![]() The tyranny of the rocket equation is real and unavoidable. It is so, so hard to launch a rocket into space in a reliable manner. ![]() ![]() I read a lot about the challenges of space exploration and continue to be absolutely thrilled by what humans have been able to accomplish. What did you learn while writing this book? I wanted to write a story about all of that, and make it entertaining. Over time, I added new layers to the manuscript, details that included my own interest in today’s innovative space exploration efforts and scientific breakthroughs, as well as my personal struggles adjusting to a new home in Florida-not to mention my very strong instinct to withdraw from the world when it all gets to be too much, like Miss Havisham from Great Expectations. It’s hard to believe I wrote the entire first (and second and third and fourth) drafts of the book well before the pandemic, which has exponentially heightened the fears and struggles we’ve all been grappling with in our present era. She would have her own unique story and it would be one filled with the anxieties of this particular time in our culture. The only thing I knew for sure was that my Edith wouldn’t be quite so positive and proactive in the face of difficult circumstances. Thus, the basic set up for A Long Way from Home began percolating. Though she lives and works in a troubled world, Edith still has a great deal of faith in the future, which is charming to Kirk (who knows her beliefs and hopes will prove correct).Īfter watching the show, I wondered, “What would this story look like if it were told not from the perspective of the advanced spacefarers of the future, but through the eyes of someone like Edith, living in a troubled time?” There, they meet a young woman named Edith Keeler played by Joan Collins. Its fascinating premise sees Kirk and Spock travel back through time to New York City in the year 1930-during the very beginning of the Great Depression-to rescue Dr. The episode is on many people’s “best of” lists for good reason. I did some research, started watching episodes from the original series, and was immediately captivated by a specific Season One episode written by renowned science fiction author Harlan Ellison, The City on the Edge of Forever. But I knew they were right about Trek universe and I was intrigued. ![]() Though I’ve seen and enjoyed the movies, I’ve never really watched the show. When I spoke about a story in which the future was better (as in, a lot better), both my husband and best friend talked about how this notion is the basic premise of the Star Trek universe. This idea was born out of the angst I felt in 20 due to the 24-hour news cycle, my own homesickness after moving, shocking political upsets, and the constant sense so many of us had (and continue to have) that big, foundational problems with the health of our environment and the needs of all people in it are not being addressed. This story started with a question: What if the future could be better than the past? Instead of heading toward some kind of dystopia like the ones popularized in many YA books, what if the dystopia is actually happening right now and we’re moving to a future that’s full of abundance and new possibilities?
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