S. Hutchinson: Hi. This is Sean David Hutchinson, and I am the author of At The Edge of The Universe. I'm going to tell you a little bit about how I came to write this book, and then I'll share an excerpt with you.

At The Edge of The Universe was born from my love of science fiction and my desire to explore that space in young adulthood, where we transition from one life to another.

I used the concept of the shrinking universe to show how a person can both loathe the place they grew up and also be so afraid of the unknown that they never leave, and how the fear can apply to relationships and people, as well as to a physical location.

And now I will read an excerpt to you.

I found my mom sharpening knives in the garage when I got home from work. I'd always thought my mother was one of the most beautiful women on the planet, straight dark hair, intelligent, slightly devious eyes, like she was smarter than you and knew it.

My anger at her over the divorce hadn't dulled that feeling, though she did look sinister sitting in the lawn chair next to her sedan, dragging a long carving knife across the surface of the whetstone in silence. "Feeling stabby?" I asked.

Since my parents had announced their divorce, I tried to avoid my mom whenever possible. Maybe I was treating her unfairly, but she was the one who pushed Dad for the divorce, and blaming her took less effort than trying to understand her. Mom looked up. I thought she'd heard me pull into the driveway, but she froze like I'd snuck up on her.

"What?" She said. She glanced at the knife in her hand. "Oh. They needed sharpening." "Right," I said. "Well if Dad winds up dead and full of holes at the bottom of the canal, the police might find this moderately suspicious."

Mom rolled her eyes and continued working on the knife. She drew the blade slowly and precisely across the whetstone, the measured sound hypnotizing. "I'm not planning to murder your father, Ozzie." She paused for a moment. "At least not today."