This question comes from Gabriel.

For anyone needing an explanation, Durangoni is the planet-sized space station that serves as the primary setting for Puki Horpocket Presents, one of my sci-fi comedy series. The first book, Roy, delves deep into this infrastructure and it’s somewhat of a brain-bender.

In the writing world, a “reference document” is exactly what it sounds like. It differs from a story outline in that it serves as an encyclopedia. It houses all the rules that build the world, everything from character traits to location details. This keeps the author grounded as the story progresses, otherwise they risk creating plot holes and contradictions.

Durangoni houses a trillion active residents, all of whom inhabit the structure from surface to core. It has artificial oceans, a global transit system, and a massive security force. The books go into further detail, but I will keep this post spoiler-free.

With so much science driving the inner workings, you may be surprised to learn that I don’t have a reference document for Durangoni. (Gasp!) It’s all in my head, the result of countless hours spent learning about planetary dynamics. I already had a baseline of knowledge as an astrophysics nerd. I follow news on things like the James Webb Space Telescope like most people follow the Real Housewives.

This was my jam well before I became an author, which got hyper-charged with the release of Max and the Multiverse, my other sci-fi comedy series. Durangoni got introduced in book two and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since. It’s just too much fun to think about.

As a point of clarity, Puki Horpocket Presents is a spin-off series from Max and the Multiverse, but you can read them in any order. Max is more silly and geared towards a young audience. Puki is more raunchy and geared towards adults.

In contrast, I do have a reference document for the Immortal Wake, my tech noir series. That saga required a lot of medical knowledge that I was not privy to, hence the need to keep my facts straight.

This is not to say that everything about Durangoni works in my head. There’s a fair amount of technology that, as we say in the IT world, works “auto-magically.” This much easier to sell as a comedy because it’s all about the humor. In fact, the crazier the better. As long as the tech is reasonably grounded and the story doesn’t take itself too seriously, most readers will accept it. (Emphasis on most, as there are always a few sticklers.)

This does bring up some interesting insights into memory. Blood science is a huge part of the Immortal Wake, but I still can’t recall the shelf-life of blood. However, I can instantly recall how the core of Durangoni works, complete with some relatively sound astrophysics.

Do you know what else I can recall? The entire McDonald’s menu song, word-for-word. For you youngsters, this was a popular television commercial from back in the 80s. I memorized it as a kid to get free ice cream. And it worked a trick, but now I’m burdened with that stupid song for the rest of my life. My brain said, “Now this is worth remembering, screw business law.”

Fun fact: when I was writing book two of Max and the Multiverse, I had recently visited Durango, Colorado. That’s where Durangoni got its name.

Thank you, Gabriel. Great question!