Nordonia senior publishes first novel

by Nicole Rosselot

To infinity and beyond is where local author and Nordonia High School senior Devin Sethna takes science fiction readers with his first novel, “As the Earth Lay Dreaming.” Sethna, whose pen name is Kamina Sethna, self-published his book this past June.

According to Sethna, “As the Earth Lay Dreaming” is the first of many novels he plans to write for the science fiction franchise he created, Kein Zurück. Sethna said it is similar in structure to the “Star Wars” franchise, which has its own collective stories. “My stories coexist in the same universe and the same timeline … and Kein Zurück is what weaves them together like a giant web,” he said.

Sethna described Kein Zurück as being set 300 million years into the future. In the world of Kein Zurück, the Earth’s continents have merged together to form the supercontinent Neopangea, where humans live underground, deep beneath the Earth’s surface. “As the Earth Lay Dreaming” introduces readers to this futuristic universe.

Sethna said he looks to famous authors and examines how they incorporate different concepts into their own works. He finds inspiration for his writing in his love of science, scientific research and exploring abstract concepts.

“I’ve learned a lot of new things and I often think that these concepts would make for an interesting story,” said Sethna.

Sethna chose to use the pen name Kamina for his work because “each letter is something that I think is an important attribute, not just as an author but for life in general,” he said. The letters are an acronym for the words kindness, appreciation, motivated, imaginative, nature and advertence.

In addition to publishing his first novel, Sethna launched his website, keinzuruckofficial.com, in August. The website includes several blogs and a map of the Kein Zurück universe.

“I decided Kein Zurück would be this multiple reality, with multiple dimensional layers of infinity and alternate universes and timelines,” he said. “Essentially, this is what a lot of comic book series do with their complex world structures and I decided to take inspiration from that and try it myself.”

As he looks to the future, Sethna, who is also a student at Cuyahoga Valley Career Center’s Fire and EMS Academy, plans for a dual career as a novelist and first responder. He is currently working on his second novel, which he said is his “magnum opus.”

“It’s very structurally and fundamentally different from most other works of fiction,” Sethna said. “I want this book to be nothing less than revolutionary, that’s my goal.”

“As the Earth Lay Dreaming” is available on Amazon. ∞

Photo: Devin Sethna (right) stands with his uncle Scott Phillips showcasing Sethna’s book, “As the Earth Lay Dreaming.” Photo submitted.