Nicole Glover: On Growing as a Writer After Draft One
In this interview, author Nicole Glover discusses blending alternative history and whimsical magic in her new novel, The Starseekers.
Nicole Glover is the author of The Conductors and The Undertakers, as well as The Improvisers in the Murder and Magic series. When she’s not writing, she’s working as a UX researcher in Virginia where her knowledge about murder and other mysteries is surprisingly useful. Follow her on Instagram and Bluesky.
In this interview, Nicole discusses blending alternative history and whimsical magic in her new novel, The Starseekers, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Nicole Glover
Literary agent: Jennie Goloboy
Book title: The Starseekers
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Release date: January 6, 2026
Genre/category: Fantasy
Previous titles: The Conductors, The Undertakers, The Improvisers
Elevator pitch: A 1960s NASA arcane engineer solves a murder and several mysteries using her love of numbers and magical talents. Features deadly curses, treasure hunts, constellation magic, an archeologist love interest, the Space Race, and witchy vibes.
What prompted you to write this book?
The Starseekers is the latest entry into my Murder and Magic series, which follows that same family of mystery solving sleuths across decades. When I was making a list of what decades I was interested in writing about, the 1960s was right on top for so many dynamic topics and events. This was a very fun book for me to write as I got include a number of things I found very interesting. It’s also probably my nerdiest book so far!
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
The idea for this story started from a seed. I wrote the first draft of The Conductors and thought it would be fun to write about different decades following the same family. I was literally sketching ideas for a possible 1960s novel when both the book and the movie Hidden Figures was announced. As a big fan of NASA and the space race, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I did a bunch research and wrote an initial first draft, but I didn’t touch the story for several years. Shortly afterwards I published The Conductors and its follow-up, The Undertakers, which kept me quite busy.
Later, my editor says they were interested in more stories in the world I created, but wanted to see different characters. While I could have stayed in the 1870s-era that The Conductors was set in, I remembered my original plan for different decades for different books. I pitched my next two books, which became The Improvisers and The Starseekers based on the premise they were standalone adventures of the next generation of magic wielding sleuths. While I was working on Improvisers, I also worked on Starseekers in a way as I planted little seeds between the books, that would loosely connect them. A few characters from Improvisers make small cameos, and some of the ideas I would incorporate into Starseekers,first came up while I was writing Improvisers.
The final version of The Starseekers is vastly different from that first draft I wrote. While the main characters, Cynthia and Theo (and Cynthia’s cat!), remain mostly unchanged, everything else—from the supporting cast, the main setting, family relationships, key subplots, and even the murder—is nothing like it was previously. Some of it was just getting the book to match the series I’ve created, but I’ve also grown a great deal as a writer since that very first draft.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
This is my fourth time publishing a book, and there’s always something new I hadn’t done before. This time I got to record a pronunciation guide for the audiobook, mainly because I had quite a few words that the team needed some guidance. It was quite fun and interesting to get a glimpse of the audiobook making process. Also fun fact I have the same audiobook narrator for all my books so far!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
As I finished the book I was surprised just how much the central character, Cynthia, is like me. Trust me, it wasn’t on purpose! It’s just something that emerged in the alchemy of plot and themes, and I figured out what sort of character can help me tell this story. I always say writers tuck pieces of themselves into their characters because that’s how we breathe life into the world. Of all the characters I’ve written, Cynthia is the closest to my personality and temperament, and quite few of her interests are mine as well.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers enjoy my blend of alternative history and whimsical magic. There is something fun for me as a writer to build a world that is similar but different than our own. Throwing a little murder and mystery just allows me to take the story in places I might not be able to otherwise.
I also want people to remember that while history of Black folks can be a thorny subject filled with hardships, there are roses in that history as people have lived lives filled with laughter, love, joy, and wonder, just as we do in our current moment.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
End a writing session mid-scene or even mid-paragraph. It gives you something to return to in your next writing session, so you aren’t starting from a blank page. This is especially useful when you’re stuck in a scene at a very late hour. Don’t be stubborn, get some rest and you’ll find you return to writing with fresh eyes.
