// Author file

About Hugh Watkins

Author of the Zero-Point Prop and Retro Fold hard science fiction series.

Hugh's workbench: an Apple II, oscilloscopes and a soldering station — Fig. 1 — The workbench

Hugh Watkins has been obsessed with how things work since he was fourteen, when he bought an Apple II and taught himself to program. A degree in physics and forty years in software followed, but the obsession never changed, just the machines.

He's a lifelong hard sci-fi reader who grew up on Clarke and Asimov and believes the best science fiction makes you feel like you could build it yourself. When he's not writing, he restores vintage computers, builds equipment on his farm in Georgia, including a rock crusher for extracting gold from quartz, and disappears into the mountains.

He is the author of the Zero-Point Prop and Retro Fold series.

FAQ

Where should I start?

Each series starts with its own Book 1, and the two are independent, so pick whichever premise grabs you. Zero-Point Prop is a movie prop that turns out to be a working fusion reactor. Retro Fold is a Cold War physicist's lost work, found inside an old Apple II.

Where can I read the books?

On Kindle. They are Amazon exclusives, so they're free to read with Kindle Unlimited.

What's coming next?

Zero-Point Prop Books 6 and 7 finish that series this fall. Retro Fold Book 3 comes after that, and Retro Fold will run six books.

Why did you start writing?

Out of frustration. I love the genre, but the characters in a lot of science fiction felt flat or hard to relate to. I try to write people who are flawed like all of us but redeemable and enjoyable to follow, and to stay true to the science without veering into fantasy.