Acclaimed author Cassandra King's new novel is Moonrise, available on September 3rd from Maiden Lane Press.

Here Cassandra talks about  a key inspiration behind her new book ––– Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca. She also chats a bit about the Southern gothic sub–genre.

Q: This year marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of Daphne du Maurier's classic novel Rebecca. While your book's not a retelling, it's certainly homage to that novel. Do you remember when you first read Rebecca? Why do you think this novel has endured? 

A: Rebecca is a beloved classic for many reasons. First of all, there's the mystery, the unanswered questions. Who was Rebecca, and why was she revered by everyone who knew her? Was she an angel, or a demon? And what about the narrator, who remains nameless throughout the book? Was she an easily frightened, overly imaginative wimp, or a terribly shy person unaware of her own strengths? And what about Rebecca's death? Was it an accident, or something more sinister? Then there's the delicious suggestion of the supernatural. I remember devouring Rebecca as a teenager, then searching out everything else Daphne du Maurier wrote. As a writer, I can now appreciate Rebecca for the author's masterful control of the story: the way the suspense draws the reader in, and the unforgettable characters.

For me, the creation of each book is its own story. Only afterwards do I look back and realize that so many things had to happen for the inspiration and creation to come together at just the right time. In this case, during a summer spent in a wonderful old house in Highlands, North Carolina, I stumbled on the grave of the owner's former wife in an overgrown garden. Although I was working on another book at the time, the book I was rereading during my down time was—coincidentally––Rebecca. From a serendipity of setting, place, and imagination came Moonrise.

Q: It's often said that the past is always with us. The South truly loves its historic homes. And in many cities such as Beaufort and Charleston, South Carolina, these gardens are treasures often hidden behind walls. Do you believe that carefully preserving and honoring the past reflects a particularly Southern way of looking at the world? Are Southerners perhaps more attracted to gothic themes in fiction than the rest of the country? 

A: Let me take on the latter question first because my take on it influences the first. Southern gothic is a sub–genre of fiction, and for good reason. The lush, haunted landscape of the South is every bit as romantic as the wild moors of England and lends itself beautifully to the creation of a mysterious, darkly foreboding gothic atmosphere. Hidden, ruined or mysterious gardens add even more to such a landscape. As for our houses, the South is known for a particular kind of ancestor worship, which inevitably is tied into the "old home place." So yes, I think the South is about as gothic as it gets.

About Moonrise: 

MOONRISE is a novel of dark secrets and second chances, New York Times' bestselling author Cassandra King's homage to the gothic classic Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

When Helen Honeycutt falls in love with a man who has recently lost his wife in a tragic accident, their sudden marriage creates a rift between her new husband and his friends, who resent her intrusion into their close circle. When the newlyweds join them for a summer at Moonrise, his late wife's family home in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, it soon becomes clear that someone is trying to drive her away, in King's literary homage to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.

About the Author: 

CASSANDRA KING is the bestselling author of four previous novels, Making Waves, The Sunday Wife, The Same Sweet Girls and Queen of Broken Hearts, as well as numerous short stories, essays and articles. Moonrise, her fifth novel, is set in Highlands, North Carolina. A native of Lower Alabama, Cassandra resides in Beaufort, South Carolina, with her husband, Pat Conroy.