The Luna family welcomes British author Madeehah Reza! Madeehah joins the award-winning Luna Novella series, with the SF story Orphan Planet, to be released in early 2025.
Let's find out more about Madeehah and her story!
Madeehah on the novella.
Orphan Planet began, as many of my story ideas do, as a series of vignettes. These were of Elif and her life on Maoira-I, though at the time she was only called The Girl. These vignettes were tied loosely around the idea of the extremities of loneliness i.e. what if you were the only person living on a planet? Throughout writing this novella, I researched about people that lived in the most remote locations around the world, often by choice. What made an impression on me was the connection those people had with their surroundings and how in tune they were with the environment they lived in, even if that environment was a harsh one. I wanted to weave this love of place into the character of Elif, a person who has no choice but to listen to and respect the world she lives on.
The initial vignettes were parcelled up and submitted in 2021 to the Future Worlds Prize for SFF writers of colour and became shortlisted as one of the finalists. I have always loved to read fantasy and science fiction, but I never thought I would be good enough to write a story rooted in science as I always worried I’d ‘get the science wrong’. That being said, I have a child-like fascination with astronomy and outer space, as well as stories set outside our home planet. Being shortlisted gave me the confidence to continue writing this novella. I began to understand that all stories, no matter their genre, are rooted in our shared experiences. At its heart, Orphan Planet is a story about the inimitable value of human connection.
About Madeehah.
Madeehah Reza is a writer and pharmacist from London, UK. She received an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. Her work has been published in several print and online magazines and anthologies including Wyldblood Press, Luna Station Quarterly, and All Worlds Wayfarer. She was a finalist in the 2021 Future Worlds Prize for SFF writers of colour and nominated for Best of the Net in 2023. Orphan Planet is her first novella. You can find more of her work on her website madeehah.carrd.co and follow her on Twitter @madeehahwrites.
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