Night Owls follows a space crew living on the moon who, while on a heist, discover a lethal conspiracy that will destroy the colony if not stopped. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I grew up near Toronto, Canada and loved rocket ships, robots and exploring space. I even won an award for building a crazy robot out of trash in second grade. Naturally, I fell in love with science fiction. As a teenager I loved the Canadian Electronic Music scene, having fun, dressing up, and joking around.  NIGHT OWLS brings my love of electronic music together with my love of science and technology.

My goal was to write a sci-fi novel that primarily entertains with action, adventure and charm. But underneath, the book explores classism, personal sacrifice, and the need to overcome personal obstacles.  Night Owls is accessible to all readers, since the story line is rooted in science, but would not be classified as hard science fiction.

Ethan Keller goes from being a thief to an unlikely hero when he discovers a plot to destroy the colony. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

I wrote a graphic novel called Why Always Wins focused on empowering high performing teams. So in Night Owls, I wanted to focus on the main character development and the ragtag team overcoming obstacles together.

Ethan is struggling with his fathers death and trying to understand his personal sacrifice. Ethan must go on a journey to understand what sacrifice means to him. The Night Owls series is really about the entire group of main characters evolving and moving beyond their individual needs, but understanding how each other can grow, support the group and overcome personal obstacles.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Night Owls is a book geared towards entertainment, but I wanted to explore classicism, confidence, community and clarity of purpose.  Ethan’s father died when he was young, and he has struggled to understand and forgive his father’s sacrifice. While Ethan is the catalyst to bring together the Night Owls, he struggles with his social status as he is forced to compare himself with his girlfriend, Aysha Nadar, who is heiress to the singular industrial titan on Luna. Night Owls explores his growth, and their relationship.  Night Owls is about growth, not just character growth, but also the growth and independence of the moon colony. 

Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?

Good news, I’ve written all seven books in the Night Owls series, so I know the end of the story already.  Symphony Night Owls 2 is available on Amazon. While Book 1 launches Ethan Keller and the Night Owls as a newly formed group that can have an impact on the trajectory of New Luna, Symphony explores the group’s ability to come together and face a new enemy.  The book explores the political tension between Earth, Luna, and Mars as the crew becomes embroiled in the struggle for Luna’s independence. The Night Owls each face a significant change in their personal lives, and Ethan in particular wrestles with grasping a future with the woman he loves due to her increasing association with her father’s company, her intensive work schedule, and his growing fear that even love can’t win a class war.  

The entire Night Owls series continues to focus on the evolution of Ethan Keller and his friends the Night Owls, against the backdrop of an evolving New Luna, a colony that is struggling to find its independence against the threat of control from Earth, Mars and various political and corporate forces driven by greed. I hope you enjoy the action packed adventure of Night Owls.

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