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Peter Cawdron

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October 2011

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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

Peter Cawdron My advice to aspiring writers?

Pace yourself and don't let unrealistic expectations get the better of you. We live in an instant society. Instant coff…moreMy advice to aspiring writers?

Pace yourself and don't let unrealistic expectations get the better of you. We live in an instant society. Instant coffee. Instant TV dinners. Streaming music and videos, etc, it is all just a mouse click away, but writing doesn't work like that. Writing is an art. Writing takes incredible patience and perseverance. Writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't be impatient.

You're not in competition with other writers. You're in competition with facebook, twitter, youtube, flappy bird and a bazillion other colourful sparkly games. You're in competition with movies and newspapers. Give them all a good run for their money by producing something that drags people away from those devices and into the pages of your book.

You're going to be criticized, and it won't be easy to take, but learn from that criticism. You can't please everyone, but you want to be open to learn what you can do better, and that means listening to your critics and recognizing the truth in what they say. Sure, there's plenty of trolls. Don't feed them. And yet for every troll there's thousands of readers that want to be entertained, so take heed to their response to your work.

Be professional. Get your work edited. Polish your writing. Never be satisfied with anything less than your best. (less)

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Is there a particular reason why so many of your books are first contact stories?

Peter Cawdron Petr, sorry for the delay in answering your question...

I'm fascinated by the concept of First Contact with extraterrestrials for a number of reasons.…morePetr, sorry for the delay in answering your question...

I'm fascinated by the concept of First Contact with extraterrestrials for a number of reasons...

1. It will mark a dividing line in history. There have been dozens of turning points in the development of civilization, from slow burning activities like the invention of agriculture or writing, to fast-acting inventions like Gutenberg's printing press, Galileo's telescope, Newton's mathematics, etc, but none of them have transformed society as much as First Contact will simply because any alien species that can reach out to us will be tens of thousands of years more advanced than us.

Imagine teaching a bronze-age people like the Egyptians or the Babylonians how to build their own iPads, or a Mars Rover, and you get an idea of just how rapidly and radically humanity will change.

2. They'll provide a counterpoint to our intelligence. At the moment, we are unmatched on Earth. We can do whatever we want without critique from anyone beyond those that care enough to study cause/effect, but it's too easy for scientists to be dismissed. I'm sure there will be resistance to change, but having an independent point of reference beyond ourselves will (I hope) allow us to see and change our own shortcomings more easily (this is the basis behind the ending to Anomaly). Think about how our culture has changed from slave-owning days, or from when women couldn't vote, and consider that we're still in transition. Too often, people exploit each other for monetary gain, for ideological reasons, or out of selfishness—that will be exposed as shallow and immature.

3. First Contact will help us see beyond the moment. All too often, we're consumed with our daily affairs and we forget just how astonishing it is to be alive. We're like an insect crawling through the grass, not seeing the splendor of the garden around us. In reality, life is an astonishing privilege. Carl Sagan said, "We are made of star stuff." Neil deGrasse Tyson said, "We are the universe considering itself." We are quite literally the universe brought to life. When I look at the stars at night, I wonder who's looking back. Our lives are incredibly short. We're like mayflies living for a mere five minutes. We should spend that time enriching our understanding and, from that perspective, enriching the lives of others.

Thank you for supporting independent science fiction

Cheers,
Peter(less)

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Peter Cawdron’s books

Average rating: 4.2 · 66,213 ratings · 5,569 reviews · 74 distinct works • Similar authors

	Anomaly 4.02 avg rating — 5,731 ratings — published 2011 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	3zekiel 4.08 avg rating — 4,991 ratings — published 2019 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wherever Seeds May Fall (Seeds, #1) 4.31 avg rating — 3,758 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cold Eyes 4.42 avg rating — 3,485 ratings — published 2021 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Xenophobia 4.27 avg rating — 2,598 ratings — published 2013 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Losing Mars 4.29 avg rating — 2,441 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Feedback 4.17 avg rating — 2,061 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Jury Duty 4.25 avg rating — 1,896 ratings — published 2021 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ghosts 4.42 avg rating — 1,776 ratings — published 2023 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Retrograde (Mars Endeavour, #1) 3.77 avg rating — 2,059 ratings — published 2016 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Peter Cawdron's Blog

Retrieving samples from Exoplanets

The first confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system was 1I\ʻOumuamua, and from the outset, it was clear this was not a comet or even an asteroid, but rather some kind of fragment (possibly from a planet or moon).

As more information came to light, though, the artist’s renditions became less sci-fi and more scientifically plausible, with the latest explanation being that ‘Ou

Series by Peter Cawdron

First Contact (33 books)
by

Peter Cawdron (Goodreads Author)

4.24 avg rating — 55,564 ratings

Seeds (2 books)
by

Peter Cawdron (Goodreads Author)

4.33 avg rating — 5,272 ratings

Mars Endeavour (2 books)
by

Peter Cawdron (Goodreads Author)

3.81 avg rating — 2,374 ratings

Colliding Worlds (3 books)
by

Peter Cawdron (Goodreads Author)

4.11 avg rating — 1,686 ratings

Galactic Exploration (4 books)
by

Peter Cawdron (Goodreads Author)

4.17 avg rating — 1,437 ratings

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Peter is Currently Reading

Peter Cawdron is currently reading

The Mind in the Making: The Relation of Intelligence to Social Reform

by James Harvey Robinson

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Jan 25, 2025 03:32PM

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The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True

by Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author)

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Peter Cawdron said: " I'm reading this with my kids at night on the iPad, which is an excellent medium, as it has the entire book plus beautiful illustrations and a number of interactive features, like breeding frogs over successive generations to see if they can survive ...more "

Oct 15, 2012 03:57AM · see review

Peter Cawdron is currently reading

Other Minds

by Peter Godfrey-Smith

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Jun 16, 2021 02:43PM

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Peter’s Recent Updates

Peter Cawdron voted for Automatic Noodle as Readers' Favorite Science Fiction in the Opening Round of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. Cast Your Vote
Nov 13, 2025 09:47PM · 1 like · like
Peter Cawdron and 2 other people liked Rob's review of The Oracle: "Masterful All of Peter’s First Contact series is exemplary, but this one is outstanding. He has become my favourite author. Highly recommended."
Nov 04, 2025 05:39PM · see review
Peter Cawdron liked Claire Sadowniczak's review of The Oracle: "Original, brilliant, spellbinding, thought provoking. An amazing view of mankind at his worst that gives us hope for our future. The characters will live in our hearts for a long time."
Nov 04, 2025 05:39PM · see review
Peter Cawdron liked Kenneth R.'s review of The Oracle: "Damn, he's good! I've read almost all of the author's output, and that's a lot, since being captivated by 3Zekiel. Each one is a separate stand-alone story with the common theme of First Contact. I won't provide any spoilers, but reading the Afterword" Read more of this review »
Nov 04, 2025 05:39PM · see review
Peter Cawdron answered Chuck Emmer's question: Subject: Question About the Ending of Anomaly Dear Mr. Cawdron, I recently re-read Anomaly and thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the story. However, I noticed that the ending seemed different from what I remember from my first read several years ago. I was curious—has the ending been revised or updated in later editions? Thank you for your time, and for writing such thoughtful science fiction. CRE Hi Chuck Yes, Anomaly has had two different endings over the years, as has Xenophobia (the audiobook still has the original ending). I know these kind of radical changes are frowned upon, but books really aren't etched in stone. I often think of thin See Full Answer
Oct 25, 2025 09:25PM · 2 likes · like
Peter Cawdron liked a quote “The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous, and it is now approaching a point of crisis overall.” Edward O. Wilson
Jun 03, 2025 02:56PM · 1 like · like · more quotes by Edward O. Wilson
Peter Cawdron made a comment in the group We PROMOTE Fantasy/Sci-Fi Writers/Authors — INTRODUCE YOURSELF topic " Hi, I'm a science fiction author with a series of scientifically plausible stories looking at First Contact. If you're interested, check out my curren ...more "
Feb 19, 2025 01:58AM
Peter Cawdron liked a quote “We are incredibly heedless in the formation of our beliefs, but find ourselves filled with an illicit passion for them when anyone proposes to rob us of their companionship. It is obviously not the ideas themselves that are dear to us, but our self-esteem, which is threatened.” James Harvey Robinson
Jan 25, 2025 03:32PM · like · more quotes by James Harvey Robinson
Peter Cawdron rated a book it was amazing Solaris by Stanisław Lem	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
For a novel written in the early 60s, this story holds up incredibly well. The characters can be a little flat, but they're way ahead of other contemporary writing at that time, and when they do come to life, they hit the heartstrings. An easy five s ...more
Dec 18, 2024 02:23PM · 4 likes · like · see review
Peter Cawdron made a comment on his review of The Glass House " Kimmy wrote: "Just started it, and really enjoying it so far...." It's a great read. I'm looking forward to the sequel ...more "
Aug 15, 2024 12:53AM · see review

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Quotes by Peter Cawdron (?)

“Knowledge is more dangerous than any gun, more dangerous than a sword or knife. Even in Eden, knowledge was forbidden.” “But why?” “Knowledge shapes decisions. Limit knowledge and you limit the choices people can make. Knowledge has always been about power, for better or for worse, for good or for evil.”
― Peter Cawdron, Monsters

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“Don’t go looking for miracles. You are the miracle. Every day, your body creates roughly three hundred billion new blood cells. That’s more than all the stars in the galaxy. Imagine that.”
― Peter Cawdron, 3zekiel

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“Email, Facebook, Twitter—all those false prophets of contrived importance—they can wait. Any urgency they have is artificial. Besides, I’ve had my fill of cat videos this week.”
― Peter Cawdron, Starship Mine

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