Interview With Author Ingrid Moon
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an author, educator, backyard scientist, and editor. Someone asked me once what I meant by “backyard scientist” and that’s a whole profile in itself. I have been rehabilitating wildlife and raising baby squirrels for years, but no more. Our licensor stopped, so we had to stop. I have also sent two experiments to be conducted on the ISS. I am always curious and learning about the natural world. So as a teacher, I teach both Science and English to middle and high schoolers. I have two pet pigs and six cats and a hairy ape of a son and a metal-head husband. All nerds, even the pigs!
At this point I have published two novels, one going live in September, and one (final in a series) later this year. I also have a guide to world-building out, AstroFiction, and an update and two companion books, BioFiction and RoboFiction, will release in October. Although I primarily write action-adventure SF, I also have a historical fantasy series on Ream Stories, “Born to Valhalla.”
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recently published book is The Warrior’s Shade, second book in the Saxen Saga. A version of the first book, The Handler’s Gambit, released years ago, but I rewrote and re-released it in November of 2023 *after* (oddly) writing the sequel on a whim. I just woke up one day burning with the next book, wrote it in 9 days including while on a cruise ship in the Keys, and then sat on it while I retro’ed the first book so that they would work together. “Shade” was then revised several times.
As for inspiration, I was working at the time at a blockchain identity company, which triggered thoughts about hacking, identity, and politics. Thus my MC, who is a tactical genius in a space fleet, had a whole new realm of adventure to explore and deal with. Unfortunately, he also has survivor’s guilt, which added a lot of depth to the identity crisis.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I pants fast and furious(ly). I believe in a fast first draft that can be edited for however long it takes to make it make sense. That includes a lot of additional writing. I don’t get writer’s block, though I do get writer’s blah. I like to write on my phone, though I type over 250wpm so it’s more efficient to be at my desk.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been a huge fan of Timothy Zahn even before he wrote Star Wars stuff. Blackcollar, for example, was right up my teenage alley for military structure and action. I fell into cyberpunk in the 80s, loved Ursula LeGuin and so on, and a short story that really hit me hard because it was so visual and real to me (and was 100% predictive of influencers today) was “Pretty Boy Crossover” by Pat Cadigan. I was always a fan of G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Voltron with the cats. And… Firefly. Best show ever.
What are you working on now?
All the things! Top priority is to get the latest book out. It’s a standalone dystopian SF novel with a sweet friendship and, as usual, a ton of military style action. Then I’ll continue writing the third in the Saxen Saga series, The Tempest’s Fury. It’s about 60% done, but it’s taking longer than usual because I wrote book 2 into a weird ending that I’m struggling to unhinge.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still new at promoting things, but my newsletter is growing (bit.ly/moon-news) and I enjoy running a silly instagram promo profile. However, my favorite promotion is podcasts. I love being a guest on podcasts. So don’t be afraid to hit me up if you have or know of one 🙂
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I always hated when authors would give the advice “just write,” but it’s true. Just effing write. Write anything. Use prompts. Use photos. Practice. If you have a burning story to tell, tell it. Don’t worry about it being perfect. It won’t be no matter how slow or deliberate you are. So just burn it out of you and then focus on editing. After having a manuscript, There. Is. Nothing. More. Important. Than. A. Good. Editor. Worth their weight in gold.
What are you reading now?
I love reading ARCs and betas. Probably because I love editing and having opinions on books. Right now I’m reading PAX MACHINA by Greg Sorber, whom I met by chance at a con.
What’s next for you as a writer?
What’s next? More writing! I wish I could do nothing but write all day. (Who invented jobs and chores!?) With my series completed…ish… I have many more stories to tell, both in that same universe and in others. The MC’s origin story is already half written. I am considering turning my stand-alone into a screenplay.
But I also want to work with other writers as an editor and coach, focusing on world-building and creating consistent systems and structures for amazing worlds in books, games, VR, movies, etc.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
World’s hardest question! I have no idea. I would rather have movies or TV shows. But I’d probably take some classics from the 80s and 90s. I know there are stories that have made me love characters so much I wanted to marry them, but I can’t think of them at the moment. Those would probably make me sad, though, so… maybe I would want funny books to keep me from feeling sad. I think I’m over-thinking this. Oops, I missed the boat, no books for me!
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