Constance Sayers joins The Spotlight this week to discuss her latest novel, The Star and the Strange Moon
Author Name: Constance Sayers
Book Title: The Star and the Strange Moon
Book Genre: Historical Fantasy
Release Date: Nov. 14, 2023
Publisher: Redhook (Hachette)
Welcome, Constance! How would you describe The Star and the Strange Moon?
The Star and the Strange Moon is an obsessive tale about a missing actress and a haunted film.
What sparked the idea for this book?
I was struck by the old superstition that so many cultures had that a film could steal your soul. I ran with that.
How long did it take for you to write the book? Did you do any research?
It took me about two years to write this book—by that I mean “wrangle” this book—it was a difficult novel to tame. Originally, I was going to set it in Hollywood in the 1930s, but I was in France staying at this country house in the Loire Valley and it reminded me of those haunted mansions from the 1960s Hammer horror films or Dark Shadows. I just could picture a film crew on set at this chateau and the idea took off from there. Around the same time, I came across a photo of the actress Françoise Dorléac who was killed in a car accident in 1967. She became a big inspiration for my lead character, Gemma Turner.
What drew you to fantasy/horror?
I began my career writing rural noir novels. My drafts were gritty and realistic, but they weren’t very good. Frustrated with not having luck with my writing, I had an idea for a different kind of novel about a woman who relives a doomed love affair through many lifetimes. When I shared that draft with my writers’ group, they responded to the draft of that novel in a way they had never done with anything I’d written before, so I knew I was onto something. Writing fantasy really expanded and elevated my writing and I haven’t looked back. Anne Rice said something similar about her own writing and she was my biggest inspiration.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
For so many years, I went to my bookstores, dreaming about what it would be like to see my book on the shelves. To have that experience of seeing your novel on the front table never gets old.
On the challenges, I’ve got a day job that became difficult in 2022, so there are days that I worked sixteen hours. Often, I log-off my work computer and just start writing in the late hours. This book’s theme was challenging, so I sometimes felt wasn’t always as mentally fresh as I always needed to be when I came to the page and this story was tricky to write.
If you were speaking to someone who hasn’t read your writing before, why should they want to read The Star and the Strange Moon?
I think Paste Magazine said it best: “The Star and the Strange Moon has one of the most original premises of any release this Fall.”
Fill in the blank “Readers who liked [blank] will also like The Star and the Strange Moon: Readers who liked Marisha Pessl’s Night Film will also like The Star and the Strange Moon.
What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far?
It’s so collaborative and your writing isn’t precious. Your editors and the marketing team will weigh in and take your book in a different (better) direction. You must be open to that. I love working in teams so the process is exciting for me, but I could see how other writers might not like the input they’re given throughout the process.
What are your interests outside of writing and reading?
I have two Welsh Terriers and a demanding day job, so life is busy! After I finish a book, I’m mentally drained so I need some downtime and I like to work with my hands. Last year, I tried knitting but found it frustrating and cried in class. I just tackled the Legos typewriter (the one that operates) and mine works so that was an accomplishment. It’s also holiday baking season and I have a red velvet cake from Southern Living that I make every year! In January, we head to West Palm Beach where we spend the winter. Cold for me is now anything under 60 degrees.
Are you working on a new project? Please tell us about it.
I have about three ideas swirling around and I’m trying to see which one wins. They’re each showing up in my dreams like some bizarre courting process to see which one I’ll pick.
What was the last book you read? What did you think of it?
I just finished Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian and loved it. It’s a paranormal western about a bunch of outlaws in search of a witch with a bounty on her head. I haven’t read anything like it.
Where can readers find you?
My website is www.constancesayers.com and I can be found on Instagram and Twitter (or X) @constancesayers.
Thank you, Constance! The Star and the Strange Moon is available for pre-order.
The Star and the Strange Moon
From the author of A Witch in Time comes a haunting tale of ambition, obsession, and the eternal mystery and magic of film.
A vanished star. A haunted film. A mystery only love can unravel…
1968: Gemma Turner once dreamed of stardom. Now the actress is on the cusp of obscurity. When she’s offered the lead in a radical new horror film, Gemma believes her luck has changed–but her dream is about to turn into a nightmare. One night, between the shadows of an alleyway, Gemma disappears on set and is never seen again. Yet, Gemma is alive. She’s been pulled into the film. And the script–and the monsters within it–are coming to life. Gemma must play her role perfectly if she hopes to survive.
2007: Gemma Turner’s disappearance is one of Hollywood’s greatest mysteries–one that’s captivated film student Christopher Kent ever since he saw L’Étrange Lune for the first time. The screenings only happen once a decade and each time there is new, impossible footage of Gemma that shouldn’t exist. Curiosity drives Christopher to unravel the truth. But answers to the film’s mystery may leave him trapped by it forever.
“A sweeping tale of dark magic, artistic obsession, and a love unbound from the limits of time, The Star and the Strange Moon captivates with lush prose and moments of poignant, heartbreaking beauty.” –Paulette Kennedy, author of The Witch of Tin Mountain