INTERVIEW

 

Interviewer: Hello friends, I’m pleased to introduce a co-writer of “Extraterra V Part 1: Mystery of the Cursed Island”, please tell us about yourself. 

Nick: Hi, everyone, my name is Nick, I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and I am currently a student at Bowdoin College. 

I: Tell me about your book, how did you come up with the idea?

N: Well, a few years ago we were thinking about how we would celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing in 2019. This led us to fantasize about what the world would look like 100 years after the first Moon landing. An image that came to mind was high school students traveling to the Moon, and as we began to write this world came alive and we weren’t able to let it go until we completed the book. 

I: Wow, so what is this book about?

N: In the summer of 2069, five high school friends receive exciting news from the International Space Agency that their team, called ‘Extraterra V’ first place in an international science expo.The grand prize they receive is a flight to the Moon and participation in the international Lunar expedition which is timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing. Before they embark on this expedition they are involved in some unfortunate events and before they go to space and begin solving the Moon’s mysteries, they must solve several here on Earth, including what hides in the ‘Cursed Island’ in the San Juan Islands Archipelago.  

I: 2069 is the 100th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing, as you said. Do you describe future technologies in this novel? 

N: Yes, we describe many technologies that we think will be available in 50 years from now. For example, space liners that go to the first Moon city called Lunaris. We also describe a Regolith mining company on the Moon and instruments that can register brain activity on the Moon to check for signs of life.

I: Very intriguing. Let’s go back to Earth, tell me more about the main characters.

N: Well, they are five friends from the same class in high school, Dmitri, Adira, Hunter, Tekumse and his twin brother Dason. They formed their team called ‘Extraterra V’ to participate in international science competitions. They are experts in their respective fields. Dmitri is good at designing and building machines and mechanical devices. He is also very athletic, and a world champion in martial arts. Adira’s passion is biology and she develops edible algae for future space endeavors. Hunter develops software for tools that the team will use on the expedition to reveal the moon's anomalies. Dason and Tekumse are experts in navigation and create a very accurate positioning system to keep track of their location on the Moon. 

I: Dason and Tekumse are ancestors of Native American people, right?

N: Yes, they belong to a local tribe called Bella Coola. 

I:  This novel features a fairy tale that their grandpa tells them. Where did you find it?

N: Actually, we made this story up. From the beginning to the end. We tried to resemble the story structure often found in indigenous oral histories.

I: And the language? You made it up, too? 

N: No, the book features the Nuxalk language. We were able to find a dictionary and translate a few phrases into English. It’s a beautiful language. It’s fascinating that there are only 17 fluent Nuxalk speakers as of today. This is kind of a tribute to the people who lived here for many centuries. 

I: Sounds like you’ve done a lot of research working on the book.

N: Yes, we wanted readers to learn in a fun way a lot of facts about space, moon, extraterrestrial life, spaceships, spacesuits and more.

I: You write about lunar anomalies, are there any mysterious places you researched on the Moon?

N: There is a catalog of the Moon’s anomalies published in 18 century. There are many documented events on the moon that we cannot explain.  

I: What will the friends find?

N: This is only part one of the story. It’s going to be three parts. I can’t reveal now what they find there.

I: The first part features a thrilling story about a ‘cursed island’. Tell us about it. 

N: Yes, the friends were enjoying their summer when they were faced with some adversity. They conducted an investigation and figured out that all evidence pointed to the small abandoned island in the San Juan Islands Archipelago. The expedition to this island revealed answers to the mysteries and saved many lives. There are fights, chases and difficult situations for friends. 

I: I could not stop turning pages until the end. This was such a thrilling read. 

N: Thank you.

I: I am curious about Dmitri, what kind of martial art does he do?

N: We described a Russian system of fighting. My father is a master.

I: And you?

N: I am not. I only have a background in Aikido and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

I: Can you tell me why the grandparents are so deeply involved in the friend’s lives?

N: We were thinking that it’s an ideal situation when grandparents can share their wisdom with grandkids and also they have a time for that.

I: While reading this book I really felt the urge to live in the wonderful future world that you described.

N: Thank you. We wanted to show the world where achieving environmental sustainability, improved habitats for animals, and high ecological standards is possible. We believe that we can create this world if we move in the direction of clean, sustainable energy. This is only possible if we inspire young readers to fall in love with space travel and the discovery of new worlds as they become engineers, scientists, and astronauts. 

I: Wow, that is wonderful! Thank you for letting me interview you, I am excited for what’s to come with this world that you’ve created.

N: Thank you as well, we are planning to continue the series and are in the process of writing Part 2 at the moment. We hope our readers enjoy reading the first part, which is out now!