Derek Jones and the Dark Mirrors: Book 1 (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780998773049)

In a future close to our own, 16-year-old Derek Jones unlocks a secret beneath the Moon's surface-one that draws the attention of a mysterious leader from the Milky Way Galaxy's most powerful governing body, a million-world alliance known as the Galactic Alliance.

When a classified object known as a dark mirror is reactivated inside his father's government-contracted physics lab, Derek stumbles into a conspiracy that spans nations, galaxies, and dimensions. For years, scientists at New Physics Corporation-a top-level Pentagon contractor led by Derek's father, CEO Rick Jones-have studied the mysterious mirrors. But no one could predict what would happen when Derek encounters one up close.

What begins as a quiet internship quickly becomes a cosmic journey as Derek and his friends discover the mirrors aren't just portals-they're ancient wormholes that connect distant civilizations and hold secrets about humanity's place in the universe.

Pursued by powerful forces seeking to weaponize the technology, Derek must uncover the truth about his family's past, his unexpected genetic heritage, and the future of intelligent life itself. What he discovers will challenge everything Earth believes about science, consciousness, and destiny.

Derek Jones and the Dark Mirrors: Book 1 is Eugene Ingram Jr.'s debut novel and the first installment of The Chronicles of Derek Jones, a visionary science fiction trilogy written for young adults.

Combining cutting-edge theoretical physics with universal themes of friendship, courage, and identity, this uplifting story explores what it means to belong-not just to a planet, but to a universe filled with mystery, meaning, and hope.

Designed to ignite wonder and curiosity in readers ages 13 and up, the book encourages young minds to imagine the scientific, cultural, and spiritual possibilities of advanced civilizations. Ideal for personal reading or classroom enrichment, it helps students think beyond standard paradigms by engaging with speculative, science-informed storytelling-not academic science texts.

Eugene Ingram Jr. is a longtime corporate writer with a passion for astronomy, quantum physics, and first contact theory. A lifetime member of MUFON (Mutual UFO Network), he brings a grounded yet visionary perspective to his writing-crafting stories that are as intellectually provocative as they are emotionally resonant.

This first book invites readers to experience the awe of discovery through the eyes of a young man destined to change not only his world, but perhaps the entire galaxy. The trilogy continues with Books 2 and 3, as the mystery of the dark mirrors deepens and the Galactic Alliance teeters on the edge of transformation.