Excerpt and Q&A: STARS MAINTAIN THEIR GLOW by M.G. da Mota
TELLUS ABOUT YOUR BOOK
Stars Maintain Their Glow is partially a historicalnovel, i.e. parts 1 and 2, are set during WWII in neutral Portugal and inGermany. It is also a contemporary novel because the story in the past isnarrated by a character in our present times. The three central characters arefemale and all strong, determined, independent women.
HOWDID YOU COME UP WITH THE TITLE FOR THIS BOOK?
The title comesfrom a poem I wrote when a dear friend of mine died. The poem is included inthe novel as a logical step within the narrative.
WHATINSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK?
The firstinspiration came from a German friend of mine who was a child in Germany duringthe period of Nazism and the Second World War. She told me fragmented episodesshe remembered of the war and life in Germany from the perspective of the childshe was then. However, without her input (she died in 2016) it wasn’t enoughfor a book. I’ve always been interested in the same period (WWII) in Portugalas the country managed to remain neutral against all odds. Lisbon (its capital)was a melting pot of spies and refugees during the war years when the countrywas ruled with an iron hand by fascist dictator Salazar. So, I thought I couldcombine the two. I then needed to connect both stories and so a character inthe present was born. It was also a tribute to my father and two other dearfriends (besides the German mentioned above) all in memoriam, as theyall have died in recent years.
HOWWOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY?
The characters arecomplex. The main three women are strong and determined, courageous and brave.The key male character that connects two of the women is a complicated personality.He can be both charming and despicable. The narrator is a modern-day woman whohas had her fair share of loss and sadness but again she is strong, driven, andtenacious. I think the characters are mostly intriguing and perhaps quitefascinating.
WHATDRIVES THE CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY?
That depends on thecharacter. Eduarda (the woman in Portugal during WWII) is driven by her desireto be independent and build a career. Hertha (the woman in Germany who is achild at the time of the war) is driven at first by the need to survive, laterby love for her husband and her children. The modern-day woman, Valeria, whobecomes friends with Hertha (in our times an old lady) is driven by her need tobuild a second career out of the ruins of the first and by her promise toHertha. The men are different. Gerald, who connects Eduarda and Hertha, isdriven by his wish to succeed in his work but also his inability to denyhimself anything or anyone he wishes to possess. Xaver (Hertha’s grandson andeventually Valeria’s boyfriend) is a classic ballet dancer and is driven by hispassion for this art form.
WHATWOULD YOU SAY IS A PIVOTAL SCENE IN YOUR BOOK AND WHY?
Gerald’s encounterwith Eduarda is pivotal. It will change her life. Hertha’s hunger and escapefrom East Prussia as a child during WWII are pivotal, again they are key to herfuture life. The meeting of Valeria and Xaver is also pivotal because they fallin love and support each other in fulfilling the promise made to his grandmother,Hertha.
WHATWOULD YOU SAY IS THE MAIN DRAW FOR YOUR STORY AND WHY WOULD READERS WANT TO BUYIT?
The main draw to mystory is, I believe, the courage and determination of the women in a period ofhistory where not only things were difficult because of the war but alsobecause men had all the rights and women next to none. There is too art,history, music, dance, passion and science at the core and heart of the novel.It’s an intriguing, engrossing, suspenseful story. I think people will enjoyit.
WHATWAS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN WRITING THIS STORY AND WHAT DID YOU DO TOOVERCOME IT?
The biggestchallenge was the amount of research involved for the historical periods bothfor Portugal and Germany. Actually, more difficult for Portugal, as there isless written about it than for Germany. I overcame it by simply getting hold ofbooks and articles of the period online, in libraries and bookshops in variouslanguages. As I speak German and Portuguese fluently, I had access to a lot ofmaterial in those languages, which was very helpful.
WHAT CRITERIA DID YOU USE WHEN SELECTING THE COVER FORYOUR BOOK?
I wanted a photograph that showed the beauty of the night sky and theglow of the stars on a clear, dark night. I got that from my husband, an outstandingphotographer. So, the photo is of the Milky Way on a particularly clear, darknight. Then I wanted beautifully designed letters for the title in colours andshapes that fit with the book’s name.
WAS THERE A MESSAGE IN YOUR BOOK THAT YOU WERE TRYING TOCONVEY?
If there is a messagein my novel, it will be to do the best you can with what life gives you andnever give up your dreams and ideas. Life does not stop when we have a setbackor lose a loved one. It is up to us to carry on and make the most of it. Not tovictimize ourselves or to forget. Never that. Instead, we should learn to livewith the pain or the issues, turn them around and enjoy every minute of ourlives.
DOYOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW WRITERS?
I don’t haveanything in particular. It is up to each writer to do what they need/want withtheir talent for creating stories. Some people will try to write books thatplease others or that will sell well. Personally, I don’t. It’s my choice. Iwrite what I know, feel and like. All those stories dancing around in my headneed to be put on paper (in a manner of speaking). If anyone wants to buy themand has fun reading them, it is a real bonus and one that I treasure.
DO YOU HAVE A BLOG OR WEBSITE READERS CAN VISIT FORUPDATES, EVENTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS?
I have a website called Flowing Prose. This is the link:
Offers are often advertised on my Facebook page. Here’s the direct link:
https://www.facebook.com/m.g.da.mota
EXCERPT:
Valeria’s Journal, 2022 – The Beginning
… … … …
I havealways had trouble understanding how my grandfather could have been loyal andkind to his family and simultaneously behave in such a rotten way to his eldestdaughter Maria Eduarda – the one nobody talks about. My mother knows almostnothing about her half-sister and has never met her. Two men had an idea ofwhat might have happened to Maria Eduarda, as they were the instigators in amanner of speaking. One of them was her own father, Ludovico, the Duke of Beja,my granddad; the other the man who changed her life.
What Iam about to write is the tale of Maria Eduarda, as told to me, and the memoirsof my friend Hertha Lohmeyer – Hertie, as family and friends affectionatelycalled her. By one of those life’s serendipitous moments these two storiescrossed, touched and eventually turned into one.
I could have started working on the bookmuch earlier but Hertie didn’t want anything revealed while she lived.
Thisyear, 2022, sees the fourth anniversary of her death. The Covid-19 pandemicstarted in late December 2019 in China and spread all over Europe and the Worldin the early part of 2020. No-one thought it would last this long. We now havevaccines that didn’t exist in the beginning but for how much longer it’s goingto rage is anyone’s guess. I thought about Hertie today, as the task she gaveme is nearing its end. Remembering what a kind-hearted, warm, dear person shewas I knew it was time to start shaping the stories into the book she wantedwhen the pandemic began. The long months of lockdown in 2020 and then in 2021were ideal. I lost no more time.
And sothe story begins…
