21 years old, unemployed, Karyce Z'T'Nali takes to the stars to find her boyfriend and inform him of her pending pregnancy. However, the Universe has a different plan for her and a chain of events traps her far from home. Karyce finds herself a lone human walking among aliens, trying to find a way back where she belongs. Along the way, her presence changes the perspective of all who meet her. From disheveled, under-nourished spacers scavenging wrecked ships, to squabbling and idiotic Jha'jhiv bumbling through life, the aristocratic maggot-like Horphalum on the verge of civilizational collapse, and even the timeless Mourn - immortals who catalog the galaxy's extinct inhabitants; each find new purpose in Karyce's presence.
Her journey is enabled by the Pan-Spectrum Analyzer: an electronic device that collects and analyzes energy across many spectrums to produce an interpretation of reality. It was designed for hacking and translation, but receives upgrades from benevolent aliens Karyce meets, it evolves from helper to sentient protector being; one of the few friends to accompany her on her journey.
Originally conceived in 2007 as a single novel, "Pan Spectrum Analyzer", the project grew to become a framework for more self-contained stories. Karyce's Galaxy is a big place, and I felt there were just too many characters, moments and themes to cram in, sacrificed merely for flow.
Karyce's story highlights how our lives can be changed by chance encounters and the lives of people we meet and that often our significance to the world is never known by ourselves, only by others. PSA is best described as an Interstellar road-trip, in which the journey of our own lives unfolds; from innocence and naivete in youth to the grave wisdom of age.
Currently, over 300,000 words and one short comic have been written or drawn, with another two stories to come. I'm looking for publishing options, but will perhaps self-publish when time allows.
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