Power Struggles

by Steve Semler

The Dark Society is tampering with time in Venture City, seeking to prevent the formation of the Federal Bureau of Superpowered Affairs. Supervising Agent Sheena Gardner, also known as the superheroine Shanikali, is the only one with powers that can stop them. To complicate things, Sheena has recently taken on a young sidekick struggling with the use of her powers. But Sheena has struggles of her own, in the form of a brash out-of-town hero who wants to run her operation. How will she overcome the challenges to stop the Dark Society and restore justice?

421 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 20, 2021

About the author

Steve Semler is an author of both fiction (science fiction and fantasy) and non-fiction (training, human resources, and leadership). He has a background in learning psychology and experience in a variety of business environments. He earned his bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, his master's degree in Human Resource Management and Development from Chapman University, and is slowly working toward finishing his Ph.D. in Human Resource Development at the University of Minnesota.

Fiction: Steve started by writing fan fiction for Watership Down at the age of 8, and has gone on from there with fantasy and science fiction being his major passions. Early influences ranged from Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, and Isaac Asimov to the Minneapolis "Scribblies" writers' group (Steven Brust, Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, Pat Wrede, and others). Steve often takes fantasy or science fiction RPGs or MMORPGs as creative inspiration for his stories, and turns them on their sides with "What if...?" questions for those game environments. "A Wing and a Prayer" is his first published novel-length work.

Non-Fiction: While no relation to Ricardo Semler (of "Maverick" fame in Brazil), Steve's humanist leadership philosophy is remarkably similar. Steve has worked in various training, HR, and logistics management positions, in both internal management and external consultant roles. He has helped build training groups, established a corporate university, and won both corporate university and academic research awards. He founded and runs his own consulting business, LearningSim. In addition to the variety of firms for which he has done consulting work, he has work experience with MoneyGram International, The Mosaic Company, The Schwan Food Company, Honeywell, and the US Army (active and reserve duty). The "5-Step Simulations" model he developed at LearningSim is at the core of much of his non-fiction work.