As a developmental editor, I’ve worked with many authors in all phases of their career in nearly every genre. In this occasional series, I’m sitting down with an author to talk about their approach to writing, editing, and publishing.
Please welcome Crash Into Me author Darci St. John as we discuss the challenges in creating a fictional racing series, how she blended sports and romance, and developing romantic tension.
Darci St. John was born and raised in the Midwest, and has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. After a career in journalism and content development, as both a writer and an editor, she decided to venture into fiction. When a new boyfriend invited her to an IndyCar race, Darci agreed without knowing a thing about the sport. She was immediately hooked—on both race cars and the guy. Now married, they travel to races around the world. Crash Into Me is her debut novel, and the first book in the Apex Racing series. @darcistjohnwriter/
Jackie Cangro: Congratulations on publishing your novel, Crash Into Me! What inspired the premise of the story, and what aspects of the story did you find most compelling to explore?
Darci St. John: My husband is very into auto racing, and he got me hooked soon after we started dating. I noticed two things right away: There are few women at the highest level of the sport, and most drivers are very good looking. The idea for Crash Into Me popped into my head at a time when I was reading a lot of hockey romance.
I really enjoyed taking a deep dive into the world of racing. It’s so fascinating, and complicated! I originally planned for Rubie Racing to be a Formula 1 team but decided to create my own racing series when I realized I was breaking too many rules. This gave me flexibility I hadn’t anticipated.
Also, I’d lost my mom the fall prior, and losing a parent really changed how I looked at life—as well as at death. It was interesting to dig in to how someone might react to a parent’s sudden death when unresolved family issues were in play.
JC: Since Crash Into Me is a sports romance that balances the intensity of competition with the emotional depth of the romance between Mia and Luca. How did you navigate the intersection of these two aspects in your novel?
DSJ: Professional athletes seem like pretty intense people in general, and I extended that intensity to all aspects of Mia and Luca’s lives. At the same time, I wanted them to grow—as individuals, as athletes, and, of course, as a couple. Since racing brought them together when they were teens, I decided it could again even after everything that drove them apart the first time.
JC: Mia and Luca both have strong personalities and ambitious goals. How did you ensure that both the sports and the romance of your novel received equal attention and development without one overshadowing the other?
DSJ: There was more racing in early drafts, but it bogged down the story. I can’t recall how I came up with the idea for the commentators, but they really balanced things out. They added to the racing, too, because they let me share details with writers in a new way.
[Editor’s note: In Crash Into Me, some racing scenes are interspersed with short sections of commentators discussing the race, kind of like a voice over. It’s a fun and interesting way to get information to the reader without interrupting the momentum of the POV characters.]
JC: I loved the way you developed the chemistry between the protagonists in your book. Can you describe the process of creating and developing the romantic tension between Mia and Luca?
DSJ: Even after so many years apart, their chemistry was still there. It didn’t take much for it to bubble to the surface again, especially when I forced them to travel the racing circuit together. Luca obviously falls back in love first, but Mia’s in a different place. She’s dealing with the loss of her dad, and really the only adult life she’d known. They needed to become friends again—best friends—and then realize it wasn’t enough for either of them. It was so fun coming up with ways for them to connect and tease each other, like with the “Property of Mia” stickers.
JC: What is one piece of writing advice or encouragement that you received that you've found helpful?
DSJ: The story inside of you is the only one you can tell.
BONUS QUESTIONS
In the bonus questions for paid subscribers, Darci reflects on surprises she encountered in the writing process and the benefit of waiting to begin the revision process.