In Your Next Beach Read, we want to introduce you to a new author every day in June in the hopes that you’ll find the next book you want to take with you to the beach, the pool, or the comforts of air conditioning.

Today’s author is Joe Tankersley, author of Reimagining Our Tomorrows: Making Sure Your Future Doesn’t SUCK.

What’s your name and where are you from?

Joe Tankersley. Originally from Nashville Tenn., but I’ve lived in Central Florida since the mid-80s

How long have you been writing? How did you start?

Somewhere there is a really, really bad sci-fi short story that I wrote when I was in 10th grade. Pretty sure it was a direct rip-off of Starship Troopers (Robert Heinlein) or some other space adventure that I read too many of in my youth.

Who are some of your influences?

All the classical sci-fi writers…