to disease and predators.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 28/05/2026

James is a cisgender man. I've always tended to write men, as I identify with male characters, but it is especially important in this story because so much of it revolves around James unlearning hate / toxic masculinity. I want more stories of men overcoming their childhood traumas in a healthy way

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

Things are really heating up for The Escape. 20 chapters posted, and the next one posts this Friday: James takes a trip unlike he ever could have imagined. #writing #wip #serial #scifi

The Escape

Premise
In Earth Year 2514, James Moore is doing his best to live his life exactly as his colony expects. Anything less could be death for him, his wife, and even his son. But James knows things others in the colony don’t, things the colony founders wanted forgotten. Now James has a choice: stay and live with his secret knowledge or flee for a chance at a better life.
If he’s wrong about life outside, the colony militia won’t have to kill him… the aliens will.

1. The Intervention (Free)
2. The Cleansing (Free)
3. The Plan (Free)
4. The Induction (Free)
5. The Threat (Free)
6. The Bible (Free for limited time)
7. The Moment (Free for limited time)
8. The Shot (Free for limited time)
9. The Trees (Free for limited time)
10. The Claws (Free for a limited time)
11. The Death (Paid)
12. The Ship (Paid)
13. The Arrival (Paid)
14. The Brother (Paid)
15. The Translation (Paid)
16. The Questions (Paid)
17. The Tests (Paid)
18. The Results (Paid)
19. The Decision ( Paid)
20. The Meeting (Standard and Full Access)
21. The Integrity (Coming Soon!)

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

My vet offered to order marshmallow flavored prescription food for my overweight cat. Apparently some animals love marshmallow.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

By the time I graduated In 2010, teachers were already complaining about how little control they had over the curriculum. Everything was designed to match state testing. I bet school would be more effective if we gave more teachers some say.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

There are still places where teachers have discretion?

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Reposted by Nicholas Ballou

Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

All proceeds from Nexus of Worlds for the next four months will go directly to BabyPurrPurr’s chemo treatments. Please consider subscribing, or leaving a small tip. Plus, you get to read some pretty awesome stories! Can’t afford a sub or tip? Please share the story. NicholasBallou.com/contents

Me, smiling and sitting in a desk chair with a beautiful calico cat sitting on the back. I was 21 and she was 1.

Me, sitting in a desk chair with a beautiful calico cat sitting on the back. I was 33 and she was 13.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

I feel bad asking for help through my Bluesky, but her chemo treatments will be $620 every three weeks. We would do anything for her, but this will stretch us very thin.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

Here’s a free seven day trial of the Full Access membership. New chapters of The Escape and Bonus Content post weekly. Revolution posts biweekly. That’s a lot of content you can read while supporting a cute cat. www.nicholasballou.com/babypurrpurr...

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

It’s interesting because he was raised in a very violent environment and forced to join the colony militia at 13, trained to kill aliens. But he’s the most patient and gentle father and husband.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

Did you know the first 10 chapters of The Escape (plus some Bonus Content!) is on Royal Road? Give it a read, drop a quick rating, then stick around for the thousands of other great stories there. #RoyalRoad #serial #WIP www.royalroad.com/fiction/1564...

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The Intervention - Nexus of Worlds: The Escape

Earth Year 2514 “Die, alien! Bang!” I fell to the ground, grabbing my gut with dramatic death sounds. My five-year-old son’s laughter filled the cavernous space as he fully entered the living room, cl...

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 27/05/2026

James is probably an 8. He's spent so much of his life suppressing his feelings that he is not very impulsive, but he will take a life in order to protect people he loves.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 26/05/2026

Note: part of this story is James grappling with the difference between the Christianity he grew up with, full of hate and threats, and the Christianity of the wider universe, full of love and calls for equality. How does one reconcile aliens and Genesis?

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 26/05/2026

Chapter 20 is up! 🎉 James meets an ally in his exploration of the galaxy, and discovers a whole new side of Christianity. #scifi #writing #serial www.nicholasballou.com/the-escape-c...

nicholasballou.com

The Escape: Chapter Twenty: Miles

James meets a new friend

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 26/05/2026

I had one that was 32 days, and it was amazing. But my daily pills outgrew the compartments.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 26/05/2026

I read dialogue and skim everything else. Huge blocks of text are hard for me to follow. That’s one of the reason my writing has smaller paragraphs broken up by dialogue.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 26/05/2026

As my cat has gotten older and has some arthritis, I bring treats directly to her instead of having her come to the treats. We call it Uber Treats.

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 25/05/2026

This stuff works way better than Febreze.

Amazon listing for a bottle of Zero Odor Pro

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Nicholas Ballou @nicholasballou.com · 23/05/2026

I would love to hear your thoughts on my story. The first 10 chapters are free! Plus, there's bonus content! Give it a quick read and let me know what you think. NicholasBallou.com/contents

Space scene with text that says

The Escape
James could have everything. Money. Power. Respect.

He chooses freedom

If he's wrong about life outside, it would mean death

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