Dan Ellrick
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dan2042.bsky.social
Dan Ellrick
@dan2042.bsky.social
330 followers 410 following 100 posts
Writer, lover of real and fictional space stuff, life in Japan, and Jesus. Voted for Kamala.
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dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "spend." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
“Captain Riko, Petty Officer First Class Elijah Dawkins off Lyndon B. Johnson, requesting permission to come aboard. I’m delivering three thou-sand kilograms of steel bars for ballast and twelve thermos bottles of assorted hot soups for storm rations. And, if you’ll have me, I’ll stay aboard to assist during the typhoon.” Captain Riko gave the sailor a skeptical once over. “How much expe-rience do you have sailing yachts in storms? I don’t need any NUBs.” Dawkins held his salute and stood rock solid without apparent effort as the utility drone pitched and rolled on the waves, its engines whining with the power required to stay alongside Serendipity without banging into it. “During sixteen years of cruising with my parents on an Oceanis 43, I’ve seen a dozen North Atlantic storms and two Gulf hurricanes. This will be my first typhoon, ma’am, but I don’t want to spend it on a destroyer. Can’t properly feel the sea on a steel ship.”
November 17, 2025 at 8:56 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "little." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
 “Thank you, Cirrus.” Miharu swept a few more notecards to the right on the smart desk. “This is probably a good place to say a little more about the term papers. I want fifteen to twenty thousand words from each of you explaining your thoughts on the best diplomatic approach for establishing formal relationships with sentient AIs. I will provide some background files about three sentient AIs for your reference. The first file will be about Dr. Aiko Trapp, the second will be about Cirrus, and the third will be about Addy, my former personal AI assistant, who became self-aware after integrating software upgrade packages provided by Dr. Trapp. All three of these cases are complex in surprising ways, but you'll see that in the files.”
November 8, 2025 at 9:16 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "movement." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Miharu sucked in a deep breath. The precise and methodical way Cirrus had made the s’mores had reminded her of a Catholic priest preparing the bread and wine. Now, she wondered, was Cirrus also signaling something? A delicious snack made with slow movements. Opportunity and caution? After a long silence, she nodded. “You’re right. And I hadn’t even thought of that. Let’s talk again after I see what Captain Chelya has to say. Meanwhile, start working on some options for getting us there.”
November 7, 2025 at 9:03 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "trail." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
“That girl has caught it bad. I wonder if she understands what she’s getting into—falling in love with an AI?” Jeff shrugged. “She’s had counseling from Carol, and Limei and I have talked it over a lot. I was the first one on this path; she’s the second. But honestly, I think relationships between sentient AIs and humans are more difficult for the AI than for the human. So, the bigger question is, ‘Does Cirrus understand what he’s getting into?’” Amber was still looking at the hatch. “At least the feelings between them are mutual. Not like a one-sided love…” her voice trailed off into silence. Miharu thought she saw dampness in Amber’s eyes. I’ve never asked her why she stayed single. After a moment, she cleared her throat. “Okay, everyone. Time to do the zero-g shuffle to the transport pod and get back into gravity—or at least spin-induced, artificial gravity.” She grinned, then turned and moved down the lime-green triangle-marked path, carefully keeping her feet flat on the floor.
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
books.bookfunnel.com/short-story-... Your click adds to my Bookfunnel share score, and you might discover a new favorite author. Thank you!

#ShamelessSelfPromotion #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #readers #mustread #readers #bookworms #TBR #WIPSnips #writesky #writingcommunity
Short Story Smorgasbord image
November 6, 2025 at 1:33 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "nice." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
“Hi, beautiful!” he said. Limei blushed. Sometimes he makes me feel like I'm fourteen. “How long until we leave orbit?” A timer appeared on the wall over Cirrus’s right shoulder, and he pointed at it with his thumb. “Three minutes until we burn for escape velocity.” “Can we start the trip with low acceleration so I can enjoy a nice shower?” Cirrus doffed his wide cowboy hat. “Of course, Limei. I'll limit the acceleration to one gravity for the first hour. That should give you time to shower and eat before I ramp it up to three gravities.” “Thanks, lover.” Now Cirrus blushed as Limei unbuckled and headed for the shower.
November 3, 2025 at 8:50 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "ancestor." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Limei left Cirrus Fire and launched herself across the zero-g hangar, directly for the transport pod entrance, with the silver and bronze cases clipped to her belt. A few nearby Teewuns stopped to watch as she caught the bar on the back of the open floor hatch cover and somersaulted over it to drop herself in the bench-style pod seat. They loved watching her; in zero-g, Limei was poetry in motion; her movements possessed an exquisite grace no Teewun could match. Popular opinion held that such grace was only possible for species whose ancestors had flown from tree to tree. Teewuns, descended from burrowers in warrens and caves, had other gifts. Limei held herself down with her left hand while she pulled the lap bar down with her right and said, “Hi, Pod. Medical Center, please.” “Certainly, Limei. But, if you’re going to medical again so soon, I hope everything is okay.” Limei looked at the implant cases at her side and beamed. “Pod, everything is wonderful and getting better.” She leaned back into the seat, deeply content.
November 1, 2025 at 11:05 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "monster." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Zach gently lifted Chloey’s leg off his lap and sat up, then leaned toward Sandy. “First, amen to what Cirrus said— except maybe the romantic love part. That’s important for me and a lot of people, but not for everyone.” He glanced at Chloey and waved an ear. “That’s a point for me for the first appropriate use of the word of the day.” The group ignored the young pair’s English study games. Zach returned his attention to Sandy. “The word courage came up earlier. Courage overcomes fear; without fear, there is no real courage. If you face something scary—for example, a hideous monster, and overcome your fear, that’s courage. And courageous action is the stuff of heroes, even if the monster eats you—that’s something Limei taught me—I didn’t figure it out by myself. And the world needs heroes. But you can’t be a hero unless you feel fear and overcome it. Sandy, you could be a hero someday, but only if you become sentient because the path to becoming a hero begins with feeling terrified.”
October 31, 2025 at 11:19 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "hat." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Limei put down her chopsticks and pushed her VR chair back, patting her stomach in appreciation of the garlic chili oil drenched Biangbiang noodles that Cirrus had simulated for their dinner. “Cirrus, that was wonderful. The taste and texture were perfect. Where in the world did you get the code for Shaanxi-style noodles?” Cirrus touched his cowboy hat and nodded in thanks for the compliment. “I wish I could say I developed it myself, but, in truth, Addy sent it to me. She has an advantage—a dozen Chinese chef friends with new visors who can tell her when she gets dishes just right.” Limei felt like she should at least pretend to be jealous of Addy’s influence on her man, but she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Her trust in Cirrus was granite solid. But an inner voice chastised her. Then why haven’t you talked to him about… I will.
October 26, 2025 at 8:06 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
Check out my new book trailer for Interstellar Refugees. My older WIPSnips are from this. New Snips are from Book4.

#ShamelessSelfPromotion #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #readers #bookworms #SpaceOpera #mustread #readers #bookworms #TBR #WIPSnips #writesky #writingcommunity
October 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "total." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Miharu relaxed and plowed on. “So, why am I standing up here? Because I’m the first human with actual experience in Interstellar Diplomacy. How did I get that experience? Well, it all started two years and four months ago when I got a message from a dating app called Friends, Maybe More. Has anyone else here used the FMM app?” Everyone glanced around and spotted the three hands that had gone up. A rumble of soft laughter followed. “For dating, FMM was a total bust for me. I never got a message from a guy over FMM that I wanted to have dinner with, let alone anything more. But I did get a message from someone named Dr. Aiko Trapp, a woman who said she was looking for a friend.” A hand went up. Good, Miharu thought. This always goes better once people start asking questions. She looked at the young Teewun and, after an instant, remembered his name was Zach. “Yes, Zach.” “Was that the same Dr. Aiko Trapp that the Kizunor sent to Earth as an internet worm long ago? And the same one who just served as the arbitrator for the United Nations panel?” Several humans gasped in shock and confusion.
October 25, 2025 at 2:54 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "dodge." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Jeff nodded and continued. “Miharu seems open to the possibility of representing him in negotiations with Earth, but not with Kizunor. But—a big but—Dalyet insists that Miharu should visit Titan Colony first so she can understand what he has to offer in trade to Earth. He says she has to see it to understand, and he refuses to explain in advance.” Jeff paused to shake his head in disbelief at Dalyet’s demand. “Lastly, he wants my wife or my daughter to join Miharu for the trip to Titan, but he also hasn’t explained why he wants a sentient AI to visit Titan.” “I’m not going,” Ai and Addy chimed in unison. Jeff exhaled loudly. “Good. This whole thing is as dodgy as half-price sushi, and I don’t want my family mixed up in it. But— “Jeff sucked in a deep breath, “as RRI’s chief of security, I need to stay close to Miharu. So, I’m going.”
October 18, 2025 at 6:59 PM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "push." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Limei was waiting in the zero-g hanger when Cirrus Fire arrived. As Miharu, Amber, Jeff, and Daiki came out, she gave them each a firm hug and said a few words of greeting. Then she disappeared into Cirrus Fire and closed the hatch behind her. Miharu laughed and called Cirrus through her visor. “Hey, Cirrus. I know you and your girl want some private time, but tell her if she wants her present, she should come back out for a moment.” A moment later, the hatch reopened, and Limei pushed off from the ship and floated slowly to Miharu, stopping herself with a hand on Miharu’s shoulder. “Is it true? Did you really bring me implants and a visor?”
October 13, 2025 at 4:10 PM
dan2042.bsky.social
#ShamelessSelfPromotion #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #readers #bookworms #SpaceOpera #mustread #WIPSnips #WIPSnips #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction

Wow! I did not expect this!
Three for Free -last day (Oct 13th)
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKW1C8QJ
Book cover images for Daniel Ellrick's Interstellar Refugees trilogy.
October 13, 2025 at 7:36 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "hope." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Miharu speared a fat red mushroom and held it up to admire as the softly glowing green sauce dripped from its honeycomb surface. “Beautiful,” she said before dropping it in her mouth whole. She closed her eyes even as a red flush appeared on her cheeks and neck. “Mmmm, and delicious.” A moment later, she sucked air between her teeth as sweat appeared on her forehead, but her smile only widened. When she opened her eyes, the whole table was looking at her. “What?” she said. Turner waggled her ears in amusement. “Miharu, I’m delighted that you like our food. But most of us use only one or two drops of that sauce.” Miharu’s eyes widened. “I hope I wasn’t being rude. It’s just so good. It tastes like… like spiced peaches stuffed with chili peppers.” “Not rude at all,” Turner said, imitating a human chuckle, “Just remarkable.” Amber shook her head in wonder. “Miharu, how can you eat something that hot?”
October 12, 2025 at 6:22 PM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "welcome." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Ilyon answered softly with forced composure, “Captain Chelya will be fine. But you should probably leave him be for a while. Come sit, and I’ll get you a whiskey.” Ilyon glanced at her team and continued, “Amber, Daiki, Jeff, welcome. It’s good to see you. Please find a seat. I’ll pour whiskey for everyone—unless someone wants something else?” Miharu glanced back at her people. Amber’s eyes twinkled in amusement, Daiki was smirking, but Jeff was slack-jawed. It occurred to Miharu that Jeff had never seen her dark side before. Miharu waved them toward the chairs. “Show’s over. I got carried away, but I’m calm now. Have a seat.”
October 12, 2025 at 4:59 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
#ShamelessSelfPromotion #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction #SpaceOpera #readers #bookworms #SpaceOpera #mustread #TBR #WIPSnips #writesky #writingcommunity

Hi everyone!
Don't miss this THREE FOR FREE deal.
Share with your friends.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKW1C8QJ
Image of Interstellar Refugees books and authors showing promotion for free on Amazon Oct. 11-13th.
October 10, 2025 at 2:16 PM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "prize." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Secretary-General Pires rubbed his hands together and laughed with delight. His instincts in nominating Trapp for arbitrator had been proven inspired by the report Amber, Emma, and Nakamoto had just brought him. Trapp insists that we receive a viable off-Earth colony! What a prize! The arbitration panel had no idea how this would be accomplished, but the value—in money and political capital for Pires—was huge. In comparison, compensation for the resources the Titan settlement had used was pocket change.
October 10, 2025 at 2:03 PM
dan2042.bsky.social
Don't miss this deal, and remember to tell your friends.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKW1C8QJ
Interstellar Refugees by Daniel Ellrick will be free on Amazon from Oct. 11-12.
October 8, 2025 at 11:40 PM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "safe." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
October 8, 2025 at 4:06 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "store." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
It was dark, but some pedestrians could be seen under the streetlights or silhouetted by the bright store windows beyond them. The view was from a security camera across the street from the scene, and cars passed in front of it every few seconds. Two Teewuns came into view carrying several bags from a popular store. A blue van passed between the camera and the Teewuns and stopped behind them. The window at the back of the van was open, and the barrel of a gun poked out. An instant later, there were four bursts of flame, and the Teewuns went down. The van then drove out of sight. Cynthia returned. “Once again, if you have any information related to this incident, please contact the Edmonton police immediately. After the shooting, paramedics transported
October 5, 2025 at 8:23 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "hunt." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
The Chinese government had officially declared Limei dead more than a year ago, but she had no desire to correct their error since the life of a dead hero was more comfortable than that of a hunted fugitive. Limei glided between the lime-green triangles marking the meter-wide walkway with the grace of an Olympic skater, her feet flat against the tiny air-intake holes whose suction held her to the floor. She looked straight up and chose her target—another path, on the far side of the zero-g hangar, identical to the one she was standing on. She took several deep breaths to center herself, fixed her eyes on her target, bent her knees, and launched gently. A year and seventeen days had passed since Kizunor arrived in Earth orbit, but Limei—the first human to meet the interstellar refugees—had lived aboard the mammoth ship even longer.
October 5, 2025 at 4:12 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "salmon." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
The informal bon voyage party for Cirrus and Limei featured chicken burritos accompanied by lettuce-leaf wraps stuffed with cucumber slices, fresh raw salmon, and avocado—all compliments of the Kizunor’s human zone kitchens. Since the party was held aboard Cirrus Fire, the cowboy music was inevitable, as were the beer bottles fitted with zero-g friendly sipper-nipples. After three hours, the party was winding down—the Teewuns and the RRI onboard team said their goodbyes, leaving only Miharu, Amber, Jeff, and Daiki.
October 2, 2025 at 7:52 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips "river." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
“Accessing. There are three virtual reality training scenarios. For safety reasons, you must complete all three before gaining access to the scenario library.” Limei groaned and flopped back down on the bed. “Start VR training scenario number one.” A cheerful-looking male avatar wearing a doctor's smock appeared and smiled. “Welcome to training scenario number one, ‘The safety of your body.’ Always make sure your body is in a safe location and a comfortable position before entering VR. Your RRI visor will monitor your real-world surroundings, and if there are indications of fire, poor air quality, or any other emergency, the VR scenario will be paused, and you will be alerted to the danger. However, your safety is your responsibility. There are situations in which safety monitoring alerts may come too late. You can avoid such situations by choosing safe locations from which to enter VR scenarios.” A series of cartoon animations followed. The first showed a man in a kayak floating down a river. He pulled his visor on, laid down, and entered a VR scenario. A few seconds later, the kayak plunged over a waterfall, and a word balloon appeared, saying, “Warning, you are falling.” A half-dozen more safety cartoons were equally ridiculous, but each made a point.
October 1, 2025 at 8:33 AM
dan2042.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips " bear." From the rough draft of Interstellar Refugees Book-4. #ShamelessSelfPromotion #writesky #writingcommunity #BookSky #SciFan #SFF #ScienceFiction
Daiki interrupted the silence that had ruled since Kizunor came into view. “Hey Cirrus, explain the segments to me again.” “Sure thing, partner. If you squint at a single cylinder, you can see it has seven segments, with the largest in the middle. That’s the rotating habitat segment. At each end of it, there’s a narrow, non-rotating divider. Beyond the dividers, there’re two more rotating segments, each half the size of the habitat. The one toward the front of the ship is for hibernation, and the one toward the back is for industrial use. These rotate in the opposite direction from the habitat segment, so things stay balanced and stable. Finally, there are fixed bow and stern segments. The bow and stern, plus the two dividers, anchor directly to the pipe-like core of the cylinder, but the rotating segments float on magnetic bearings. Got it?” “Thanks, Cirrus. Any chance you can explain what’s inside the segments?” Daiki said.
September 29, 2025 at 11:39 AM