We have all been there: not feeling good about ourselves and not feeling whole. But at some point you must accept what has happened to you and move on. But how do you accept what you think may be unacceptable?

"Laugh or Cry: Finding the Lighter Side of disabilities" will hopefully, put a smile on your face and laughter in your heart. It was written with all readers in mind because my associate and I both have disabilities, and if we are able to find humor in our circumstances, perhaps we can help others also find some acceptance and relief in difficult times. We have put together some essays and anecdotes that hopefully will show all readers that humor IS the best medicine. After all, sooner or later we will all face some disability.

So, whether you have a disability or not, this book was written for you. If you do, we show how humor has helped us overcome our hardships and frustrations, and for the temporarily able-bodied, we want to show you how you too can find humor in your situation; whatever it may be or become.

"People First " is a multi-genre anthology of some of F. Alexander Brejcha's previously published and original fiction stories motivated by his own extensive disABILITIES and desire to entertain mainstream readers and inspire readers with disabilities to reach out and LIVE Stanley Schmidt, editor of "Analog Science Fiction and Fact" writes: ..".I hope you'll also notice that the stories are rarely about those disabilities; they're about people (who just happen to have disabilities of one sort or another) dealing with larger problems. You may also notice that many of the stories also deal with intelligent beings reaching across barriers to make contact and achieve understanding, whether it's humans with different sets of abilities, or humans and nonhumans with very different ways of living and experiencing the universe. They are, in short, about reaching beyond whatever limitations one might have--and we all have them--to find ways of living rich, satisfying, enjoyable, and rewarding lives. That's what Alex is about, too, and I think you'll enjoy his company as much as I have."

In short, this book is meant to be a fun read for all, using science fiction, romance, horror, and suspense--but if it also happens to inform, motivate, and inspire, then so much the better.

"No World Warranty" begins with a rewrite of two Nebula Award-recommended novellas about the potential horrors and salvation of nanotechnology. Originally published in "Analog Science Fiction and Fact" as "StarStep" and "The New Land"--latter given Honorable Mention in Gardner Dozois' annual "Year's Best Science Fiction (8th Annual Collection," 1991, St. Martin's: New York]), this adds a concluding novella. Inspired by "The Engines of Creation" by K. Eric Drexler (Anchor Press/ Doubleday: Garden City, New York, 1986), this epic tale describes building a whole new world to settle after Earth is nearly destroyed.

But when we get there, it turns out that we're not alone

"Analog's" editor Stanley Schmidt writes: ..".You may also notice that many of (Alex's) stories also deal with intelligent beings reaching across barriers to make contact and achieve understanding, whether it's humans with different sets of abilities, or humans and nonhumans with very different ways of living and experiencing the universe. They are, in short, about reaching beyond whatever limitations one might have - and we all have them - to find ways of living rich, satisfying, enjoyable, and rewarding lives. That's what Alex is about, too, and I think you'll enjoy his company as much as I have."