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Miss Moon book amplifier tour includes an author guest post, Q & A, and an exclusive excerpt.
Book Details
Here’s a new book that explores life through lyrical storytelling and vivid imagery.
In Miss Moon, Alan Ramias gathers together stories-in-verse that blur the line between poetry
and prose. Each piece is a self-contained narrative that refracts the ordinary into something
unforgettable. Some are whimsical, others poignant, and still others quietly devastating — all of
them capturing the beauty, absurdity, and complexity of what it means to be human.
From portraits of love and longing to sharp reflections on memory and family, Ramias’s writing
offers both intimacy and universality. His collection invites readers to pause, reflect, and carry
forward moments that echo long after the book is closed.
Book Links
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gWVr5K
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236955918-miss-moon
Excerpt
The first night of guard duty was typical: uneventful, boring, hard to stay awake. That’s
what it was like for seasoned soldiers. But for the newly initiated, it was the ultimate in
ceaseless terror: every noise, every movement, every shift in the breeze, every change
of lighting brought ominous imaginings. Everything looked swollen, enlarged, animate.
The skin could tingle so strongly it felt hot. The eyes strained until they throbbed and
the vision turned watery. Sitting in a watch tower, glancing at the moon’s progress.
Two hours on, four hours off, performed twice over a twelve-hour shift. Trying to sleep
during the hours off was impossible even for some veterans; for the newcomer, not a
chance. So it was for Tinkerbell.
There were three guards who took turns. He got the first shift—6 to 8 p.m.—and the
fourth—12-2. The only difference from the ordinary routine was that instead of being
alone in the tower, Tinkerbell was accompanied by LaPointe, who kept up a steady
patter of instructions, observations, cautions, jokes and homesick talk.
Still, by the end of that first shift, Tinkerbell looked sweaty, pale and shaky as he came
down from the tower where LaPointe had already descended and was waiting with the
second-shift guard. After LaPointe gave a quick sitrep he guided Tinkerbell to a nearby
tent with cots draped in mosquito netting, one of which was occupied by the third-shift
guard.
When shaken two hours later, Tinkerbell got back up looking even worse. He opened
his canteen, tipped it and pulled clumsily at the water, spilling some on his fatigues.
LaPoint, watching him stonily, said, “For chrissake, man, relax. We just gotta do this for
two more hours. You’ll never make it at this rate.”
Tinkerbell looked at him dubiously. “You think something’s going to happen? We
gonna get shot at?”
Author Details
Alan Ramias served as an Army reporter in the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam War, where
he documented the daily lives of soldiers and civilians in a world marked by uncertainty. Those
experiences became the foundation for The Bridge, a story about connection, loyalty, and the
unexpected friendships forged in the shadow of conflict. After the war, Alan earned degrees in
English, Philosophy, and an MBA, and built a distinguished corporate career helping
organizations improve performance around the globe. Today, he draws on both his military
service and decades of working with people from many cultures to create fiction that explores
the complexities of human relationships, memory, and the moments that stay with us.
Author Q&A
Who was the hardest character to write?
I struggled to get the right voice for the narrator of the story, Miss Moon. I seldom attempt first-
person stories because I tend to slip into autobiography, which limits my imagination. So I gave
the character of Jerry a poor grasp of grammar and vocabulary. It was a trick to remind me Jerry
wasn’t me.
What’s your favorite compliment you’ve received on your writing?
One reviewer said that reading my book was like having a conversation with a “dear friend”.
OR
Several reviewers have said they felt they were in the story with the characters.
If your book became a movie, who would star in it?
For the main character, Jerry, I would cast Casey Affleck. With his intensity and expressive
face, he would do a terrific job of projecting Jerry’s loneliness and conflicted feelings. For Stan, I
would choose Owen Wilson. He would be the perfect amiable, gentle not-quite-handsome lover
of Miss Moon.
And for Miss Moon herself it would have to be Gong Li. Gorgeous beyond words. All of these
folks are too old for the roles but hey, this is Hollywood and it’s my fantasy, okay?
What do you like to do for fun?
I am taking acting lessons and participating in improv. I harbor no delusions about becoming a
professional actor. I’m doing it because it’s lively, fun, incredibly challenging and occasionally
terrifying. I’ve seldom felt more alive. And it’s making me a better writer.
Author Guest Post
Two Visits to Vietnam—50 Years Apart
I left Vietnam on January 9, 1968, after a year as a 19-year-old Army war correspondent. I
returned on January 10, 2018, with my wife and son, and together we celebrated his marriage to
a Vietnamese woman.
Vietnam was an ancient and impoverished country in 1967, so it was surreal to see the
skyscrapers and wealthy homes and shops.
We arrived at night and in some ways it seemed the same. But as we drove along the streets to
the hotel, the lights seemed brighter, the crowds more festive. A city at peace. No soldiers, no
guns.
Many of the landmark buildings were the same: the opera house, the Continental Hotel where
Graham Greene wrote The Quiet American. The old U.S. Embassy, now repurposed. The most
amazing building was the Presidential Palace, off-limits to most during the war but now a
museum. A ghostly atmosphere inside where LBJ once stood. On the balcony I ran into two
other American vets and we reminisced for a while. The Americans are back—to remember, to
reflect, to mourn.
I was a little worried about the reaction I would receive when people learned I was a Vietnam
War veteran and some we met seemed equally nervous. But unlike some GI’s, I never resented
the Vietnamese people. Once that became obvious, my son’s future in-laws were the most
gracious hosts you could imagine.
For a couple days we traipsed around Saigon, visiting the museums and places I remembered,
like the Caravelle Hotel, still in operation. This was where journalists from all over the world
would gather each night to drink at the rooftop bar and watch the bombings ringing the horizon.
It was there I most strongly felt the ghosts of the war.
The wedding began at the hotel where my wife and I were staying. Vietnamese tradition is that
on the morning of the wedding day the groom leaves his ancestral home and goes to the bride’s
house, where the wedding will take place and the groom will then live. So we trooped through
the hotel lobby with fanfare and costumes and then boarded a bus to the house of the bride
(named Mai).
The ceremony began with offerings and prayers to the family’s ancestors, then many bows,
vows and toasts. (The scene in Miss Moon in a Vietnamese home was based on that day at
Mai’s.)
The wedding was followed by a lavish reception at a large banquet hall, with live music, karaoke
and toasting at every table. Probably the fanciest wedding bash I ever saw.
The next two days a bus came to the hotel and took us, the newlyweds, and the entire extended
family to all-day sightseeing tours and endless stops for food and drinks.
In all, a wonderful trip to a resilient, generous people and a scarred but beautiful land.
Tour Schedule
September 29th
Long and Short Reviews
http://www.longandshortreviews.com
September 30th
@reader_ceygo
https://instagram.com/reader_ceygo
October 1st
annette_reads_daily
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October 3rd
Country Mamas With Kids
https://countrymamaswithkids.com
October 7th
@sudeshnablogs
https://www.instagram.com/sudeshnablogs
October 8th
The Faerie Review
https://www.thefaeriereview.com
Anytime between 9/29-10/8
@aibibyreads
http://instagram.com/aibibyreads
@callistoscalling
https://instagram.com/callistoscalling
Chapter Break
https://chapterbreak.net
My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews
https://mytangledskeinsbookreviews.blogspot.com
Stacey-Ann Says
http://staceyannsays.com
@emma_bookaholic
http://www.instagram.com/emma_bookaholic
A Wonderful World of Words / Joyffree
https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com
@ablueboxfullofbooks
https://www.instagram.com/ablueboxfullofbooks
Sarandipity’s
https://sarandipitys.com
@infinite.readlist
https://www.instagram.com/infinite.readlist
