What is the title of your latest release?
THE MOONLIGHT HEALERS
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Multiple generations of women in one family with a magical, secret ability must contend with what it means to be a healer.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I chose Crozet Virginia because I moved there in 2020 and was so inspired by the beauty. I chose Normandy, France because I spent time there in college and loved the stories of its beauty and resiliency.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes definitely! Louise and Helene are both strong, smart women who I'd love to know in real life!
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Strong, resilient, healer
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned so much about folk healing traditions and about WW2 era France.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Edit as I go!
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Oysters-the saltier the better!
Describe your writing space/office!
Always shifting! I have an office but often have to write on the go between school pickups and drop-offs, so I also use coffee shops in Charlottesville and sometimes even my car.
Who is an author you admire?
So many! But I absolutely love Claire Lombardo-she writes about women in all their everyday ordinary complexity and makes every moment so vivid and honest.
Is there a book that changed your life?
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be
published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was in the dentist's chair! I had to wait to call my agent back until the dentist was done.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Women's literary fiction
What is your favorite season?
Fall!
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Indulging in some self-care like a massage or seeing a movie solo!
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Paradise the TV show is the best new show I've seen in years. I think Wicked should win all the Oscar's. And Dana Elmendorf's In the Hour of Crows was such a beautiful book.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican!
What do you do when you have free time?
I rarely have it, but if I do I love to watch Bravo TV.
What can readers expect from you next?
A book that blends extraordinary moments with real intimate human experiences.
For generations, the Winston women have possessed an unspoken magical gift: they can heal with the touch of a hand. It’s a tradition they’ve always had to practice in secret, in the moonlight hours, when the fireflies dance and the whippoorwill birds sing.
But not every healer has rightfully passed on this knowledge to her descendants, and for young Louise Winston, the discovery of her abilities comes in less-than-ideal circumstances—she brings her best friend back from death following an accident, the day after he professed his long-held feelings for her, five days before she’s supposed to move away.
Desperate for answers, and to avoid this new reality between them, Louise escapes to her grandmother’s lush Appalachian orchard. There, she uncovers her family’s hidden history in a tattered journal, stemming back to her brave great-grandmother who illicitly healed Allied soldiers in war-torn France. But just as Louise begins to embrace her unique legacy, she learns that it can also come with a mysterious cost. And with a life hanging in the balance, she’ll be forced to make the most impossible of choices…
Spanning eighty years, The Moonlight Healers is a deeply empathetic, heartfelt novel about mothers and daughters, life and death, and the beautiful resilience of love.
Women's Fiction Family Life | Fantasy Magical Realism [Graydon House, On Sale: February 11, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book , ISBN: 9781525830426 / eISBN: 9780369762047]
ELIZABETH BECKER is a former pediatric nurse and Pushcart Prize-nominated writer. She has worked as a correspondent for Richmond Magazine and the Richmond Times Dispatch, and her award-winning essays have been featured on national sites including Motherwell, Scary Mommy, Motherly, Swamp Pink (formerly Crazy Horse), and Winning Writers. She received a degree in creative writing from the College of Charleston before earning a bachelor's degree in nursing. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband and four young children.
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