New Book Spotlight

To Wonder and Starshine

A mini-interview with Jendia Gammon

Tell us about your new book?

To Wonder and Starshine is a charming collection of tales from fairylands to alternate realms, from Appalachia to deep space, and points in between.

Following the multi-award-nominated The Shadow Galaxy: A Collection of Short Stories and Poetry (written as J. Dianne Dotson), To Wonder and Starshine showcases fantasy and science fiction stories within this book. Themes include whimsy, love, grief, beauty, exploration, and friendship, whether between people, animals, robots, aliens, or fairies. This is my homage to all the wonder tales that have shaped my life, whether real or imagined.

What aspect of the book was the most fun to write?

This is a collection of short stories which I’ve written over time. It was great fun to find a thread among them and tie them together, and Trepidatio Publishing (an imprint of JournalStone) gave this a home, as they did for The Shadow Galaxy collection. As To Wonder and Starshine is lighter in tone, but still contains depth, it’s just so satisfying to offer these flashes of hope, fun, adventure, and cozy, quiet moments right now.

If there is one emotion or theme that you would hope that the reader connects with, what would that be?

Aside from the title’s use of “wonder,” I would say that friendship and found family are strong themes, along with reflections upon youth and aging.