Beneath the Smiling Moon follows a twenty-nine-year-old woman tormented with mental illness and addiction who struggles to pull her life together against all odds. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Right out of the gate, I wanted to create a flawed but relatable main character, one that an audience can’t help but cheer for. Painting a realistic picture of contemporary struggles that center around addiction and mental illness were important for me to portray. The main character in Beneath the Smiling Moon chose to deal with her issues and elevate the conversation in an open way. Even though this is a work of fiction, the hope is that the novel can bring attention and awareness to these internal struggles that are so commonplace in today’s society.
​
Izzie struggles with depression and bipolar disorder, as well as a strained family relationship; despite this, she wants to get help and move forward in life. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

When deciding what kind of plot I wanted to develop for this novel, I was very interested in the Rebirth plot line. It entails: a threat/struggle that sets in, recedes, comes back in full force, the rebirth of a character occurs, and then all is well. Showing an evolution of Izzie’s lived experiences with respect to the plot line illustrates to readers that the main character embraces change for the better while reminding the audience that everyone is capable of growth no matter how dire the situation may be.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

One goal for Beneath the Smiling Moon was to highlight the human experience. With that in mind, I felt that it was important for me to explore themes of love and loss so that my target audience and readers of literary fiction felt connected to the story from the start. My theory is that at some point in life, most adults have faced one if not both, emotions. The elements of love and loss that are threaded throughout the narrative will hopefully keep the text relatable and enjoyable. I also wanted to utilize motifs such as lightness and darkness throughout the novel. The darkness the main character feels when she’s at her lowest, versus the light and hope she feels at the end, speaks to the ebb and flow of the human experience and how light cannot exist without darkness and vice versa.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

The next book I’m working on is a Southern Gothic tragedy. It will follow three daughters who discover their mother’s journal hidden away in secrecy after her death. The journal and its contents will change everything the girls thought they knew about their mother and their own lives. I have an outline of what I want to accomplish with my next piece, and I’m hoping to focus on the character development with nice plot points throughout, similar to Beneath the Smiling Moon. I plan to dedicate time this summer to begin writing and working on my next project. Follow along for updates on my website at devonjvaldes.com!

Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Website | Amazon