portrait of gail barton

Co-Creator of Starmasters

Gail Barton

Gail Barton was a long-time science fiction fan, multi-media science fiction artist, and ufologist (life membership in the Mutual UFO Network). A lifelong rose gardener, she was for many years a member of the American Rose Society. She was the creator of many aspects of Starmasters, including some of the planets, the society that became the Sodality, and the kokuas. She was a life-long student of biology who used her knowledge of zoology and botany to design intriguing aliens and realistic planets. She was also the author of many filksongs, including, “Starships,” “Starwinds,” “Highwings,” and “Who Loves the Phoenix,” which are featured in this book. She died in 2018 and is survived by Sourdough Jackson.

Foreword Author

portrait of sourdough jackson

Sourdough Jackson

Sourdough Jackson hails from Sitka, Alaska. She has a Masters in History, chiefly studying naval history. A retired computer programmer, she has spent her whole career in civil service. She began reading science fiction as a child of six, starting with Jules Verne. As an adult she has been involved with the Denver Area Science Fiction Association in various capacities and also been involved with filking, convention committees, and fanzine publishing. She met longtime Denver fan Gail Barton at a convention, and they married in 1978. She has written a monthly column on classic science fiction, “That Old Science Fiction,” in DASFAx, the association's newsletter, and published the essays as a book of the same title. Torpedo Junction is her debut novel.

Story Commentators

portrait of heather preston

HL Preston

Heather Preston is the Planetarium Director of the Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium in Fort Myers, FL, a NASA-funded astronomy researcher, and an occasional panelist/presenter in science tracks at SF conventions. With a BS in Physics from MIT and an MS in Astronomy (Astrophysics) from the University of Washington (Seattle), she was an Operations Astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute from before launch to the First Servicing Mission. She has also been a sailor, a physics instructor at the US Air Force Academy, and an instructor of physics and astronomy at many other colleges and universities before becoming a planetarium director. She brings the joy of astronomy, space and science to her planetarium visitors and loves the curiosity and interest in these subjects held by the science fiction community. Many future scientists or supporters of science begin as science fiction fans or visitors to a science museum or planetarium: They are Heather's happiest reason for doing what she does!

portrait of rev. david marshall

Rev. David Marshall

The Rev. David Marshall earned his undergraduate degree in Math and Computer Science and worked as a software engineer for the first 15 years of his adult life, specializing in database system internals. Having rejected his Christian upbringing, he was surprised to be called to the priesthood in a powerful conversion experience and is blessed to lead a small congregation of the Episcopal Church in Western Washington.

Kathy Coyne

Kathy Coyne holds a BA in Speech Pathology from Washington State University, her education credential from Seattle University, an MA in reading education from Central Washington University, and an Ed. D. in curricular education and administration from Seattle Pacific University. She has been in the classroom for 40 years, including in special education and elementary school. A talented and skilled teacher, she has received awards, including the “Outstanding Educator's Award” and “Teacher of the Year” for the State of Washington. In her spare time she is an avid reader of science fiction.

portrait of carol vojir

Carol Vojir

Carol Vojir received her PhD in 1986 in Research and Evaluation Methodology (University of Colorado). Subsequently she worked in CU School of Nursing as an Associate Professor teaching research methodology, statistics, evaluation, and measurement to graduate nursing students (MS, ND, PhD), directing the School of Nursing's Center for Nursing Research, serving as evaluator for research grants, and serving as a member of dissertation and master's thesis committees. She also worked as evaluator for the Mountain-Plains Education and Training Center and the CU Area Health Education Program. She says, “I retired in 2005 and have lived happily ever since!”

portrait of leslie jordan

Leslie Jordan

Leslie Jordan has long been involved with tutoring English as a Second Language and writing to adults, as well as assisting adults with developmental disabilities improve communication skills and learn work skills. She received her B.A. in Anthropology in 1982 and Masters in English Language Learning from Central Washington University in 1986. Having been long interested in music, science fiction, fantasy, and role-playing games among other subjects, she naturally gravitated toward science fiction conventions. She met Anne Prather at a science fiction convention filksing and they have been friends ever since. For the past several years, she has been assisting Anne Prather with various projects, including formatting and editing this book.