Heather Webber’s latest novel, A Certain Kind of Starlight, which releases today, is everything you’d hope for in one of her novels. She really is the ‘queen of small-town charm’ and this book is full of characters you’ll love to love, and love to ‘hate’. It goes between the perspectives of Addie and Tessa Jane, two half-sisters who after never having a true ‘sisterly’ relationship growing up, find themselves thrown together when their Aunt Bean (aka Verbena) calls them to come home. If you love books set in small towns, with lovable characters you can root for, and lots of family secrets just waiting to come to light, A Certain Kind of Starlight is just the book for you!
In this Q&A get an inside look into the novel with Webber herself, as well as a sneak peek at her next book which I already can’t wait to get my hands on.
When were you first inspired to write A Certain Kind of Starlight?
The seed of this book was actually planted back in 2007, when I visited Alabama for the first time. It was then that the saying on Alabama license plates caught my eye: Stars Fell on Alabama (sadly, those license plates were retired in 2009). I hadn’t known then the story behind the words but quickly learned it was in reference to a widespread meteor shower in 1833, where it appeared as though hundreds of stars were falling from the sky.
Although I’ve referenced the celestial event a couple of times in previous books I knew one day I wanted to write a whole magical story around a fallen star—and that story is A Certain Kind of Starlight.
At what part in the planning process did you come up with the title of the book?
The title came first! Most of my stand-alone stories or titles are influenced by songs, and this one is no different. It comes from The Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody.” There’s a line in the song that says, “There’s a light, a certain kind of light,” and one day when I heard it, my brain changed it to a certain kind of starlight, and I knew I had my title.
One of the things I find so enchanting about each of your books is how you bring small towns to life with both the descriptions of the town and the unique inhabitants who call it home. What do you enjoy most about setting your novels in small towns?
Thank you! Since conflict drives a story, small towns offer such wonderful ways to stir the plot, so to speak. Most are places where everyone knows everything about each other. It’s hard to keep secrets and there’s little to no anonymity. Nosiness and gossip know no bounds.
On the flip-side of what might be perceived as an intrusion, small communities tend to rally in a crisis, and it’s truly uplifting and heartwarming to witness how they love and care for their neighbors in time of need.
The novel weaves between the POV of Addie and Tessa Jane, which of the two characters’ storylines did you enjoy reading the most?
An impossible question! Both were really rewarding to write as they grew, healed. If I *had* to choose, I’d say Addie. She’d been so closed off, having already lost so much. I loved the journey of her opening up again, despite her fears.
The characters of Addie and Tessa Jane grow and change so much from the beginning of the book to where they are as individuals and as sisters at the end of the book. How did it feel as a writer to look back on how far they’d come since the beginning of the novel?
Although I knew where I was heading with them as I wrote the story, it was still really touching to write the scenes where they start to bond. One of my favorites is the hallway scene, where they’re both looking at the photo gallery. It’s a moment where their past meets the present, and both start to understand they want to change their future relationship.
Was the character of Aunt Bean based on some you’ve met in real life?
She’s not, but I sure would love to know an Aunt Bean in real life.
When did you first come up with the idea of calling the ladies who work at the bakery ‘Sugarbirds?’
It came early on. I love a collective nickname, and set about trying to find one that fit these wonderful women while also tying into the storyline. I knew I wanted something related to birds, so when I came across a reference to the sugarbird, I knew I had to use it.
What was your favorite scene from the book?
Oh, to choose. There are so many! I’ll give two, because I can’t possibly pick only one. The first is the scene where the ducks, Lucy and Ethel, get into the house. The chaos, the laughter, the bonding, was just really fun to write. The other is when Addie and Aunt Bean are dancing in the bakery. So sweet and poignant.
The ending was bittersweet. Did you always know that it would end this way, or did you have an alternate ending?
It is bittersweet, isn’t it? It wasn’t the original ending I had in mind, but about halfway through writing the story, I knew it was the ending the book needed.
Are you working on your next novel, and if so can we get a sneak peek?
I just finished writing The Forget-Me-Not Library, where long-forgotten memories can be found inside the books at a small-town Alabama library. It’ll be released next year.
Pick up your copy of A Certain Kind of Starlight.
Leave a Reply