Let's make this birthday one to remember.

49 years old (Born on August 20, 1975)

Happy birthday to Mac Tonnies, the sci-fi scribe who made extraterrestrials feel downright neighborly! We still fondly recall how you challenged our planetary assumptions in *After the Martian Apocalypse*, making readers wonder if maybe Mars had better coffee than Earth.

And let’s not forget your brilliant (and cleverly cryptic) twist on alien folklore—your posthumously published masterpiece, *The Cryptoterrestrials*. Your insight left an unforgettable mark upon paranormal blogging communities everywhere. If ever secretive crypto-beings finally step forward openly and claim their royalties for fame—they probably owe it all to you!

Thanks for inspiring us earthlings; here's raising a toast skyward today!