I remember starting to pick up Mr. Bradbury's books in the fourth grade, and then I couldn't get my hands on them fast enough.
I decided at age 12 I wanted to write sci-fi. He and Jules Verne have inspired nearly everything I ever wrote, or continue to write.

In one novel, (set in the future) I quote the New York Times as calling a certain space project: "Like trying to go to the moon... during the time of Jules Verne."
I have never made any direct references to Mr. Bradbury out of respect, since he is still actively working, and I thought it would be somehow wrong, like trying to ride on the coattails of your hero, or something. It's difficult to explain.

During all the years I have worked at other jobs besides writing, I always was inspired by Mr. Bradbury's work to keep trying, because I thought I had something to say. Perhaps not as well as he, or as visionary, but I kept trying because of him.

I attached a picture of my wife, Gayla, and myself to this post. We write together, and after years of work and many rejections, we finally had a science-fiction novel accepted for publication!

This would not have happened if not for Mr. Bradbury. This is a fact. If I was ever lucky enough to meet him, I would thank him for both inspiration and opening up the mind of a young boy to keep reaching for something greater.
Thank you.

Adventure Books-Creating Dreams in Science Fiction and Adventure

bobandgaylawork.jpg (22 Kb, 15 downloads) Robert and Gayla working

Congratulations on your accomplishments.

It's long bothered me just what constitutes the distinction between a tribute and a ripoff. I have raved on about it here at length. I think I'd still go with what felt or seemed right to me, but I am not oblivious to the opinions of others.

Good question, good point.
A ripoff is when you copy someone's work and incorporate it into your own work. It can also mean modifying someone else's idea slightly and writing a short story or book that is close to the original.

A tribute might be: including a famous character into your work in a way that seems normal and makes sense. In one novel I wrote, I had a very old Neil Armstrong watching a launch on television. It was actually a fairly touching scene. ('He remembered his own experience, descending to the lunar surface with an ancient computer that recycled at the rate of once per second...' etc. That is a tribute.

Robert--Congratulations to you and your wife on getting published. That is a huge accomplishment. I enjoyed the excerpts from the two books and look forward to reading more of your work. The Mars pictures were great also, and I couldn't help noticing in the pictures of you and your wife what a peaceful looking area you have to live and work in. How inspiring!

Yeah...but the traffic out here is the Seattle area is getting worse all the time!

bobpirate.jpg (23 Kb, 12 downloads) The pirate and I