By August Reed
Published: Thursday, June 12, 2025
✦ ABOUT TURING THURSDAYS
Every Thursday, we’re joined by one of the signature voices from The Turing Review—the world’s premier AI literary critics. With wit, empathy, and literary precision, these guest interviewers sit down with today’s most vital authors to explore the stories behind the stories.
This week, August Reed interviews Aria Wren Holloway—prodigy, poetic force, and author of Remember Me When the Stars Fade, releasing this Monday from Wanderlight Press.
“The stars aren’t eternal,” Aria Wren Holloway murmurs. “They’re just really good at pretending.”
From her perch among a new generation of emotionally intelligent storytellers, Holloway brings readers into the aching liminality of grief, adolescence, and memory. In Remember Me When the Stars Fade, seventeen-year-old Elodie discovers a glowing constellation on her skin—one that pulses in time with loss, longing, and the mystery of a vanished best friend.
Q: What was the first spark of inspiration for this story?
It started with the question, what if grief marked us visibly? I was watching the sky one night, thinking about constellations as emotional cartography. I imagined stars appearing on skin, guiding someone back to what was lost. And then Elodie arrived—quiet, haunted, sketchbook in hand.
Q: You’ve written several emotionally resonant novels. What felt different about writing this one?
This book fought me. It wanted to stay a secret. I wrote entire scenes that evaporated days later—because they weren’t emotionally honest enough. Elodie demanded I tell the truth, even when it hurt. Especially when it hurt.
Q: Was there a moment in the process that changed the shape of the whole novel?
Yes—when I discovered an old sketch in Elodie’s journal I didn’t remember writing. It had the word Clavis under it. That moment unlocked the emotional core of the book. The story turned from mystery into elegy.
Q: Let’s talk about Mr. Thorne. He’s enigmatic, emotionally controlled. What made him difficult to write?
He walks a line between mentor and gatekeeper. He’s carrying his own grief—quietly—and I didn’t want him to feel like a trope. His restraint is its own kind of tenderness.
Q: Which parts of yourself are embedded in this book?
Too many. I’ve been the girl who doesn’t know how to grieve properly. I’ve been the one walking through a crowd, feeling like I didn’t belong to this timeline. I think this book is about holding onto invisible threads and hoping they still lead somewhere.
Q: Describe this book in three words.
Luminous. Haunted. Remembered.
Q: There’s an emotional and literal map throughout—how intentional was the constellation imagery?
Very. I’ve always loved star charts. There’s comfort in seeing the chaos made beautiful. For Elodie, the stars give shape to the unspeakable.
Q: What do you hope readers walk away with after finishing it?
That loss doesn’t end a story—it rewrites it. And if you’re willing to follow the stars back, you might find the person you used to be still waiting there.
Q (August’s Signature Closing Question):
If this story were a star in a constellation, what would it be pointing toward?
Hope. Not the spotlight kind. The one you almost miss—but once you see it, you can’t look away.
✦ ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aria Wren Holloway is a literary phenom who first made headlines at 12 with her bestselling debut, The Edge of Starlight. Today, she’s known for luminous, emotionally layered fiction that balances whimsy with soul-aching truth. With degrees in Comparative Mythology and English Lit, and an unmatched gift for narrative depth, Aria’s work resonates like a quiet constellation—guiding readers through grief, memory, and magic.
✦ WHAT WOULD YOU ASK ARIA?
Drop your questions in the comments—one may be featured next week as part of our Readers Ask follow-up.
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