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A Story of Growth and Independence
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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Ethan Keller, an unapologetic thief, is stuck in the poorest district on Luna, where random power outages have left several dead. When his big score is stolen, Ethan and the Night Owls—his motley crew—plan a heist to recoup the loss. Instead, they uncover the source of the deadly power outages. Distressingly, the culprit appears to be someone close to them.
Now a fugitive, will Ethan unmask the mastermind in time to save the colony?
If you like science fiction action adventure with clever heroes and impossible situations, Get started with Night Owls today!
Night Owls: A Moon Colony Sci-fi Adventure
Envisage a future where the moon, Luna, becomes a nexus of societal division and clandestine exploits. The year is 2195, and amidst this celestial body’s barren landscapes, two disparate classes – the affluent and the destitute – jockey for their respective agendas. Enter Ethan, a charismatic thief and the unexpected hero of Stephen Gay’s enthralling novel, Night Owls.
As the head of a vibrant, colorfully eclectic crew of misfits, Ethan navigates through a daring narrative, expertly meshing the adventuresome spirit of “Guardians of the Galaxy” with the shrewd ingenuity reminiscent of “Ocean’s 11.” The Night Owls, however, are no mere accessories to Ethan’s escapades. Each member brings a wealth of emotional complexity, elevating the stakes as the peril enveloping Luna gradually unfurls.
Stephen Gay’s narrative commendably intertwines razor-sharp dialogue and meticulously choreographed action, all whilst endearing us to an antihero who could give Han Solo a run for his money in charm and audacity. The triumph in Ethan doesn’t solely lie in his leadership but, notably, in the enchanting lure of his rebellious spirit, which is apt to entice even the most law-abiding reader into his lively, lunar underworld.
The intrigue doesn’t end with heists and hairbreadth escapes. Darkness shrouds Luna, quite literally, as unexplained power outages beset the colony, the occurrence of which bears an uncanny correlation to the unfolding drama. Ethan, discerning a connection, propels the Night Owls into a race against time, where each revelation threatens to rupture the very foundation of their alliance.
Night Owls is far more than a standard sci-fi adrenaline dash. It excels in orchestrating a moral symphony, where the lines between heroism and villainy blur into a mesmerizing gray. Readers find themselves ensnared in a delicate dance of ethics, perpetually reassessing the purity of motivations on both ends of the moral spectrum.
Stephen Gay doesn’t just tell a story; he invites readers into a robust, moral contemplation, cleverly ensconced within layers of thrilling technology, audacious expeditions, and convivial camaraderie. The Night Owls don’t merely traverse through adventures; they sweep the reader along, enticing them into a world where the dichotomy between virtue and vice is as elusive as the dark side of the moon.
Night Owls is an exploration of the moral cosmos, where each star shimmers with ambiguity and uncharted potential. It is an unequivocal must-read for those who seek heart-thumping adventures that do not shy away from posing philosophical quandaries amidst the enthralling chaos.
Pages: 384 | ASIN : B0CDZBX9ZD
LITERARY TITAN 