SCIENCE fiction fans congregated at the successful launch of the latest in local author Greg Mutton’s ‘12th Realm’ series, ‘Incident at Zyralin 4’, which took place in the Dolphin Room at the Tea Gardens Hotel on Sunday, 26 March.

“I have a dedicated room at home for my 3000-plus books,” said Kylie Todd, local businesswoman from the Hunter Valley Providores, and superfan of the 12th Realm series, who led the conversation at the launch.

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Knee-deep in her own studies, Ms Todd declared, “While uni textbooks are like the Brussels sprouts of the literary world, Greg’s stories are like chocolate mousse!”

Mr Mutton had some answers for how his stories have so aptly appealed to his readers, many of whom were in attendance.

“I write about real characters, putting them into extraordinary circumstances and seeing how they respond,” Mr Mutton elaborated on how the characters can occupy his dreams and build their own stories.

“Much of what I write down in the middle of the night is garbage,” Mr Mutton humbly proclaimed, “however, there are always some gems hidden in it, which can become a whole book.”

While he does not have a background in quantum physics, nor was he really keen on writing in his school days, his long and varied personal and professional experiences as an engineer have allowed him the broader perspective to be the writer that he has become today.

“Much of the science that forms the basis for things that happen in my book, and in other science fiction, is actually mainstream now,” Mr Mutton explained.

“Everyone has a story in them, and writing is the easy bit… getting over yourself is the hardest thing a writer will do,” Mr Mutton told the room.

Released as a prequel to his original trilogy, which is currently available through the website www.gregmutton.com and at the Hawks Nest Newsagency, Incident at Zyralin 4, Mr Mutton says, “touches on things that were alluded to in the first book, Reunion.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE