How I Got the Idea for “The Crack Beneath the Worlds”

As often seems to be the case with stories, this story, too, began with a picture. While strolling through a bookstore one day, I came upon a collection of German rhymes, fairy tales, and illustrations. One of these illustrations pictured a moon looking through a telescope at the sky.

There was no story to go with the picture, though, and I felt there ought to be. I simply had to find out who that moon creature was and what he was seeing through his telescope. Hence I started writing a story about it, which I initially called What Mr. Moon Saw Through His Telescope.

Soon, Mr. Moon was joined by a host of other characters: vulnerable children, maritime warriors, talking bears with monkey feet, cunning magicians, an old king, a clockmaker, a beautiful mother of many, a mermaid, a giant swan, as well as a particularly frightful and most hideous beast.

Still: Mr. Moon has remained my favorite. I love his extreme short-sightedness (having pretty bad eyes myself), his way of speaking and moving, his lack of practical skills, and his philosophical remarks. He is the linchpin of the story.

Perhaps you’ll like him too.

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