Moon Crusher follows a 19th-century Californian who’s unexpectedly abducted by aliens and has to navigate a treacherous society of slaves and warriors. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I devoured science fiction stories when I was younger and most of them were about main characters who were in difficult, if not impossible situations. Robert Heinlein and Andre Norton come first to mind. The characters overcame their circumstances whether it was a wartime scenario, or they were a minority (a rarity in the sixties, imho) who had to traverse a hostile environment, or they were slaves, considered dregs of society, etc. I like the stories of perseverance, overcoming, and excelling where they were or in whatever horrible situation they find themselves in. The reason for this exact scenario will be given in one of the other questions. I originally had Diego as a twelve-year-old, because I had also read some of the history of David Farragut, who in the War of 1812, became a midshipman at the age of twelve. My publisher changed the age to sixteen, and we compromised with fourteen. Fourteen turned out to be a good age. Diego was old enough to master what he had to do and young enough for that adolescent spirit to shine through.

What inspired you to create the character of Diego Perez y Andres Morales, and how did you craft his journey from 19th-century California to an alien society?  

Diego Perez and his initial setting of the Spanish/Mexican California were directly derived from my love of Zorro. Before any of my books were published, I had written Zorro fanfiction (among other genres). Spanish California was where Zorro/Diego de la Vega lived. I also realized the distinct disadvantage a boy from that society would have among the technology he found himself in. A fish out of water, so to speak. It was all pre-industrial. He either has to adapt and excel in this new environment, or he will die. My favorite sci-fi reads contain these huge character arcs. 

The blending of historical elements with science fiction is unique in “Moon Crusher.” How did you approach merging these two distinct genres, and what challenges did you face?

I really didn’t have a lot of challenges other than remembering Diego would find computers, spaceships, and aliens strange. (A great deal stranger than you or I would find them.) I did have to look up some of the history of Alta California, but most of that had been done when I wrote the Zorro stories two decades ago. Once Diego was on the ship it was world-building time and having fun with all the strange and different beings. I did have to make a list of characters and their ‘species’ so I wouldn’t have to be constantly referring back in the novel to the spelling of Rreengrol’s name or Ziron’s junior officers, etc. 

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

I am working on Moon Crusher sequels, which are in various stages of development. However, most of my attention right now is on an adult science fiction about a research submarine–science fiction, not a thriller–called Voyage of the Sea Dragon, Into the Dream World. My premise is that a former nuclear ICBM sub is decommissioned and converted into a research vessel. Like Jules Verne, there is a lot we don’t know down in the depths and I wanted to write about some of those mysteries. There is a bit of environmental intrigue, a few aliens, and an alternate universe. I am shooting for a mid-October publication date. 

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