His first professional writing sale was to the now-defunct magazine Science & Mechanics, a non-fiction article about fantastic vehicles built for science fiction movies, such as the Landmaster from the movie Damnation Alley.
hɪz fˈɜːst pɹəfˈɛʃənəl ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ sˈeɪl wʌz tə ðə nˈaʊdᵻfˈʌŋkt mˌæɡɐzˈiːn sˈaɪəns ænd mᵻkˈænɪks, ɐ nˈɑːnfˈɪkʃən ˈɑːɹɾɪkəl ɐbˌaʊt fæntˈæstɪk vˈiəkəlz bˈɪlt fɔːɹ sˈaɪəns fˈɪkʃən mˈuːvɪz, sˈʌtʃ ɐz ðə lˈændmæstɚ fɹʌmðə mˈuːvi dæmnˈeɪʃən ˈæli.