Aziza and the Caves of Mars (2023) from DLG Publishing Partners
DLG Publishing Partners
Author Fred J. Lauver
Fred J. Lauver is a multi-genre author who resides in south central Pennsylvania with a deep passion for fictional and historical writing. He was the assistant editor of the acclaimed Pennsylvania Heritage magazine, where he spent more than a decade honing his skills in historical research and precise writing. He also co- authored The Pennsylvania Trail of History Cookbook with Diane Reed.
Fred’s latest novel is Heart in the Jungle: Mountain City from Sunbury Press, set in his hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1966. It’s a coming-of-age story set against the background of the Vietnam War and an 18-year-old lead character who faces what many young men face, the challenges of manhood, romance, courage, and the question of service to his country. The author is also known for his books in science fiction. This novel received “Honorable Mention” in the 2024 New York Book Festival.
His most recent sci-fi novel is Aziza and the Caves of Mars, from DLG Publishing Partners in Texas, a story of the first astronauts on Mars and the discovery of an existing civilization under the surface of the planet, led by a pharaoh and the beautiful Crown Princess Aziza. The novel follows his first release from DLG, Olympus, a novella about a city on the Moon and the survivors of a climate apocalypse which ended all life on Earth.
“My editor said they wanted me to flesh out the story more, so there was a lot of editing and adding more story before it was ready for release.” The short story expanded to a novella.
Lauver added, “The story was first written as a cautionary tale against climate disaster, before the pandemic of 2020 struck. In Olympus, humanity, at the brink of extinction, unites for one goal—survival.”
He began writing for Sunbury Press with short stories, including the supernatural “Seal of Solomon,” in the award-winning anthology, That Darkened Doorstep (2022), and “Whispering Angel” a story of a Russian immigrant in the anthology Bitter Sweet (2016), edited by Sunbury author Catherine Jordan. His writing journey began early in junior high school when he creatively incorporated vocabulary words into science fiction stories, igniting his love for storytelling. A journalism graduate from The
Pennsylvania State University, Fred’s career has been diverse, encompassing
roles as a rock ‘n’ roll band leader, service in the U.S. Air Force during the
Vietnam War, teaching English as a second language, an actor on stage and in
films, telecommunications executive, photography, public relations, a public
relations director for a business college, and personal management for
celebrity clients.
In Fred’s family history research, he has discovered inspiration in ancestors whose true stories are stranger than fiction. His primary inspiration and comfort are at his writing desk, surrounded by his family, including his daughter Amy at home, also a novelist, his two daughters in Colorado from a previous marriage, Rochelle and Eyvette, and his cat, C.J. He’s also surrounded by warm memories of his wife of 42 years, Carol Welkes Lauver, a native of New York City, artist, writer, and teacher, who passed away in 2022.
Lauver, who grew up in the railroad city of Altoona, Pennsylvania, is a graduate of Altoona Area High School. After serving four years in the U.S. Air Force, he earned a degree in journalism at Penn State University. He has also worked as a book editor, film and live stage actor, wrote a magazine column, and was a national operations manager for a telecom company. He is a former feature writer and assistant editor for Pennsylvania Heritage magazine at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Author Fred J. Lauver 