Q&A: Tracy Wolff, Author of ‘Crave’

“From the first page, CRAVE sucks me into its dangerous — but oh so delicious — world. The landscape may be barren, but the story is lush. The temperatures may be freezing, but Jaxon smolders. Suffice it to say: I have a new book boyfriend!” -NYT Bestselling Author Pintip Dunn

We chat to author Tracy Wolff about her new novel ‘Crave’, which is a young adult novel about vampires, and she chats about writing, events, and more!

Can you tell us a little about yourself, and what Crave is about?

I actually think Crave is a lot of fun! Yes, there is angst and darkness and lots of danger, but I really wanted to keep it a little lighter too. Grace, my heroine and narrator, has a sarcastic sense of humor that winds its way through the book, so that even as she faces some really terrible things, I think she does it with wit and (terrible pun coming) grace.

Crave is the story of a girl who, because she has nowhere else to go, ends up at a boarding school in Alaska, where her uncle is headmaster. As if moving to Alaska from San Diego isn’t hard enough, once she gets there, she figures out that no one is quite what they seem—especially not the broody, sexy boy she can’t get out of her mind. So when bad things start to happen, Grace is determined to figure out what’s going on, and to save herself from whatever comes her way.

Now, about me. Hmmmm … I’ve been writing professionally for the last 13 years or so. My first book came out in 2007 and it’s been a wild ride ever since. Crave is book number 64, which kind of boggles my mind when I let myself think about it too long.

Other than that, I have three boys, who I adore and who drive me crazy in equal parts. I’ve got the cutest and most stubborn dog on the planet. I’m all in on One Direction and their solo careers, glitter, and rainbow sherbet (pretty much in that order), and I have recently developed an addiction to Happy Planner stickers. I love to write, love to cook, love to dance and love to take care of people.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a story about vampires, can you tell me what drew you to writing this particular story?

I’ve always, always, always loved vampires. I think The Lost Boys got me hooked when I was a kid, and I’ve never really looked back. Dracula, Black Dagger Brotherhood, The Carpathians, The Farm, Twilight, Morganville Vampires … I’m here for all of them. But to be honest, I never figured I’d write a vampire series because I didn’t want to even attempt it unless I thought I had an original take on vamps. But when Jaxon’s world came to me (much of which will be revealed in books two and three of the series), I knew I had something a little different and that I wanted to run with it. Then Grace and Flint started talking to me in the back of my head and the story just kind of poured out.

Was there a particular character that gave you trouble as you were writing Crave?

Flint! Flint definitely gave me the most trouble—partly because he’s so darn charming and he kept trying to take over whatever scene I put him in, even when he was supposed to be a secondary character. So keeping him in line was definitely the hardest part of writing Crave.

Is there someone in your story that you really identify with?

Yes, actually. There’s a lot of me in this book, more so than in any other book I’ve ever written, I think. And I actually identify a lot with the heroine, Grace. There’s a lot of me in her, including the snarky sense of humor—especially when things get bad.

How did you come to settle on Alaska as the setting for your book?

I’ve actually never been to Alaska and I’m dying to go. But when I was brainstorming settings with my agent, she kind of tossed Alaska out as a throwaway suggestion and I fell in love with it from the get-go. I love the harsh climate and how different it is from Grace’s home in San Diego (where I grew up). And then a scene with the aurora borealis just popped into my head (it’s a scene that made it into the final edition of the book, so yay) and I knew I had to set it in Alaska. Thankfully my editor (who had just come back from Alaska, randomly) was totally on board.

If Grace and Jaxon could pick a place in the world they would love to be instead of Alaska, where would they go?

Hmmm … Paris, I think. But that could just be because I love Paris so much … But, honestly, I think they’d feel at home there.

What has your publishing journey been so far?

Wow! That’s a great question and I’ve got a looooong answer, lol. My publishing journey started in 2005, when I went to my first writer’s conference. I came home all prepared to write my first book, which I did in 2006, while staying home with a very premature baby. I ended up writing two books that year, the first of which was published in November 2007 by Harlequin and the second in 2008 by Penguin.

Since then, I’ve written 62 other books for several different houses, both in YA and romance. I hit the USA Today and New York Times lists for the first time in March 2015 (which is how we got the adorable dog, btw, as I promised my boys we would rescue a dog if I hit the lists) and it’s been a roller coaster ride ever since. In a nice twist of fate, my very first YA book was bought by Stacy Abrams in 2010, who—along with Liz Pelletier—I am working with again for the Crave series. In another twist of fate, Entangled—my publisher for Crave—is also the same publisher that first got me on the USA Today list five years ago. I’m thrilled to be back with two editors/the publisher that I love so much and am even more thrilled that we’ve managed to put out a book like Crave, which we all love so much.

With everything currently going on, will you be pursuing an online event for your book release? Can you link the information if possible?

Yes, definitely! We’ve got several events actually.

Release day, April 7, I’m doing an Instagram Live event co-sponsored by Katy Budget Books (who will have signed copies of Crave for people to order). One of my BFFs, YA author Emily McKay, is going to interview me and tell funny (and slightly embarrassing) stories about me and we’ll probably do some fun giveaways.

April 8, I’m doing a virtual booksigning on Zoom, where people can drop by and ask questions and listen to me talk/do a couple readings from Crave.

April 9, I’m hosting a Legacies Watchathon for my fans on FB and Instagram. We’ll watch the first couple episodes together, and I’ll have a bunch of writer friends dropping by Instagram Live to talk Legacies and give away prizes.

And finally, April 10, I’m participating in a virtual panel with several other YA authors, talking about all kinds of cool things.

I saw your cover reveal for the next book on Twitter, and it’s stunning! Can you give us a sneak peek into what might be happening next for Grace and Jaxon?

I’m writing Crush right now and it is going so well! I’m super excited to share more of it with readers, but I can’t say much about it right now. I will say that at Katmere Academy, nothing is ever what it seems …

Finally, what are some things you might be practicing right now to keep yourself healthy and sane?

That’s a great question. It’s been rough. I’m one of those rare creatures—a super-extroverted writer—so the whole isolation thing is a lot. But, on the plus side, I’m in isolation with five other people and a dog, so I’ve always got someone to talk to—not to mention a captive audience. I’ve been cooking a lot, which I love. Playing a ton of games with my kids in the evenings. Drinking a lot of tea and some wine. Eating more chocolate than I probably should. Oh, and I’m a news junkie, but at the end of last week, we kind of decided collectively to only watch a couple hours of news a day—one hour in the morning and one in the evening, which has helped me a lot in my quest to keep things as normal and balanced as possible. Oh, and of course, I have bought a TON of books. I’ve been so busy preparing for Crave’s launch that I haven’t had a chance to read more than one yet, but after release week, I am diving in.

Will you be picking up Crave? Tell us in the comments below!