Moira Crone has seen more than 100 years into the future of New Orleans – kind of.
Crone’s newest novel, “The Not Yet,” explores a futuristic society set in the New Orleans islands circa 2121. It follows a 20-year-old protagonist as he investigates a dystopian society shaped by advancements in life-extension technology and a sizable wealth gap among the population.
Crone, a former University English professor, said social commentary topics like poverty and modern medicine are weaved throughout the parable.
“Science fiction is always about the present,” Crone said.
Malcolm de Lazarus, the novel’s main character, travels to the New Orleans islands to investigate a problem with his trust fund. De Lazarus is one of a select few considered a “Not Yet,” a member-in-waiting for the ultra-rich “Heirs,” a group that runs a life-lengthening immortality program.
Crone said the inspiration behind her book came in the late ’90s when she had a dream where she spoke to a lady she thought to be impossibly old.
The woman’s peculiar appearance spurred Crone to think about the possibility of life extension technology in the future.
Crone, who mainly produces short stories, said “The Not Yet” began as such when she published it in the late ’90s. She said the publication’s editors received letters asking for more of the tale and Crone obliged by serializing the story before ultimately taking the step to expand it into a novel.
One aspect of writing a novel set in the future Crone said she paid careful attention to was “world-building.”
“There came a point where I needed to stop writing and start pre-writing to form all the details of the future and how we got from the present to that future era,” Crone said.
She said her novel’s “alternative history” is joined by elements of other genres outside of science fiction like fantasy and literary speculative history.
“There are lots of different ways to perceive it,” Crone said. “It all really gets back to the soul and deep human emotions.”
 
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