Boyd, Austin

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Boyd, Austin

PERSONAL:

Married; wife's name Cindy (a pianist); children: Austin, Andrew, Alexander, Alice. Education: Attended Rice University. Hobbies and other interests: Bicycling, woodworking, and yard work.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Huntsville, AL. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, pilot, engineer, and businessperson. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), San Diego, CA, vice president and business development manager. Military service: U.S. Navy pilot.

WRITINGS:

"MARS HILL CLASSIFIED" SERIES

The Evidence, NavPress (Colorado Springs, CO), 2006.

The Proof: A Novel, NavPress (Colorado Springs, CO), 2006.

The Return, NavPress (Colorado Springs, CO), 2007.

Also author of poetry and a one-act play.

SIDELIGHTS:

Austin Boyd, a longtime Navy pilot who became a finalist in the NASA astronaut program, is the author of the "Mars Hill Classified" Christian science fiction series. In the first book in the series, The Evidence, NASA commander John Wells questions both his faith and his training as an astronaut when confronted with evidence of life on Mars that may be linked to a terrorist attack on U.S. targets. Serving on the space station in the year 2011 when the attacks occur, the religious Wells becomes involved in uncovering the terrorists' plans and in the quest to determine whether telecommunications from old equipment on Mars proves there is life on Mars. Wells must also decide whether or not to accept a new mission that will take him from his wife and family. In the meantime, Reverend Malcolm Raines believes that any life discovered on Mars must be evangelized. "Austin Boyd has taken a fresh exciting look at an old question: is there life out there?," wrote Eileen Key on the Road to Romance Web site. "His unique perspective reels in a reader and creates a page turning novel."

In the follow-up to The Evidence, titled The Proof: A Novel, Wells is about to take off on a mission to Mars to discover if there is life on the planet. Reverend Raines is also gaining attention as his prophecies seem to be coming true. Raines is building a following but also opposition, including Wells's wife, Amy, who believes much of what Raines preaches is blasphemy. "Much like The Evidence, The Proof presents its readers with a mix of mystery, technology, and faith that make it feverishly compelling," wrote David White on the Christian Review of Books Web site.