It's No Fun Being An Illegal Alien: Tryfling Mattters Book Excerpt


I'm still working on Tryfling Matters (There Goes the Galaxy Book 3) and have reached 42,000 words, so it's been some good progress. I thought you all might enjoy a quick snippet of what I've been working on. (No plot spoilers, so don't worry!)

In a recent scene set on Earth (Tryfe), my character Bertram uses the excuse that Rollie, who is from the planet Hyphiz Delta, is from Holland. Rollie's still trying to get his arms around the idea:

“I’m from Holland,” Rollie grumbled as they walked from the bus stop on their way to the ship. He’d been unusually quiet the whole bus trip back to Shadyside. “I’m… Hollandaise… now.”

Bertram stifled a laugh. "Wherever you heard that word? Just: no."

“Well, I wouldn't know, would I? It's why I've always kept things vague with Tryfe people.”

"Dutch," said Bertram. "You'd be Dutch."

"Dutch?! How the frag do you get that from--"

Rozz patted his shoulder. “Chill out, Rollie. That’s why it’s perfect. This is the U.S. Not knowing anything about the rest of the world is a total badge of honor. You’ll be golden.”

Rollie seemed unsure. “Maybe I can find some books on it.”

“Look,” said Bertram, “tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, water, legalized drugs and prostitution. That’s all the average person here knows. It’s a non-issue.”

“So like Vos Laegos with impractical footwear and wind power?” Rollie smiled. “I should visit sometime; research.”