E: Emoria

Emoria is the planet where the majority of Across the Stars takes place. It is in the galaxy of Stappenhance, which is located about two galaxies away from the Milky Way. Stappenhance became inhabited not long after the creation of the world (at the time of Cain and Abel), when several families were somehow transported there. The planet Emoria was colonized later, the people settling in the area known as Theotocop. Theotocop quickly became populated, so much so that some left to colonize the territory of Emarot, on the other side of the Emaria River.

Originally, the planet Emoria was called Emarot. My sister Rebekah came up with the name, though she insists I spelled it wrong. After the first draft, Across the Stars underwent some significant reconstructions. One was the clarification of the history, geography and government of Emoria. It was then that I changed the name of the planet to Emoria and wrote its history. This history can be found in chapter three, related by JudyAnne Williamson.

Something I love about Emoria is the historical lifestyle of the people. Despite living in a galaxy filled with space travel and advanced technology, they live simple lives that are a mixture of medieval times and American pioneers. I loved how, by creating Emoria, I was able to put space travel and swordfights, foreign galaxies and dungeons into one story. As one of my readers said, “It was a fantasy story with a science fiction backdrop.” And all because of Emoria.