Author Interview: Rachel Griffin

Get the inside scoop on ‘The Sun and the Starmaker’!

Rachel Griffin is the author of our February Young Adult ‘Starlight Magic’ featured book: The Sun and the Starmaker. Read on to get the inside scoop from inspiration to favourite scenes and more!

What originally inspired the idea for The Sun and the Starmaker?

I wish I had some great source of inspiration for this one! But it was actually a case of when it came time for me to talk with my editor about what I wanted to write next, I didn’t really have any ideas. But I keep these running lists of everything that I love, of things that make me happy or things I would otherwise like to try and write one day, from bigger overarching things to really small micro moments. So as I was brainstorming my next book, I kind of just started circling things on my lists that I thought would go well together. It started with a grumpy immortal and eternal winter, and that was the very first kernel of the idea!

Can you describe the overall vibe or aesthetic of the book?

It is very, very wintry, snowy, and cold. And it’s also very magical. I wanted to combine this idea of a very brutal environment; like when you think of an endless winter, it’s brutal and there’s deadly frost. But that also kind of makes everything magical, in the way that the sunlight sparkles on the snow and the way frost glimmers on flowers! I wanted to combine those two things for what felt like a very magical setting and aesthetic.

What inspired the magic system in this story?

I knew that I wanted a really isolated village that was beyond the reach of the sun, so I had to figure out why the village is not getting the sunlight, and then build from there. My initial idea was it needs a magical sorcerer character who can actually pull the sunlight into the village, and that’s how they survive. And I did all of this work on the backstory there, how does the Starmaker get his magic, where does it come from, why does the sun care to save this village, etc. So I wrote a backstory of the sun’s story, just for myself, to make sure I understood the lore. And I would say I was 8 or 9 versions into this book when we decided to make that lore, that story, the prologue of the book. So now the book opens with that, and really, the magic flows between that sun and that human.

Nature plays such a big role in your writing. How does it show up in this book?

If you’ve read any of my books, it’s not a shock to know I’m deeply inspired by nature! I live in the Pacific Northwest, in Washington State, and it’s just gorgeous! To the west, you have the pacific ocean. To the east, you have this gorgeous mountain range. I’m just surrounded by nature, and I find it deeply inspiring. And I think a lot of the reason that comes through in my writing so much is because I also want to take these things that feel mundane, things that we as humans have gotten used to like the weather and thunderstorms, but are things that are actually really magical when you think about them. Like we have electricity bolts that light up in the sky, and that’s pretty incredible! But we think of it as normal, and so I wanted to take things that have become part of our daily life and give them a new sense of wonder and awe. With The Sun and the Starmaker in particular, I wanted to do that with a very cold, snowy environment. And also, I wanted to think about what goes into survival in that kind of environment. You have this deadly frost that threatens the village, but then you have the warmth of the sun, and I really liked the conflict of those two things. Because that is nature! It can be harsh and threatening, but it can also be absolutely beautiful and transformative.

Did you have to do any research for this book?

Most of my research was centred around how would a mountain village not be able to be reached by the sun. I learned pretty early on that it would have to be a situation where you have this small, isolated village, with peaks all around it, but the peaks are so high that they cast the whole place in a shadow. It’s not that the sun isn’t present, it just that the sun can’t rise high enough above the mountains, and so that also really informed the magic system. I also did a lot of research on mirrors, like if you could actually reflect light in a way that could help crops grow, and things like that.

Which character do you think readers will instantly connect with?

I have to say Tilly, who is the snow angel and she just feels lost. I think all of us have felt that way at one point or another. I want to protect her at all costs!

Who would you say is the most complicated character?

I think it’s probably the Starmaker. He has a very interesting conflict in himself, where he is kind of ready to pass the reigns and have another Starmaker rise up and take his role. But also, this has been his routine for so long that he’s almost forgotten what it means to live, what human emotions are, and what it is like to argue or be frustrated with another person. So I think getting that balance right was a big part of what I tried to do.

What kind of emotional journey should readers prepare for?

I think a devastating one! I think that readers should be prepared for a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve had many people say that tissues are a good idea when you’re reading!

If readers could take away one feeling or message from The Sun and the Starmaker, what would you want it to be?

I think I want it to be comforting. I want this book to feel like your favourite bedtime story! Where it’s something you curl up with and it brings you comfort. You know that feeling when you finish a book and you just hug it to your chest? That’s the feeling!

Do you have a favourite quote or line from the book you can share?

Yes, it’s one of the last lines in the book and it is ‘What an extraordinary thing it is to live.’

What’s next for you, are there any projects you can share a bit about?

There are projects that are coming that haven’t been announced yet. But what I can say, is that my next book is very, very different from anything I’ve ever written before!

What is your favourite thing about the FairyLoot Edition of The Sun and the Starmaker?

I love everything about this edition! But this specific endpaper in the back, I love it so much. I gasped when I saw the artwork, it’s outrageous in every way. I absolutely love it! I was completely blown away the entire process, and then it’s somehow still even more gorgeous in person!

Author Recommends

Have you ever wondered which books your favourite author thinks are an absolute must read? Well, wonder no more! Here are four books Rachel Griffin thinks everyone needs on their TBR: