About the Book:
Heartbroken after the death of her fighter pilot fiancé, Juliet is sent to stay with her sister at Samphire House. But when she discovers the body of a local girl washed up on the beach, past mysteries come flooding back.
Under the darkening skies of wartime England, Juliet is thrown together with a handsome stranger. Can she find the courage to confront her deepest fears, put right a terrible injustice, and – even as the world burns around her – risk falling in love once more?
Find on Goodreads. Find on Bookshop.org UK (affiliate link).
About the Author:
Lucy Strange is an award winning children’s author, known for her critically acclaimed books which capture elements of classic children’s literature in a style that is engaging and accessible for today’s younger readers.
Often inspired by folklore and fairy tales, Lucy Strange combines historical settings with touches of magical realism and fantasy to create utterly convincing worlds in which anything might happen.
Lucy lives in the Kent countryside with her partner and their young son.
Interview:
Pitch your book in 10 words!
A World War Two romance with a murder mystery twist!
This is your YA debut, having written numerous highly-acclaimed historical novels for children. What led you to decide now was the time to write for an older audience?
Before I became a full-time writer, I’d been a secondary school English teacher for fifteen years, and I loved working with teenagers. I thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful to write a historical romance for that age group – to take some of my middle-grade readers with me as they cross that threshold into YA and the wider world beyond . . . As I started developing CUT HIM OUT IN LITTLE STARS, I saw it as a sort of “big sister” to my novels like OUR CASTLE BY THE SEA* or THE GHOST OF GOSSWATER*.
As the title and main character’s name suggests, this book has taken some inspiration from Romeo and Juliet and falls into the growing body of work that re-examines this piece, asking whether that relationship really was as romantic as has been said. Why do you think we’re revisiting this classic play from this angle at the moment?
For me, it’s all about that myth of romantic destiny or finding “the one” that gives young people such unrealistic expectations of relationships. I thought, what if Romeo wasn’t the person Juliet thought he was? – after all, she’d only known him for three days . . . So, I set about writing a romance in which the dazzling infatuation of first love is ultimately overshadowed by second love – a connection that’s much deeper, more meaningful and beautiful.
CUT HIM OUT IN LITTLE STARS is not a retelling of the play, but rather uses it as a jumping off point for a story that is part romance and part murder mystery. What inspired this combination of elements? Was it always as balanced as it is now?
As a reader, I fell in love with murder mysteries long before I discovered romance! Most of my stories have mysteries in them in one way or another – I just can’t help it. For me, it’s a big part of making a story rich, tense and intriguing. The murder mystery thread in CUT HIM OUT IN LITTLE STARS is interwoven with the romance thread partly to lend the story that atmosphere and tension, but also because solving the mystery, facing her fears and discovering the truth is an essential part of Juliet’s growth as a character.
YA is typically an age category about first but this is a book about a second love, and loving after heartbreak despite knowing the potential cost. Why do you think it’s so important that there are books for teens about that second, third, and beyond chance at love?
I think it’s all about hope. Our first experiences of romantic love are so intense, so devastating – I think it’s wonderful that stories can show young readers that there is always hope after heartbreak, and that we mustn’t let being hurt stop us from taking a chance on happiness. As Mrs Sylvester, one of the characters in CUT HIM OUT IN LITTLE STARS says, “It’s the bravest thing in the world to fall in love.”
The other major relationship in the book is between Juliet and her older sister Frances. The sisters haven’t spent much time together since Frances moved away and there is an initial strain on their relationship. What led you to write such a complex sibling dynamic?
Like her childhood home and her relationship with her father, Juliet’s relationship with Frances is something that – initially – keeps her held fast in the younger, more helpless version of herself. As we grow up, sibling dynamics have to shift, so that we are allowing each other to be the grown-ups we truly need to be. Sisterhood is a big part of this story and I wanted the sibling dynamic to feel truthful, so I knew Frances would not be able to hide her secrets from Juliet for ever, and that the two of them would have to find a way to accept and love and trust each other as adults.
The book is set on the Kentish coast. In 1940, this county was home to many of the airbases involved in the Battle of Britain and was the focus of defensive preparations for the heavily expected Nazi invasion of Britain. How did you go about bringing this very particular chapter of history to life?
Building the tension and atmosphere of this particular point of history was very important to me – everyone in Britain was convinced the Nazi invasion was only moments away. I did lots of research of course, but I found novels just as inspiring as non-fiction as I developed ideas for the story – particularly two of my favourite wartime romances A MOMENT IN TIME by H.E. Bates and A LITTLE LOVE SONG by Michelle Magorian. I also visited local museums such as the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial, and even got to see my brother fly a Spitfire at Headcorn airfield! I was particularly interested in portraying the experiences of fighter pilots – the young men who were up there in the sky defending Great Britain: how life and death hung in the balance every time they climbed into the cockpit.
What was the most unexpected avenue your research for the book took you down?
I frequently spent whole days lost down research rabbit holes! I learned a lot about the experiences of RAF fighter pilots – I was stunned at how young they were. The average age of an RAF fighter pilot in 1940 was just 20 years. Of those who were killed, the average age was 22. I can’t get over that.
I spent lots of time reading about World War Two rationing and black-market goods, the details of defences on British beaches, the black out and – probably the most fun bit – researching 1940s dresses and listening to popular dance tunes!
Throughout the book, Juliet uses poetry from the 18th and 19th century to express and process her emotions. Why do you think these words from long dead people still resonate with us today?
The poems featured in CUT HIM OUT IN LITTLE STARS are a selection from the works of Christina Rossetti, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Emily Brontë and Emily Dickinson. I think they’re still powerful because the emotional experiences they explore so beautifully are simultaneously personal and universal. Their contemplations of love, heartbreak, mortality, truth, grief, fear and courage feel raw, fresh and authentic, and become a vital source of solace for Juliet. The poems articulate her feelings for her and reassure her that she is not alone which gives her strength and hope.
As well as writing the book, you also narrate the audiobook. How did bringing it to life this way affect your relationship with the book?
I’ve narrated the audiobooks of most of my novels and it’s always something I look forward to – a chance to spend time immersed in the world of the story. I’ve usually spent a year or two hearing the characters’ voices in my head while I’ve been writing and editing, so when I get to do the audiobook it really does feel like they’re coming to life at last – and that can be quite emotional.
Please recommend a UKYA book you think readers will love.
A SKY PAINTED GOLD* by Laura Wood – 1920s jazz era meets the Cornish coast in this gorgeous, sun-drenched first love story. There are kisses with masked strangers, jealousy, mysteries and dark family secrets too. 12+
Thank you!
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