Q&A: Liana Cincotti, Author of 'A Summer of Stars'

We chat with author Liana Cincotti about A Summer of Stars, which sees a fake relationship between a tennis pro and a Hollywood celeb—who happen to be sworn enemies—slowly simmers into something more.

Hi, Liana! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m Liana Cincotti, a native New Englander and a strong supporter of early 2000s romantic comedies, so much so that I’ve turned it into my career! I graduated college with a degree in marketing and accounting, with one novel self-published purely out of joy. I ended up with a lot of free time post-grad because I was struggling to find a full-time job in my field, so I continued writing and self-publishing. Fast forward a few years later, and I’m beyond grateful to say that I’m a full-time author! If I’m not writing or reading, I’m at the movie theater with cookie dough bites or feeding into my shopping addiction.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

Through music, strangely enough! I always loved to read, but I never thought I was capable of creating a three-hundred page story, so I poured a lot of my time into music and writing lyrics. At the time, I didn’t realize how that laid the groundwork for my love of storytelling. Lyrics soon became poems, and poems became novel ideas because one page was too little to get my stories across.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

The first book you ever remember reading: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (my grandmother used to read it to me!)
The one that made you want to become an author: All of Cassandra Clare’s books—they make me feel and I wanted to make people feel something too.
The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig—I am anxiously waiting for the sequel this fall.

**Your latest novel, A Summer of Stars, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?**

Repairing reputations and romancing enemies.

What can readers expect?

A very fun, fake dating romance between pro tennis player and Hollywood actor who absolutely loathe each other, along with an unexpectedly vulnerable story beneath it at all that’ll make you cheer for the protagonists.

Expect hot summer nights in Paris, glamorous parties, shimmering fountains, and stolen gazes.

**Where did the inspiration for A Summer of Stars come from?**

I saw this screengrab from an Italian advertisement where a woman, dressed in a cocktail dress, was standing in a fountain, water up to her knees, joyous. Then there was her date, one leg up, watching, his back to the camera. It’s impossible to tell if he was scolding her or trying to coax her out. I loved it. Dialogue instantly materialized and I jotted it all down before I could forget it, two years before I’d start writing the book. (I was writing Picking Daisies on Sundays at the time.) This scene would then become chapter 33.

I liked this idea of the main female character letting loose, jumping into the water, because she had spent the rest of her life incredibly manicured. The story of our protagonist, Luna Aldridge, losing that perfect image due to a scandal slowly came to fruition. (Taylor Swift’s Reputation album was on repeat while I wrote!)

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I really enjoyed writing the tennis matches! Before A Summer of Stars, I knew very little about tennis. So I began watching tennis docuseries as I outlined the book, following female pro tennis players’ matches online, and watching live tournaments on the treadmill while at the gym. It was important that I made this very visual sport into something readers—who may have no interest in the sport—found addicting to read, almost like a choreographed fight scene in an action movie.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

My biggest challenge started at the beginning of the book. My job was to 1. introduce the readers to our two protagonists, 2. explain why they hate each other, and then, 3. try to keep readers interested in both of them without hating them. Since this was an enemies to lovers story, I didn’t want to hold back on their disdain for each other, so I used alternating perspective chapters for readers to understand the characters’ feelings rather than soften their hatred.

What’s next for you?

I just submitted my next book to my editors! It’ll release in 2027, but before that publishes, my first self-published romance novel, Don’t Be In Love, will rerelease in paperback on February 2^nd, so I’m working on those edits now!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

I preordered my friend, Alissa Derogatis’s, newest novel, How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle, earlier this year, and I’m so excited for it to come in the mail! (By the time you’re reading this, it would have already released!)