Contemporary Authors

• Gunpowder Moon - 2018 Harper Voyager, New York, NY

• Amazon -

  A former reporter for newspapers including the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times, David Pedreira won awards for his writing from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He has also served as a corporate communications director for enterprise software and telecommunications companies, and he currently co-owns a legal and executive recruiting business. He has a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of New Hampshire. He lives with his wife and daughter in Florida, plays ice hockey twice a week, and spends as much time as he can outdoors.

• From Publisher -

  A former reporter for newspapers including the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times, David Pedreira has won awards for his writing from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He lives in Tampa, Florida.

• MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape - https://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com/2018/02/13/author-interview-david-pedreira/

  Feb 13 2018
  8 Comments
  Interview
  Author Interview: David Pedreira

  Today I am interviewing David Pedreira, author of the new sci-fi, mystery novel, Gunpowder Moon.
  ◊ ◊ ◊
  DJ: Hi David! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview!
  For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?
  David Pedreira: Sure thing, and thanks for having me. I’m a former reporter for daily newspapers including the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times. Gunpowder Moon is my first novel. I co-own a small business and live in Florida with my wife and daughter—as well as a miscreant cat and a Chihuahua who thinks he’s a wolf. When I’m not reading or writing I hope to be on the water— fishing, surfing, scuba diving, or camping on a remote stretch of river somewhere.
  DJ: What is Gunpowder Moon about?

  David: It’s a near-future science fiction thriller about the first murder on the Moon, and how that murder will lead to a full-scale lunar war if a veteran named Caden Dechert and his small crew of miners can’t solve the mystery of who is to blame, and why. It’s a gritty, realistic look at the frontier days of lunar colonization, where people live in broken-down and claustrophobic mining stations. There are a lot of things that can kill them, from moondust to the vacuum of space. I’d describe the novel as hard science fiction, and it has mystery and military sci-fi elements to it.
  DJ: What were some of your influences for Gunpowder Moon?
  David: That’s a long list that includes a lot of books and genres I grew up with. On the science fiction side, I’d say Jules Verne, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Ursula Le Guin (who will be sorely missed). There’s also this mystery component to the novel, so I’d add Agatha Christie, Dennis Lehane, and Arthur Conan Doyle. On the thriller/espionage side of things, John Le Carre, Len Deighton, and the early Tom Clancy novels. I’d even throw in Joseph Conrad for his visions of colonial expansion, and Michael Herr for his outstanding literary journalism about war.

  DJ: Could you briefly tell us a little about your main characters? Do they have any cool quirks or habits, or any reason why readers with sympathize with them?
  David: The three most prominent characters are probably Dechert, Lane Briggs, and Jonathan Quarles. Dechert is a war-weary and somewhat haunted veteran who has come to the Moon to escape the sins of Earth. He’s not getting any younger and his middle-age pricks at him. When he was in the military, most of his squad got killed in the Middle East. Now his driving force is simple: keep his people alive on their remote mining station on the Sea of Serenity. He’s a cynic and an idealist at the same time. He thinks space should be different than Earth—better than Earth. Lane Briggs is the safety officer on the station. She’s something of a badass, as she has to be. She’s a woman on a Moon full of alpha males, but she commands their respect (and obedience) through competence and force of will. She’s a cynic as well, but she’s also the moral center of the novel. She’s hates bureaucrats and has no time for politics or any other BS. Quarles is the station’s young propulsion engineer, resident geek, illicit botanist, music lover, and all-around nuisance. He and Lane provide the comic relief in the book, as they bicker constantly. While he’s immature, there’s an underlying anger and depth to him, as his family died in the Thermal Maximum back on Earth, and he blames ignorance for what happened. For Quarles, ignorance is the deadliest sin. There’s a bunch of other good guys and bad guys and politicians and soldiers, but those three are central figures throughout.
  DJ: What is the world and setting of Gunpowder Moon like?
  David: The book is set in 2072, and Earthside, things are a mess. A methane hydrate eruption from the Pacific Ocean has nearly turned the planet into Venus. Earth is recovering from a decade of famine, drought, floods, and wars—thanks in large part to helium-3 mining on the Moon. On Luna, several nations have been mining peacefully for some time, but now that the Earth is beginning to stabilize, the politicians and corporations back home are more worried about profit margins than common cause. Things are getting ugly between the U.S. and China, as the Moon’s two superpowers squabble over mineral rights and territorial expansion. The main U.S. base on the Moon is at Peary Crater, near the North Pole. The main Chinese base is at the South Pole. Everyone else, including Dechert and his crew on the Mare Serenitatis, are stuck in the middle.
  DJ: What was your favorite part about writing Gunpowder Moon?
  David: I liked all parts of it: developing the characters, building the world, figuring out the science, and mapping out a plot that kept things moving. But I especially enjoyed researching the Moon. I spent a lot of time poring over lunar geology, geography, and topography, and discovering crazy things like moon fountains, lava tubes, moon caves, etc. As part of my research, I read a good chunk of the Apollo mission transcripts, which were fascinating.
  DJ: What do you think readers will be talking about most once they finish it?
  David: Hopefully the Moon! I tried to make it a character in the book. It’s Earth’s only companion, and we wouldn’t be here if it didn’t emerge about 4 ½ billion years ago (probably from a proto-planet collision, which is cool in itself). The Moon shapes our lives in more ways than we recognize, from its physical effects on our planet to how it’s helped to develop our religions, calendars, migrations, agriculture, superstitions, cities, myths, fishing and hunting cycles, and cultures. I really wanted to dig into the Moon, and show it for the beautiful and forbidding place that it is.
  DJ: Did you have a particular goal when you began writing Gunpowder Moon? Was there a particular message or meaning you are hoping to get across when readers finish it? Or is there perhaps a certain theme to the story?
  David: I didn’t want to get preachy or overly thematic, but I think there’s a strong undercurrent in the book about the history and nature of warfare, and how it always emerges for the same reasons: power, greed, territory, resources, and the darker side of religion. No matter how technologically advanced we get, those remain the foundations of human conflict—which is why war endures. And if anything, I wanted Dechert to be a positive voice for our future endeavors in space. We’ve shown that we can screw things up on Earth, but we’ve also shown that we can work together in space. Is it inevitable that we’ll bring the worst parts of humanity with us when we start to colonize the stars? That’s one theme I wanted to explore.
  DJ: When I read, I love to collect quotes – whether it be because they’re funny, foodie, or have a personal meaning to me. Do you have any favorite quotes from Gunpowder Moon that you can share with us?
  David: I like this snippet of conversation when Dechert is arguing with his Chinese counterpart, Lin Tzu, who runs a helium-3 mining station on the neighboring Mare Imbrium:
  “The Moon was supposed to be different, Lin. It was supposed to be demilitarized. It was supposed to be shared.”
  “Nothing so valuable ever is.”
  DJ: Now that Gunpowder Moon is released, what is next for you?
  David: My agent and I are talking to Harper Voyager about a second novel, and hopefully there will be a third and a fourth after that, so please stay tuned.
  DJ: Where can readers find out more about you?
  Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/David-Pedreira/e/B077XNLLR6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
  Author Newsletter: https://davidpedreira.com/newsletter
  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.c.pedreira/
  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16820006.David_Pedreira
  Twitter: https://twitter.com/davepedreira
  Website: https://davidpedreira.com/
  DJ: Before we go, what is that one thing you’d like readers to know about Gunpowder Moon that we haven’t talked about yet?
  David: The Moon really does smell like gunpowder! (part of the reason for the title). Neil Armstrong noticed it first, followed by every other moonwalker. Selenologists haven’t really been able to explain why. It’s one of the many peculiarities of moondust.
  DJ: Is there anything else you would like add?
  David: Just my thanks for taking the time to chat.
  DJ: Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to answer my questions!

• David Pedreira Website - https://davidpedreira.com/

  David Pedreira, Author
  A former reporter for newspapers including the Tampa Tribune, the St. Petersburg Times, and The Capital in Annapolis, David Pedreira won awards for his writing from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. He has also served as a corporate communications director for enterprise software and telecommunications companies, and he currently co-owns a legal and executive recruiting business. He has a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of New Hampshire. He lives with his wife and daughter in Florida, writes at night, plays ice hockey twice a week, and spends as much time as he can outdoors.

Pedreira, David: GUNPOWDER MOON

Kirkus Reviews. (Feb. 1, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Pedreira, David GUNPOWDER MOON Harper Voyager (Adult Fiction) $14.99 2, 13 ISBN: 978-0-06-267608-5
An ex-soldier tries to solve a murder that threatens to both plunge the Moon's mining colonies into war and destroy tentative international peace in Pedreira's debut novel, set in 2072.
Caden Dechert hoped to leave war behind when he abandoned an Earth ravaged by climate change and violence over dwindling resources. In the Moon's new mining colonies, he finds escape from the ghosts of the past and a camaraderie that transcends national rivalries. Russian, Chinese, or American: everyone is an equal and an ally in the struggle to survive the Moon's extremes. But peace can't last forever, and tensions back on Earth will have ramifications on the lunar surface. As incidents of sabotage escalate to lethal levels, Dechert struggles to try to stop the gears of war from grinding shut on his mining station and the small crew that has become his surrogate family. To succeed, he and his team will be pitted against hardened military minds, black ops technology, the machinations of politicians...and the unforgiving and deadly setting of the Moon itself. The lunar environment is the star of the story; its stark extremes of heat and cold, light and dark are a constant presence threatening the struggling miners, soldiers, and bureaucrats...and sometimes awing them with its beauty. Occasionally the Moon overshadows Dechert and his crew, who drift near one-note characterization. But a tight plot and evocative technical writing drive the story to a satisfying conclusion, culminating with a bittersweet reflection on humanity's taste for war and how no cease-fire really does last forever.
Memorable visuals and well-executed action sequences mark this exciting foray into near-future hard sci-fi, which is at its best when framing the poignancy of the desire for peace.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Pedreira, David: GUNPOWDER MOON." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A525461671/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4ff9f4b2. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A525461671

Gunpowder Moon

Publishers Weekly. 264.45 (Nov. 6, 2017): p64.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
* Gunpowder Moon
David Pedreira. Harper Voyager, $14.99 trade
paper (304p) ISBN 978-0-06-267608-5

Former journalist Pedreiras debut novel is an excellent sci-fi thriller set on the moon during a seething international crisis. Caden Dechert, chief of a U.S. mining station on the moon, just cares about doing his job and keeping his crew alive in Luna's unforgiving environment; the commander of a rival Chinese base feels the same way. Governments back on Earth, however, are edging toward war, and Dechert watches as minor poaching and sabotage escalate into murder. Many begin to question whether humans can learn to control themselves well enough to survive in space. As more people die violently, Dechert tries to find the murderer and talk sense to the people in power. Pedreira is very good at drawing characters and showing the terrible limits within which they must function. The tension is especially strong in the novel's last pages, leading to a conclusion that manages to be simultaneously cynical and hopeful. This is an exciting story with an unexpected depth--a solid winner. Agent: David Fugate, LaunchBooks Literary. (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Gunpowder Moon." Publishers Weekly, 6 Nov. 2017, p. 64. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A514056608/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=f197eb13. Accessed 21 Feb. 2018.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A514056608

• Washington Independent Review of Books
  http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/gunpowder-moon
  Word count: 997

  Gunpowder Moon
  By David Pedreira Harper Voyager 304 pp.
  Reviewed by Ariel S. Winter
  February 19, 2018
  In the year 2072, will a murder committed on the moon lead to all-out war between America and China?

  When a book mixes genre, must it follow all the rules and corresponding tropes to succeed? David Pedreira’s debut novel, Gunpowder Moon, is a science fiction/mystery/thriller. The story’s tagline — “The moon’s first murder is just the beginning” — tries to encapsulate all of the above: The book is set on the moon (science fiction), it’s about a murder (mystery), and the killing sets off a chain of events with dire consequences (thriller).
  Pulling off any one of these genres is challenging, but mastering all three requires a level of mastery that might be overly ambitious for a first-time novelist.
  It is 2072. The United States, along with several other countries (most notably China), has established permanent mining stations on the moon, extracting helium-3, a nonradioactive isotope that is used in generating fusion power.
  The smallest and most remote of the American mining operations is Sea of Serenity 1, commanded by Caden Dechert, an ex-military officer who went to the moon to get as far from conflict as possible. But conflict finds him when one of his miners is murdered.
  The American Space Mining Administration is quick to blame the Chinese. The two countries “had been bickering about mineral rights for months,” and both are leaning toward war to settle the dispute. Dechert, however, feels there is no evidence to support Chinese involvement. As business, political, and military interests close in, he seeks to stave off the war by getting to the bottom of the murder.
  Throughout, Pedreira offers a convincing experience of inhabiting the moon: the constant dust that requires filters and blowers and “clean” rooms, and the danger of radiation that requires the base to be buried below ground for extra shielding. There’s also the requirement that everyone wear 1-g suits when inside to approximate Earth’s gravity, so their bodies don’t atrophy.
  Pedreira’s attention to small details, such as using LPS (lunar positioning system) instead of GPS, and consideration of logical outcomes of human habitation — “We’ve increased the Moon’s atmosphere by seven hundred percent since we’ve been here, just through the gas emissions of our stations and propellant-driven craft” — makes the reader believe these people really live on the moon. This is hard-science fiction at its best, believable because the facts are accurate.
  The events happening on Dechert’s base are equally convincing as the government deliberately sets the grounds for war. Evidence is moved to another base, taking it out of Dechert’s reach. A representative from the Space Mining Administration arrives the day after the murder — a reporter in tow — and announces that the marines will be arriving shortly.
  Dechert, who has PTSD from his time in the military, feels the mounting pressure of a situation he can’t control and worries that more lives will be lost. The march of these outside forces serves to heighten the tension — especially when people do start to die — in the way of all good thrillers.
  But what of the mystery? It might appear that a murder set on a lunar base could function like a Clue-style whodunit, but in those types of house-party stories, the participants don’t know each other, so everyone suspects everyone else.
  In a remote lunar base that houses only six people, it is much harder to arouse feelings of suspicion. This is further hampered by the fact that moving from one room to another on the moon requires preparation and communication, and that every movement is recorded by the computer systems.
  How do you make a compelling mystery when there is so little room for subterfuge and discovery? With such tight quarters, the only solution is to have the murderer off screen for most of the book, which all too clearly points to his identity. And with the war gathering momentum, finding the guilty party becomes less important anyway.
  Pedreira, as a former journalist, writes clean, clear sentences and the occasional brilliant metaphor: “The mining field [lights] radiated out in a giant circle like a pushed-over Ferris wheel on the dark center of the Moon.”
  He is less adept, however, at character development and readily defaults to caricatures: the boy-genius hacker, the tomboy, the stuffy bureaucrat, the military man who’s just following orders.
  Even Dechert, the most rounded of them all, is a bit one-note; we are told again and again that he lost a lot of soldiers when he was in command, and now his one purpose is to keep his mining crew — his surrogate family — alive.
  It is inevitable that Gunpowder Moon will be compared to Andy Weir’s Artemis, which also relates a thriller/mystery in a lunar settlement. The books, however, navigate two very different moments in human lunar history. Weir’s moon is already home to a city, which allows for a large cast of characters with a much greater freedom of movement. Gunpowder Moon, with its more restrictive settlement, provides a world that seems, at only 54 years in the future, much more plausible.
  In the end, Gunpowder Moon succeeds as a hard-science fiction, military parable. The thrill of living on the moon is tangible, and as the plot kicks in, it becomes hard to put the book down. As a mystery, however, it is less successful, and that, unfortunately, detracts from the overall satisfaction.
  Ariel S. Winter was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Shamus Award, and the Macavity Award for his novel The Twenty-Year Death. He is also author of the novel Barren Cove and the children’s picture book One of a Kind, illustrated by David Hitch. He lives in Baltimore.

• The Bibliosanctum
  https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/02/19/review-gunpowder-moon-by-david-pedreira/
  Word count: 844

  Review: Gunpowder Moon by David Pedreira
  I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
  Gunpowder Moon by David Pedreira
  Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
  Genre: Science Fiction
  Series: Stand Alone
  Publisher: Paperback: Harper Voyager; Audiobook: Harper Audio (February 13, 2018)
  Length: Paperback: 304 pages; Audiobook: 7 hrs and 20 mins
  Author Information: Website | Twitter
  Narrator: Jeffrey Kafer
  When I first found out about Gunpowder Moon, I knew I had to read it. I’m a sucker for a good sci-fi mystery in space, and the novel’s lunar setting further sold me on it.
  But this is not just another one of your simple murder mysteries, and the main protagonist is not your typical detective. It is the year 2072, and Caden Dechert is a former Marine heading up a US mining operation on moon. He’s a good leader, drawing from his war experience back on Earth as he mentors his team and takes the new recruits under his wing, teaching them all about safety and survival on the lunar surface. Anything from a small leak in a suit to a speck of moon dust getting in the machinery can lead to fatal results, and no one is more diligent or careful than Dechert when it comes protecting his crew.
  So when an explosion occurs, killing one of his young miners, everyone is shocked. No one believes it to be an accident, and sure enough, an investigation finds clear signs of sabotage. There are plenty of suspects to go around, but the top brass arriving from Earth are quick to point fingers at the Chinese, who run a rival mining company near the Americans’ base of operations on the edge of the Sea of Serenity. Dechert, however, is not so sure. He knows tensions between the countries are already on edge, with both sides itching for a fight. Unwilling to jump to conclusions—and hoping to avoid an all-out war—he launches his own investigation in search for evidence.
  It’s a straightforward enough story, and in fact, Gunpowder Moon is not a very long book, its streamlined plot leaving little room for much filler or downtime. The driving pace gave this novel the feel of a high-octane thriller, making it a very quick and easy read. If anything, I thought the narrative could have used some slowing down, especially during pivotal moments where the author could have furthered increased the tensions or emphasized suspense.
  To Pedreira’s credit though, he didn’t skimp on characterization or world-building. Caden Dechert was a wonderful protagonist, well-written and fleshed out. I was able to sense his commitment to his work and to his crew in everything he said and did. I also enjoyed the flashbacks to his life in the military, fighting in the Middle East. These sections gave us a deeper understanding into his personality, as well as possible insight into why he valued the status quo on the moon. War on Earth was ugly, and Dechert would do anything to stop all that death and violence from coming into his new life.
  Gunpowder Moon also painted an intriguing picture of lunar life. The desolate landscape notwithstanding, everything about the moon—sights, smells, tastes, and sounds—was described and brought to life in stunning detail. That said, it’s the social aspects I found even more compelling. An entirely different culture exists on the moon that newcomers from Earth would never understand, giving a whole different dynamic to the relationships between the characters. A code of honor among lunar residents was strongly implied, especially for the miners who put their lives on the line every day. It didn’t matter who you were or where you came from; if someone was in need of help, people were always willing to give it, even if those involved were from a rival corporation or country. Thus, a murder meant that the killer had to be extremely motivated, a sticky fact that made Dechert’s quest for the truth that much more complicated and difficult.
  No doubt, sci-fi fans seeking fast-paced action and clever intrigue would enjoy Gunpowder Moon. Ironically though, I found that the novel’s mystery plot actually played second fiddle to the wonderful depictions of the politics and culture of lunar life. But while the story could have been stronger, David Pedreira made up for it with excellent world-building and character development, which I felt were the book’s greatest strengths. An entertaining read overall.
  Audiobook Comments: Time simply flew by as I listened to Gunpowder Moon, which featured a story that was well-suited to the audio format. Jeffery Kafer was a skilled narrator, successfully bringing out the tensions and excitement in the author’s storytelling. He seldom varied his voices for different characters though, which would have been my only criticism, but otherwise this audiobook was a great listen and I would recommend it.

• New York Journal of Books
  https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/gunpowder-moon
  Word count: 494

  Gunpowder Moon

  Author(s):
  David Pedreira
  Release Date:
  February 12, 2018
  Publisher/Imprint:
  Harper Voyager
  Pages:
  304

  Buy on Amazon

  Reviewed by:
  Jerry Lenaburg
  “page-flipping race to see who survives and who dies on the lunar surface . . .”
  This debut novel does an excellent job of merging science fiction, mystery, and thriller genres into an engrossing page turner. Reminiscent of the classic Ben Bova Kinsman series and the early works of Allen Steele, the author immerses the reader into the sights, smells, and sensations of living, working, and ultimately dying on the lunar surface in the near future.
  The personalities and quirks of the set of misfit miners that form the station team are well done, and the inner demons of Caden Dechert, the protagonist, will particularly resonate with anyone who has faced an unpleasant series of choices in an environment where you can’t tell friend from foe. The characters immediately draw you in as sympathetic figures in over the heads in a plot they don’t want to be a part of, but are unsure how to stop.
  The plot starts ratcheting the suspense up right away, and the author keeps plenty of uncertainty going about the murder and underlying conspiracy (no spoiler’s here) right up until the plot twist at the end of the book. Readers who like solving a “who-done-it?” mystery will enjoy trying to piece together the evidence and motives of the characters in the book. Safe to say, the author uses plenty of misdirects and surprises to keep the reader thinking they have it all figured out, until the end, when the truth will be revealed.
  Pedreira’s style and fabulous descriptive language really make the moon almost a character in this book, and the strange bond his characters have with their adapted home and calling as lunar miners is really well done. The ability to bring the sights and smells of the lunar surface (hence the title) really speak to the author’s ability to integrate the scenery and science of space travel without overwhelming the plot and conflict.
  After the major plot twist and resolution of the conspiracy, the final part of the book (again, no spoilers here) really turns into a page-flipping race to see who survives and who dies on the lunar surface in a race against time and mayhem.
  The book ends with a satisfactory resolution, if not a particularly complete one that will satisfy a reader’s sense of justice or payback. Needless to say, this just adds to the authenticity of the book where the good guys rarely completely win and the guilty often escape their just punishment.
  Readers of hard science fiction, military science fiction, or just a good mystery will really enjoy this book.

  Jerry Lenaburg is a staff reviewer at New York Journal of Books.