Space pirate Aston West stumbles upon a derelict freighter, fresh from
a recent battle, and can’t fight the urge to pilfer a valuable cache of highly
illegal weapons. One last stowaway fights back, thinking him part of an earlier
boarding crew. Attack craft return to finish the ship off and Aston has no
choice but to save her from certain destruction.
Who is she? What are the weapons for? Why was the freighter destroyed?
Aston discovers more questions than answers, and his life is put in jeopardy
every time he stops to catch his breath. Aston’s life motto of never getting
involved is put to the test, and he must decide whether to become a hero for
people in need, or continue his path of self-preservation.
Heroes Die Young actually started out from a dream I’d had, in which a spaceship was being destroyed all around someone. When I woke up, I immediately picked up my notepad and began jotting down notes based on the dream, questions to spur thoughts about what someone was doing on-board a ship, why the ship was there in the first place, and who was trying to destroy it. That led to even more questions and notes, and the process continued until I finally had a story fleshed out. Ultimately, the original dream became the basis for the last portion of the first chapter of the book (which can be found as a free excerpt over at my website).