Q: Sungrazer was created with the author of best-selling series Starcrossed, Josephine Angelini. Can you talk a little bit about what the inspiration behind this series was?
A: The inspiration came from my bookshelf! I had just had a different idea for a story fall apart because it wasn’t all that strong. I was so upset, crying and feeling very sorry for myself, and I just so happened to be standing next to my bookshelf. Romeo and Juliet was sort of haphazardly shoved-in next to The Iliad, and it just hit me. What about a star-crossed love affair between modern Greek gods? I immediately “saw” the story and started outlining it. The first Starcrossed book practically wrote itself.
Q: Angelini’s podcast, Fiction Between Friends, features four friends discussing different books. How are books chosen to read for each episode?
A: The four us have known each other since we were six, and since then we’ve always loved and shared books with one another, whether it be assigned reading in school or just books we’ve happened upon later in life. Initially, we did a lot of episodes based on books we read when we were younger, but as we turned to more current books, we started deferring to Lauren, our in-house librarian, because she gives the best recommendations!
Q: So far, Sungrazer has published books in the Starcrossed series. What do you think your future looks like in terms of acquiring new authors and titles?
A: When my husband and I decided to start a publishing company we went back and forth as to what the best approach for us would be. Even though I’m a published author, and my husband has always been very involved in my editorial process, neither one of us had any traditional publishing experience. So, we decided to start slow and just focus on a couple of books at a time. After the four new Starcrossed books are released, the last of which will be published in April 2024, we hope to be in a better position to be able to attract other authors to our imprint. I’ve already had preliminary conversations with author friends of mine who have expressed interest in publishing with us, so we are very excited about what the future holds for Sungrazer.
Q: Can you share what you’re looking forward to the most in terms of the upcoming release of Timeless?
A: The thing I’m most looking forward to is finally giving fans of the series, who for years have been after me to continue with Helen and Lucas’ story, a sense of closure. The Starcrossed series was always meant to continue after Goddess, but for one reason or another, things just kept getting in the way of me finishing the rest of the books. Whereas Scions is a prequel to the Starcrossed series and was mainly written to introduce new readers to the world, Timeless is a book that has been gestating in my head for the last eight years, and the fact that it’s finally ready for everyone to read, just makes my heart pound with joy.
