Trials

Trials is a fast-paced science fiction thriller that explores the roots of human nature through the characters of Jonah and Evie Shepherd. Jonah and Evie watch their lives and marriage disintegrate as Jonah is wrongly arrested and found guilty of treason during a midnight military tribunal. Accompanying this devastating news is the reality that Evie will never see her husband again as he is exiled to a penal colony on Mars. Jonah, a retired and tormented soldier, realizes that things aren't as they seem when he lands on Mars to find two camps fighting for power, with the convicts in complete control of one side of the colony. To make the situation more difficult, Jonah learns that researchers on Mars have unlocked the future of human survival at the terrible cost of human experimentation and sacrifice under a scientist named Jillian Jaspers. Jonah is forced to confront the nightmares of his past with the help of a young girl named Zoe as the two seek to survive under the harshest circumstances in the solar system.

On Earth, Evie Shepherd and her three children do their best to survive as they are faced with yet another separation from their beloved husband and father. As she implores congressmen and governors to consider her husband's trial and bring him back from his exile, she learns that Jonah was not as innocent as she once thought and is forced to finally take a stand when she learns the truth about the underground movement aimed at overthrowing the totalitarian government under which they live. On the brink of war, Evie finds herself in the middle of a rebellion that threatens to tear the country apart; but her strategic partnership with Governor John Wilkes is also her greatest hope to unite the country and bring Jonah home again.

Motivated by power and greed, antagonists Jillian Jaspers - a mad scientist whose goal is to further the human race, Malek - a self-crowned megalomaniac of the convict camp on Mars, and a shadowy technology and mining company named Unicore will do anything further their personal agenda. As Jonah and Evie fight for survival in the hopes that they will one day be reunited, they are forced to explore their commitment to each other and their commitment to morality; no matter the cost.

Thane is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute with a degree in psychology and a minor in English. Following college, Thane married his high school sweetheart Sarah, and started his career as a cavalryman in the United States Army. After over eleven years of service, he has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan where he was personally engaged in ground combat. His service has thus far earned him two Bronze Stars and numerous other awards and decorations. Relying on his psychology background, military experience, and Christian faith, Thane writes novels that seek to explore human nature under dire circumstances, the reality of pain and suffering, and the resilience of individuals to accomplish super human feats. Thane's hopes are that as readers experience his character's journey through the gift of reading, readers will be greater equipped to endure the inevitable ups and downs in life itself and dream to accomplish greater things. In addition to his wife Sarah, Thane is blessed to have four wonderful children that do all they can to keep him from pursuing his love of writing.

Sarah Keller is an artist, graphic designer, and natural light photographer.