Wilbert E. Hornbeck's Fantastic Adventure

By Heather Massey

In 1897, boiler inspector Wilbert E. Hornbeck discovers a mysterious airship near Springfield, Missouri. Even more wondrous are the pilots--a nude man and woman of incredible beauty.

Who are they? Why are they here? Determined to find answers, Wilbert spies on the couple as they lustily cavort in the forest. The voyeuristic scene excites him beyond measure. But when they take him prisoner, Wilbert's life takes a turn for the fantastic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heather Massey
• Release date: May 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301210091

Heather Massey

Heather Massey (she/her) is a geek mom who's the proud parent of a terrific daughter and married to the love of her life. Heather is best known for her sci-fi romance blog The Galaxy Express.Though she’s neither an award-winning nor bestselling author (thank you for not judging!), her stories provide quality entertainment by way of fantastical worlds, action-adventure, and larger-than-life characters who fall in love while battling evils such as classist jerks, corporate greed, the patriarchy, and corrupt politicians.

Book preview

Wilbert E. Hornbeck’s Fantastic Adventure

By

Heather Massey

Edited by Theresa Stevens

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 Heather Massey

Cover Art: Heather Massey

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places, and events are from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to events, places or persons, living or dead, on Earth or any other planet, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Please don’t reproduce it in any form including physical, electronic, or other. (An exception is the use of brief quotations for the purposes of critical articles and/or reviews.) The author has asserted her respective rights to be identified as the author of this book and producer of the cover artwork.

Adult Reading Material

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Author's Note

Wilbert E. Hornbeck's Fantastic Adventure

About the Author

Connect with Heather Massey

About Editor Theresa Stevens

Other Books by Heather Massey

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to author K.T. Grant (Brass Balls and Hysteria). She knows why.

A hearty thanks to editor Theresa Stevens whose insights made me go, Whoa. Her feedback helped me strengthen the story in countless ways.

Finally, thanks and a big hug to my husband for his amazing support. I’m one very lucky woman.

Author’s Note

One of the most fascinating parts of UFO mythology concerns the mystery airship sightings of the late 19th century (1896-97). Back in the day, when I was a young, impressionable science fiction fan, I was swept away by the idea of strange and fantastical airships roaming the skies.

I loved to speculate that these airships were created from technology far ahead of its time—perhaps even technology of alien origins. I imagined myself in the shoes of people who claimed to have seen those early airships. The witnesses would have been completely in the dark about the true nature of such flying machines. As a result, they probably felt both frightened and exhilarated.

In fact, my fascination grew to such proportions that—fast forward to the present—when I became a blogger and author of science fiction and steampunk romance, I drew upon UFO airship lore for one of my stories.

Hence, Wilbert E. Hornbeck’s Fantastic Adventure was born.

Wilbert E. Hornbeck’s Fantastic Adventure was inspired by a real-life account of a mystery airship sighting. In 1897, a St. Louis-Post Dispatch newspaper article relayed the report of one W.H. Hopkins, a man who claimed to have seen not only an unusual airship in Springfield, Missouri, but also its crew. Intriguingly, the woman and bearded man were nude. Naturally,