Episode 292: A.R.K. Watson on her book The Vines of Mars: Murder in the First Colony (July 6, 2026)

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews A.R.K. Watson on her book The Vines of Mars: Murder in the First Colony.Tomás thought he had accepted the tragic loss of his sister to the natural calamities of the Martian frontier, until the day a mysterious stranger emerges from the desolate landscape-- on a planet where everyone knows everyone and newcomers only come by rocket. No one is supposed to survive outside the colony and yet this strange half-feral boy has. What's more, he knows what really happened to Tomás' sister. Everything Tomás believed about his world, his family, and his hometown is shattered.Driven by a newfound purpose, Tomás discovers that his sister also held a groundbreaking secret—one that could rekindle Mars' faltering terraformation efforts and save them from the carnivorous vine forest that threatens their borders everyday. Now, to safeguard his planet and seek justice for his family, he must confront the unsettling reality that his sister, the Martian colony he calls home, and everything he learned about his life, was built on layers of deception.A science fiction mystery that blends with the haunting notes of southern gothic literature. All the drama and intrigue of The Expanse but set amidst a small town inspired by Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles. https://www.amazon.com/Vines-Mars-Murder-First-Colony/dp/B0CSTBQ19N/