The Secrets of the Moon – Science Fiction Novel
The Secrets of the Moon is a science-fiction thriller by R.J. Schwartz and his son Sebastian Schwartz. Ralph has been writing poetry and short stories for years, but this is his first full-length novel. The story comes from the mind of his adult son Sebastian, an aspiring cartoonist and storyteller. In the summer of 2022, following a flurry of events which included selling their house, and moving into a townhouse, the two found themselves deep in conversation one evening. Sebastian began telling the tale of an alien species of crabs which consumed rocks and precious metals to survive. Several hours later, it was obvious that the original story had to be shared with the world. The two put together a diverse cast of characters, imagined technology, and several unexpected plot twists, which culminated in an amazing father-son interaction.
Working together each day, the two shared time together, developing ideas, while adding unique subject matter to the book. After nearly five months, they had a behemoth of over 120,000 words, far to long for a novel. They made a few difficult deletions, and rewrote several parts to trim it down to size. But finally, after two grueling weeks of editing, the final work was ready for publishing.
As an author, I spend a lot of time lost in my own thoughts. Working with a writing partner was exciting, but the fact that it was my son made it a life-changing experience. Some days we’d spend the entire day discussing how a character should be presented, other days we’d just put words on paper. But no matter what task was at hand, we did them together. It’s been amazing. We’re much closer now and I’ve seen both his maturity and confidence grow throughout the process. Even now, just a few days after publishing, he’s already talking about what story we’ll tell next. And to be honest, I can’t wait to get started.
The Secrets of the Moon
The year is 2033. Rare-earth mineral demand is driving a new space race, and several large companies are investing billions into revolutionary space craft. A small company called Orbit Mining, powered by the genius of Dr. Elizabeth West, emerges from the shadows to claim victory. In secret, they’ve developed an advanced freighter, capable to landing a mining team on the moon, and returning to earth with a sizeable payload. Yet, the celebrations are cut short by a lethal encounter with an advance alien species; not the greys or lizard-types discussed in the current stories, but instead an unknown species 0f crustaceans. With long spear-like legs, titanium enriched armor plating, and an advanced intelligence, the creatures defend the moon with a lightning fast lethality. A hasty evacuation of the survivors, technical difficulties, and unplanned stowaways, brings chaos, death, and the beginning of colonization to earth. Follow the action as a secret military unit, advanced technology, and a will to survive, are all that stands between life, and our possible extinction.
The Secrets of the Moon is available on Amazon, in both paperback and Kindle.
Visit R.J. Schwartz’s author page for links to his other books.
Look for Things that go Bump in the Night, Poetry of Fear and Fright, to be released next month!
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- Thoughts Did Wander - July 13, 2024
Ralph, how exciting to see this book by you and Sebastian. My goodness: two handsome men! I love the photo. It is a wonderful thing to see the two of you create a book together. Congratulations to you both.
Congratulations to the two of you! Writing a book can be difficult work but with the perfect partner can be very satisfying. I respect the fact that you and your son worked together! Well done! Jamie