The Moon Won’t Talk

It’s 1966, and George Parker, a reclusive teenager with a bright mind and a vivid imagination, is facing a boring summer in Eden, South Carolina, an oak-shrouded riverside town with magic seeping from the cracks and fissures of its peaceful antebellum faç ade. George has resigned himself to battling boredom with his faithful dog, Buster, a box of comic books, his bike, Lightning, and a fishing rod, but plans change when Gerard Free moves into the decaying old mansion next door. A handsome, flamboyant outsider with bad habits and mysterious secrets, Mr. Free, who claims he can talk to the moon, is on a mission to recover the soul of his dead lover. As summer unfolds, George defies his parents to assist Mr. Free in his quest, embarking on an adventure that includes a crazy flying ghost; the enchanting music of the big bands; odd neighbors who are far more than the eye reveals; and a beautiful girl, who is forbidden in George’s world.

Morgan Howell builds stories from elements of speculative fiction, magical realism, southern gothic, and doing the right thing regardless of the cost. He is a lifetime resident of the Low Country of South Carolina, where tales of the supernatural are as common as slow-moving rivers and forgotten graveyards. He has written short stories and novels since discovering a beat-up old Royal typewriter in the trunk of a rusty Impala in 1983.