Xio Axelrod

Xio

Axelrod

Q. Thanks for interviewing with us. Tell everyone who you are and what you do.

A. My name is Xio (pronounced ZEE-oh) Axelrod, and my pronouns are she/her. I’m an author of contemporary fiction and romance featuring diverse casts. Much of my work is set in the music industry.

Q. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. I’ve always written in some form first poetry, then songs, and eventually long form prose. I don’t think I ever set out to become an author, but I’m happy with where my path took me.

Q. Let’s talk about your book “The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes” and the motivation behind the book?

A. I grew up in the music industry and, as an indie musician myself, I wanted to show the other side of the business. The not so glamorous side. For instance, the daily grind of being in the studio or being on tour. I also wanted to show women, particularly Black women, in a space (in this case, rock music) that is predominantly White, male, and straight.

Q. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

A. How much I didn’t know about how women, and again Black women in particular, had contributed to rock’s history. I tumbled down the research rabbit hole on YouTube and stumbled upon some truly talented historymakers.

Q. If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?

A. Don’t discount your storytelling voice. It’s unique. You’re unique.

Q. Tell us one of your most memorable achievement or accomplishments that you’ve had in your career?

A. The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes is my 9th release, but it was the first time I could walk into a major retailer like Target or Barnes & Noble and see my book on the shelf. That was pretty major. Also, having the book released in hardcover with Book of the Month was really something else. I honestly teared up when I first held it in my hands.

Q. Who is your favorite author?

A. I don’t have a single favorite author, there are too many wonderful storytellers. Some faves include Beverly Jenkins, Kennedy Ryan, Kristan Higgins, Talia Hibbert, Helen Hoang, Farrah Rochon, Casey McQuiston, Cat Sebastian, K.M. Jackson, Alexis Hall, Kristen Callihan, Riley Hart… I could go on. We just lost one of the people that had a huge impact on me as a teen, and as a writer – Anne Rice. If I had to pick one author to read for the rest of my life, it might be her.

Q. What advice can you give to others that want to be an author?

A. The only way to be an author is to write. You can study, read, listen, watch, and research all you want. But until you get actual words on the page, you won’t achieve your goal. And it doesn’t have to be perfect. There’s a great saying: you can’t edit a blank page. Sit down and write.

Q. Are you working on any new events or projects?

A. I’m currently working on three books: the second installment in the Lilly’s series, The Girl with Rhythm in Her Heart, the follow-up to my 2017 novella, Fast Forward, and the first book in a duet for Blue Box Press, which is due out in the fall of 2022. All three are very different, so it’s going to be interesting to see how readers respond.

Q. Where can the readers follow you?

A. I’m a social media butterfly, but they can primarily find me on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter @xioaxelrod. I also have a Facebook group for my readers, the XIP Room. I’ve been known to do exclusive excerpts and giveaways in there.

“…cute, curvy girls were a dime a dozen. Cute, curvy Black women who could play the guitar like Prince and knew the difference between Twenty One Pilots and Matchbox Twenty? Not so much.”

~ from The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelro