Moons by R.E. Mason
Science fiction doesn’t have to be overly convoluted in its otherworldliness. In fact, something focused more on the characters often hits closer to home. That’s exactly what made R.E. Mason’s Moons so enjoyable. This action-packed sci-fi adventure follows two men — strangers to each other — who must find the chosen heir who possesses the strength to unite their worlds.
We talked with the author himself on the world-building that went into creating Antara and Seraphen, and what new expanses may be explored in book 2.
Q: What inspired you to write this sci-fi adventure?
A: First off, why sci-fi? Well, I like fantasy and fiction, and I like to get away from the here and now for a change, and my fantasies are out there somewhere, up ahead. So far, I believe my stories could fit in this world and time, but I prefer taking them away from the here and now.
Moons is the second “sci-fi” I’ve written. I didn’t plan on writing the first story, Touch Time. It more or less resulted from me needing something to do, something to write. I had this image of a flier, sitting at the console of some sort of spaceship, bound for someplace. The flier was alone at the helm and bored with nothing to do but monitor the ships functions.
I just kept writing, letting the scene unfold and my imagination run away. I remember coming to a stopping point … done with whatever I was doing there. I realized it sounded like a chapter of a book. So I started writing more, another chapter, then another, and a story began to unfold until it did come to some conclusion.
Moons got started in a similar manner. A scene in my head of a young man summoned to meet with his Great Uncle, a summons he could not refuse. Why was he there? The story went on from there — out of my head and onto the page.
Q: How did you go about crafting the worlds of Antara and Seraphen?
A: If necessity is the mother of invention, my story needed someway of separating two antagonistic peoples to give them the time and space they’d need for their civilizations to evolve independently. Fiction being what it is, I created a pair of binary moons, orbiting around a planet, Kio. Then I doomed the planet and left the two peoples to figure it out best they could. Moons is the result.
Q: Moons is more than just a romp through outer space; it looks at some real-world issues as well. What was the process like balancing the science fiction elements with the human stories?
A: I watch a lot of news … perhaps too much. Sometimes I find it difficult to separate the day-to-day fiction from real news. I bring in a few of the human stories into my book where they seem to fit. I feel it makes my fiction interesting and perhaps even more believable. I think many of today’s issues could be universal.
Q: This story boasts a sizeable ensemble; can you tell us about some of the main characters?
A: Corvin Gimbol is a intelligent, self-sufficient young man, very close to Anton Guier, his Great Uncle, the Supreme on Seraphen. Anton wants Corvin to take on a task of great importance, perhaps dangerous. Corvin accepts.
Mooly Milo, aka Siri len’Tallan, a highborn Antaran, is chosen to accompany Corvin on his mission. A former cop on Antara, Mooly is supposedly along as Corvin’s bodyguard and translater, but he is more.
Tobrille Rider, Siri’s old partner and lover is a police inspector on Antara. She’s tough and intelligent and finds herself right in the middle of the plot.
Kierstin Vett, living on Antara, has been groomed to take over the role of Supreme on seraphen, finds her life threatened when it is time to go home.
Lowan Bossaler is the personal secretary and chief advisor to Anton Guier. Completely loyal to the Supreme, he runs things behind the scenes for Anton.
Graybold Kreed, an Antaran, is one of the nasty, bad guy.
Q: Moons has more than just a single plot thread, weaving together complex narratives from multiple angles. What was that writing process like?
A: I enjoyed this part of the process. Life does have its side-trips. As I expanded the main plot and introduced more characters, I brought in some of their backstories as well.
The fun part is keeping those side-trips in mind through the story. It’s easy overlooking some minor detail, or contradicting yourself and not knowing it until sometime later.
Q: Am I considering continuing the Moons story, or creating any new stories on the moons of Antara and Seraphen?
A: I am in the process of writing a sequel to Moons right now. For now, I’m calling it, Moonrise. It is a continuation of Moons, beginning some five years after book one. Situations on Antara make it the major focus in this story when the unsettled past returns to threaten the emerging peace and harmony that finally exists between the two moons, and threaten relationships distracted and consumed by the struggle they must face.
About R.E. Mason:
Born and raised outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, R.E. Mason is a happily retired, blind octogenarian living in the Bay Area in Northern California. As a lad, Richard always had a curiosity for what he might find on the other side of the hill; and all throughout his life, he sought to find it. Richard had the notion that he belonged somewhere else, somewhere out there, and that someday they would come for him. He’s waited long enough. He created that world, that adventure, those people and friends, where he can go from time to time. This first excursion, Moons, takes him to that other world. And now that he knows the way, he is sure to come back.
