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

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!