Earthbound: Science Fiction in the Old West

by Mari Collier

Marooned in 19th century West, Llewellyn meets young frontier woman Anna. The two become friends and comrades, their fates forever intertwined. They find themselves together in the prairies of 19th century Texas, the bordellos of Civil War-era New Orleans, to Prohibition in the 1920s, the Great Depression, and the vastness of space. But can they survive hardships through history, the enmity of their southern neighbors and the Civil War, to return to his home planet and exact his revenge?

302 pages, Paperback

Published October 23, 2021

About the author

I was born on a farm in the state of Iowa, Audubon County, Lincoln Township. To say that my upbringing was bucolic would be an understatement. My first writing was for the Audubon Advocate as the Douglas Township correspondent. I was 13 and received the magnificent sum of $.03 per line. If the item were published in the society section, the pay increased to $.04. The monthly check was always under $5.00.

My mother took me to Phoenix, AZ when it became impossible for me to eat, sleep, or breathe in Iowa. The climate restored my health and I attended school there, graduated, and married my high school sweetheart. Together we raised two wonderful children. During this time I started writing stories and sold one story to Jack and Jill. In 1976 he moved us to Western Washington to escape the desert sun. Washington is a land where it can and did rain 133 1/3 inches of water a year. He was a finish carpenter contractor; I did the books, and worked for Nintendo of America. Upon retirement, we returned to the desert and this wonderful, quirky town of Twenynine Palms. We had just celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary when he passed away.

I serve on the Twentynine Palms Historical Society as a docent, and write a column for the Old Schoolhouse Journal.