In the age of streaming and carte blanche entertainment, sometimes it’s good to get back to basics with a good read.
For Stephen J., of Farmingville, it’s not just about crafting a good story with a solid message, but putting his values, creativity, and even personal struggles to paper.
Originally from Brooklyn, Stephen J. is an alumnus of Sachem (‘82) and has been a Farmingville resident almost all his life. In his senior year, he was involved in a serious car accident that left him wheelchair-bound for months. Instead of enjoying his final year of high school, he instead spent the time learning how to walk again, while also retraining his brain after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
He would later pursue acting and earned a degree from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. After several years of small film and television parts, he took up real estate before settling on his ultimate career, teaching. For thirty years in Southampton, he taught all grade levels, including special education.
The Story
Stephen J.’s inaugural novel is called Star Quadrant Omega, a 662-page work that took seven years from conception to publication. Set in the year 2217, astronauts are colonizing Mars and their massive space station, called The Andromeda, is caught in a solar storm that knocks them off course into a wormhole.
There are only two survivors, one of whom is the novel’s hero: Jonathan Shawnwood. Orphaned light years away from Earth, he is taken in by an android race of aliens who are indistinguishable from humans. Hailing from the far-off planet of Trikinia, Shawnwood obtains super-human strength through infusions from the Trikens, which gives way to his new identity: Captain Triken.
Stephen J., a lifelong “Trekkie,” likens the main hero to a combination of Rambo, Captain Kirk, and James Bond all in one. The tone of the book is inspired by the sci-fi pioneers like Isaac Asimov and L. Ron Hubbard.
While the novel blends all the classic themes – government intrigue, war, alien planets and beings, dystopian technology, and even romance – the primary moral is, in Stephen J.’s words, “destiny.”
“He [Shawnwood] has everything. You could give somebody everything. It doesn’t matter how easy you make their life; they’re still looking for who they are,” Stephen J. told The Messenger, describing how the main character’s ultimate goal is to return to Earth and find out who he is.
The author says that some of his own soul-searching, primarily from his traumatic accident in his youth, is what breathes much of the life into the hero.
“I was home alone. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t move my arms. I was in therapy at St. Charles Hospital for months and months,” said Stephen J., remarking how his athletic prospects effectively crumbled instantly. “It’s all about love, fear, triumph, success, and not giving up.”
The novel is geared towards middle school adolescents, the author’s favorite age to teach during his career, although he says it’s “for everyone.”
Stephen J.’s vivid imagination and love for everything sci-fi is on display as well, featuring distinct characters, near-supernatural technological capabilities, and even a twist ending. As a teaser, the android race is essentially invincible, as their genetic coding is consolidated and lockboxed. If a being – including humans and some animals – should die, their genes can be replicated and effectively be reincarnated.
Climb aboard The Andromeda and join an original cast of characters, such as Aunt Lasara, Shawnwood’s first parental figure, the enigmatic and austere Professor Zola, and the tough, experience-chiseled castaway Reanna.
And Stephen J. is already developing a sequel
Where to Read
Star Quadrant Omega is available for print-on-demand on Amazon for $25 in paperback and $9.99 for the Kindle eBook version. The novel is also available online at Barnes & Nobles’ website.
What They’re Saying
Star Quadrant Omega boasts a 4.0 out of 5.0 rating on Goodreads, with one review calling it an “exciting and engaging” read.
Amazon currently shows a 5/5 rating.
“Star Quadrant Omega is a wonderful adventure. From the first chapter I was hooked. I knew I would enjoy this. His detailed description of the ships reveals the author’s knowledge of Quantum Physics. A friend of mine referred it to me,” reads one five-star review on Amazon.
“What an enjoyable story written by a creative mind. It was like watching Star Trek and I kept waiting for the next episode /chapter. It was like Orson Welles meets the future. This could easily be a movie or TV series as you are eagerly awaiting each chapter. There are things in this book that will be coming in our future world for sure. One of my favorite Sci-Fi books ever,” reads another.
“An epic tale that transcends time and emotion as we follow the story of an underdog that succeeds in achieving societal equity and equality while achieving love in the process…I could not stop reading this book from start to finish – and I am actually reading it a second time as they are many hidden nuggets of information in here that you may miss the first time around that lead you to enjoy the tale even more,” said another reviewer.
