Weaving Magic & Moonlight: Karly Bonfante on Creating Full Moon Fairy

It’s been a true honour to connect with Karly Bonfante - the soulful mama and inspired author behind the magic that is 'Full Moon Fairy'. Though our exchange unfolded through written words, it carried the warmth and wonder of a moonlit conversation.

Reading Karly’s reflections on the heart behind her stories, the rituals that sparked them, and the gentle wisdom she weaves into each page has been an absolute delight. Through her thoughtful responses, I caught a beautiful glimpse into the world she’s created, where imagination, intention, and mama magic come together under the glow of each full moon. I’m so grateful to share her voice and vision here, and to celebrate the magic she’s bringing into so many homes and hearts.

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What inspired you to write Full Moon Fairy? Was there a specific moment or experience that sparked the idea?

We were on a trip visiting friends when I first heard about the Full Moon Fairy tradition. The kids were enchanted and wanted to keep it going. I started telling them little stories to match each full moon, just to bring the tradition to life. But when I couldn't find any tools to help carry it forward no books, no structure, no way to make it consistent I thought, maybe I should try to figure something out. That effort to keep the magic alive for my own family quickly grew into something more. I found myself wondering if other parents might be interested in this made up character I'd created for my kids.

The pull to build this world felt like when John Muir said, "The mountains are calling and I must go." It made sense. I've always loved nature especially the places where the forest meets water. I've always found clarity in hiking, in being outside. I'm drawn to the stillness and the movement, the structure and the wild. Now I get to both lead with strategy and build with softness. To use what I learned over twenty years in fashion to grow something rooted in rhythm, ritual, and story. Something tender and slow. Because as a working mom, I know what it's like to try to do it all. That's why I created Full Moon Fairy, so families don't have to build everything from scratch just to make something meaningful.

Can you tell us more about how you envision readers using the Full Moon Fairy books?

The beauty of this tradition is that there are no rules. You can read the books every night of the month or only on the eve of the full moon. You can follow the tradition of leaving shoes out for trinkets, or simply let the story itself carry the magic. What I hope families feel is permission, permission to let this meet them where they are. Parenting is already full of laundry and mismatched socks. These stories are meant to lift some of that weight, to hand parents readymade tools for planting seeds of wonder without adding pressure. Whether you dive in fully or just dip a toe, the intention is already built in. Those seeds will be planted either way, and one day they'll bloom in ways we may not even expect.

Can you tell us about the world-building in Full Moon Fairy? How did you develop its magical elements?

I never sat down to blueprint a world. Instead, I paid attention to the natural rhythms already around us: the names of the moons, the wisdom hidden in animals, the cycles of change. Each book is rooted in something real: ecology, folklore, the way seasons turn. The magic comes in layering those truths with whimsy. A sturgeon swims alongside Faye, a bear teaches rest in winter. The trinkets extend the story off the page, becoming tactile anchors. I wanted littles to feel that this wasn't just a story they read but a world they could enter. In that way, world building is less about inventing and more about uncovering... holding up what's already there in nature and saying look, isn't this wonder enough?

Were any characters in the book inspired by real people or personal experiences?

Almost all of them, in one way or another. The animals often echo lessons I've learned in real life. The bear in 'Under the Snow Moon' reflects the way my own body has taught me to rest. Faye herself is, in many ways, the parent I hope to be: present, playful, guiding without controlling. She holds a lantern to truths I believe children already sense but sometimes need a companion to articulate.

Even the settings come from personal places. I grew up skiing in Tahoe. My mom started me on the slopes when I was two, steadying me between her legs as we glided down the hill. Later it was Mammoth trips, and eventually Colorado with my husband, who grew up there part of the time. Snow has always been a part of my story, but when it came time to write 'Under the Snow Moon', I chose to follow the rhythms of February itself: bears stirring from hibernation, cubs being born.

The books lean more toward the forest, the sea, the meeting places of water and land, Big Sur, Tahoe, rivers, and lakes because those are the landscapes that hold my heart. Sometimes the inspiration isn't direct but atmospheric. On walks with Jones, our golden retriever, I'll catch myself mesmerized by the way light filters through eucalyptus branches, or the trance of watching water meet earth. Those small moments of awe shape the worlds Faye explores: nature first, with quiet human echoes tucked between the lines.

Was there a particular book or scene that was especially difficult or emotional for you to write?

'Under the Blue Moon' was the hardest. That story touches gently on grief, on goodbyes that can't be avoided. Writing it, I found myself sitting with my own memories of losing the people I still love but no longer have. I wanted to offer children a way to approach grief without being overwhelmed, to show that grief is not something to fear but simply love with nowhere to go. Finding that balance of tenderness and honesty was one of the most emotional tasks I've ever taken on.

But "hard" can mean different things. Sometimes it's emotional, like 'Under the Blue Moon'. Other times, the challenge is in staying faithful to the truths of nature. In 'Under the Sturgeon Moon', for example, I wrestled with whether to soften the shark's role or let it simply be what it is. A family friend of ours, a marine biologist we reconnected with two summers ago, spent time diving with our kids and teaching them how every creature plays a role in the ecosystem. She's passionate about sharks and how misunderstood they are, how essential they are to ocean health. So I struggled with how to honor that truth while also telling a story about boundaries and instincts. In the end, I chose to let the shark remain a shark: respected, necessary, but not Faye's friend.

And then there are the smaller threads like how an octopus makes a cameo because it has come to feel like a quiet guide for my family.

Did Full Moon Fairy go through any major changes during the writing or editing process?

Yes and no. The heart of it, the rhythm of a story paired with a trinket, has been there since the very first night. But the scope has grown. At first, I thought I'd only ever make one book. Then I realized each full moon had its own name, its own story waiting. I've also leaned more deeply into science and folklore along the way letting the factual root systems make the whimsy stronger. What has stayed consistent is the spirit: it's meant to feel like an heirloom, something timeless, even as it continues to evolve.

What central themes or messages did you hope readers would take away from the Full Moon Fairy series?

Each book has its own seed to plant... trust, resilience, boundaries, rest, delight. But woven through all of them is one core truth: the world is full of beauty and connection if only we pause long enough to notice. The series reminds us that magic isn't about escaping reality, it's about entering it more fully. Through Faye's eyes, children learn that even the smallest creatures have wisdom, that nature itself is a teacher, and that our own hearts hold the capacity for wonder, kindness, and renewal.

That those seeds we plant through literature will sprout someday. Maybe not right away, and maybe not where we expect, but our job is just to keep planting. We don't always get to see the harvest. But you can watch them play. The trinkets can be pure play, and still plant something lasting.

And even if you never buy the books, you can still follow along because each full moon has a name, and each name has a story. We share the themes on social media, and sometimes that's enough. Maybe during the Sturgeon Moon, your child is wrestling with trust or boundaries, and you happen to see our post about how not everyone is “your people” and that's okay.  'Under the Sturgeon Moon' is the only book in the series without a star on its spine, because it's a quiet nod that this story is different. While most of the books focus on curiosity and not judging a book by its cover, this one gently reminds children that not everyone is "their people," and that's okay. Maybe you decide to tell your own story that night, or just talk about it in the car.

That's what I mean when I say Full Moon Fairy is a world. It's a canon. A community. A guide. You can dip in or dive deep. You can make it yours, or let it carry you. It's not about being relative. It's about building something that holds room for both reasoning and intention.

Faye's adventures are also reminders that the broken pieces can still conspire toward goodness in the end. Because I believe in stories that haven't finished unfolding. I believe that what we're going through now will pass. That nothing is ever wasted. And that somehow, one day, it will all make sense.

Science reflects this back to us. Cold isn't its own force, it's just the absence of heat. Darkness isn't a thing, it's the absence of light.

And in the same way, I don't think we need bad things to recognize or enjoy the good. I truly believe that if nothing bad ever happened, we'd still experience joy, laughter, beauty. We'd still be grateful. It's not that suffering is required in order to feel happiness.

But when something painful does happen, I believe it's never wasted. I don't believe hardship is some prerequisite for meaning. But I do believe that once it's here, once it's part of the story, it doesn't have to be the end of the story.

Is there a character you personally identify with the most?

I see myself most in Faye. She's playful, yes, but also reflective. She carries light into the dark, not by fixing everything, but by being present. That's how I feel as a mother too, I can't shield my children from every hurt, but I can hold up a lantern and remind them they're not alone.

What do you think makes a magical childhood?

Not grand gestures. Not perfection. What makes a childhood magical are the small rituals the bedtime stories, the little surprises tucked into ordinary days, the sense that the world is full of wonder if you know where to look. Magic is in consistency and presence. In knowing that even when life feels rushed or heavy, someone cared enough to make room for joy. 

And still, I remind myself often: children grow up. One day, we'll know them longer as adults than we will as littles. That perspective keeps me tender. Because even if you can't keep up with every tradition, or you're in survival mode, or the price point feels out of reach your kids will know, eventually. Maybe not right away, but someday, they'll be able to look back and say: my parents, my caregivers, did the best they could. And that is its own kind of magic.

That's why I built Full Moon Fairy to meet families wherever their bandwidth is. It can be as simple as reading the book once a month, or as layered as following the trinkets and rituals each full moon. But even if you don't use it at all, the heart of this project is bigger than the products. For me, it's about nurturing literacy, story, and wonder in whatever form you can, whether that's reading aloud at night, listening to an audiobook together, or just letting a child sit quietly and absorb a story without the constant hum of short-form distractions. Because as technology races ahead, what remains? The input we give our children their exposure to story, to words, to beauty that's what will shape the perspective they carry into adulthood. Machines can compute, but they can't offer the nuance of a lived perspective. Reading and listening plant seeds of critical thinking, empathy, and imagination that no algorithm can replace.

So yes, I would love for families to use the books and trinkets I've created because they're extensions of my own deep love for reading and nature. But at the end of the day, reading should never be a privilege reserved for those with great means. My greater hope is that children grow up with the gift of literacy in whatever form their families can manage. Because that's where the real magic lives not in the perfect execution of a tradition, but in the stories that linger long after childhood ends.

Describe Full Moon Fairy in three words.

Whimsical. Rooted. Enduring.

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