Mr Aldrich has been involved in many art projects and exhibits around the state. Previously associated with Yale, he is now the library media specialist at Garner Correctional Institution.

The Shards of Time series is the adventures of a group of architectural preservationists, characterized as various animals, that work to save world treasures from the sabotage and mayhem of terrorists.

Mr Aldrich shared the amount of research required in each episode, especially for the illustrations. Details of architecture, history, and the sites of each story around the world are critical. He showed how his illustrations are based on photographs and other accurate evidence.

Having been disappointed in the printing of his first two books, he turned to self-printing using his own computer and is finally achieving the correct tones, as color is also very important in the presentation. Colors that are too gaudy only confuse the human eye, said Mr Aldrich. Subdued shades are easier to read and the reader takes in more of the important details.

Mr Aldrich has donated signed copies of The Poison Swamp, Decision at Dover, and To the Snakehouse to the library, the first three books of Shards of Time . He is currently at work on the fourth book in a planned series of 15. They will be available in the Young Adult Graphic Novel Collection for summer reading.

He is also currently working with Tom Swetts, theater production teacher at Newtown High School, on a theatrical version of Book 1, to be produced before the end of the school year.