Rocket Boy and the Queen of the Stars

Since the release of Becoming Darkness I have written several more books in my quest to replace my former agent. My latest effort is a project I am particularly fond of because I have finally managed to combine my many passions and interests: writing, art, science fiction, space, classic 50s sci-fi movies, alternate history, and much more.

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Here's part of my query for the book, will give you some idea of what it's about:

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Rockets, robots, and rayguns! It’s 1956, the atom reigns, and in the lavishly illustrated YA raygun gothic novel Rocket Boy and the Queen of the Stars, (88,000 words/60+ full page illustrations) atomic-powered cars soar amidst the towering spires of steel and concrete art deco-styled cities, vacuum-tubed mechanical men toil for humankind, and giant luxury starliners ply the causeways of interstellar space. These are the heady days of the Earth Commonwealth, and for sixteen year old Horatio Hornwell, born aboard Galaxy Lines’ vaunted Empress of Space, a ghost from the past is about to open a door to more adventure and opportunity than he bargained for.

When a distress call is intercepted during an otherwise routine cruise to the planet Amalthea, Horatio never imagines it could be the catalyst for a series of life-altering events. But the stars have other ideas. And with his seventeenth birthday fast approaching, even the prospect of death won’t dissuade him from doing whatever he can to escape from under the shadow of legal uncertainty that has clouded his life since the day he was born—a bureaucratic nightmare that has left him stateless and a virtual prisoner aboard the Empress. A nightmare now threatening any future he may have in the Commonwealth.

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Responding to the distress call, a team led by the Empress’ Lieutenant Trixie Worli embarks upon a rescue mission, and Horatio tags along for the ride. But when they locate a ship gone missing nearly a decade before, things begin to spiral out of control. From the discovery of a girl frozen in time, to a run-in with Altara (a girl space pirate who may know more about Horatio’s past than he does), to an encounter with the fabled lost starliner Queen of the Stars, Horatio is steadily drawn into a daring and perilous quest for treasure that may not only lead to the resolution of one of the greatest mysteries in the history of space travel, but to startling revelations about his birth and the person he thought himself to be. There’s a lot at stake and danger is afoot, but if he can survive the many hazards along the way, he just might end up realizing that knowing where you are from does not necessarily translate into understanding who you are.

A picture book for the older set, Rocket Boy and the Queen of the Stars (a standalone with the potential for a series) is a hybrid straddling the intersection between conventional text narrative and modern graphic novel. It is retro sci-fi ambiance wrapped in a surfeit of modern sensibilities—think the video game Fallout and the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

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The story is a bit of a throwback, inspired by a host of childhood favourites, including the Heinlein juveniles (Starman Jones, Space Cadet, and The Rolling Stones in particular), The Adventures of Tintin, the British Eagle comics Dan Dare series, the SF serials (Buck Rogers & Flash Gordon), classic 1950s science fiction films, the sci-fi pulps (especially their fabulous covers), plus more contemporary fare in the order of Kenneth Oppel's fine Airborn trilogy. (If you haven't read the latter you really should; just a truly excellent series worthy of the accolades it has received.)

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I am pleased with how ROCKET BOY AND THE QUEEN OF THE STARS has taken shape and it has already generated a lot of interest on Twitter and elsewhere as well phenomenal feedback from beta readers. Of course, it's agents and publishers who count, and there's no telling how they will react. As a writer you always hope for the positive, but these days agents are inundated with submissions, making the chances of being picked up almost as remote as winning the lottery. But as with the latter, you can't win if you don't try. Or as that old piece of wisdom goes: Better to have tried and failed than to have not tried at all.

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As mentioned earlier, I am illustrating this book with more than 60 pencil drawings, my first attempt at doing so. I've considered this approach in the past, but never felt confident enough to pull it off. With this project, however, I have created a text well-suited to illustrations, and so I cracked open mycollection of H and B pencils and set to work. To say it has been enjoyable ride would be an understatement: From writing to drawing, this book has been an absolute pleasure to create.

To the right are examples of the completed pieces from the book. I considered many different mediums before settling on pencils--primarily to mimic (somewhat) the interior illustrations of the old SF pulps and to emulate the look of grainy black and white film (prevalent in the science fiction serials and b-movies of the 30s, 40s, and 50s). A few of the images pay homage to the style of the Sci-Fi pulp illustrators (Virgil Finlay, H.W.Wesso, Leo Morey, etc.), and a couple are drawn as a tip of the hat to Tintin creator Herge (a favourite of mine since I purchased  my first Tintin adventure in Isfahan, Iran, back in 1970). There's also a nod to the works of the comic book/comic strip artists I grew up admiring--Jack Kirby, Russ Manning, Neal Adams, Dan Spiegle, Wally Wood, Milton Caniff, Raymond Alexander, etc.--and who influenced me in some of my art.

I hope this will provide you with an impression of what to expect in this fast-paced adventure. Peril awaits around almost every corner, and at some point soon--if all goes well--you'll be able to follow the story to its thrilling conclusion.

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I occasionally post illustrations from the book on Twitter, so follow me there if you are interested in seeing more.

Becoming Darkness now available in paperback!

Becoming Darkness is now out in paperback and available in bookstores and online. It can also be purchased as an ebook, so be sure to check it out! And standby for future giveaways.

All that is Darkness is now available for you to read!

As some of you may be aware, a completed draft of the sequel to Becoming Darkness exists. As the publisher has not optioned this, I have opted to release All that is Darkness for those readers of Becoming Darkness eager to discover the next part of the story. You can find it at Wattpad by simply clicking on the title that follows: All that is Darkness.

Writer's Digest Article

Becoming Darkness book trailer

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