Zigzag Timeline: BNG FRIDAY: The Keys to the Stars by Stephen Kozeniewski

Friday, February 6, 2015

BNG FRIDAY: The Keys to the Stars by Stephen Kozeniewski

Every Friday until its publication, I'm going to blog something about Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls and Gadgets, a YA sci-fi anthology featuring tech-savvy heroines. The goal is to encourage more girls to enter Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math professions. All revenues from sales of the anthology will be donated to a scholarship fund through the Society of Women Engineers.

Today, I'm spotlighting one of the stories that will be featured in the anthology.

TITLE
The Keys to the Stars

AUTHOR
Stephen Kozeniewski

STORY DESCRIPTION
In August of 1955, Judy Kraybill receives a strange transmission on her ham radio. Now,

Judy is good at a lot of things - cracking codes, for one. Talking to aliens? Not so much. At first, she wonders if what she's found is even real. But then, she discovers that something much larger is afoot. With little more than guts and an attitude, Judy finds herself thrown into a madcap adventure she could never have dreamed of.

WHY WE PICKED IT
This story was just loads of fun to read. The encounter between Judy and the alien holds lots of fun surprises and a nice dose of adventure. Judy's spunk and attitude make her a delightful character to follow.

AUTHOR BIO
Stephen Kozeniewski (pronounced "causin' ooze key") lives with his wife and two cats in

Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the modern zombie. During his time as a Field Artillery officer, he served for three years in Oklahoma and one in Iraq, where due to what he assumes was a clerical error, he was awarded the Bronze Star. He is also a classically trained linguist, which sounds much more impressive than saying his bachelor's degree is in German.