Kepler's Cowboys

David Lee Summers is an author, editor and astronomer living somewhere between the western and final frontiers. He is the author of twelve novels including The Solar Sea, Vampires of the Scarlet Order, and Owl Dance. He edited Tales of the Talisman Magazine and the anthologies Space Pirates, Space Horrors and A Kepler's Dozen. His short fiction has appeared in such magazines and anthologies as Cemetery Dance, Realms of Fantasy, and Straight Outta Tombstone.
In addition to his work in the written word, David works at Kitt Peak National Observatory. You can find David's books published by WordFire Press at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DavidLeeSummers2 Steve B. Howell is currently the head of the Space Sciences and Astrobiology Division at the NASA Ames Research Center following his success as project scientist of both the Kepler and K2 missions.
He received his PhD in astrophysics at the University of Amsterdam and has over 900 scientific publications spanning research on variable stars, instrumentation, spectroscopy, and exoplanets. Steve has written or contributed to numerous scientific books, and his textbook on digital imaging detectors (CCDs) is the standard in college courses around the world. Working as the scientist in charge of the planet hunting Kepler mission inspired the creation of A Kepler's Dozen: a collection of short stories about real exoplanets, including Steve's first science fiction work.
A frequent invited speaker at scientific conferences and public forums, Steve has a passion for sharing astronomy with people throughout the world. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area with his partner Sally and enjoys scientific challenges, the great outdoors, vegetarian gourmet cooking, and playing blues music. And yes, he still considers Pluto a planet in our solar system. I love telling stories ranging from epic space opera to silly horror to anything in between.
I've had numerous stories published in anthologies and magazines. Find all the details of my space opera series at http://www.altairanempire.comFor the latest updates on my stories, check out my webpage at http://www.jaletac.comMy current day job involves teaching kids to play the piano. I also love piecing quilts together, crocheting tiny animals, and watching lots of bad 80s movies.