Monica Byrne
Author Interview - Monica Byrne
Author of The Actual Star
Nine years ago, I set foot in a cave in the Belizean jungle, called Actun Tunichil Muknal. I had no idea what it would do to me; I just thought it was a tourist attraction like any other. But then we turned off our headlamps to stand in total darkness, hiked up an underground river with water up to our chests, and saw the remains of ancient Maya people who'd been sacrificed in deep pools a thousand years ago. When we came back out, I felt so unaccountably happy, that all I wanted to do was go back to that cave again...and again...and again. Why? I didn't really know, except that I felt so happy when I was there. It was like being possessed.
Over the next nine years, I went back to the cave twelve times. I started writing a book centered around the cave, obsessively researching the ancient Maya and contemporary Belize. Over time, its structure crystallized: the story follows three reincarnated characters, cycling through three time periods--1012, 2012, and 3012--who always, in the end, are drawn back to the cave.
Why did I feel so happy there? THE ACTUAL STAR is my 604-page answer. I hope you enjoy it.
Author Interview - Monica Byrne
Author I draw inspiration from: Ursula K. Le Guin
Author Interview - Monica Byrne | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book: My plush purple sofa.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Westley from The Princess Bride by William Goldman, because then he'd get me out of it.
Author Interview - Monica Byrne | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: When I looked at my grades in my third semester of graduate school.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback.
The last book I read: Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
Author Interview - Monica Byrne | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer: Pen & paper for journaling, computer for everything creative.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Alexander the Great as written by Mary Renault in The Persian Boy.
Author Interview - Monica Byrne | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: playwright. I'm afraid making things up is all I'm good for.
Favorite decade in fashion history: 1910s. Dress me like one of your French girls.
Place I’d most like to travel: All over India, for a year.
My signature drink: Rum and orange juice. Always what I order when in Belize.
Favorite artist: Alphonse Mucha
Number one on my bucket list: Doing mushrooms.
Find more from the author:
@monicabyrne13 on Instagram
@monicabyrne13 on Twitter,
/monicabyrne13 on Facebook
Author Bio: Monica Byrne studied biochemistry at Wellesley, NASA, and MIT before pivoting to fiction and theatre. She is the author of the novel The Girl in the Road, winner of the 2015 Otherwise Award. She is based in Durham, North Carolina, and loves a good thunderstorm.
