EUGENE, Ore. - s4story -- Word Out Books and former award-winning newspaper writer and editor, Daniel K. Talburt, 50, announce the release of his debut novel, Destination Unknown, just published on the Word Out Books imprint.

This 89,555-word science fiction epic follows the exploits of Erik Vallatin, former Earth Fleet cadet-turned-entrepreneur, and his intrepid crew as they find themselves drawn into a battle they could not have envisioned.

Erik never wanted to be a hero. He joined Earth Fleet only to appease his father, Admiral Jack "Dead Eye" Vallatin. Shirking off the constraints of Earth Fleet rules and regulations, Erik drops out of Earth Fleet Command Academy to start his own shipping business, but Fate has other plans.

When he journeys to a distant Earth Fleet shipyard to purchase a decommissioned starship Erik gets more than he bargained for with the one hundred-year-old USS Destination, a relic from another time which never made it out of spaceport.

His guide to the Destination is Tari, a beautiful alien woman. Erik finds himself powerfully drawn to her in ways he cannot understand. He also encounters Jamie Montayne, the engineer who lost his career in a bottle of whiskey thanks to the intractable Destination. Erik convinces the two to join his quest to make the old ship do what she has never done before: fly. The new friends must race against time to save Destination from demolition as a war games target.

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In a twist of fate, Erik and his team rescue an Earth Fleet crew left for dead by hostile thieves in possession of a powerful weapon. Together, they must work to stop the pirate menace before it strikes again, leaving devastation across the cosmos.

Talburt earned his BA in journalism from College of the Ozarks in Branson, MO in 1994. He is an avid reader of science fiction, and it shows in his writing. He uses numerous subplots in his books to enhance the story and the resolution of his plot lines. Talburt prefers serial writing to single volumes because he gets to know his characters more deeply. Destination Unknown is the first book in the Destination series, with more books in the series to come. Look for Dead in Space coming soon. Destination Unknown is available through the publisher at https://www.windinghall.com or online booksellers.

The author can be contacted by mail at:
Daniel K. Talburt
12128 Lewison Ln
Gretna, NE 68028