Going To The Moon

Books, Life/Family/Friends

The moon in a black sky, craters visible on it.

I‘m extremely lucky to be a part of the Writers on the Moon project, a rag-tag fleet of stories organised for a lunar time capsule. The project was started by Susan Kaye Quinn, a rocket scientist turned science fiction author, who invited others to join her in sending stories to the moon. It’s such an exciting project and when I heard I’d been accepted, I wanted to share my allotted space with those in my life.

The co-authors Storm, Avril and Rhys holding some of the books of their Guardians Of The Round Table series in front of them, a late afternoon sky behind them, gum trees in the background.
Storm, Avril and Rhys

Many people say being an author can be a lonely profession and talk about the solo aspect of writing. Yes, there is much about being an author that involves long stretches of time working on your own, but there are also parts of it that involves others. Whether it’s bouncing ideas off family or friends, asking questions of people who are more knowledgeable about a particular area than me, getting feedback from beta readers, working with editors, designers and cover artists, or once upon a time going to events, I’ve found that being an author isn’t completely a solo profession.

A four generation photo of Avril Sabine, her mother, her grandmother and her baby daughter.
Four generations: mother, Avril, grandmother, daughter

 

Avril Sabine as a baby, held by her father Lloyd Sabine.
Avril and father, Lloyd Sabine

 

Avril Sabine sitting on a lounge chair with her siblings Jarrin and Celeste.
Jarrin, Avril and Celeste (siblings)

So as well as including some of my books, I decided to include photos of people who are a part of my life. My family and friends, including photos of the four-legged members of my family because they’re important too.

A Siberian Husky looking into the camera, his head tilted on the side, his mouth open, table legs behind him.  A French Bulldog puppy looking at the camera, large ears and big brown eyes, dark fur with a thin white strip down his forehead and nose and a splash of white on his chest.

Ace (Storm’s dog) and Tino (Jarrin’s dog)A ginger cat lying on the top of a printer, paper in the chute behind her, a bookcase to the left of her.Mistletoe (Head of the household)

A red kelpie lying on a box, white louvres behind her.  A chestnut horse with a white blaze facing the camera, hazy gum trees behind her, standing at a barbed wire fence.

Mika (parents’ dog) and Miss Benny (Cat’s horse)

Choosing which books to send was easy. The first four I published immediately came to mind. Demon Hunters 1: Blood Sacrifice, Elf Sight, Through Your Eyes and Dragon Lord. I also decided to include my cookbook since I do love my food. Next on my list was Tell Me A Story, Grandma. It might not have been the first story I wrote, but it certainly was one of the earlier ones and it meant so much to me as a child that my grandma shared stories of her childhood with me so I could write them down and read them over again throughout the years. My next choice was An Endless Dawn. It was chosen because it’s a story about something from space being brought to Earth. It seemed fitting as something from Earth was being sent into space. This was the same reason why I chose Compulsive Directive, a post apocalyptic sci-fi short story.

Avril Sabine and Adam Boss at night, with the Sunshine Plaza, Maroochydore behind them.
Avril Sabine and Adam Boss, Maroochydore

 

Rhys, Storm and Adam under a slat awning, Buderim.
Rhys, Storm and Adam, Buderim

 

An older man in a red check flannelette shirt crouched to pat two red kelpies.
Stepfather with Ruby and Red

My final choice was Guardians Of The Round Table 1: Dexterity Fail, a young adult fantasy LitRPG. It was chosen not only because the seventh book in the series was my most recent release, but also because it’s been a series that so many close to me have been involved in. I’ve had an amazing time writing it and have spent so many hours with my sons and co-writers coming up with the next adventure for the characters. Those planning sessions are always filled with laughter and I look forward to many more such sessions. I’ve also enjoyed seeing each new cover Cat Petersen has created for it and I had an amazing time at Supanova 2018 when I took a display there for the series. Much thanks to Corey Crossley from Tokimotive who helped at that event, including being chained up in the dungeon for a photo and spending the rest of the weekend chaining attendees up so they could have their photos taken too. The series is a fantasy set in a world with game mechanics, so a dungeon like those the adventurers frequently found themselves exploring was a great choice for a display.

A Nissan Skyline wagon at the end of a boat ramp, the bonnet open and the ocean in the background, the word 'Tokimotive' on the left hand corner of the image.
Tokimotive’s vehicle

 

A dungeon display with a bearded man chained up on the left with books from Guardians Of The Round Table series on a chest. On the right a timber display cabinet filled with books by Avril Sabine, Storm and Avril standing behind it with a timber sign behind them with the words 'Avril Sabine. Stories about strong characters and characters who discover their strengths.'
Corey, Storm and Avril at Supanova

We’ve also enjoyed sharing the series with our readers, including being able to share them with Brad and Will who are not only friends, but feel like they’re part of the family after how long we’ve known them. They were amongst the first to read Guardians Of The Round Table 1: Dexterity Fail.

A young man wearing a red shirt hugging a wolf, mountains in the background.
Will and Ghost, Colorado
A young couple cuddled together on an armchair, more matching chairs in front of them and a bookcase beside them.
Brad Bauer and Ariana

I also added a short story by Rhys Petersen, one of my co-writers on Guardians Of The Round Table series and my son. It’s one of his early stories that he wrote on his own, when he was sixteen, using a prompt from a writing group activity.

A dark haired man and a blond haired woman smiling at the camera, head's tilted towards each other, people dining in the background.
Gary and Celeste (sister)

You might as well say that all the images I’ve included are of family members. Either those born to my family or those who’ve become a part of it over the years, becoming more than friends. From my parents and siblings who had to put up with all my reading and writing as a child and listen to some of the stories I came up with to my children and those who have come into my life over the years. People I’ve been lucky to meet. Who I’m glad to have had the opportunity to welcome into my life and to share this moment with them. This moment of going to the moon. Today it might only be stories and images, but one day, it might be people making that trip, planning what to take with them for their visit to the moon.

A man with two children, all in life vests and in the water with a dolphin. A father with his blond haired daughter and dark haired son, the inside of a shopping centre in the background.

Jarrin (brother) and his children

What would you take with you on a trip to the moon? More than likely, just like for any trip I make, my first items I’d pack would be books.

Cover for the book Demon Hunters 1: Blood Sacrifice by Avril Sabine. A sword lying across a rumpled silk cloth, a lock of red hair curving around the blade, a small gold cross on a leather cord necklace.  Cover for the book Through Your Eyes by Avril Sabine. A dark haired girl reading a book with a dark cover, a chair in the background.  Cover for the book Elf Sight by Avril Sabine. A castle barely visible in a snowy forest.  Cover for the book Dragon Lord by Avril Sabine. A dragon flying above a misty mountain.

Cover for the book Guardians Of The Round Table 1: Dexterity Fail by Avril Sabine, Storm Petersen and Rhys Petersen. A silhouette picture of an archer facing a wolf nearly the same size as him, standing in a grassy field with a dark blue background. Cover for the book Cooking For Families With Allergies by Avril Sabine and Storm Petersen. A glass measuring jug with a serving spoon in it, a bowl of flour beside it and a saucer with orange peel in it in the foreground, all on a timber bench. Cover for the book Tell Me A Story, Grandma by Avril Sabine. An image of a woman from the 1940s, elegant, looking off to the side. Cover for the book An Endless Dawn by Avril Sabine. A close up of leaves in a test tube.Cover for the book Compulsive Directive by Avril Sabine. Smoke and clouds from a fiery explosion.