- What is your “day” job if you are not a full-time author?
I am disabled and unemployed.
- If you wrote a book about your life what would the title be?
I think it would be ‘buffalo.’ My spirit animal, perhaps. Symbolic of me. Slow, plotting, wise, brute.
- What is the hardest thing about being an author?
Not having something to make you start. No limitations.
- What is the best thing about being an author?
You don’t have to listen to anyone telling you ‘how’ to do it.
- Have you ever been star-struck by meeting one of your favorite authors? If so who was it?
George Saunders at a talk in Harvard Square.
- What book changed your life?
Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- What were some of your favorite books growing up?
Balloonia, Indian in the Cupboard, Narnia series
- What books are currently in your to-be-read pile?
James, anything Murikami, Phillip K. Dick
- Which do you prefer: ebooks, print, or audiobooks?
My eyes skip when I read, but I comprehend them better when I see the text. So I like ebooks with audiobooks.
- If you could live inside the world of a book or series ,which world would it be and why?
A futurist utopia Almost1
C.R. Reardon
Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Disability
Publisher: C.R. Reardon
Date of Publication: 6/13/1986
ISBN: 979-8-9920346-0-8
ASIN: B0F44JVWL9
Number of pages: 225
Word Count: 64,117
Cover Artist: Sofia Sanz
Tagline: 17-year-old Rosa Viviani grapples with her newfound disability, a meteor emerges from the depths of space, hurtling toward Titan with the potential to destroy everything.
Book Description:
Rosa Viviani, a seventeen-year-old girl living in the utopian colony of Civigem on Saturn’s moon Titan, faces a series of life-altering events. In a society where disability has been eradicated through genetic engineering, Rosa becomes one of the few individuals who must navigate life with a hoverchair. As she grapples with her newfound disability, a meteor emerges from the depths of space, hurtling toward Titan with the potential to destroy everything.
Amidst the chaos, Rosa's connection to an ancient Earth religion awakens within her a mystical power that could save Civigem from the impending catastrophe. Guided by the wisdom of goddesses and unwavering support from her parents and girlfriend, Rosa embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting her fears and insecurities while learning to harness her newfound abilities. As the meteor's impact looms closer, Rosa must confront the limitations of her powers, the fragility of life, and the complexities of love in a society that has long forgotten the meaning of community.
In a race against time, Rosa's journey becomes a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of love, and the importance of embracing life's uncertainties. As she confronts the impending apocalypse, Rosa's story challenges the utopian ideals of Civigem, exposing the deep-seated prejudices and the hidden costs of a society that has long suppressed the natural diversity of human existence.
Excerpt: Day 1
When
I first used my hoverchair, nobody told me about the unexpectedness. I didn’t
know I’d be the only young woman on Titan using one. When I’d run my last
Convalor, climb my last staircase to a house. Traverse a ravine’s rocks. I wish
I could have readied myself for things like my last walk with my dad along the
lakeshore, but life doesn’t always give us time to prepare.
Dark
brown clouds slit the dusky morning sky. I lay in bed reading Village Sisters
on my tabicus, trying to learn what life would be like for me in a hoverchair.
The Village Sisters was written on Earth about the bond between an
African-Japanese beauty queen and her best friend, who broke her spine in a
tsunami.
An
empty frame hung in front of my bed next to the window. I didn’t want to see me
standing with my friends at Lucky’s Tavern. The obligatory smiles and people I
barely knew now felt like a past life. The picture was only a year old, but
still.
I
always kept sunflowers on the table beside my bed to brighten my mood. Next to
the sunflowers, my elegant ballerina motivated me to strive for grace and good
posture. The best thing I ever got from the Keller Aviary was a fluffy, stuffed
butterfly that I named Ms. Monarch and rested on my bed. Like many times since
the incident, I embraced her and squeezed tight.
Then,
just before the announcement, a tingling shot down my right arm. Was I numb
from squeezing Ms. Monarch too hard? Was it a side effect of the surgery? It
felt like hot wax on my skin–but somehow empowering?
My
body jerked upright. My arm swung like a directional arrow. I had no control of
it.
My
hand and arm lined up with a Faberge egg on my dresser. It was a family
heirloom passed down to my dad’s disabled relative. This, in part, is why I
believe our lives are echoes of our ancestors. We’re the same stars, just
moving through different galaxies.
The
heirloom navigated our solar system aboard the U.S.S. Freedom. The maroon and
gold Faberge egg rattled out of its four pure white supports, fell to the
floor, and shattered.
I
thought someone might’ve bumped into my dresser the night before. Maybe they
nudged it off its axis, and that’s why it toppled over this morning.
The
pneumonia rains started, and I was content watching them splatter the bubble
and cascade down, but we all know what happens now.
The
Urgent News banner appeared on my tabicus. I turned the volume up. Remember
that image? The mayor drooped like a geranium.
“Fellow
citizens, I come to you today with the heaviest of hearts. I sincerely hope
that every individual heed this news with the understanding that the best
course of action for every life was attempted.” Her shoulders rose and fell
like the Magic Islands. “Several weeks ago, a volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io
dispelled lava that somehow escaped its gravitational pull and froze, hurtling
it into space. This is the meteor I’m sure many of you have heard about on the
news. The meteor is one point-six kilometers in diameter and travels at a speed
of thirty-six kilometers per second. I regret to inform you that it is headed
directly for Titan, and it’s too late to stop it.
“The
meteor will make an impact with Titan in six days and destroy everything,
including our beloved–” I felt so bad for her when her voice cracked, and she
began to tear up. “Civigem.”
A brain tumor survivor since the age of 8, and handicapped since the age of 10, C.R. Reardon is now 39 years old. He fell in love with creative writing after writing a poem about these hardships in the 7th grade. Since then, he has self-published four books of poetry: Disablé (2025), Born on Friday the 13th (2018), Torghatten (2016), and Hard Polish (2013). After 2 years at The University of Arizona, C.R. graduated from Stonehill College in 2009 and earned his Master's degree in English from Salem State University in 2011.
His screenplay Lagom (the Swedish word for 'just the right amount') was a finalist for best screenplay at the 2017 Massachusetts Independent Film Festival, as well as the 2015 Catalina Film Festival. In 2016 my screenplay Spawning Neon was a semi-finalist at the 16th annual Awareness Film Festival.
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