NOW

(Literally what I’m working on right now)

 

Upgrading Stargazing Guidebooks

(Updated May 2026)

 

My early stargazing books, such as 50 Things to See With a Small Telescope (2013) and 50 Things to See with a Telescope for Kids (2018), were wildly successful. However, in 2025, these titles were frequently leveraged to produce AI-generated imitations—authorless books that outpace my original works in SEO and marketing.

My goal for 2026 is to publish new stargazing books that are a massive leap forward from these original titles. These updated versions feature improved custom star maps, better images (most of which I captured myself), and the latest technology, such as smart telescopes.

50 Things To See with a Small Telescope will be replaced by a new book titled The Ultimate Beginner Telescope Guidebook. While a KDP paperback is available on Amazon, I am working to bring a premium hardcover to the market as soon as possible. This is a new process for me, as the hardcover will be printed in bulk and shipped through a distributor.

Here is a link to The Ultimate Beginner Telescope Guidebook (paperback): https://amzn.to/4d3b6QK If you write a review I will be eternally grateful :-)

A new kid’s book has been written as well. It came in at about 25,000 words, about double the word count of the original. This book is currently in the design phase.

 

YouTube

(Updated May 2026)

 

Since my in-house editor & brand manager (Heather) left to work full time at Andy’s East Coast Kitchen, I’ve been struggling to produce consistent stargazing videos on my YouTube channel. However, I did challenge myself to film one university-level astronomer lecture per day for the first three months of 2026.

I’m working on consolidating these lectures into one long YouTube video with chapters so that the viewer can skip around to whichever astronomy topic interests them. The video will be called “I Teach Astronomy for 12 Hours” or something along those lines.

If you’re interested, all of these lectures are already online here: www.skool.com/astronomyclub

Other upcoming videos include one on the new Vespera Pro Telescope, as well as the ML Astro strainwave mount. Note, I’m not an influencer (pe say) and these aren’t really reviews. When I film a video, I’m filming it to help people use the telescope they’ve got, I’m not really trying influence their purchase decision, although it sometimes works out that way.

 

Fiction

(Updated May 2026)

 

Sometime around 2014, I published a book called The Martian Conspiracy. This was my first attempt at speculative fiction. It was clearly a “first novel,” but I learned a lot working with a professional editor to get the book to the best it could be.

I wrote a sequel in 2017, Callisto Deception. The quality of the writing improved, but readers were less impressed with the plot. Note: These were written before I’d completed my astrophysics degree, and before my Masters in Space Systems Engineering. They were heavily influenced by my flying experience with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets (1998-2001).

In the early 2020s I started writing fiction again. Except this time, I’m writing it for my kids. I’ve written the first 5 books in the series, and I’m currently editing book #2.

I’m planning to send book #1 (Escape from Callisto) to my Agent (DV Agency) soon. One of my neighbors, Lenn Roberts, is currently working on the internal artwork.

On most days, I start my day writing. I write at least 1000 words, I call it my “Thou.” Hoping to have at least 3 of these books published for Hal-Con.

Stargaze NS Legal Case

(Updated May 2026)

 

As many of you know, I purchased a 26 acre property in 2023, and named it Stargaze Nova Scotia. In 2024 we moved the Abbey Ridge Observatory over to the property. The goal was to give residents of Halifax Nova Scotia a place to come and learn about the night sky.

I worked with an architect who developed a site plan that included 12 cabins and a lodge with the option to include a small (50 person) planetarium and cafe. We included camping sites for setting up telescopes and small rentable observatories. As of 2026, this is still just a site plan. No structures have been designed.

We submitted the plan to the city in early 2024, and after many environmental surveys, and many iterations, the site plan (development agreement) was approved in January of 2026.

However, shortly after its approval by the city, the development agreement was appealed by someone living in the commercial development across the lake from us. They hired a lawyer and expert witnesses, and are hoping to force a reversal of the city’s decision to approve the development agreement. If you want to dig into it, the details of the appeal are found here: Database URL matter number M12682: https://uarb.novascotia.ca/fmi/webd/UARB15

Much of my day (and much of my energy) is now spent responding to lawyers. We’ve also asked the observatory (now a non-profit) not to hold any events until the appeal is concluded. The neighbor is using activities at the observatory as evidence in their case against Stargaze Nova Scotia.