Interview With Award-Winning Contemporary Romance Author Rachel Lacey

1. What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book? As a lifelong fangirl, I’ve always been drawn to celebrity romance – both as a reader and as an author – and there’s always been something extra magical for me about pop stars. We hold them to almost impossible levels of perfection, which always makes me want to know what the woman behind the glossy image is really like.

2. What is it about and who is it for?  STARS COLLIDE is a grumpy/sunshine celebrity romance between an up-and-coming young pop star with a very bubbly, very queer brand, and a reserved legend of pop music who's lonely and jaded after twenty years of stardom. She's always assumed she was straight but never understood why she's never had much passion in her life. When they're teamed up for a duet at the Grammy's, well, it's safe to say that both of their worlds will be rocked that night... It's for anyone who loves romance – especially sapphic romance!    

3. What takeaways might the reader will be left with after reading it? I hope readers will be left feeling like it’s okay to be yourself, whoever you are and however long it takes you to figure that out. Like Eden, I came out later in life, so I really related to a lot of what she went through on her journey, and I hope that some readers will to, whether it’s a realization about sexuality, gender, career, or something else entirely!  

4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design? The title came to me almost before I had the plot, and it just seemed to fit the book perfectly, two stars who collide onstage – literally and figuratively! As for the cover, I’ve always been drawn to bright colors, and I particularly wanted this one to have a glamorous look. I suggested a pose where they were both reaching for the same microphone to illustrate the theme of the book, and I love how it turned out!

5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers? There’s no right or wrong way to write a book, so find what works for you and stick with it. And maybe most importantly, just keep writing! Even if it’s hard, even if you think you don’t have time, just get those words down. You can fix it later in revisions, but you can’t fix a blank page.

6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  I think mainstream publishing has finally realized that sapphic romance sells, and we’re seeing so many more sapphic stories in spaces where they were previously excluded. Those books have always existed, but before, they were mostly indie or small press published. I’m so glad to see them finally becoming more widely available, and I hope the trend continues! I’d love to see the industry continue to diversify.

7. What challenges did you overcome to write this book? I had struggled with the last few books I’d drafted before this one, so I really took my time with STARS COLLIDE, plotting and psyching myself up in the hopes that I could break my streak of painful first drafts, and luckily I did! This book was a joy to write, and I hope that comes through on the page.

8. How would you describe your writing style? I like to write characters you’d want to know in real life. I really fall in love with my characters while I’m writing them, and I hope readers will love them too. And I try to bring all the feels. I want readers to laugh and cry and swoon while they’re reading one of my books.

9. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?  Choose STARS COLLIDE if you love sapphic romance, or even if you’ve never read a sapphic romance before! I’d be honored to be your first. While it’s a glamorous book where both heroines are celebrities, at its core, it’s a story about two women finding the courage to be true to themselves, follow their hearts, and fall in love.  

Rachel Lacey is an award-winning contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She's been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in the mountains of Vermont with her family and a variety of rescue pets, and she’s a passionate fangirl: she has attended hundreds of concerts, sitting anywhere from the last row to the front, and even backstage. Please check out: https://www.rachellacey.com

 

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About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2023. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.3 million pageviews. With 4,400+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and two jobs at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. He has been featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald. For more information, please consult: www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.