The Moon Papers

A Novel

By: Emmalea Russo

A controversial arts collective is rolling out their most audacious project to date: a second moon, set to launch from the Mojave Desert and into the Earth’s atmosphere at the summer’s end. The problem? No one seems to understand how “Moon2” actually works, or how it may alter the mind of every creature on the planet.

The project is classified, but a malcontent member of the collective, Dean Konig, threatens their privacy with his secret long-distance relationship with an East Coast artist, Vesta Furio. Their constant video calls allow him to escape the confines of this isolated desert compound, while giving Vesta an escape from her failing marriage to an aging art gallerist who is spiraling down a rabbit hole of conspiracies surrounding Moon2.

The Moon Papers tracks an intricately linked collection of characters between the East Coast and the Mojave Desert in the deliriously hot summer months leading up to the divisive launch event. A raucous, psychedelic, and humorous meditation on artistic and mystical vision, surveillance, conspiracy, and what makes us human.

©2026 Emmalea Russo (P)2026 Skyhorse Audio