Hi, readers, and welcome to the first in an ongoing series of author interviews we’ll be posting on the blog!
In today's Spotlight Interview, we're delighted to introduce you to Holly Rose, author of the scifi romance Until the Stars Fall, the first book in the Interstellar Witches series.
Author Holly Rose
When and why did you first decide to write a novel?
I used to love to write poems and plays in elementary school, but I think the first novel I attempted to write was in middle school sometime. I’d read Jane Eyre in sixth grade and decided I wanted to be a writer, so although I don’t remember what prompted the particular book I started to write (a mystery with a huge cast of teenagers), I’m sure Charlotte Brontë was the root cause.
What is your favorite writing project, either completed or in the works?
I truly can’t pick a favorite! They're all my favorites in one way or another. Until the Stars Fall is very special to me because it was the first book I published, and I really enjoyed the paranormal and scifi aspects of it.
I got to geek out about witchy things as well as all things space, which is a huge interest of mine. Plus, Beck is one of my favorite love interests I’ve written. I also love the project I’m querying right now, a sex-positive contemporary romance novel with two of my favorite characters I’ve ever written as leads.
If you could recommend any two books to someone and know they would for sure read those books, what would you recommend?
One book I always wholeheartedly recommend to people is Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon (really the whole series) with the caveat that they MUST listen to the audiobook, which is brilliantly performed by David Tennant, one of my favorite actors. Another book I recommend a lot is Hafsah Faizal’s We Hunt the Flame. I literally cried when I finished reading it because I felt I would never write anything so beautiful.
If you could recommend any two television shows to someone and know they would for sure watch them, what shows would you recommend?
The first television show I would recommend would be Ted Lasso. It’s just brilliant. Every single actor is so talented, the themes of the show are positive and heartwarming, and it just may be the funniest show I’ve ever seen. I can rewatch episodes over and over and laugh as if I’m seeing them for the first time. The other TV show I can’t help but recommend is Doctor Who, starting with the Ninth Doctor. I’m honestly not caught up with current episodes (I’m maybe halfway through the Thirteenth Doctor), but David Tennant (Tenth Doctor) and Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor) are my absolute favorites.
What is your favorite book that you've written? If you've written just one so far, what was your favorite part of that book, either in the writing process or in the book itself?
Again, I don’t think I can pick a favorite of the books I’ve written, and at this point, I’ve written 7–9 books (not all of them have been revised to completion). My projects have been either YA fantasy or adult romance, and I love and am proud of each of them. I love every part of the writing process, from the initial idea, through plotting, drafting and revisions. Writing is like therapy for me, and it’s my favorite thing to do.
Who are the authors you think have influenced your writing the most?
Two authors who have influenced my adult romance projects are Talia Hibbert and Tessa Bailey. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by them. But the writers who’ve influenced me most overall are the writers in the writing group I’ve been in since 2020. They are across the board the loveliest people and most talented writers, and they’ve become family to me. I’m a better person and a better writer from having known them.
What do you hope readers think or feel about your books?
I hope my readers think my books have heart and depth, and I hope I make them laugh on occasion. I hope they can tell that I love what I’m writing.
For someone just starting on their writing journey, what is the best or most important piece of advice you would give them?
My best and most important advice for writers at the start of their journey is simply, to write. Don’t not write because you think you don’t have time. Don’t not write because you think you’ll never “make it.” Don’t not write because someone else doesn’t like what you’ve written or tells you that you can’t “make it.” If you want to be a writer, you must make time for it, work hard at it, learn everything you can to improve your craft, get quality, constructive feedback from other writers, and never, ever stop writing. Also—finish your books. You’ll learn so much from actually completing your projects and not getting stuck in a loop of only ever starting them (like I did for 20 years—don’t be me).
Where can people find you online?
I’m most active on Instagram, but I’m occasionally on Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, all under the name writerhollyrose. I also have a website at http://www.writerhollyrose.com.
Where can people buy your books?
My scifi-fantasy romance, Until the Stars Fall, is available in paperback at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. On Amazon, it’s available as an ebook and on Kindle Unlimited.
What is the best way for people to sign up for your newsletter?
The best way to sign up for my newsletter is to visit my website,
Holly's cat Olivia Newton-John, a.k.a. Livy
Holly's cat Loki
Thanks for reading! Check back in two weeks for our next Spotlight Interview with author Jen Karner!
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