Big Mouth Feature Shon-Lueiss Harris

The next writer we we are featuring is Shon-Lueiss Harris who wrote “Speak Truth” for No. 11 Big Mouth. 

When and why did you start writing?

I started writing after my first hike in the Pacific Northwest. My family moved here from Texas and I was young enough to see endless mountains covered in trees as a new world. After the hike, I wrote my first novelette. It wasn’t good, but it certainly felt that way. 

What helps you when you are hit with a writers block?

I don’t force it. I see any block as a sign that it’s time to find a new muse. Usually that means picking up a few new books, sketching, and some time in the outdoors. Sometimes it’s one story that’s the problem. In that case I give myself the freedom to explore weirder ideas in flash fiction. 

If you wrote an autobiography, what would it be called?

“The Beardless Bard” or “Chasing Dante”

Why do you write?

I genuinely love storytelling. Making meaning from details others might overlook seems a fantastic way to change the world. And yes, I do believe a story has that kind of power. 

Who are some of your favorite writers?

Chuck Palahniuk has an uncanny ability to confuse and intrigue me with his unique voice. Philip K. Dick challenges me to think beyond the realms of possibility. Dante Alighieri is my maestro watching from the next world over. 

I also adore Jeff Vandermeer and Brent Weeks. 

Any crazy mouth related stories?

I’m in a café smiling so much my face aches. Across from me sit a few people I hope to call coworkers someday soon. It’s one of those relaxed, informal interviews. Some questions are about skills, others party tricks. I answer the last one by doing a Donald Duck impression that impresses no one despite catching the attention of just about everyone in the café. I did not get the job. I did not get any compliments on my impression. 

What does Big Mouth mean to you?

Saying what you think without a second thought. That radical notion of brutal honesty. I think Big Mouth is a reminder that just speaking up can make a change. It’s also a warning to be prepared for that change.

Have you ever had braces?

Actually I haven’t! I was gifted with relatively straight teeth. Not sure how I’d handle braces anyway. 

Follow Shon-Lueiss along on his Instagram and Linkedin, and be sure to scroll down and read his story “Spaced.”

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SPACED

The dining hall offered the best view. All the brushed steel and matte finishes throughout the rest of the ship stopped at the door. Entering the kitchen felt like stepping into a new world replete with delightful aromas, vibrant colors, and sleek furniture. So much consideration for comfort and style juxtaposed by an uninterrupted view of the endless, dark expanse outside.

Samuel pressed a hand against the glass. Warmth spread into his skin in a way that felt impossibly familiar. Between his fingers shined a massive, yellow sphere in the distance.  

“I heard they called it Sun.” 

Samuel rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder. Merrick sipped his coffee, a little dribbling down onto his oil-stained jumpsuit. “When things got tough they begged a big ball of gas for help. Can you imagine?”

“Maybe the engineer was a drunk,” sighed Samuel as he traced the outline of the star with his finger. “You know a lot about Sun?”

“Ol’ Earthen legends, mostly.” Merrick grinned and took a seat next to the window. “One story goes Sun gave its only moon to protect the Earth. Only the idiots destroyed the moon treating it like some mine instead of an asteroid shield. Surprised that wasn’t the end of’em then and there.”

“I think I heard that somewhere. You know any other stories?”

A big bushy eyebrow bent into an arch high on Merrick’s forehead. “Since when do we talk? This some trick?”

“I’m interested, okay?” Samuel turned toward the window. “So, you know any or not?”

“Yeah, I know another. Actually, it’s an Ol’ Earthen saying,” Merrick teased, pausing to take another drink. “Never look at Sun. I guess people stared at Sun long enough they’d start to see things. Strange things nobody should know. Sun show’em so much that after there really wasn’t nothing left to see.”

“And then what?”

Merrick stood and shrugged. “Paradise, I suppose. Anyway, I gotta get back to it. I’ll catch you later and we can talk more.”

“Yeah, catch you later,” Samuel repeated. 

His eyes flicked to Sun the moment Merrick was gone. The thick, radiation dampening glass muted the intense brightness just enough to be bearable. Once more, he laid a hand against the window. Flames danced across Sun’s surface, swirling and coiling until what looked like an open hand leaped off the surface. Samuel rubbed his eyes. He caught a glimpse of the fire dissipating in space, but that was enough. He’d seen it.

Samuel ran out of the dining hall. He heard the questions and the shouts as he bumped into all manner of the crew, be they human or droid, but he didn’t care. Didn’t apologize or so much as acknowledge them.

The airlock was empty when Samuel arrived. He slipped into the nearest suit, attached the safety line, then began work on the door. Soon enough Samuel stood in the middle of the chamber, red lights flashing, the reinforced blast door lurching aside as specs of dust and moisture from the air shot into the void and glistened like diamonds in Sun’s light. With one hand gripping the line, Samuel walked through the door into empty space. 

Samuel felt warmth like never before. Vague memories of childhood, of loving arms holding him tight, of gentle whispers in his ear and soft fingers rubbing his back. Memories he could neither recall nor place in his own life. All of it rushing in as Samuel turned toward Sun. His eyes watered and one voice raised above all the whispers. 

“Welcome home.”