We chat with co-creators Tasia M.S. and Barbara Perez Marquez about To Dance the Moon and Stars, which is set in a kingdom where dance is forbidden, and a future high priestess must bend the rules to stop an ancient evil from destroying everything and everyone she loves—including the crown prince—in this sweeping romantasy graphic novel.
Hi, Tasia and Barbara! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves?
Tasia: I’m a South African illustrator (and now published author!) who has dabbled in illustration, animation, book covers and character design. Eventually, I realized that storytelling was something I loved most, and graphic novels felt like the obvious way to combine my love of writing and drawing. When I’m not working on a book, I’m drinking far too much caffeine, buying cute dresses or searching for my next little sweet treat.
Barbara: I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and have an MFA in Creative Writing. I’m a multigenre writer for both short and long-form stories. I started out in my writing career with middle grade stories, but it’s been so wonderful to tell stories for young adult audiences in the past year.
When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading or playing narrative videogames.
When did you first discover your love for illustrating and stories?
Tasia: Since I was a child, I was always drawing an alarming number of fairies and making up stories about them, and I also took great pride in being the best artist in preschool, which was obviously a very prestigious title. I also spent most of my childhood living in my own head, and not much has changed there. So, in a way, illustrating and storytelling have always come from the same place: me making things up and finding a way to bring them to life.
Barbara: I was featured in a student collection in the 7th grade and that was the first time that spark of being published was born, but it really took off via fan fiction when I started involving myself in the communities of the books and TV shows I enjoyed growing up. Once I started thinking more concretely that I wanted to be a writer and wrote my own stories, it evolved more solidly into my love for storytelling and creating stories that I wish I’d had as a young reader.
Your latest novel, To Dance the Moon and Stars, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Tasia: Mythical, romantic, cinematic, duty-bound and lovestruck.
Barbara: Not to be a hopeless romantic, but “follow your heart above all” comes to mind.
What can readers expect?
Tasia: Readers can expect a tender, wholesome love story brought to life with rich, immersive colour on every page. I wanted the artwork to feel just as magical as the story itself.
Barbara: A swoony fantasy romance full of heart. We wanted the story to feel very classical even with a completely original worldbuild, readers will find it familiar and hopefully be delighted by the new approach to the well known elements of the romantasy genre.
Where did the inspiration for To Dance the Moon and Stars come from?
Tasia: The inspiration came from two forces: my lifelong obsession with celestial imagery, and the fact that I was not allowed to take dance classes as a child and have apparently chosen to process that grievance through literature. The story also draws from growing up in a very particular diaspora, where there were a lot of rules about how to behave, what was acceptable, and how to maintain a respectable image in the eyes of elders and the wider community, which, as we all know, is an audience with extremely detailed notes. Now that I’m older, I’m still trying to navigate the complicated mix of religion, culture and community: the parts that feel beautiful, and the parts that can feel restrictive. I put all of that tension into a mythical, romantic fantasy and gave my characters the dance lessons I never got.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed illustrating or writing?
Tasia: Oh goodness, I had such a lovely time illustrating it. It was incredibly time-consuming, but in a dangerous, all-consuming way where I’d sit down to work on one tiny detail and discover that several hours had passed and I had apparently forgotten all basic human needs. I especially loved illustrating the more magical moments and there’s something very satisfying about spending an unreasonable amount of time making fictional people look beautiful while I’m sitting there in the same sweatpants I’ve worn for two days.
Barbara: My favorite were the more quiet moments between Myra and Eyden. The story takes place during this huge festival and their lives are full of people and responsibilities they must attend to, but getting to see them interact with each other in stolen moments feels almost like they get to stop time to be with each other. I think that’s where the romance blossoms and really shines for the story.
What’s next for you both?
Tasia: I’m currently working on a new graphic novel, which I’m ridiculously excited about! In many ways, it’s become a home for all the “what ifs?” I couldn’t explore in my debut and I’m hoping everything I learned from making my debut, the mistakes and occasional creative crisis, will help make this one even better. More than anything, I just want to keep creating art in whatever form that takes, whether it’s graphic novels, book illustration, character design, or the random drawings I make on the side and post online.
Barbara: Next up in August I’ll be back in middle grade with The Library of Memories and at my desk I’m currently chipping away at a contemporary teen Summer romance story.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
Tasia: Oh goodness, the moment someone asks me this, my mind immediately forgets every book I’ve ever read. But I finally picked up Persepolis by the late Marjane Satrapi this year, and I absolutely loved it. I related to so many of her experiences, particularly the tensions between family, culture, and religion while trying to navigate becoming your own person. Next on my reading list is A Prince Among Pirates by my friend Katie Abdou, which has just come out!
Barbara: I loved Kit Rosewater’s Buried Feelings and though it’s a while away, I’m really excited for Angela Montoya’s next book The Immortal Undoing.
