I'm so dang excited to help celebrate the release of Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale and to have the fantabulous Lauren Myracle here today....
Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale
By Lauren Myracle
Illustrated by Isaac Goodhart
May 7, 2019
DC Ink
When fourteen-year-old Selina Kyle, aka the future Catwoman, becomes homeless, she must confront questions of who she is and who she will become.
She rejects human cruelty, but sometimes it seems as though brute force is the only way to "win." And if Selina is to survive on the streets, she must be tough. Can she find her humanity and reconcile toughness with her desire for community ... and love?
One day, Selina Kyle will become Catwoman, love interest and frenemy to Bruce Wayne’s Batman...but at fourteen, Selina finds herself homeless, running from an abusive home, and conflicted about who she is and how she has to live. Life on the streets is hard, but a group of ragtag thieves, a new bond, and a fragile friendship with young Bruce Wayne, help sow the seeds of who Selina will one day become.
Lauren Myracle’s Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale, is a fierce and deeply felt origin story that offers Selina Kyle, the future Catwoman, a startling and moving backstory. This version of Selina’s young adulthood is full of harrowing heartache, tangible bonds, strength, courage, and heart, and, of course, plenty of cats. Myracle explores some heavy topics (abuse, suicide, self-harm, depression, bullying) and does so with unflinching honesty, never shying away from the ugliness. Young readers will be inspired and moved by Selina’s emotional journey and friendships she develops, thrilled by the story’s hijinks and mysteries, and amused by her sweet and fiery interactions with crush Bruce Wayne. And Goodhart’s edgy, engaging, and expressive illustrations perfectly capture Selina’s story.
Q1. What three words best describe your book, Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale?
Raw, real, resilient.
Q2. Grab a copy of Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale and answer the following:
Favorite chapter?
“Life in a Pact,” which is the chapter in which Selina joins street kids Ojo, Yang and sweet, wounded ten-year-old Briar Rosie, whom Selina trains the others to call “Rosie,” as we all have our thorns, but that doesn’t mean we should be defined by them. It’s in this chapter that Selina begins to take tentative steps toward connecting with others, and it’s in this chapter that, by reaching out to Rosie, she reclaims her truest, kindest humanity. Also, the title! It’s a typo! I wrote it as “Life in a Pack,” as in a pack of kids, or, following the cat/dog imagery, a pack of dogs. But it got transmuted through mysterious means into “Life in a Pact,” and man, that works too, even better. You’re the first person I’ve ever told this too. I never even pointed it out to my editors!
Favorite page?
Page 38, when Selina is crushing on Bruce during math class, mooning over his black shiny hair. “His hair is as dark as the night, as glossy as the wings of a crow. Not just one crow, but a murder of crows. But without the murder, obviously...”
Favorite setting?
Gritty Gotham City, seen always in the night as Ojo teaches Selina parkour. On one panel, brilliant illustrator Isaac Goodhart added a flock of silent ghostly blimps floating through the air. Aaaaah.
Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser:
Omigod, what a cool idea! Okay, gonna do it for real, NO MOVING THE OUIJA BOARD PLAQUARD MYSELF!
Right, then. Page 48, Selina: “The mansion we broke into? It belongs to Bruce Wayne. My heart practically drops out of my body.” Hahahahaha. Perfect. Selina’s with the gang on her first heist, and of course the house (mansion!) they target happens to be Bruce’s home. Poor Selina!
Q3. When writing Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale, did you draw inspiration from other superheroines or feminist icons?
Well, this’ll probably make me sound Pollyanna-ish, but you know what? I *like* Pollyanna, so who cares? I drew on all the strong women around me: my mom, my stepmom, my sisters, my daughters. My friends. My editors. Admittedly, they’re not “icons,” but they’re superheroines all the way.
Q4. Other than your own Selina/future Catwoman, do you have a favorite iteration of Catwoman?
“Other than my own.” Ha. Michelle Pfeiffer with that sly feline smile!
Q5. If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale, what would it look and taste like, and what would you call it?
Omigod, you really are the best. These questions are SO FUN and un-boring! Hrrm. It would be chocolate, der, with chocolate frosting, but not that overly sweet gunky frosting many cupcakes are sadly frosted with. Just a true chocolate butter frosting. Would I put a dollop of cream in the center, to represent the moon? At first, I was thinking no, because although I admit to enjoying a Hostess CupCake every five or so years, the cream inside is scary and probably made of unpronounceable ingredients. But this is a fantasy cupcake, yeah? So, let’s put a dollop of the lightest ganache in the center. It would taste delicious, obviously. And...and...let’s call it The Moon’s Meow!
Lauren Myracle is the author of numerous young adult novels. She was born in 1969 in North Carolina. Lauren Myracle holds an MA in English from Colorado State University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. she has written many novels, including the famous IM books, ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r. Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected as one of ALA's "Best Books for Young Adults" for the year 2004. It was named by Booklist as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers." Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, followed by its YA sequels (Twelve, Thirteen, Thirteen Plus One).
