Solaris Rising

In a future North America divided by conquerors, a newly created nation looks to an unlikely young man, abandoned as a newborn without so much as a name, for redemption and a rebirth of patriotic pride. The recognition of his gifts as a leader and a fighter propels him onto a trajectory no one envisioned. Will he rise to the challenge or are the hopes of this new nation misplaced?

In the aftermath of a non-nuclear World War III, North America is divided into two colonies by the victorious members of the Confederation. Russia and China split the continent along the spine of the former Rocky Mountains, with Russia naming its new territorial possession Petrovistan and China naming its possession Pacifica. But the border is never fully established before the two former allies fight each other on the Eurasian landmass. Soon, Sino-Russian hostilities start to play out along the so-called PetPac Line which was intended to divide the North American continent. Then a new generation is born. In Petrovistan, a young baby boy is left abandoned on the doorstep of an orphanage and is named Clay Solaris by Sister Samara, who comes to love him like a son. At the same time in Indonesia, a country that retained neutrality in both wars, twins are born to a powerful ruling family. Clay grows into a military genius unseen in generations, while the Indonesian twins follow very separate paths. While their backgrounds differ greatly, in time these representatives of a new generation are destined to meet. As Clay Solaris gains international recognition, events force him to begin questioning his loyalty to his Russians overlords. A clash is brewing on the horizon and Clay's new nation looks to him for hope and a rebirth of patriotic pride.

John T. ("JT") Skewes grew up in an Air Force family, traveling and living in many parts of the United States. In 1976 he earned a Bachelor's Degree from Fresno State University, and from there started a long career in business. While John was a licensed Certified Public Accountant in California and Arizona, he spent the last 30 years of his career in senior management positions at law firms. John lives in Fountain Hills, Arizona, with Carol, his lovely wife of over 45 years. The couple have a daughter and son-in-law, Stephanie and Josh, who live in Los Angeles, and a son and daughter-in-law, Ian and Martha, who live in Houston.