WTF Moriah

09/11/2026

✨🌟Author Spotlight: Ray Tabler 🌟✨

From Blueprints to Blaster Fire: The Science Fiction of Ray Tabler

How a retired engineer combines mechanical logic, sharp wit, and adventurous storytelling across the speculative fiction landscape.

About Ray Tabler

Ray Tabler is a retired engineer and author originally from Louisville, Kentucky. After moving to Michigan for his engineering career, he settled there for several decades. Tabler is the author of five books published by Histria Books and Nazca Press: "A Grand Imperial War", "A Grand Imperial Heir", "Fool's Paradise", "The Diesel-Powered Starship", and "Smitty's Guide to Interstellar Bartending". His short fiction has appeared in "The Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine", "Baen's Universe", and "Cosmic Crime Stories".

An Engineer’s Imagination

There is a distinct satisfaction in reading science fiction crafted by someone who understands how things fit together. When an engineer turns to fiction, the resulting worlds rarely rely on empty spectacle; they possess structural integrity, deliberate pacing, and clear internal logic. For Ray Tabler, imaginative worldbuilding is a natural extension of an analytical mind trained to evaluate how complex systems operate under pressure.

Rather than relying on vague hand-waving to explain futuristic machinery or space travel, Tabler grounds his narratives in cause and effect. That technical mindset provides a practical foundation where starships, orbital stations, and interstellar empires feel sturdy, functional, and inherently plausible.

Worlds Built to Work

While technical instincts inform every corner of Tabler’s fiction, his storytelling avoids the dry detachment that can bog down hard science fiction. Instead, mechanical coherence serves as a springboard for momentum, humor, and character-driven adventure. Faster-than-light propulsion, planetary defense grids, and political institutions operate according to recognizable rules, but the spotlight remains squarely on the people navigating them.

Tabler recognizes that technology is only as compelling as the characters attempting to operate, repair, or outmaneuver it. His narratives move quickly, enlivened by dry wit, sharp dialogue, and an appreciation for what happens when clean theoretical plans collide with real-world friction. By pairing functional worldbuilding with the pacing of classic adventure tales, Tabler delivers stories that are both intellectually satisfying and entertaining.

From Space Opera to Diesel-Powered Starships

The range of Tabler’s novels illustrates his comfort across different subgenres. In "A Grand Imperial War" and its sequel, "A Grand Imperial Heir", he tackles expansive space opera, chronicling the rise, fall, and maneuvering of rival factions. Victories in these conflicts hinge as much on supply lines, tactical cunning, and structural strategy as on raw firepower, giving the galactic scale a grounded, believable weight.

Alongside grand conflicts, Tabler regularly explores playful, high-concept premises. "The Diesel-Powered Starship" demonstrates his ability to take an unconventional premise and treat it with genuine mechanical curiosity, following the practical challenges of an internal combustion-driven vessel traversing the void. Combined with the satirical edge and colorful cast of "Fool's Paradise", his novel catalog moves seamlessly from sweeping political drama to eccentric, focused adventure.

A Writer with Range

Beyond full-length novels, Tabler has maintained an active presence in speculative short fiction markets, including "The Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine", "Baen's Universe", and "Cosmic Crime Stories".

The short form demands economy and discipline. Whether staging a futuristic mystery, a tense spaceborne dilemma, or a comic high-tech misadventure, Tabler’s shorter works showcase his ability to establish compelling rules and vibrant characters within a few thousand words. This ease between expansive novel arcs and compressed storytelling underscores his versatility as a craftsman.

Recent Releases and What Comes Next

Tabler continues to broaden his catalog through Nazca Press. Released just last week, "Smitty's Guide to Interstellar Bartending" leans into science-fiction comedy, exploring galactic civilization from behind the counter of a spaceport watering hole filled with alien and human patrons.

Looking ahead, the upcoming "Sideways in Noir—From the Casefiles of Joe Briggs, Crosstime Private Eye" merges hardboiled detective tropes with parallel-universe investigation. Across both projects, Tabler continues his signature approach: combining distinct narrative styles into inventive, accessible stories built on solid foundations.

Where to Start with Ray Tabler

For readers exploring Tabler's work for the first time, these entry points highlight different facets of his catalog:

- For Space Opera Fans: “A Grand Imperial War" introduces his large-scale galactic politics and strategic conflict, continuing in "A Grand Imperial Heir".

- For Sci-Fi Comedy and an Accessible Perspective: “Smitty's Guide to Interstellar Bartending" delivers a lighthearted, relatable look at life in the cosmos through the eyes of a working bartender.

- For High-Concept Adventure: “The Diesel-Powered Starship" showcases his knack for turning an unorthodox mechanical premise into a fast-paced journey.

- For Satire and Character Intrigue: “Fool's Paradise" highlights his comedic timing and sharp character dynamics.

- For Short-Form Fiction: His standalone stories in genre magazines and anthologies offer quick, self-contained examples of his wit and problem-solving plots.

09/10/2026

This is a great opportunity to meet some new authors and maybe sell a few books!

IT'S HERE IT'S HERE

Applications for BookBash 2027 ARE OPEN
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09/09/2026

Check out this weeks episode with sci-fi author Ray Tabler Science Fiction You Can Enjoy!

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

09/09/2026

Episode 9 with sci-fi author Ray Tabler Science Fiction You Can Enjoy is available now! This was the 2nd interview I did for WTF and you can tell but I think it still turned out pretty well…although I did almost ☠️ a couple of times.

09/06/2026

Another busy week! Ray Tabler Science Fiction You Can Enjoy is the special person of the week and our interview will go live on Wednesday. And then I have 3 interviews this week with Ryder Hamilton Jones, Kendall Concini-Moore, and Mindy M Mather - Author!

09/06/2026

Authors interested in attending, check out the 🔗⬇️!

09/05/2026

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09/03/2026

✨🌟Author Spotlight: Ashley Scott Opens the Gates to McFarland Park🌟✨

There is a particular kind of magic that happens when a writer loves something so completely that the love spills over into every sentence they write. For Ashley Scott, that something is the extraordinary connections that shape our lives — between a lost cat and the tom who finally lets her in, between a reader and a blank journal page, between a dragon and the friends who somehow put up with him. Scott writes cozy fantasy, humorous fantasy adventures, and heartfelt animal fantasy, and it is that same devotion to wonder that animates “The Queen and the Tom”, the opening book in her ongoing series, “The Marvelous Cats of McFarland Park”.

Scott grew up in the Deep South, in a childhood she describes as full of stories — a household where fantasy novels lined the shelves and imagination was simply part of the air she breathed. It is easy to trace a line from that early immersion in fantastical worlds to the ones she builds now: clever dragons, unforgettable cats, unlikely heroes, and characters searching for where they truly belong. On her author site, Scott puts one guiding philosophy plainly — she believes cats are wiser than most people. Anyone who spends time in the world of “The Queen and the Tom” will understand exactly what she means.

A Story of Escape, and the Discovery of What Freedom Really Costs

At the heart of the novel is Kit, a young tortoiseshell cat who has never known anything but neglect. When she finally escapes the confines of her human household, she expects freedom to feel like relief. Instead, she finds herself alone in a wild and unfamiliar world, where survival is its own complicated game with its own unspoken laws. The feral society of McFarland Park does not simply welcome newcomers — it tests them.

Kit's unlikely guide through this new and perilous existence is Rudy, a battle-scarred old tabby tom whose past is shrouded in mystery. Rudy has lived long enough to have loved and lost, to have earned his scars honestly, and to have accumulated a kind of hard-won wisdom that cannot be taught, only survived. Through Rudy, Kit begins to learn not just how to endure in the wild, but how to belong somewhere — and what it costs, and what it's worth, to let yourself be known by another creature after a lifetime of being overlooked.

Where Fiction and Real Life Meet

Perhaps the most affecting detail behind “The Queen and the Tom” is where its central relationship came from. Scott has shared that the character of Rudy was inspired by her own cat of the same name — a real companion who was by her side for twenty-four years. That kind of devotion, stretched across decades, leaves a mark on a person. It's easy to feel that mark throughout the novel — in the tenderness of Rudy's scenes, in the ache beneath his gruffness, in the sense that his wisdom was not invented but remembered. Fiction often borrows most powerfully from real love, and Scott's choice to carry her own Rudy into the pages of McFarland Park gives the novel a foundation of genuine feeling that readers are likely to sense even before they know the story behind it.

Building a World Worth Believing In

Scott's commitment to her feline characters goes beyond plot and emotion — it extends into the architecture of the world itself. In shaping “The Queen and the Tom”, she created an original language for the cats of McFarland Park, a choice that speaks to just how seriously she takes their interior lives. Rather than simply having her characters act as stand-ins for human concerns, Scott has built out a fuller, more distinct feline perspective, one with its own logic, its own history, and its own way of making meaning out of the world. It's a detail that rewards close readers, and one that signals just how much care has gone into making McFarland Park feel like a real, lived-in place rather than a backdrop.

A Wider World of Wonder

Ashley Scott's imagination doesn't stop at the park gates. In her series “Corbin & Company”, she trades whiskers for wings, following a witty cast through a magical realm of dragons, quests, friendship, and wonderfully complicated bureaucracy. Where “The Marvelous Cats of McFarland Park” leans into tenderness and survival, “Corbin & Company” leans into humor — proof that her stories move easily between the cozy and the comic, the heartfelt and the hilarious, without losing sight of what she cares about most: found family, unlikely heroes, and courage that shows up in the most unexpected places.

This warmth extends into her “Enchanted Pages” guided journal collection, where Scott steps outside of narrative fiction to create space for readers to write their own stories. From cat-inspired gratitude journals to guided journeys through dreams, moonlight, and personal growth, these collections invite reflection, creativity, mindfulness, and self-discovery. They are, in their way, an extension of everything her novels already believe — that paying close attention to the small, quiet moments of a life is its own kind of magic, and that slowing down long enough to notice it is worth doing.

Themes That Linger

Underneath its adventure and danger, “The Queen and the Tom” is a story about connection — about what happens when a creature who has only ever known neglect is finally given the chance to be seen, guided, and claimed by something like family. It's also a story about resilience: the particular kind of strength it takes to keep going in an unfamiliar and sometimes hostile world. And it's a story about memory, about how the past — Rudy's mysterious history, Kit's early neglect — continues to shape who these characters become, even as they move forward into new lives. These same threads run through the rest of Scott's work, whether she's writing about a dragon negotiating magical red tape or inviting a reader to sit quietly with a journal and their own thoughts. Beneath all of it lies the bond between animals and the humans who love them, a bond Scott clearly understands from the inside, and one she has translated onto the page with unmistakable sincerity.

Discover Ashley Scott's Worlds

“The Queen and the Tom” is only the beginning. As the opening book in “The Marvelous Cats of McFarland Park”, it lays the groundwork for a wider world still waiting to be explored — one built out of scars and second chances, feral courage and quiet devotion. Readers drawn to Kit's journey and Rudy's hard-earned wisdom will want to watch for what Scott brings to McFarland Park next, and many will find just as much to love in the dragons and delightful chaos of “Corbin & Company”, or in an “Enchanted Pages” journal of their own. Whether she's writing about a cat searching for shelter, a dragon buried in paperwork, or the quiet work of filling a blank page, Ashley Scott keeps returning to the same truth: the greatest journeys aren't always the ones that take us somewhere new. Sometimes they're the ones that finally bring us home.

09/03/2026

I appreciate your interest in the podcast, and I want to clarify a few things about how we work together.

I produce this podcast independently, dedicating my personal time and energy to it. While it may not be the largest platform, I'm committed to creating meaningful content and providing opportunities for guests to share their voices.

If your circumstances change or you're uncertain about our scheduled interview time, please reach out to me directly. I'm accessible and easy to contact, and I genuinely appreciate clear communication.

I manage quite a bit—I'm a full-time single mother of two young children, I work full-time overnight shifts, I write part-time, and I juggle numerous other responsibilities. I do my best to accommodate guests, but I also need to protect the time I've set aside for our conversation.

If you're unable to attend our scheduled meeting for any reason, please let me know as soon as possible. I'm understanding about life's unexpected moments, but advance notice makes a real difference.

Thank you for respecting the work that goes into this.