Book excerpt: Galactics should never, ever, display their powers in public. This is the first rule, the one all Galactics follow, and the one that Mano's uncle breaks after having one too many drinks. When his uncle is arrested for violating Galactic law in a bar, Mano Orion, a senior in high school, finally finds out that he is also part of that powerful group: he is also a Galactic. As he learns about his heritage and what being part of the Galactics means, Mano begins hearing about other arrests, too many to be normal. With his friend, Eme, Mano launches an investigation, one that none of the adults want to allow. As they struggle to convince other Galactics to help them launch a rescue mission, Mano and Eme have to learn to harness their own powers as best they can while also coming to terms with how they feel about each other. But nothing can prepare them for the secrets and lies that await them when they find the imprisoned Galactics. With their lives and the entire history of their people unraveling, Mano and Eme will have to trust each other and their powers to be the leaders the Galactics need. Questions & Answers with Everett Peacock Q: "The Galactics," just where did you come up with this title? Everett: A good friend of mine, Shiloh Orion, introduced me to the idea of humans having come to Earth from somewhere in the galaxy, and not just from evolution. The idea slowly grew into a fascination with the religious implications of such a possibility. That along with the holes in our human record, especially the cultural aspects (who built the Pyramids, etc) finally demanded a story be told. Q: Your dedication at the beginning of the book, and I quote: "celebrate the courage of youth, it has saved humanity from the sins of its elders." What does that mean? Everett: I read somewhere that if not for the risk taking aspect of young people, that desire to test the limits, to reject conservative ideas, has contributed more to human evolution, even human survival more than anything else. Older people move into a less risk taking mode as they finally discover their true lack of immortality. Young people don't think like that. They are ready to take it all by the horns and make the world a better place. As for the "sins of its elders" all one has to do is look around at the problems with the Earth, with civilization. Was any of that created by young people? Of course not. We waste this most valuable of all resources, our young people. Who starts the wars, crashes the economy in greed, spies on us, etc, etc? It's the older people, the "elders." Given a chance, young people are our real only hope to fix the things that have been corrupted. Q: Is this a book for pre-teens? Everett: Probably not. There are some serious concepts floated between the characters. There is death, and there is some violence that contributes directly to the story. I'd recommend it for high school on up to "elders" (insert smiley face here). Q: I have to admit that when I got to the end of the book, I was hooked and ready for the next installment. When will that happen? Everett: As you remember then, one of the main characters has evolved into an entirely new persona, intent on correcting the mistakes of some particular people. He'll need a book or two to get that done. 2014 is a very promising year indeed!