Storyteller Chester L. Richards chats with me today about his memoir, The Trek Continues: More Memoirs of a Rocket Scientist.
Bio:
Chester L. Richards is a retired aerospace engineer, prolific inventor with nineteen patents, and a storyteller whose life is a celebration of curiosity and courage. Known for co-authoring the iconic “Star Trek” episode “The Tholian Web” while still in college, Richards went on to fill his life with adventure—from river rafting in remote locations to composing music, surfing, and working on cutting-edge space technologies. His insatiable appetite for exploration and learning became not only a lifestyle, but also the fuel for his creative work.
Chester is the author of the memoir series Memoirs of a Rocket Scientist, which includes From the Potato to Star Trek and Beyond: Memoirs of a Rocket Scientist (Treks Beyond The Great Potato Book 1) and The Trek Continues: More Memoirs of a Rocket Scientist (Treks Beyond The Great Potato Book 2). Through these works and more than fifty published essays, he shares personal stories marked by wit, depth, and a contagious sense of wonder. Whether recounting encounters in exotic locales or detailing the oddities of hospital visits, Richards infuses every tale with the adventurous spirit that defines his worldview.
At the heart of it all was the love he shared with his late partner Sarah, whose memory continues to inspire his writing. From their Thousand Oaks home, Richards wrote his way through grief, turning their shared adventures into narratives that are as touching as they are thrilling. With a romantic soul, a scientific mind, and a born writer’s instinct, Chester L. Richards invites readers to see life itself as the greatest adventure of all.
To learn more, visit www.chesterlrichards.com.
Welcome, Chester. Please tell us about your current release.
This is the second book of a trilogy of true stories from a long lived life. It introduces some of the extraordinary people met along the way and visits some very exotic places.
What inspired you to write this book?
I started writing these stories in the dark days after my wife died. Writing them helped lift me up from the depths. I was surprised at the positive response I received from circulating the stories, so I continued writing them. The stories just kept piling up and these books are the result.
Here are two excerpts from my second book The Trek Continues:
From “Sea Story”
Have you ever heard a scream? I don’t mean a fake Hollywood movie scream. I mean the real thing — a blood curdling, hair raising, gut twisting howl of astonishment and terror. Well, I have. I heard it late one night on a distant island.
I’ll start at the end. It was 1972. This was a long time ago. A time when people were worried about the Cold War. But on this trip, that was a very distant concern. Picture a gently undulating mirror that was the sea, a sea that quietly reflected the starry glory of a soft summer night. The ocean here was nestled within the protecting channel between Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands. In the far distance was a sprinkle of dim sparks along the Santa Barbara coast. All around us were other boats — a multitude of boats, their lights dancing slowly in the low swells. Sweet accordion harmonies and masculine songs enveloped us from all sides — we were anchored in the midst of the myriad vessels of the Russian fishing fleet.
For us this, too, was a night of celebration — it was our last night at sea. Sometime after midnight we would start the long haul east and south to our final berth at Dana Point, and then home. The morning would have its charms as well as we cruised along, escorted by a large pod of gray whales, and a school of dolphins playing happily in our bow waves, wishing us bon voyage and good cheer.
But that was the still unknown morrow. Tonight we celebrated as all travelers on the sea celebrate their night before landfall. We sang songs, we laughed through skits and we told stories of our recent adventures.
From “Gold Fever”
Then there was the Crown Prince of Yugoslavia. Of course he wasn’t the real crown prince, though Roger called him that. That he was a collateral prince of the Serbian House of Karađorđević I have no doubt. His trained mannerisms proclaimed his royal heritage. If things had been different, he might, in reality, have been in line for the now non-existent throne.
The prince had a peculiar studied grace about him, as if every movement was rehearsed beforehand and then precisely, and smoothly, executed. His head was always posed to show a regal profile, not condescending but never acknowledging familiarity with his inferiors. His walk was more a glide than the typical American jounce. His arms never reached out without deliberate intention.
He didn’t just pick something up, his hand would flow to the desired object and his long manicured fingers would smoothly fuse together with the object. This elegant reach and touch was to cause him a problem when we dined.
The prince had a man servant. This aide was more the prince’s shepherd than his servant. You see, the prince was not exactly brilliant. In fact, he gave the impression that he was elegant on the outside but rather empty within. His shepherd had to guide his every action, especially since he knew little of English and even less of American customs.
At noon we took the prince to lunch. The restaurant was a popular Newport Beach family eatery, famous for its high quality hamburgers. Naturally, we all ordered hamburgers and fries. After a short conversation between the prince and his shepherd the prince also ordered a hamburger. I believe his thinking was along the lines of “when in Rome…” What he got was obviously not what he expected. He looked at the burger on the plate and was visibly dumbfounded. How was he going to eat this whatever it was. Gracefully he reached for the silverware, then he hesitated and appealed for help to his shepherd.
His shepherd informed him that the proper etiquette was to simply pick the object up and eat it. The prince must have thought us all savages. Gamely, and with obvious mental struggle since this violated all his training, he gingerly picked the thing up and took a bite. Too small a bite. The juice dribbled down his chin. He was embarrassed as he wiped his chin. Then he looked around the table at the rest of us happily chowing down, shrugged his shoulders and, now being in “Rome,” devoured the hamburger like a true American. One has to learn sometime.
What exciting project are you working on next?
The third book of the trilogy is finished in draft form. I hope to begin its edit and eventual publication in the coming months.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
It happened so slowly and naturally that it caught me by surprise when I realized I had already become one. The start was coauthoring the third season original Star Trek episode, “The Tholian Web,” with Judy Burns. Later, I found my daily journals were popular stories when I read them to my companions around wilderness campfires. Then came the trauma of the loss of my dear Sarah.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I write when I must. An idea starts nagging at me and I have to sit and exorcise the darn thing. Usually this involves writing a couple thousand words in a single sitting until I run out of steam. Then, I often wake up in the middle of the night with a continuation idea. I don’t get much sleep when the draft is coming together. Next I put the story aside for several days until I can look at it fresh for the polish.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I surprise myself with how the words flow. There is a rhythm and alliteration in my writing style that comes naturally.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I became what I dreamed. Today that is called a “Rocket Scientist.” Actually, I am an Engineering Physicist.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Life is an adventure. Anything you do for the first time is an adventure, good or bad. Treasure these experiences for they are your greatest wealth.