I'm a big science fiction reader. I also like to watch a lot of science fiction on television. But I have little interest in writing science fiction because it's the type of genre that I like to read when I want to switch off.The best science fiction or speculative fiction books always have a big idea behind them. They have topics they want to tackle and often explain how these things may change our world for the better or worse.I love learning from speculative science fiction authors because it's great to hear how they approach big ideas and turn them into a piece of work that readers can enjoy.That's what this week's guest has done. His name is Gary Bengier, and he is the author of the award-winning speculative fiction or cross-fiction book, Unfettered Journey. I was fascinated to catch up with Gary because he had another career before he became a science fiction author. He was the CFO for eBay back in the late 1990s. It's fascinating to talk to somebody who had a corporate career but secretly wanted to become a writer and an author. In this episode, we discuss:How Gary funded his dream careerLessons from the corporate worldThe importance of measuring your output as a writerPractical tips for hitting deadlinesResources:Gary's WebsiteWhat Is Hard Science Fiction? Top 10 ExamplesBest Science Fiction Authors of All Time: 9 Writers To ReadSupport the showIf you enjoyed the show please leave a review on Apple. And if you have any questions you can find me on Twitter @BryanJCollinsThanks for listening!