Author Interview: Nancey Cummings

Welcome to 'Author Interviews with Monster Smut Sticker Club', where we spotlight the brilliant authors behind your favourite monster romance novels. In each post, you'll discover the inspirations, challenges, and creative processes that shape their extraordinary stories. Whether you're a devoted reader or new to the genre, these interviews will provide a unique glimpse into the heart of the author and monster romance storytelling.

We're thrilled to welcome the author behind works like the Warriors of Sangrin series and Snowed in with the Alien Warlord, Nancey Cummings!

Nancey is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes fast-paced, low-angst books about kissing aliens, because that’s how she rolls. She once had an argument with her husband about being married in space. He claimed that marriage was a legal contract and ended when a person left orbit. Nancey said the vows were “till death do us part” not “until the spaceship departs.” She has written more than thirty books about being married in space just to prove him wrong.

You can find their books on kindle unlimited or check out their etsy for signed copies of their books, art prints, and stickers.

What lead you to realise you wanted to be a writer? And when did it occur?

NANCEY: Since forever, it feels like. I remember writing my first stories with a crayon. ("Mama and the Snowstorm", for the curious.) Recently, I've been rewatching Murder She Wrote episodes, and I can confidently say that Jessica Fletcher is why I want to be a writer. I was 8 when the series started and I was hooked.

Sci-Fi is my favourite sub-genre of romance. As a huge sci-fi romance author, what enticed you to the genre?

NANCEY: I've always loved sci-fi. My gateway happened on Saturday mornings when old Star Trek episodes aired after the cartoons finished. Way back in the 90s, when I was in high school, I encountered my first proper SFR books: Johanna Lindsey's Warrior's Woman and Anne McCaffrey's Restoree. It never occurred to me that SFR could be a thing that I could do until I picked up a copy of Ice Planet Barbarians. All the pieces clicked into place.

What appeals the most to me about science fiction romance is that it is a genre of hope. People come together from different planets and different cultures to make a future, and maybe a family together.

What was the most surprising lesson or self-realisation you encountered while writing your books?

NANCEY: In my book Vox, the heroine, Carrie, is an engineer. I'm not an engineer, but when Carrie talks about her project, she gets lost in the fiddley little details and loses track of the outside world. I patterned the way she thinks after my own habits of hyper-focusing and getting a bit scattered when I'm stressed. Once the book was published, I started getting emails and messages from readers. The message was the same, they were so glad to find a book with a heroine whose ADHD looked just like theirs. So I learned something about myself.

Another thing I've come to realize about myself and how I write is that if I know too much about the story, I get bored. I can't outline. An outline is the kiss of death for a book. My brain already knows how the story goes and wants to work on something new.

Generally speaking, I start each book with a premise, a vague idea about the characters, and the vibe or themes I want the book to have. Maybe there's one or two key moments. Maybe. There are a lot of gaps and questions in my process. Filling in the blanks, digging into the characters, and finding out their secrets, is what keeps it interesting for me.

What is your favourite part of being a writer?

NANCEY: Short answer: I don't have to wear pants when I work.

Long answer: When readers tell me that my books make them laugh. Making readers cry is also good. Evocating any strong emotion is super flattering, but my favorite is making readers laugh. Humor is so hard to write and so subjective. While my books tend to have a lot of sarcasm, snark, and humor, they are not rom-coms. When I write a joke, I have to wait ages to find out if other people think it's funny or just me. So when someone posts the line that made them laugh out loud, I do a victory dance. Without pants.

Which authors or works, if any, do you draw inspiration from? And why?

NANCEY: So many! Victoria Holt is the OG for gothic romance. I could not get enough of her books. Anne McCaffrey is a big one. While I loved the Pern series, I loved loved loved The Tower and the Hive series, particularly The Rowan and Damia. Ruby Dixon is a must read for me. Daphne Du Maurier Rebecca is a favorite that directly inspired my Tail, Dark, and Handsome. Connie Willis's Oxford series is a favorite, particularly To Say Nothing of the Dog. Other favorites are Jane Austen, Kate Atkinson, Mercedes Lackey, Grace Draven, R. Lee Smith, and Elizabeth Peters. I'm sure I'm missing quite a few authors.

Each book is different. When I start, I think about the books, shows, and movies that inspire me and what particular vibe I want the book to have. I try to figure out why I like it so much and how to get that same feeling in my books. Without being a copycat, obviously.

My Outlaw Planet Mate series has a steampunk/old-west adventure feel. I drew inspiration from the adventure movies of the '80s and '90s that I loved: The Mummy (the superior 1999 version), The Goonies, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Romancing the Stone. Splintered Shadow is a Cinderella story in a Game of Thrones world. Its sequel, Shadow Mark, is straight-up Pride and Prejudice in space.

My latest book, Mistletoe, is the third book in the Monsters of the Nexus series. This series is everything I love about gothic romance! Book one, Wolf's Bane, is a historical romance + werewolves. Bridgerton with monsters, if you will. Book two, Blackthorn, is a love letter to all the over-the-top gothic romances I read as a teen. You know the ones, the covers have a woman in a dress with great hair fleeing a foreboding castle at night. Mistletoe is a western gothic + Frankenstein's monster. Because all the monster needed was a little compassion and someone to stand up for him, which never happened in the book or the movies. So I made it happen.

What is your favourite moment from any of your books?

NANCEY: Don't make me choose. I love them all.

Fine.

Snowed in with the Alien Warlord has a scene early on that I think is exactly what I want from the books I read and the books I write.

She saves HIM.

The book takes place amid an alien invasion. The hero, Kol, draws enemy fire, allowing Penny, the heroine, to flee to safety. He takes a direct hit and falls off a bridge into an icy river.

He can't swim.

Penny watches from the riverbank, waiting for him to break the surface. When he doesn't, she realizes that he'll drown, and she has to do something about it.

So she does.

Penny drags Kol's alien behind out of the freezing river and takes him back to her place to wait out of a snowstorm.

I don't want to write damsels in distress. Not every character can be a badass, but they are proactive in solving their problems. I'm glad Penny saves Kol.

Your new book, Mistletoe, is set to be released on March 24th. Is there anything you’re especially excited for readers to experience?

NANCEY: I cannot wait for readers to meet the antagonist. It's a true frenemy situation. I had so much fun writing the banter between Emma and Nina.

Which of the available stickers in Sticker Drop 04 is your favourite?

NANCEY: That's a hard one. As much as I like "Out of this world", I have to go with the mothman riding the rocket.

Here is Nancey's latest upcoming release: Mistletoe