This week was an exciting one for 'Attack on Planet Falrus!
And I am so excited to share the news with you, that 'Attack on Planet Falrus' got featured in 'Good Morning US'!
More about that later.
But first, another taster excerpt from the book. This part is where the scientist Buk Demba goes all romantic on us :)
The artificial ozone layer was coming on nicely, Buk thought. He was a lot more relaxed than he had been two weeks ago when things were looking desperate. Half of it had been completed now and Operation Animal Kingdom was well under way, thanks to Dovannia Suvannas' diffraction pattern experiment. He was disappointed, though, that his nucleomagnetic transportron had still not come alive. But he was still hoping and praying it would work, and soon. He had checked and rechecked all his calculations and every one of his hypotheses was in order. It just needed a brainwave to get things moving. He felt confident that one day he would wake up and there it would be, his long-awaited source of inspiration.
Whilst life at work was looking bleak, life at home was even duller, bordering on depressive. It was now three days since his whole family had gone on vacation to Paz Quando in Anparia. It was very lonely now in 37 Hoz Avenue. He wished he could be with them now. He had hardly seen his family for over two weeks now, even when they were in Dris with him, except for the occasional chat with Giren, ever since the ninety-hour week was ‘suggested' by the powers that be for all the scientists working on the top priority case in hand.
More news from Cranbetti confirmed his suspicion about the OLD World. More nucleomagnetic waves had been detected. This suggested that not only was there life in the OLD World, but it was also advanced intelligent life. If that were indeed the case, then the sooner their ozone block was completed the better. Anyone who had the intelligence to develop nucleomagnetic energy could not be trusted with a neighboring galaxy's sun. Obviously, more research had to be done on just what lay beyond Line Desimak. It was a good thing Professor Veltam Bradakas who was an expert on the OLD World had made it his personal priority.
The latest puzzle for Buk though, was the sudden increase in the number of ‘lost' expensive-looking diamond rings. These were being found all over the place now. Everyday Miss. Kandor or someone else would hand one of these in as lost property. Saaki Voltin had asked him if he'd lost a ring a while back. The same type of ring was turning up all over Falrus now. The press called it ‘Manna from Heaven'. He'd heard that the rate of marriages had shot up since these rings appeared. It seemed young men were taking the hint and proposing. Nothing wrong with that, Buk mused.
If he hadn't already asked the most beautiful woman in the world to marry him years ago, he would have asked her this week.
Awwww, even hard-science boffin Buk is all soft and gooey inside :)
Now for the article in 'Good Morning US'. Here is an executive summary, which touches on my combined 'energies' as doctor and sci-fi author:
Meet Dr Joanna Monigatti — Doctor, Author & Creator of Attack on Planet Falrus
Dr Joanna Monigatti merges her medical expertise with unbridled imagination to deliver a sci-fi thriller with heart. In her debut novel Attack on Planet Falrus, twin protagonists Giren and Gomi Demba team up with a dancing robot and a scientific prodigy to challenge tyranny on a distant world.
As a practising physician and storyteller, Joanna crafts characters who aren’t just fighting alien threats — they’re navigating emotional growth, resilience and the complexities of human nature.
Born out of her dual passions for healing and narrative, her novel—originally aimed at middle-grade readers—has grown into an intergenerational adventure: young adults and adults alike are drawn to its blend of friendship, sacrifice, and galactic stakes.
With a trilogy already in motion, Joanna is building a universe where science fiction meets real-world empathy, proving that heroism comes in many forms — no matter your age.