I am writing a novel.

That's right, I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month for the third time, and hoping it's the charm.

Been going well so far. I haven't written every day, but I'm over 12,000 words now and I think I have a pretty clear trajectory for at least the next week. The basic premise-- which I would never pitch as "Apollo 8 with werewolves!"-- has been percolating in my brain for a while, and it's nice to be able to refer to historical documents as I go along, to keep my story moving along.

And before any of you space geeks start complaining, yes, I'm fully aware that I'm totally making stuff up in many places, including the personalities of the astronauts and their families, but you ain't seen nothin' yet. Just wait until the capsule reaches translunar insertion. Then, as Doc Brown says, you're going to see some serious shit. You thought Jim Lovell had it rough in Apollo 13? Just wait and see what happens to him in my novel-- and no, I won't spoil it for you.

The manuscript is barely first draft, and is sure to contain numerous internal inconsistencies as well as the aforementioned historical inaccuracies, plus spelling and grammatical errors. But if you're really interested, here it is: By the Light of the Moon.