Oakdale Resident Overcomes Obstacles in Writing Science Fiction Books

Erik Hyrkas might not have believed it if you told him 14 years ago that he'd be releasing his second book

Afterall, he's faced a few challenges along the way.

Hyrkas, 39, has been writing as a hobby for most of his adult life. A software developer for Thomson Reuters, Hyrkas has been dabbling in writing books in his spare time.

In his 20s he wrote a book only to face rejection after rejection. Once Hyrkas finally landed an agent the man died the following day.

"It was heartbreaking," Hyrkas said.

Hyrkas eventually got another agent only to be rejected by "every publisher known to man." Hyrkas took a break from trying to put a book out until until last year.

Hyrkas had surgery in November and during his six weeks of recovery wrote his first science fiction book, "Tritium Gambit." The book follows two beings — Max and Miranda — who are half alien and half human agents for the Intergalactic Secret Service. The two are paired up to protect earth from various catastrophes. 

"It's not as much about the setting as much as it's about humor, the characters and emotions."

The first book takes place in Minnesota. His sequel, "Mercury's Curse," brings the duo to other parts of the world. 

"It's largely a comedy and science fiction," Hyrkas said. "It’s kind of tongue-and-cheek. It doesn’t take itself too seriously."

Instead of finding an agent and publisher, Hyrkas hired his own editor and put "Tritium Gambit" out himself on Amazon. The book has more than 8,000 readers worldwide and was ranked No. 47 on Amazon's best seller's list for Science Fiction Adventure stories.

Hyrkas never planned on writing a science fiction book. 

"I usually don't read science fiction," Hyrkas said. "When I was younger I wrote more fantasy (books), but it was a more crowded market."

Hyrkas plans to release his sequel through Amazon by Christmas. Hyrkas has also created a KickStarter project — a funding platform for creative projects — to raise funds for his sequel. 

Hyrkas has set a goal of raising $500 by Oct. 31. For more information about Hyrkas' KickStarter project click here.

"I’ve been having so much fun with this," Hyrkas said. "It's definteily not about profits. I have a full time job, so I just want to share my story."

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