Kyle’s Journal

I started this blog on August 21, 2012, with the release of my first book, Titan Encounter. Since that time, I’ve updated the website several times and I’m gradually updating the blog format and bringing it into this new journal. Back then, the sole purpose of the blog was to promote my books, but it gradually expanded to new topics. Sometimes I’ve mused about other things that are important to me, such as my family, my farm, rural life, and occasionally about politics and the country. However, I do try to limit politics.

Books That Changed My Life, Part One

Books changed my life. In 1966, I was a bored eleven-year-old who never read anything unless I was under duress. That was the year my parents bought acreage just outside Shaffers Crossing, Colorado, at that time a remote mountain village of about thirty people.

No television and few radio stations reached Shaffers Crossing. Satellite TV belonged to the realm of science fiction, and cable television was still rare. No one had heard of the Internet. Our telephone line consisted of a single wire shared by eight neighbors.

Personal, BooksKyle PrattAugust 28, 2026books, Farmer in the Sky, Tunnel in the Sky, Stranger in a Strange Land, Starman Jones

I Want Beta Readers!

Every time I complete a manuscript, I need beta readers—and people often ask me, “What is a beta reader?”

In the general sense, a beta reader is a test reader of an unreleased book. They provide feedback to the author from the perspective of an average reader. A good beta reader offers an unbiased opinion on plot, pacing, consistency, and character development. This helps the author identify and fix issues before the work is published. Unlike an editor, who focuses on sentence-level corrections, a beta reader gives feedback on the overall story and its emotional impact.

Beta-ReadersKyle PrattOctober 27, 2025books, fans, new book

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