King of the Moon

King of the Moon is set in a fish camp in Baja California. It follows the fortunes of the Rodrìguez family and a host of other characters, including Socorro, a mystical Indian woman; Fra Nacho, an Italian hermit and philosopher; hard-driven Pablo Santos, best fisherman in the village; and his crazed sister, the tormented Margarita, who holds the keys to every secret in her dreams. They all know that their way of life is coming to an end, for the gill nets, spear guns, seiners, and trawlers will soon destroy the fish they depend upon.

LOS ANGELES TIMES "Kira is adept at keeping his readers entertained. He proved that soulfully and convincingly with his...novel called King of the Moon, a marvelous character-driven portrayal of life in a small, impoverished fishing village in southern Baja."—Pete Thomas

SAN DIEGO DAILY TRANSCRIPT "Sensitivity and craftsmanship...pours out of King of the Moon."—Francine Phillips

BIG GAME FISHING JOURNAL "If you loved The Old Man and the Sea, read King of the Moon. You'll find yourself falling in love all over again."

Alan Russell, author of The Fat Innkeeper and Multiple Wounds, says "Kira has landed his readers a big fish."

Chapter Two of King of the Moon begins,
The village of Caleta Agua Amargosa was as quiet and dry as a deep hole dug in the sand.
     Abundio Rodrìguez strolled toward the beach – with his boots around his neck and his warm package of tortillas swinging from one hand – and the only sound he heard was the distant tink-tink of goat bells coming from somewhere in the arroyo.
     The tropical morning air was already very hot, and it was heavy and humid with the salt smell of the edge of the sea. Abundio stayed beneath the tall palm trees that formed a shady canopy over the village. He hopped across a gully cut by the spring rains, and he followed along it, passing by most of the two dozen dwelling between his house and the boat launching beach.
     About halfway to the water he came to a bright pink house made of concrete block. This fine house had a smooth, poured concrete floor and a milled wooden door with metal hinges. It was the only house in the village with a tar paper roof, rather than palm thatch or sheet metal, and on part of the roof the tar paper had been covered with red clay tiles. The front door stood open. Abundio stopped when he saw the dusky silhouette of a woman inside.

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