Interview with Yurie Kiri, Author of Moonlight Skull: Murder and Magic

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Moonlight Skull: Murder and Magic?

Moonlight Beach is the first book in the Murder and Magic series, followed by Moonlight Canyon, Moonlight Rocks, Moonlight Duology (a two book set of Moonlight Beach with Moonlight Canyon) and Moonlight Rip Tide. Moonlight Skull is the latest book in the Moonlight – Murder and Magic series and it continues the story of Susan and Anne after the birth of Anne’s baby, Jane along with the support of Salena and Tina. Dirty Bob from Moonlight Rocks escaped prosecution for the all destruction and went down in Rocks and he hooks up with an evil skull that was dug out of Jane’s bombed out Kiva, described in Moonlight Canyon. That evil skull now wants revenge, and it uses Bob’s power and devotion to evil to extract that revenge. While Moonlight Skull is based upon various characters first introduced in other Moonlight books, it can be read alone. I also get a lot of my inspirations from current events, news stories and what people are talking about, along with bits of overheard conversations.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Moonlight Skull: Murder and Magic, what would they be?

“Stayin Alive” by the Bee Gees. “Feel the city breakin’ and everybody shakin’ and we’re stayin’ alive…”

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I read most everything: history, science, business, travel and fiction… I wanted to write about venture business and Asia as a straight up non-fiction, “this is how it is” book, so I arranged to study and interview some very rich and successful venture capitalists… however the information I gleaned from those studies turned me in another direction and went into parts of my novels, “Moonlight Beach”, “Tokyo Games” and “Osaka Games” all of which feature VCs from California. Names etc. have been changed to protect everyone, including me.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

Map of Bones by James Rollins, and Turing’s Cathedral by George Dyson among others.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

I love every scene in Moonlight Skull but the scene where Tina gets accepted into the commune is one of my favorites. The commune leaders are demanding and Tina doesn’t know what she’s getting into but she tries anyway… Tina looked around at the circle of tough skeptical people. They looked like hippies or new age pioneers, people who lived off the grid, tough and self-sufficient. “So, what do you think?” she asked with a hopeful smile looking around at the tough people sitting around a small fire in a cleared area behind the main log building. “I’ve been here several times before and you’ve had a lot of time to check me out too, right?” “We know who you are,” Cactus Jack said. “We don’t want any publicity; we may not have any TV reception out here, but we don’t want anyone to ever see the Buffalo Flower commune on the TV news… not once! Not ever, you understand me, girl?” “I know you don’t,” Tina said looking at Cactus Jack, the tough, leathery looking leader of the commune. She’d guess his age at around 70 or so. “I know you guys have gone to a lot of trouble to be off the grid and to stay out of sight but I’m not here as a reporter… I don’t want to violate your privacy, I promise.” “So why are you here, Tina?” Grandma asked with a glance at Jack. She and Jack ran the commune, but she had the last word regarding a new woman. Jack got to select the men, but only she could pick the women. She’d enforced that iron clad rule for a long time. “Like I told you before, Grandma,” Tina said evenly, looking directly into the large woman’s dark, old eyes. “I’m tired of doing the news on TV. Every day is the same depressing shit. I may get paid well enough but it’s eating away at my soul, and I want to find a better, more natural and rewarding lifestyle… helping people and that’s why I‘m here… I just want to help anyway I can…” “Have you been taking those special vitamins I gave you when you first came out?” Grandma asked. “Are you still taking them every day? Got to be pure in mind and body if you want to stay here, Tina. You know the rules!” “I have,” Tina said smiling. She didn’t know what was in the weird capsules that Grandma had given her, but she’d actually taken them daily, afraid to violate any rules, afraid that Grandma would somehow know if she didn’t. “I can’t move in permanently right away, but I would like to visit awhile, take enough time now to see if your commune is compatible with my need to serve and give back or not. I’m sure you all feel the same about me….” She smiled and looked around at the silent, roughly dressed, diverse group of people. She’d worn an old pair of jeans with a tee-shirt to fit in and was starting to feel chilled even around the fire since the sun had gone down a while ago. “We do,” Jack said. “We feel the same but if Grandma wants to take you in under her wing, that’s up to her. However, she has some pretty tough requirements for new female members who say that they want to serve…” “That’s right, Tina,” Grandma said. “You say that you want to serve, and you’ve taken my vitamins for the past couple of months, but you’ll still have to pass some tests I’ve designed to weed out any uncommitted younger sisters. You have to be willing to take the tests and even then, after you do try, even if you’ve taken all your vitamins for the past month, you still may not pass, understand? I demand a total commitment to service and purity, understand? Purity of mind and body! Purity and ready to serve…”

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

I’m always writing and I write everywhere: in bed or on planes, on boats, on trains, in bars and restaurants and even on park benches. Sometimes I’m just writing, working on a story and sometimes I’m editing again and again, trying to shave off excessive words, sentences or paragraphs… and sometimes I’m watching and listening, picking up bits and pieces of people and their conversations then making notes on scraps of paper or on my phone… All that could be construed as creepy lurking but a smile keeps me out of trouble. I usually describe these story gathering processes in the “Dear Reader (author’s note)” in all of my books.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Aim higher, do better… achieve purity of mind and body.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

Baby Jane will be bigger and even more powerful in the next Moonlight book, so watch out world!

Yurie Kiri is the author of the new book Moonlight Skull: Murder and Magic 

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