Douglas Phillips

Time to vote! In some states our vote for president doesn't matter (thanks for nothing, EC) but it *always* matters for congressional and local offices. Get it done.

privateislandmarket.comIlha Araçatiba — $2,100,000 USDIlha Araçatiba, an island spanning an excess of 15 acres in the State of Rio de Janeiro, offers a main villa complete with seven air-conditioned suites, a family kitchen, a dining space, a TV and livi...

Just in case someone hands you a few million dollars and you want to buy a private island, here's one. It also happens to be Marco's home base in Brazil and a setting in my story, Second Ascent! (I had no idea it was on the market!) www.privateislandmarket.com/islands/ilha...

audiobooks.com60% OFF Quantum Entangled: A Quantum Series MysteryTwenty-three intelligent species. One ancient mystery. And two humans thrust into the middle. Daniel Rice hasn't felt right since his return from a dystopian future. Curious dreams repeat with...

Like all my stories, Quantum Entangled is based in real science, but this is my only mystery. Daniel Rice finds himself in danger on an alien world. He meets a robed birdman and learns of ancient civilizations and technology long abandoned, the Star Beacon. www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...

What was it used for? With humanity on the brink of being shunned by the galactic community, Daniel must solve a mystery no one else could. www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...

18 Sept

Researching a trip to Australia next year covering Brisbane to Melbourne. Which got me thinking... just how big is Australia? Answer below. Two coasts. Same scale.

10 Sept

Africa is big. That's the post. Because apparently some people never learned about map projections, never had a globe in their house, and don't even understand that north isn't always up.

5 Sept

My brain works 24x7. At 2 AM, I'll get out of bed to write myself a note like this one. When the book publishes next year, you'll see something like this text in a chapter set at the ELT. In reality, ELT stands for Extremely Large Telescope, certainly one of the dumbest names in science history.

5 Sept

I'll be fixing that in my fictional story. Étudiez L'univers Trébuchait !

4 Sept

My simple radiometer + sunshine remind me daily that we live in a magical universe.

4 Sept

The white side reflects the sunlight. The black side absorbs it, creating a tiny pressure differential. It only works in a partial vacuum that allows for the vane pressure but without the air friction that would otherwise stop it from spinning. In other words, magic.

rbmediaglobal.comRBmedia | Second AscentListen to the audiobook Second Ascent, written by Douglas Phillips, narrated by Anna Caputo.

3 Sept

In case you missed it, the audiobook for Second Ascent (book 2 in the series) is out! I'm listening to it myself. Narrator Anna Caputo did a great job. rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...

31 Aug

I love to find original sources, and this is a good one. A biography of Isaac Newton, written by his friend, William Stukely, not long after Newton's death (1727). This is where we get the story of the falling apple! (No, it didn't bonk Newton on the head, but the rest is true.)

30 Aug

I'm done with @google. Complicit toadies pushing unwanted AI and authoritarian garbage into our lives.

25 Aug

Second Ascent audiobook publishes today! Pick up your copy wherever audiobooks are sold.

25 Aug

A year after the world's first space elevator ascent, a new megastructure is taking shape high above the equator. But for all its wonders, there's trouble brewing on this colossal ring of carbon. The people who roam its high frontier come in two distinct forms, but only one of them can Sense Beyond.

21 Aug

Just four days left until my Second Ascent audiobook releases! I can't wait to hear it. Audiobooks are way more fun than most people realize. In some ways even better than a movie because they tell the whole story. August 25, wherever audiobooks are sold. rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...

19 Aug

Due to a production error (I screwed up), the paperback edition of First Ascent had no page numbers! It was perfectly readable; you just didn't know where you were. Our production team (me) has since resolved this issue, but if you own a rare copy without page numbers, you are now a millionaire.

rbmediaglobal.comRBmedia | Second AscentListen to the audiobook Second Ascent, written by Douglas Phillips, narrated by Anna Caputo.

17 Aug

Second Ascent Audiobook is now available for pre-order! I haven't listened to the whole book yet, but the audio sample is fantastic! rbmediaglobal.com/audiobook/97...

douglasphillipsbooks.comDouglasPhillipsBooks

17 Aug

Anna Caputo is a great narrator (she did First Ascent). It's fun to listen to every slight emphasis and pause that makes the delivery of this story so much fun. I'll have more to say in my next email newsletter. If you're not already subscribed, head to douglasphillipsbooks.com right now!

13 Aug

Dept. of Learn Something New Every Day: We've always called the saltwater side of Seattle, Puget Sound. More recently, the name Salish Sea came up. A rename? Like renaming Mt. Rainier to Tahoma or Tacoma? Actually, no.

It's the same idea as calling Lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior, etc., the Great Lakes. They still retain their individual names. In Seattle's case, Puget Sound officially is the portion of the Salish Sea south of Whidbey Island. And there you have it!

14 Aug

Sorry, I neglected to mention that Salish and Tacoma/Tahoma are the original names used by the Coastal Salish tribes who lived in the area when Europeans arrived. This post has more to do with what we've used as labels on our maps.

In 2010, Washington state and British Columbia officially agreed the geographic name of the entire inlet from the Pacific Ocean is the Salish Sea, a term in use since 1980. BUT the names of all the bays, sounds, and straits STILL APPLY.

youtube.comELT Explorer - TeaserYouTube video by European Southern Observatory (ESO)

10 Aug

Here's a virtual walkthrough of what will one day be the world's largest telescope, under construction in Chile. #ExtremelyLargeTelescope www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZ0...

10 Aug

La edición en español de Quantum Space (Espacio Cuántico) casi há alcanzado el top 10 de ciencia ficción dura en España. Si lo consigue, me pondré en contacto con mi traductor y pondré en marcha el segundo libro. #LibrosEspañol www.amazon.es/dp/B0GTNJJ2YQ

3 Aug

The sketch for my next sci-fi book is complete! I have a 30-page outline with enough detail to allow a ghost writer to take over. I won't do that (and I also won't submit my outline to AI) because THIS IS WHERE THE FUN BEGINS! Why would anyone not want to write the story they just dreamed up?

3 Aug

Some might say a first draft is a slog. But with a solid outline in hand, I say it's pure joy. I get to describe fantastic settings and hear characters speak words that currently exist only as wisps and possibilities. Super fun. Tomorrow, I begin writing Third Ascent. #ascendingcarbonseries

19 July

I'm a Plotter, which means I don't start writing until I know (and love) the whole story I want to tell. Pantsers are the opposite - they get an idea and start writing (which I will never understand).

19 July

My detailed outline for Book 3 of #AscendingCarbon Series is nearly complete, but how do I know if I've honed it to perfection? I use a pass/fail grading system. Once the check marks are filled in (or marked not applicable), then I'm ready! I take a deep breath and start writing Chapter 1!

19 July

(redacted to avoid spoiling the story)

16 July

For anyone who has read the first two books in the Ascending Carbon series, help me plan book 3...

16 July

As you know, Gao Shang must live on the ring. It's the only place that maintains their body-mind connection. So, what would happen if Mash or Quiso were to board a HyperLeap train? After all, most of each leap is across open space. Book 3, Chapter 1 seems a good place to test this devious question.

tvtropes.orgStumbled Into the Plot - TV TropesIf you've got a story that needs a protagonist you can either have them be a chosen one, where forces have already pre-determined who is to be The Hero that saves the day (eg. prophecy, bloodline, the...

7 July

For writers, TV Tropes must be the greatest resource ever created. This page, Stumbled Into the Plot, proves it can also be the world's greatest time waster! One trope leads to another in a maze of smiles and fascination. tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwik...

6 July

My notes for all 3 books of the Ascending Carbon Series! Green are ideas that didn't make it into Book 1 but did get into Book 2. Violet are open ideas. Blue are key concepts/thoughts critical to the story. And yellow are thoughts that still need work. For some reason, I'm getting wordier as I go!

30 June

Okay, after episode 4, I'm a Pluribus fan (Apple TV). It's smart sci-fi, not violent (so far), and seems to be asking the question: how would you convince someone that they are in a cult? Extremely relevant for today's world! #scifi #TVShows

30 June

The writing is outstanding, and it regularly reminds me of the writer's adage that less is more. No need to pound the audience on the head with explicit details, they'll figure it out.

28 June

Please, can we rewind to the days before AI? #Authors #Books

27 June

Tonight I watched the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet for the first time ever. Sure, a few of the special effects were good, and I can see how both Roddenberry and Industrial Light & Magic borrowed from it for Star Trek and Star Wars...

27 June

But the script was awful, laughably sexist, and every time Leslie Nielson pulled someone aside, I kept wanting him to say in his oh-so-serious voice, "Mister Striker, all I know is this: you're the only person on this plane who can possibly fly it. You're the only chance we've got!"

Today's book research: Nihilistic doomers, often Gen Z aged, often Americans. They believe civilization is collapsing and nothing can be done about it. In fact, we deserve it. Bring it on!

Now I need to figure out how to incorporate doomers into the next story without devolving into misery! If you've read my books, you know they all finish with a positive outlook for our future. Third Ascent will be no exception. #AcendingCarbonSeries

For those who don't know the meme, doomer guy and doomer girl show up in dystopian social media posts, but once in a while these two get a happy ending.

Today's book research: Nihilistic doomers, often Gen Z aged, often Americans. They believe civilization is collapsing and nothing can be done about it. In fact, we deserve it. Bring it on!

Some are chronically unemployed, lonely, with little real-world people contact. Some get caught up in 4chan hate groups, but most are simply depressed about their options. I sympathize. Their economic hardship is real. Climate change is real. Inequality is real.

Many young Americans are stuck with a raw deal they don't deserve, so I see why they've given up. But I also think their worst fears haven't materialized and never will. For every problem society faces (climate change included), there's a solution, if only we work together. No one can sit it out.

Today's book research: news podcasts. I sampled the better-known show hosts at Spotify. These days almost all US news/political podcasts are conservative. Some explicitly state they are comedy. Many are bankrolled by media moguls giving the host freedom to say whatever they want without being fired.

Which then makes the guest laugh, rephrase his comment, and on they go. Best buds. I was also surprised to find that so many podcasts attack the host of another podcast!

Even though politically aligned, Candace Owens goes after Erika Kirk, and Ben Shapiro skewers Tucker Carlson. Who knew that was even a show format? Not me. #podcast

His reputation is fierce, but I was very surprised by see that Joe Rogan is actually docile. He agrees with every guest, even if back-to-back guests are on the opposite side of an issue. He throws out an occasional barb that's more of a jokey aside, like, "that's pure bullshit."

19 June

The Indie Book Awards for 2026 have been announced, and I'm proud to report that First Ascent was a finalist. It didn't win, but with so many books now published directly from author to reader, I'm very happy with the silver medal. (Yes, they really sent me a medal!) www.amazon.com/dp/B0F2C7NCVS