Buy Steve Tyler Lawson a coffee

As a kid, I was an oddball-dorky-nerd who got kicked around for loving knowledge, fantasy, and big ideas. In school, I was showered with epithets such as “weird,” “geek,” and “fag.” At the time, it hurt, but now I consider their words mere philistine interpretations of my unconventional behavior and eclectic interests: science, science fiction, electronics, computers, spirituality, and the cosmos both within and beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

When I became interested in girls and they made it clear they weren’t interested in me, those other interests provided a comforting diversion. Though my interests made me a pariah—and though I chose to be angry about it—I never abandoned my curiosity. I coped with the pressure to conform by becoming quiet and reserved.

“Dorky” was the label back then; today, I’d likely be recognized as on the autism spectrum (undiagnosed, but it sure would explain a lot!). A learning disability (diagnosed long after my school days) made institutional education a brutal fit. So I dropped out, taught myself what I needed, and found circuitous ways into engineering—making a modest living as an uninspired tech worker just paying the bills.

But two other currents ran through my life. First was a deep, multifaceted spiritual search. Second was the voice of my grandfather—Dr. H.S. Mendenhall, an astronomy and mathematics professor—who firmly insisted I get a grounding in hard science. As difficult as it was to push through, I did. And along the way, I fell in love with it, because science is fascinating.

The result of that collision is an odd duality: a spiritualist with a scientific backbone.

That friction—between the rational and the mystical, the measurable and the unseen—is the engine behind everything I write, both fiction and nonfiction.

I’ve left the tech grind behind to focus fully on writing. If you appreciate work built from this intersection, your support here directly buys the time, tea, and focus it takes to bring these stories to life.

You can find my works via my website: www.SteveTylerLawson.com