Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club

Episode: "Eliana Ramage on Writing Queer and Indigenous Stories in the September Reese's Book Club Pick"

Date: September 30, 2025
Host: Danielle Robay
Guest: Eliana Ramage (author of To the Moon and Back)

Episode Overview

This episode features a candid, inspiring conversation between Danielle Robay and Eliana Ramage, author of the September Reese’s Book Club pick To the Moon and Back. The discussion centers on writing queer and Indigenous stories, the complexity of family and belonging, and the creative process behind a sweeping saga that traverses generations, geography, and even space. Ramage opens up about her own Cherokee identity, the intentional crafting of her characters, and the interplay between lived experience and literary fiction. The conversation is rich with insights for readers and writers alike, exploring themes of queerness, family, ambition, heritage, and what it means to belong.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Back-to-School Vibes & Writerly Habits

• School Supply Obsession (05:41)
  • Eliana and Danielle bond over a shared love for school supplies, with Eliana revealing her continued adult affection for colored index cards—used to track story threads in her writing.
    • Quote: “I am obsessed with colored index cards that you can cut into tiny little pieces for storyboarding... when you see the pink sliver of index card, you know that you're tracking the love story aspect of the book.” (Eliana Ramage, 06:29)

2. Literary Themes: Family, Identity, Queerness, and the Cosmos

• Most Natural Threads (07:24)
  • Eliana reflects on the deep entwinement of family and queerness in her storytelling.
    • Quote: “I think that when I was writing it, I was not out when I started it, and I was when I finished it. One of the biggest things I learned...was how good the queer community is at thinking about family.” (07:24)
• Difficult Story Choices (08:39)
  • The love story between Steph and Della was the hardest thread to resolve, particularly wanting to "do right by" Della after her difficult childhood.

3. Research: From Space to Science

• Approach to Researching Space (09:34)
  • Eliana notes the intimidation of researching space for the novel, focusing on story before deep-diving into scientific details.
    • Quote: “I told myself that I wasn't allowed to go deep with a particular setting... until the story felt first arrived in a place where I needed it to.” (09:54)
  • Surprise at gaining more inspiration from “the memoirs of scientists” (not just astronauts), especially Lab Girl.

4. Writing for the Self—and Others

• Writing to the Past Self (11:28)
  • Eliana initially wrote for her younger self, seeking to reassure herself amid uncertainty.
    • Quote: “Anything in this book has to feel true to my past self, and it has to feel true to whoever I am as I'm writing it.” (12:57)
• Hope for Readers (13:10)
  • She hopes queer and Indigenous readers see themselves reflected and feel connected to a broader human story.

5. Messy, Relatable Protagonists & Family Drama

• Building Steph’s Character (19:33)

  • Steph is intentionally “infuriating and lovable”; Eliana aimed for empathy even when disagreeing with her choices.
    • Quote: “I wanted to understand her as someone who was searching for her place, and she was searching for her place as a Cherokee person and as a queer person...” (19:54)
  • The early scene of Steph in a school play about the Trail of Tears underscores her struggle to find her identity.

• Family Drama, Universality, and Literature (21:47)

  • Danielle and Eliana discuss why family drama is such a central, compelling theme in books and TV.
    • Quote: “They are trying so hard to love each other, they share so much, and at the end of the day... they're moving in two different directions. That tension was really interesting to me.” (22:37)

6. Cherokee Identity and the Meaning of Home

• Growing Up Indigenous in Tennessee (23:35)

  • Eliana shares her experience as a Cherokee woman raised in Nashville—not on the reservation—highlighting her parents’ intentionality and storytelling.
    • Quote: “That Cherokee identity was really, really nurtured for me in a way that, like, I didn't have to think about it.” (23:44)
  • Teaching her own daughter the Cherokee language as a new mother.

• Authenticity and Indigenous Storytelling (27:02)

  • Reflects on feeling pressure to retell traditional Cherokee stories, but ultimately embracing authentic contemporary narratives.
  • Inspired by shows like Mohawk Girls for depicting Indigenous women with messy, modern lives.

7. Hallmarks of Cherokee Storytelling

• Storytelling Elements in the Novel (27:02)
  • Discussion of cyclical, origin-centered Cherokee storytelling, and how Eliana’s work draws from familial oral traditions.

8. Book Recommendations & Literary Inspirations

• Indigenous Nonfiction Recs (36:48)
  • We the Generations: Long Fight for Justice on Native Land by Rebecca Neagle
  • Nothing More of this Community Power and the Search for Indigenous Identity by Joseph Lee ("brilliant" dive into belonging & Indigenous identity)
    • Quote: “Because this book is fiction, the characters are wrestling with them, but they don't get to go too deep in a way that would distract from the story.” (36:55)

9. The Enduring Theme of Belonging

• Personal Story: The Lost Generation (38:51)
  • Eliana shares her grandfather’s story—born in the historical gap when Cherokee Nation was dissolved and later reconstituted—illustrating the resilience of identity and belonging even in displacement.
    • Quote: “For so many of us, we want to continue our stories. We want to pass down what matters to us.” (41:07)

10. Rapid-Fire "Speed Read" Segment (41:54)

• One literary trope to ban forever: “It was all just a dream.”
• Desert island author: “Kylie Reid.”
• Most-gifted book: “Before the Mango Ripens” by FFYJ Kurian.
• First book kept her up all night: “Ella Enchanted.”
• Book she wishes she’d written: “Show Don’t Tell” by Curtis Sittenfeld.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Queerness and Family:
  “I think that when I was writing it, I was not out when I started it, and I was when I finished it. And one of the biggest things I learned in that process was how good the queer community is at thinking about family...there’s such an openness and an intentionality to creating and really nurturing those connections.” (Eliana Ramage, 07:24)

• On Research Anxiety and Storytelling:
  “I told myself that I wasn't allowed to go deep with a particular setting or a particular aspect of space or even science until the story felt first arrived in a place where I needed it to.” (09:54)

• On Belonging:
  “I think it's like the center of how I understand the universe and how I understand people and what we're doing here.” (38:51)

• On Intergenerational Identity:
  “He never forgot...it was central to his understanding of himself...for so many of us, we want to continue our stories. We want to pass down what matters to us.” (41:07)

• On the Power of Storytelling:
  “I credit my interest in stories to my parents in two different ways. It kind of depended on who was doing the night routine. My mom would read us books...my dad would tell stories of his childhood in the mountains in Kentucky.” (28:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & School Supplies: 05:20 – 06:29
• Major Book Themes: 06:57 – 08:35
• Writing Challenges (Love Story): 08:39 – 09:34
• Space Research & Writing Process: 09:34 – 11:28
• Audience - Who the Book is For: 11:28 – 13:10
• Protagonist's Messiness: 19:33 – 21:47
• Family, Drama, Culture: 21:47 – 23:35
• Cherokee Identity & Parenting: 23:35 – 27:02
• Cherokee Storytelling Hallmarks: 27:02 – 29:27
• Book Recommendations: 36:48 – 38:41
• On Belonging & Family History: 38:51 – 41:07
• “Speed Read” Quickfire Q&A: 41:54 – 42:47

Tone and Style Notes

The conversation is intimate, thoughtful, and empowering—balancing literary analysis with personal reflection and voice. The tone is warm, encouraging, and insightful, with both Danielle and Eliana inviting listeners to consider how story connects not just to culture but to the heart of self-understanding and community.

Conclusion

This episode of Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club offers an enriching and nuanced look at Indigenous and queer storytelling through the lens of Eliana Ramage’s debut. Listeners come away with a deeper appreciation of how narratives shape and sustain identity, the significance of chosen and inherited family, and the ways in which literature offers a lifeline across generations. For readers interested in diverse, intersectional, and emotionally vibrant stories, Eliana’s work—and this episode—offer both guidance and inspiration.