Ever since she first laid her hands on a keyboard, R. A. Dines has been fascinated with the intersection of art and technology. After spending two decades in big tech and startups, she is now in the second chapter of her career as a full-time author and creative. These days, you can find her reading, writing, coding, and 3D printing with her family outside Boston.
How I Hacked the Moon is her debut middle-grade novel.
About How I Hacked the Moon
At the first coding academy on the moon, constant surveillance doesn’t stop the smartest misfits from plotting their escape—even if it costs them their freedom.
Life at the Lunar Coding Complex is boring, not that thirteen-year-old Moon Girl cares. She finds comfort in its predictability. Her first real friend and her love of AI coding keep her anxiety in check.
When a harmless prank with her charismatic bestie attracts the attention of rebel hackers led by Moon Girl’s crush, Dovrin, she’s thrilled to join their crew. But as they uncover Big Smile Corp’s dangerous secrets, Moon Girl faces impossible choices: her friendship, her crush, or everyone’s safety.
Even if they crack the system, do they want to escape back to Earth? And if they fail, what will the sinister corporation do to silence them?
Fans of The Last Cuentista and His Dark Materials will enjoy How I Hacked the Moon, a thrilling adventure for ages ten to adult.
Why do you write in the genres that you do?
I love to read science fiction. I love imagining the possibilities that technology presents to us and where it might take us as a society.
I got addicted to science fiction at a young age when I picked up Kurt Vonnegut, and I’ve been reading it nonstop ever since. Because it’s what I like to read, it’s also what I like to write.
I’m not only devoted to sci-fi, though; I have plans for a fantasy series that is also middle grade. It’s based on imaginary creatures that my son and I developed together. It’s been so fun world-building with my kid because we both have very active imaginations!
I enjoy writing middle grade (ages 8-12) because I really connect with kids in this age range. It’s such an awkward, in-between time, on the cusp of teenagerhood, but no longer children. They are dealing with so many conflicting emotions. It’s really fun to explore in writing, and I love talking to kids in this age group.
Fill in the blank: “People will like your book if they like stories about…”
Kids who grow up feeling invisible and unremarkable and learn to find their voice and their strength. So many middle grade and young adult books—especially science fiction and fantasy—focus on a male-gendered protagonist who is extraordinary–the “chosen one.”
Growing up, I yearned for a character who was more like me: not particularly special, easy to overlook, lonely. I conceived of the main character in How I Hacked the Moon over ten years ago and sent her on various adventures before I found the setting of the Lunar Coding Complex.
My hidden agenda is to turn more kids into avid science fiction fans by providing them with an accessible and relatable sci-fi narrative. The kids in the book feel like real kids: they’re imperfect, they doubt themselves, and they text each other a LOT. The book also has adult appeal as well–there are tons of fun science fiction “Easter eggs” from Robert Heinlein to William Gibson to Martha Wells.
How do you name your characters?
Some of my characters arrive in my head fully formed and fully named. I don’t know where they come from. Others I agonize over and lose sleep over. I name some characters after people in my life who I love, or after authors I admire or who have inspired me.
For example, in my forthcoming novel, How I Hacked the Moon, I named one of the main characters Jo, after the author Jo Walton. A few years ago, I picked up Walton’s incredible book, Among Others, and read it in almost a single sitting. I was so inspired, so deep inside the main character’s head, that the next month I sat down and wrote the first draft of my novel, attempting to give it that same “fishbowl” ambiance as Among Others. Many revisions later, my novel has very little similarity to the original source material (I also tried to make my novel an epistolary form, like Among Others, but ended up rewriting it to be in first person), but Jo the character is going strong.
What are your passions/obsessions outside of writing?
Besides writing and reading, my other passions are crafting and gardening. The main character in my forthcoming novel is also a self-proclaimed “plant nerd,” except unlike me, her garden is on the moon! In the world of crafts, paper and fiber are my primary mediums—everything from printmaking to quilling to knitting and embroidering.
I’m also really interested in using tech in my crafts–I am an avid 3D printer(er?) and design my own pieces that I print. I’m combining all of this together by making my own homemade swag for my book! I’m working on 3D-printed book holders, stickers I am printing myself, and screen-printed tee-shirts and tote bags. It’s time-consuming, but I love it.
Are you a big reader? Do you own a large collection of books, or are you more of a borrower?
I am a big reader, but I’m not a big book owner. I think this comes from years of living in smaller apartments in the city and moving a lot. I got into the habit of reading lots of library books and trading books with friends. To this day, my book collection that I own is embarrassingly small, even though I read 2-3 books a month.
My smallish collection is also because I was an early adopter of the Kindle and Libby. In the early 2010s, I traveled a lot for work, and I got tired of lugging around multiple books with me. My original Kindle traveled over 500k miles with me before I left it on a plane one day. RIP original Kindle. Long live Kindle #6.
How do you measure the success of your writing career?
Although being an author has become my primary profession these days, my goals for success remain extremely modest. In January 2025, I left my (admittedly fairly successful) career in tech to pursue writing full time. My goal wasn’t to become a best-selling author but to achieve my lifelong dream of publishing a book. It was a book that I had been working on for over 10 years (eight years of plotting and character development, one month of writing, two years of revising).
My measure of success is primarily to publish the book and have it reach an audience of people who will find meaning in it. When I come to think of it, I’ve already met my goal, as I’ve found a community of ARC readers who say this book has changed the way they think. That’s the best thing I can ask for.
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