We chat with author Alli Dyer about Night Songs, which follows a young woman who must delve into her country star mother’s music to break a curse that has plagued the women in her family for generations—before her time runs out.
Hi, Alli! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Yes. I am an author originally from Tennessee and Virginia, but now I live in Los Angeles with my husband and my one-year-old daughter. I used to have hobbies like going to movies and cooking and hiking and taking long walks around the city listening to audiobooks, but right now I mostly work and take care of my baby, which I don’t really mind, because she is a delight.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always loved stories—I had a very rich fantasy life from an early age—but I discovered my love for writing in middle school. I had a friend who was adopted, and I would write alternate life stories for her (which in hindsight was a bit insensitive but she loved them) that were incredible zany and always involved her having dozens of children so I could come up with cool names for them.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Witches by Roald Dahl
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: It’s usually the last good book I’ve read. In this case – Heart the Lover by Lily King.
Your latest novel, Night Songs, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Love, resilience, transcendence, dread, redemption
What can readers expect?
Love stories, secret histories, female friendship, existential dread, curses, country music, generational trauma + generational REDEMPTION!!
Where did the inspiration for Night Songs come from?
So many places, but I would say the starting point was wondering about the REAL story of a country star’s rise to fame.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing country star Lulabelle Powers the most. It felt like she was squatting inside my brain while I was writing her, like she’d always been there, just waiting for me to put her on the page. I’m not a musician, but it was fun to imagine how she created music, sort of pulling it from the life and nature around her, and what it must feel like to sing beautifully and connect to people through that channel.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I wrote many different versions of this book. The only thing that didn’t change from draft to draft was Lulabelle’s story for the most part—but Rhea’s character [Lulabelle’s daughter and the other POV in the novel] and the structure took many different forms before we landed on this one.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on this new book that I like to think of as a “crime novel with a beating heart,” which have been one of my favorite types of book lately. It also has a speculative bent, just like all of my books.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I’m really looking forward to reading Under Story by Chloe Benjamin, Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead, and Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel. I really loved The Wedding People by Alison Espach, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, and The Children by Melissa Albert so far this year.
