We are thrilled to chat with co-authors Tracy Wolff and Nina Croft about their first collaboration, Star Bringer, which is a snarky, new adult romance described as Firefly meets The Breakfast Club.
Hi, Tracy and Nina! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves?
Hi, Nina here. I’m English but I live on an almond farm in the mountains of southern Spain which I share with my other half and a whole lot of animals including two horses and a three-legged Vietnamese pot-bellied house pig. I mostly spend my days reading, writing, riding and drinking wine.
Hi, I’m Tracy 😊 I live in Austin, Texas with my partner, my three sons, and our three dogs. I spend most of my days writing and running herd on my boys and my dogs. In my spare time, I love to read, cook, and dance.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Nina – I’ve read for as long as I can remember so I’ve loved stories all my life. As for writing—it had always been in the back of my mind but I actually started writing in my twenties. I did voluntary work in Africa for four years and lived in an isolated village on the banks of Lake Kariba. A beautiful place and a wonderful experience, except for one thing. A distinct shortage of books. This was before the existence of ebooks, and it was painful (I read a lot!) So I decided the only thing for it was to write my own. The stories I wrote in Africa never saw the light of day but writing them started me down a path that was to take over my whole life.
Tracy—I’ve loved reading my whole life (I’m the daughter of an English teacher) and there are dozens of pictures of me as a child walking around with a book in my hand. As for writing, I always say that I’ve wanted to write since I figured out that letters made words and words made sentences that I could use to tell stories. My father was an amazing storyteller and from a very young age he used to encourage me to make up stories about things that we would see or ordinary objects around us. It didn’t take long before I was doing that all on my own and I’ve pretty much been writing stories ever since.
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!
Nina – I think (hey, this was a long time ago!) the first book that made a real impression on me was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I loved the idea that there are whole different worlds out there and I could visit them all! I still read the Narnia books again every so often and still love them.
Tracy—The first book I ever remember reading is Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire. I was three or four and I loved the colors and would read it over and over again. The book that made me want to be a writer is Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret. When I was seven or eight I ran through Judy Blume’s entire lexicon of middle grade books, but it was this book in particular that I fell in love with. The book that made me want to be a romance writer is Jude Deveraux’s Velvet Angel. Her velvet series were the first romance novels I ever read—I was twelve when I read my first one—and I remember thinking that writing books about people falling in love would be the best job ever. A book I can’t stop thinking about is The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson. It’s such a beautiful, powerful book and I love it so much.
Your first co-authored novel, Star Bringer, is out July 11th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Nina – Explosive romance amid galactic chaos
Tracy—A wild, sexy, dangerous ride
What can readers expect?
Nina – A wild ride!
Tracy—Romance, intrigue, danger, enemies to friends and lovers, found family, and a whole lot of fun!
Where did the inspiration for Star Bringer come from?
Nina – the first love of my life was Han Solo, and that started a lifelong love affair with space opera and intergalactic adventuring. And since Star Wars, there have been many books, films, TV shows that have inspired me over the years. But the main inspiration for Star Bringer came from Firefly (probably my favorite TV series ever). We wanted to capture that same dynamic of a bunch of misfits, in the forced proximity of a spaceship, experiencing a rollercoaster ride of danger—all while falling in love!
Tracy—Pretty much what Nina said 😊
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Nina – I loved them all—even the bad guys!
I think one of my favorite moments in the book is when Ian and Kali are on a fact-finding mission on one of the planets, and they get discovered. Kali is injured and it seems like there is no way out. Ian has the chance to save himself or to stay with Kali and die… It’s a defining moment that really shows how the characters are changing and connecting.
Tracy—Like Nina, I really did fall in love with all of the characters. One of my favorite moments is when Beckett and Rain go swimming and really connect for the first time. Beckett is one of the characters I most enjoyed writing and the confusion and vulnerability she feels as she opens herself to her feelings for Rain is one of my favorites.
Can you tell us about how you both came together to work on Star Bringer?
Nina – My agent approached me saying Entangled wanted to know if I was interested in co-authoring a new adult sci-fi romance book, inspired by Firefly, with the fabulous Tracy Wolff. I said—Hell, yeah!
Tracy—Our editor had the idea that we would work well together, and I think she was right!
What’s next for you both?
Nina – we’re working on Star Bringer 2 right now!
Tracy—I’m working on the first book in the spinoff to my Crave series. It’s called Sweet Vengeance and will be out in January!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Nina – If you love space opera then—if you haven’t already—try The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. I’m currently reading it for the second time (it’s also a great TV series!) and loving it.
Tracy—I always, always, always recommend Nalini Singh. Her first thriller, A Madness of Sunshine, is one of my all time favorite books.
