#25 RJ Crayton
Moongoers,
I am writing this note to help any who find this understand why it was sent, and what my payload contains.
I hope that humans of the future see this, read it, and know that there were people years ago who dreamed that we would regularly explore, live, and dream in the stars, not just dream of them. That once, a long time ago, our horizon was limited to the tethers of this beautiful blue and green planet. If our future descendants are reading this, it means we have done well here. We have stopped polluting the planet (as was the state of our world in 2021) and we have taken the necessary care to preserve the clean air, clean oceans, forests, and fields. Our planet survived to birth you and launch you to the heavens to explore.
The books I have included in this collection are ones I have written at various points in my life. They discuss fictional times of tumult, times when the characters were scared, and times when their worlds were turned upside down. Yet, they persevered, and they survived. It is my belief that we, as human beings, are resilient people, and that we have the ability to persevere through difficult times, as well as make joyful ones. I wish that all of us, all human beings individually possessed these gifts of perseverance and resilience. At this point in history, early 2021, there are many human beings who have fallen into despair. A deadly virus—Covid19—has ravaged the world, killing millions, and sickening tens of millions. It has forced closures of businesses and community hubs and required many to restrict their movements to just home and their near surroundings. Many, including someone dear to me, have fallen into despair. The rate of suicide has ticked up astronomically. It is a time when we could all give up hope, but I know we will not. I still have hope: hope that our perseverance will continue, that our collective will to live will hold strong, and that our journey will have more successes than failures. I send this hope to the moon, so that it can be remembered when this capsule is opened. You can read the stories within and know that we wrote wild tales filled with horrific despair and glorious highs that was enthralling, and in the end, left us with hope.
May whoever finds these stories enjoy them. It is my sincere with that it gives the reader a sense of what the United States was like in the early 21st century, as well as what we imagined our world could be like in the future.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
I thought I’d take a minute to describe what’s included in the RJ Crayton payload. First off, it contains all the books I’ve published (three series and three standalone titles). Both the Life First and Virus series deal with societies that are struggling in the aftermath of a deadly virus. Life First follows Kelsey Reed, whose society has rebuilt following a pandemic. The book deals with the issues of individual body autonomy in a society that collectively values life. Kelsey does not wish to be the living “parts drawer” society reaches into to cure its neediest patients. The story has elements of romance and danger and continues through to the final books in the series: Second Life and Third Life: Taken. The virus series has three books: Concealed, Exposed, and Contained. That series explores a society that is in an active viral spread and follows the characters of Elaan and her brother Elijah, as they navigate a world of deadly threat. There is both extremism and hope for the future portrayed in this book, and it provides a look at some of the better elements of human nature and some of its worst elements.
Also included in my collection is The Prophecy of Light series, which includes four books: Trapped, Unleashed, Foretold, and Fulfilled. This is a departure from my typical work, and I’m not sure it worked as well as I would have liked. It follows a young girl named Kady, who learns she has magical powers. As in all magical books, she is the centerpiece of a prophecy (the Prophecy of Light, if you haven’t guessed). The series follows her travails and a series of revelations about her life.
There are three stand-alone books included in my collection: What He Deserves, Scented, and Four Mothers. What He Deserves is a psychological thriller, which aims to deconstruct what happened to Richard—the main character—to land him in a hospital room unable to speak. Scented is a supernatural love story about a boy who knows when people are about to die—he can smell it. It’s an unusual story, but one that turned out well, despite the morbidity. And finally, there is Four Mothers, a collection of short stories. This is probably the most personal of the books, as it includes a section about my individual connection to each story. One of my favorites in that collection—technically, listed as a bonus story; a fifth mother—is “Lynch Party.” It weaves some of this nation’s darkest history into a short, but powerful, story about an afternoon event.
While I am an author of novels, I am also a journalist, which is a nonfiction writer. I decided to include an article from my journalism work. It was published in Associations Now magazine and discusses unconscious bias, which is the way people quickly—and often wrongly—categorize others. It leads to lack of representation in various fields and reduces the likelihood of diverse voices.
STOWAWAYS
I learned late in the process that I could bring along some stowaways. One way we help stay hopeful and persistent in our times is through our connections to other people. For me, fellow writers, family members, and friends have helped keep me grounded and able to persevere in even the most difficult times. So, these are the people I extended my stowaway spots to. (I’ve listed the stowaways alphabetically, not in order of importance.)
Stowaways:
- Rosetta Bloom – Cinders & Ash: A Cinderella Story
- Melissa Bowersock – Ghostwalk
- Lisa Boylan – Paradise
- K. S. Brooks & Stephen Hise – Triple Dog Dare
- Lynne Cantwell – River Magic: The Elemental Keys Book 1
- Eric C. – images
- Ella C. – images
- Jerry Crayton – family history
- Valerie J. Mikles – Alien Invasion 2020: Silly Short Stories of Alien Encounters
- Alexandria Nickel – The Voyage of a Lifetime & The Hero’s Dream
- Olivia Nickel – On the Beach
- Vivian Nickel – Perspectives
- Nadia Nickel – The Cute Little Kitten Who wanted to Go to the Moon
- Sophia Scarlet – The Flirt and the Fireplace
Just as I have faith in humanity, I have faith that those who discover this capsule will enjoy seeing a look at today’s world through the writing of me and my stowaways.
In closing, I would like to take a moment to shout out to my children, Eric and Ella, whom I love with all my heart. There is a common expression these days that goes, “Love you to the moon and back.” While I love my Eric and Ella to the moon (where I send this note)—since this capsule is not coming back, I will say that I love them to the moon and across the universe.
RJ Crayton
Find R.J. Crayton’s stories here.