His third book, “The Perelandra Paradox: Discovery,” is a science fiction tale following the adventures of Ernesto, an airline pilot who discovers a most unusual spaceship of mysterious origins in his garage.

I recently sat down with Jim to talk about his life and new book.

(This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Tell me a little bit about your background.

I came from Cleveland, Ohio, and raised from age 5 by a single mom. In my youth, I was in the Boy Scouts and Civil Aviation Patrol.

I came to California because I was looking for my dad. I was in the Navy Reserve for a while on submarines and was in the Marine Corps and as an avionics officer.

I did the logical thing that one does after getting out of the military, I became a hippie. I went to Palomar College. I supported myself and paid for flying by making jewelry. While I was in college, I met the Lord.

I remember my first flight lesson. As soon as the wheels come off the ground and you feel the wings take the weight … ahh, yes! Haven’t looked back since then!

You and your wife owned an FBO and eventually served with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Ecuador. When did you start to write?

I always liked to write. I am an introvert by nature, and I recharge by being on my own. So being an MAF pilot in Ecuador was wonderful. You’re by yourself in the airplane! I had all this time to think. I had this burden — I really want to write! But what I felt the Lord was saying to me was: pray, fly airplanes, write when you can.

We came back to MAF headquarters to work on home staff. They looked at some of my newsletters and they said, ‘we’d like you to write.’ So, I wrote copy for MAF. Then I started doing “All Over the World” (internal MAF publication) and writing devotionals for those. My first book came out of that, a collection of those devotionals, “Call For News.”

My next book is called “Mile High Missionary: A Jungle Pilot’s Memoir.” Our time in Ecuador was such a privilege, such an honor, such a joy and I wanted to share that, and the challenges along with it, too. My goal there was to put the reader in the pilot’s seat.

So “The Perelandra Paradox” is your first novel. Have you always been a science fiction fan? What is your inspiration?

Yes, always a fan. Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, Sumac. Science fiction captured my attention since I was in high school.

Where did you get your idea for your novel?

One thing that intrigues me is how ordinary people, how ordinary believers respond when they encounter extraordinary circumstances. That fascinates me. We have Corrie ten Boom who was an amazing example of that. What about in this (story’s) context? I started wondering about that. Then it just kind of grew. It wasn’t a wholly formed idea. Once I got the idea of what would happen if this guy found a spaceship from the future, that was like a big door opening for me.

The book is set in the early stages of COVID. Is that when you were writing?

I started writing before COVID became a thing. I set it in 2020, and 2019 to 2020 is when I did most of the work.

I thought about just bumping it forward, but I did a lot of research about where the planets were going to be when Ernesto goes to Jupiter and what phase the moon would be. That was a lot of work! So if I set it in late June and early July of 2020, Jupiter was where I said it was and the moon was where I said it was.

And that was important to you?

Yes. One of my hobbies is astronomy. And I knew there were going to be people reading this who I want to have some credibility with. Like the flying stuff, I ran some of that past airline pilots and asked, does this make sense? And the missile and orbit stuff, I took all my research and had a retired rocket scientist check it. I wanted it to be plausible.

The novel is set in Boise. What’s the why behind that?

You’ve heard “write what you know”? That’s where I’m at now. Why not Boise? I know Boise better than most other cities.

Fantasy is fun. But the whole idea was to ground it in as much of today and the kind of thing anyone reading this book today might encounter.

In the acknowledgements section, you mention that Emily Ruskovich (award-winning author of “Idaho”) had her class help edit the first few chapters. Can you tell me about that relationship and how it came about?

My wife Regina was getting her doctorate at BSU. And I thought well, maybe they have something in writing, and they do, they have two creative writing classes. The first semester I took creative writing, and the second semester I got special permission for the advanced creative writing class, and Emily taught that one. The first few chapters I wrote while I was in that class, and the class critiqued them. And these were undergrad seniors and they’re barely old enough to be my kids! But it was fun.

It was a helpful experience, especially getting the younger perspective.

If the Perelandra spaceship appeared in your garage, would you have stepped in the green circle and did what Ernesto did?

(Laughs) I don’t know. Part of Ernesto is me. I want to fly the thing! What I really want is a spaceship. I would certainly be tempted. Hopefully the professional side would get some professional help. I’d like to think, because I’m a responsible adult, I’d get some help with it.

Tell me a little about Katie, the AI (Artificial Intelligence) who helps Ernesto operate the Perelandra.

She’s a beta model so they’re trying to make it more person-like. She does develop an attitude, and that thread will develop more in the next book, when she will cause more problems.

Speaking of next book, when can we expect the next installment?

I’m hoping to have book number two out in the fall.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about the book, or you?

It’s important to me that people find their calling. Our ministry is what God equips us to do and we all have a part in this. Some are more visible, and some aren’t. That’s something I’m hoping to encourage people with, that we all have a place, we all have a value and a function in God’s plan.