CM Simpson: Writer & Gamer

Today, we meet Michal (Mikey) Campling , one of the 20 contributors the latest Expanding Universe anthology , and author of Changes and the Colony B , The Darkeningstone , and The Downlode Trust series, as well as three collections of short horror, and co-author (with Saffron Bryant) of Prison Quest . Mikey has also contributed to several anthologies, including: Uprising , The God Machine , Ancient Enemies , and The Expanding Universe Volume 3 .Please welcome him to the blog. ---------------------------------------------------------------- I was only a nipper when the Apollo moon landings took place, but I was old enough to catch the excitement in the air. The launches were my favourite part: the astronauts smiling and waving, the anticipation as they climbed aboard, and finally, the ominous countdown, the numbers enunciated with an authoritarian tone that could not be denied. There was always the hiss and swirl of mysterious fumes that vented from the sides of the mighty ...

There are 20 short stories in the latest volume of Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthologies. Today, with Craig's permission, we are taking a sneak peek at the start of Michael Campling’s story, ‘Endpoint’ . Here’s how it begins: ---------------------------------------------------------------- One mission will make or break Sergeant John Chapman’s career; it’s just a damned shame nobody told the enemy Squad Transport Shuttle Bravo-Three-One Two hours out from Earth, Sergeant John Chapman glared at the message on his helmet’s HUD, his gaze lingering on the final line: Not everyone has what it takes to be a Cutter . He rubbed his thumb across his gloved fingertip, swiping the message away. Thanks for the pep talk . There’d be more messages from the Colonel during the exercise, and whether the team passed or failed, the debriefing session afterward would make root canal treatment seem like a holiday. It was almost reason enough to make it through this t...