Trail Log 03

Movies, Pen Names, and...Romance?

Learning the Rules of Romance

When I saw the Sci-Fi / Romance writing prompt from Nebula Magazine, I had a story in mind that I felt was romantic at its core. I decided to clean it up and submit it, but first, I needed to do a little research. I don’t read romance, so what were some basic genre foundations?

I quickly discovered a hard truth. Romance fans have a non-negotiable requirement. The story must end in a Happily Ever After (HEA) or, at the very least, a Happily For Now (HFN)!

If you know my work, you know I rarely write happy endings.

In the original draft of The Pod Chaser, the lead character left Olyvia for a second time. He slipped away, breaking her heart and leaving her alone on a stripped-down Earth. To me, it felt gritty and realistic. To a romance reader, however, that is a broken promise.

I also had no idea there were so many romance tropes to navigate. I spent hours digging through the various archetypes, eventually deciding that the Second Chance trope was the perfect fit for Elgin and Olyvia.

I went back to the drawing board and rewrote the ending. It was a fascinating exercise. I had to find a way to keep the high-stakes of the sci-fi world while ensuring the emotional payoff readers deserved. You can read “The Pod Chaser”, for free, in Nebula Magazine #3.

I have some gratitude to share.

First, a huge thank you to my two “little helpers.” They went on a scouting mission through an aquarium to find the strange and fascinating creatures that eventually became the inspiration for the “whale lice” populating this story.

Finally, thank you to Nebula Magazine for the challenge and for publishing my story last year. It was a fun stretch of my creative muscles, and I am proud of where these two characters ended up.

Using a Pen Name to Push My Comfort Zone

I am sometimes asked about my pen name. I am certainly not ashamed of my real name. It is distinctive, and I am very proud of it. People often have trouble pronouncing it (they regularly butcher it badly). More importantly, the name T.R. Naus is a deeply personal reminder.

By nature, I am a procrastinator, but when I joined the Army, I was part of a team that challenged me to improve. It was my first duty assignment, and that team was awesome. They expected my full commitment to compete for the best team on watch, and that meant I had to give it my all. We worked the swing shift, covering the end of one duty day and the start of the next. We had a ritual for our log (yes, pen and paper) and a slam book (trash-talking before the internet). At the start of each shift, we’d sign in as “Trailriders” and sign out as “Trailblazers.”

The “Trailriders” identity stuck with me.

T.R. Naus became my personal reminder to fully invest in what I was doing while exploring new things to make it happen—especially when it was outside my comfort zone. Writing and putting my work out into the world is often outside that zone, so it was an easy decision to use it as my pen name. It is a nod to that swing shift team and the discipline they instilled in me.

My Annual Oscar Marathon

I love movies, so every winter, I clear my schedule for a very particular ritual. I attempt to watch every single nominee in the Academy’s top categories: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Cinematography. My favorite place to hunker down for this annual marathon is a darkened theater of the AMC Best Picture Showcase.

I am extremely happy to see how far sci-fi, horror, and fantasy genres have come in the eyes of the Academy this year. There are three stand-out films leading the pack:

• Sinners: Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller is the undeniable heavyweight this season. It made history with 16 nominations, the most for any film ever. It features a powerhouse performance by Michael B. Jordan in Best Actor and a haunting, record-breaking work by Autumn Durald Arkapaw in Best Cinematography.

• Frankenstein: Guillermo del Toro finally brought his dream project to life, and the Academy noticed. It secured a Best Picture nod, along with Jacob Elordi’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his soulful, existential turn as the Creature.

• Bugonia: Yorgos Lanthimos continues his streak of the bizarre with this sci-fi conspiracy comedy, earning Emma Stone another Best Actress nomination and a coveted spot in the Best Picture race.

• Do we add One Battle After Another to our list of genre films?

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, March 15, 2026, and I am very interested in your predictions.

Stray Signals

• What am I reading? Don’t forget to check out my Goodreads and let me know what you are diving into.

  • I finished Brothers of the Gun for another UMW Great Lives lecture. It is a well-researched book with a gripping narrative. It is a powerful reminder of how single events can define us for a lifetime. However, reading their story made me realize they had even more colorful lives before that fateful day. It is easy to let a single moment overshadow a person's full history.

  • I am nearly through the Beastie Boys Book. Since hearing Licensed to Ill in high school, which dates me, I’ve been a huge fan. I am particularly impressed with the format and insight of this audiobook. The guest voices add a layer of depth that most memoirs miss. What I find most inspiring is how they never let a lack of knowledge stop them from trying something new. They dove into projects they were not prepared for, and the results were spectacular.

• Valentine’s Day music can be challenging for the sci-fi enthusiast, but I really like “Let You Down” by Dawid Podsiadło. OK, maybe it is a little more haunting than romantic, but the vibe is there. Check this song and more on my Spotify playlist, Cyberdyne Drive.

• Submission Tracker: 36 submissions, 32 rejections, 2 acceptances.