Why an alternate reality? Why not?
It all started with a readers comment sent to me by Shelly shalimar. She read "The Girl Who Touched the Stars" and apparently enjoyed it, and sent me the comment to let me know. Now I get nervous whenever I Include a "real" character in my work, but Shelly was one of the residents of The Neighborhood and deserved a place in the tale.
Shelly then suggested that with a little tweaking, TGWTTS might be a good fit in her Little Kids Kamp universe. Seemed like a good idea to me, so I dove in. Shelly was kind enough to guide me on this effort. She proofread the first draft, corrected a few glaring errors, made some suggestions, and gave excellent advice. And somewhere along the way I created two new characters.
Sarge is the first. She is the embodiment of every crew chief I ever met in the Air Force. The fact that she is a woman does not in any way diminish her first and best destiny. Few are worthy to be a crew chief.
The other is myself. Yes, Tina Michelle Smith is finally appearing in a story, and will probably appear in more.
So expect to see Sarge, Tina, and The Bear Market in the future. The Bear Market can be found just off the Street of Dreams, or in a certain mall. It has a way of being where it is needed. Come on in and you'll always find Sarge drinking a cup of real Air Force coffee (brewed extra strong so it won't slosh out of the cup when the aircraft hits turbulence.) Sometimes Tina hangs out there as well, and sometimes the kids from the Kamp drop in.
Aim High!