Alumni Book Nook: Robert Adams (BusAdm’97)

University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Robert Adams is the author of self-published science-fiction novellas written under the pen name R. Bert Kenn. His latest book, Past the Dark Rim, was published in February 2024 and is the fifth and final instalment in the Machines novella series.

Adams, who earned his certificate in business administration from the Edwards School of Business in 1997, worked for Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services from 1975 to 2000, retiring as a senior fire inspector. Following his employment with the City of Saskatoon, Adams pursued additional training in occupational health and safety, which led to employment with government, industrial, and civil entities in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Adams now lives in Beaumont, Alta., outside of Edmonton, and was inspired to write his series of novellas as “a retirement strategy to keep mind and spirit alive.” Past the Dark Rim features street names and locations in Saskatoon, as he aimed to capture more of Saskatoon and Canada in his latest work.

(Its focus is on) alternative history with persons from Earth (Terra) interacting with other-world persons to save the galaxy from an invasion of AI machines.

I’ve always been fascinated by science, science fiction, fantasy, alternative history, and worlds beyond imagination—reading Heinlein, Asimov, McCaffrey, among others. I think I’ve always had a sci-fi story or two buried in the back of my mind. Retirement gave me a chance to pull it out and get it written down.

In my case, I searched for agencies to market my work. I joined the local writers’ guild, entered sci-fi contests, and wrote query letters to agents and publisher reps. There are so many writers in the sci-fi genre that agencies rarely read the work past the precis. With my inbox full of “thank you, but no,” I researched the self-pub route. I wasn’t liking the advertising promises and returns on investment. That led to researching other places to publish, such as Kobo. I started my own website, with the help of two pals in Saskatoon. Lastly, I engaged a printer in Edmonton to print the first two novellas of the series.

I think we all remember primary, secondary, and post-secondary education where the watchword was “do your homework.” Do the research. Reach out to other authors on social media (LinkedIn, etcetera). Do what suits your situation. Believe in your ability, but don’t think you’ll make the best-seller list or win the Governor General’s Literary Award. Write because you like to write. Tell your story.

I really do like to challenge myself to craft a story, thinking about how characters—from other worlds—might look or what idioms they might employ when conversing. I wanted also to begin, and continue, my writing to include Canada.

Along the Spur
Outside the Core
Clusters (Parts 1 and 2)
Around the Perimeter
Beyond the Void