Hi, I’m J.B. Moonstar!
I have loved the natural world from an early age and enjoy going to zoos and aquariums and watching animal shows on TV. One of my favorite animals is the meerkat! My stories are eco-fantasy adventures for juvenile readers (7 years and up). In my stories, the dragons and mermaids are the “good guys”, and with help from my young heroes, they rescue endangered animals. I want my readers to learn that animals have lives just like humans do – families and homes – and just want to survive among the growing threats posed by today’s world. My books also give children a glimpse of the world from the animal’s point of view. I hope that I can encourage children to learn about, and love, nature as much as I do!
Where do I get my ideas?
The main plot in my books are many times based on nature/conservation magazines that discuss the plight of animals who are being pushed to the brink of extinction because of human greed or ignorance of what their actions do to wildlife. Since the purpose of Ituria’s Islands on the moon is to rescue endangered animals, I get ideas from these types of magazines for the plot or theme.
You may wonder about Ituria’s Island and if living in the caverns of the moon is pure fantasy. However, I did a lot of research for the first book in The Ituria Chronicles – several months of reading about the moon, and how I could create islands under its surface. I learned about the volcano flows, cavern structures, water/ice believed to exist on the moon, as well as the moon’s relationship with the earth. All these facts were considered to create a world that could exist. In my research, I learned people are now talking about making human habitats in the moon’s caverns. It would keep humans safe from the 500-degree shifts in temperatures and meteor impacts on the surface. However, should they attempt this, I do need to tell them that Ituria got there first!
What do I write?
My books are written for elementary school readers, basically seven years and older and are safe for young readers. My stories are “fantasy” adventures because they have dragons and mermaids, unicorns, magic potions, and magical items. However, my dragons are vegetarian and don’t need to be defeated by the end of the story. My stories are “eco-fantasy” because the dragons and other fantasy creatures are working with my main characters to rescue endangered animals, and in the process showing the reader that the natural world from the eyes of the animals, and that they need our help and protection.
So far, my young heroes in The Ituria Chronicles series have helped rescue Red Wolves, Chinese Crested Terns, sick deer, a stranded manatee, and even tiger cubs – these creatures were being threatened by humans and needed someone with the courage to help them. I have also started a new series, The Mermaids of Crystal Cay, where the mermaids are helping sea creatures survive the threats created by humans in their underwater homes. In the first book, Kimmi and the Sea Dragon, they deal with a ghost net and its devastating effects as it sweeps through a kelp garden. In the second book, Roselia and the Ancient Warriors, they must rescue horseshoe crabs illegally poached from a wildlife refuge.
Who are my characters?
My two series, The Ituria Chronicles and The Mermaids of Crystal Cay, are both composed of numerous stand-alone stories with a main theme of rescuing endangered animals. In The Ituria Chronicles, my dragons Knocker and Megan have a potion that allows them to assume human shape for short periods of time so they can blend in with humans to accomplish their mission, and they enlist young heroes and heroines on Earth to assist in the rescues.
I love working with Knocker, he has such a confident air about him, and being a very large fire-breathing dragon allows him to control any situation, even when he is in human form. He has had many years of experience dealing with humans and doesn’t get upset when confronting them anymore, he knows he has the upper hand even though the humans may think they are in control. Megan is a dragon who was trapped in a cave by humans for 350 years until freed by Jan, and she has an attitude, don’t try to hold her back!
My heroines, Jenna, Jan, and Michelle are ready and willing to stand up for themselves and not take orders from anyone; they are the ones in charge – even if they are only 11 to 12 years old. I guess it is how I wish I would have been at 12 – when I was 12, I was told that I could either be a nurse or a secretary – that was the only thing girls could do.
My heroes, Russ and Taylor, also have their own backgrounds, and I have enjoyed seeing Taylor grow in confidence as he realizes that while he may have what some consider a handicap, he also has many strengths that outweigh this perceived weakness. All my characters are compassionate and really care for their families and the animals that live around them.
Ituria’s Alliance continues!
Come join Knocker, Megan, Michelle and the other members of Ituria’s Alliance as they rescue animals and protect nature from illegal poaching and other dangers posed by humans! We are always looking for new recruits for Ituria’s Alliance!
Website: www.jbmoonstar.com
Instagram: @j.b.moonstar
Email: jbmoonstar.author@gmail.com
