“Some of those scenes were hard because they were sourced from a painful place, but other times, I was able to distance myself while writing, and it was easier.”
, was released in August by Simon and Schuster, and it explores all three of those themes. Titular character Moon Fuentez is a creative and funny recent high school graduate. She is also as different as can be from her fraternal twin sister, Star, a beautiful social media influencer who is rapidly becoming a celebrity in the purity movement.
Moon's sister Star isn't just any influencer; she is an internet celebrity in the purity movement. Throughout the story, we see how purity culture and a focus on virginity harm both girls. Why did you want to explore that in this book?because I’d grown up deeply entrenched in it. It wasn’t unusual for my siblings and me to hear our elders slut-shaming young women, whether they were relatives or acquaintances or even strangers.
I was raised with folk magic, and I was taught to read tarot by a third-generation reader when I was 18. So I didn’t do much research at all — the mysticism and magic Moon experiences are definitely drawn from my own life! Though, sadly, thousands of butterflies don’t flutter around me randomly from time to time.
These scenes were based on how differently people treated my sister and me from our white-passing cousins. I called my sister to help me remember all we’d gone through, and it really angered me. I’d forgotten a lot, and especially about how adults acted like my cousins were better because their complexion was lighter [and] their hair was blond. We totally internalized and believed it.