We chat with acclaimed author Jessie Mihalik who returns with Capture the Sun, the thrilling conclusion to her Starlight’s Shadow trilogy. An intergalactic thief must join forces with the charming teleporter who stole her last job—and may now be her only hope for saving her former crew.
Hi, Jessie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, I’m Jessie Mihalik, and I write romantic space opera books. If you ever wished Star Wars had more romance, then you might enjoy my books! When I’m not writing, I’m often reading or playing video games, and right now I’m obsessed with Diablo IV, which I’m playing co-op with my husband.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always loved to read and often made up elaborate stories in my head, but it wasn’t until college that I discovered fanfiction, which kicked off my desire to write stories. Then one year a friend was doing NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month, which challenges authors to write fifty thousand words in the month of November—and I decided to join in. I loved it, so that’s when I started seriously considering writing as a new career. Nine books laters, there’s nothing I would rather do!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
My memory is so bad, and I’ve read for so long, there’s no way I accurately pin the first book, but my class read Where the Red Fern Grows in elementary school, and I remember opening sobbing during class reading time, so that one definitely made an early impression.
The book that made me want to become an author was actually a series, the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. The books are so good, and the writing feels so effortless, that it made me want to write a book of my own—only to find out just how difficult “effortless” writing actually is.
And the book I can’t stop thinking about is pretty much always the most recent book I’ve read, which in this case is the New Protectorate series by Abigail Kelly. She balances fabulous world-building with sexy romances so well that I ended up reading three books in a row over the weekend.
Capture the Sun is the final installment in your Starlight’s Shadow trilogy! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Hope, adventure, romance… IN SPACE!
What can readers expect?
A prickly thief and a charming teleporter must put their past differences aside to save their friends—and the galaxy—and fall in love along the way. Lots of action, adventure, and romance, plus found family, good triumphing over evil, and a fascist getting punched directly in the face.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring one last time?
This is the third book in the series, and while it can be read standalone, some of the side characters in this book were the main characters in the previous two books, so it was nice to spend a little bit more time with them. And both Lexi and Nilo were fun to write because she’s so guarded and he’s so smitten.
Can you tell us about some of the challenges you faced across writing the trilogy?
I wrote these books over the course of the pandemic, which was just inherently challenging because of the additional stress. But it was also therapeutic, too, because I could write in all of the things I was missing: found family, hope, and getting out of the house.
What was it like bringing your trilogy to a close?
Ending a trilogy is always a little bittersweet. I’m happy that the characters I wrote now have closure, but I always have more stories I could tell.
What’s next for you?
I’ve just finished writing a romantic fantasy novel, which is a genre I love to read, so finding that a home is my next priority. Keep an eye on my blog for details when I have them!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Do I ever! I have a whole page on my site dedicated to book recommendations, but in short, here are two:
I read an early copy of Consort of Fire by Kit Rocha and absolutely adored it. Two fierce women set out to seduce and kill a dragon god, only to find it’s not as easy as they expected because he’s not what they expected.
And if you want more romance in space, try Winter’s Orbit and Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell! The first book is a grumpy/sunshine pair, which is a trope I love, plus they are forced to huddle in a tent together for warmth. My catnip!
