Sitting down with a debut author is one of my favorite things, and Christina Capri's Walk of Fame has been one of the most fun romance reads I've picked up this year. Behind-the-scenes Hollywood, slow-burn tension, a leading man who absolutely falls first, and just enough heat. It's the kind of love story that hits every mark.
I got the chance to ask Christina about her debut, the inspiration behind the FAME series, her 3:30 AM writing routine, and just how seriously she takes her queso-based restaurant rankings. (Spoiler: very.) Here's everything she had to say. (And if you want my spoiler-free review of the book first, it's here.)
Walk of Fame by Christina Capri
Contemporary Romance • FAME Series #1
📖 Buy on Amazon | 🎧 Listen on Audible
Opening: The Origin Story
Before Walk of Fame, before the FAME series, Christina was sneaking Harlequins from Winn-Dixie at twelve and didn't know yet that the kind of book she was reading would become the kind of book she'd write. Here's the moment it clicked.
You've said it took you a long time to figure out what you wanted to be when you grew up. What made you realize writing was the thing?
It hit me like a ton of bricks, and kind of out of nowhere. I'd just finished a book I loved and I closed it and literally said to myself, "This is what I want to do." Then I grabbed my computer and wrote a note to myself to just kind of cement that moment of realization. More than anything, it was how I feel when I finish a book I love that made me realize I wanted to write books that make people feel that same way. I joke that it took me growing up to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. But it's true.
Looking back, how did sneaking Harlequin romances at Winn-Dixie at twelve shape the reader and writer you became?
I definitely was probably reading those books way before I should've been, ha! But I loved the love in them, loved the build-up and the tension, loved the Happily Ever After...I think the bottom line is I have always been one to love a good love story.
Was romance always the genre you gravitated toward?
Yes! Romance and fantasy. I love love stories, so even in a fantasy world, I'm going romantasy every time.
Reading Life & Influences
Christina reads the way she writes, and the way she reads tells you exactly what you're about to get. If her bookshelf overlaps with yours, Walk of Fame is definitely for you.
You describe your ideal reads as "spellbinding love stories with a side of spice." What does that balance look like for you as a reader?
I am definitely love story first, spice second. I mean, don't get me wrong–I looove some spice, but the most important thing to me is feeling invested in the love story between the two characters. I want my readers to be completely wrapped up in the love story and have the spice be a <chef's kiss> bonus.
Which authors or books made you fall in love with romance all over again as an adult?
I am big into romance and romantasy. I'm a huge fan of Ali Hazelwood, Julie Soto, Christina Lauren, Carley Fortune...to name a few. Also I fell so hard for Fourth Wing so definitely Rebecca Yarros also. Dragons, love and spice? Need I say more?
How does being a constant reader influence the way you write your own stories?
I think more than anything being such a huge reader helps me know exactly what readers want...because I know what I love as a reader. So when I'm writing, I'm thinking about it from the perspective of: "What would I want to happen if I were reading this?"
Are you a physical book, audiobook, or "both at all times" kind of reader?
D) ALL formats at ALL times, ha! I am Team Physical Book, Team Audiobook, and Team Kindle. I love them all.
Inside Walk of Fame
Christina opened up about the Hollywood setting, what makes Emma and Jake hit different, and the trope she will eat up every single time.
What drew you to a Hollywood setting?
It's something I lived a tiny glimpse of and was just taken aback by how different of a world movie and TV sets really are. I remember being so surprised by all the inner workings and behind-the-scenes things at the time and thought readers would be, too. And based on the feedback I've received, readers are loving the setting of Walk of Fame which makes me so happy because I think it's so much fun to peek behind that curtain, too.
Without spoilers, what makes Emma and Jacob's dynamic special to you?
His sheer patience and devotion. I just can't get over how willing he is to help her get past her own demons and get there on her own time...well, willing until he isn't...and then I love that part, too. (wink)
"He falls first" is a beloved trope. What about it makes it irresistible for you as a writer?
Do we ever not love a man who Just. Cannot. Resist. The. Woman? I eat that trope up. I love an MMC who falls hard and fast, and I love to explore what the girl does with the realization that he is falling for her.
How did you approach blending sweetness with heat in a way that felt true to the characters?
I love some spice in a romance. I feel like the heat makes it more authentic. I mean, what adult relationship is going to progress to the point of true love...and never have any steam? (I'm sure those relationships exist, but...) And for me, the sexiness isn't gratuitous when you've built these soaring feelings and mounting chemistry between two characters. It's earned. We deserve it. At least that's how I approach it, as a writer and reader. For Emma and Jake, their story is so sweet, so raw, so pure...when the spice hits you're hit with such relief and most definitely thinking, "IT'S ABOUT TIME."
Real Life
The Hollywood pieces of Walk of Fame aren't entirely invented. Christina spent real time on real sets as a body double, and the part she won't tell us is who. So obviously the question is: who do we think she stood in for? I have theories. Drop yours in the comments.
You've hinted that the Hollywood element is loosely inspired by your own real-life experiences. Can you share a little about that?
Yes! My real life experience of stumbling my way into a stand-in job for a very famous actress inspired the setup of Emma's story. I remember at the time thinking how insane that whole movie set world is––interesting and insane, ha. The way Emma's position snowballed into a stunt job, then more roles...even the makeup commercial with the Oscar-winning director...those are all things that happened in my own life and I just thought they would make such a fun basis for a love story. It's such a different world that honestly lends itself very well to an on-set romance.
Tell us about your life outside of Charleston. What does a typical writing day look like for you?
The short answer is: waking up at 3:30am and writing for a couple of hours before the rest of the house wakes up! Most of my writing takes place in those dark morning hours and I kind of love it that way. Sometimes I will hole up on a weekend morning around 6am and not re-enter the house until noon, at which point I run straight to hug my man because he clearly got the memo that I was in the zone and just let me run with it without me saying a word.
[Side note from Chelsea: the only times I have been awake at 3:30 AM in the last decade have involved a sick child or a power outage. Choosing to be up by then is somehow more impressive than the writing itself.]
Coffee seems to be a love language for you. What is your go-to order?
Oh my gosh I think coffee probably runs through my veins. And queso of course. I love a salted caramel latte. Second would be pistachio or honey lavender. And I had an orange cardamom latte at this coffee shop in Brooklyn one time that I still dream about.
Be honest: how serious is your queso-based restaurant rating system? Can you share it with us?
I love queso deeply. And for better or worse, I have imparted that love of queso to my kids. My husband doesn't share the same level of appreciation for melted cheese as I do. So when we pick a Mexican restaurant, I only want to pick ones with great queso! He wants to pick the restaurant based on the rest of the food. I couldn't care less about the rest of the food if the queso (and salsa and guac) is good. And if a restaurant only has queso fundido, it's a no go. Because queso fundido is not queso dip.
Writing Process & Career
The 3:30 AM start. The chapters dictated into a phone on a four-hour road trip. The quiet revelation that finishing a debut novel changes how you see yourself. If you're trying to write your own book, this section is for you.
Do you plot meticulously, or do you discover the story as you go?
Both. I know where I'm starting, where I'm hitting, where I'm ending, and some big moments I want to land along the way. But I let all of the mesh that pulls the story together develop as I write.
What is the weirdest place you have ever worked on your book?
I feel like I'm writing in my head constantly. My kids' games. Road trips. School pickup line. The grocery store. On a walk. The list goes on!
What did finishing your debut novel teach you about yourself?
It's going to sound so cliche but cliches tend to exist because they're rooted in truth. Finishing my debut novel taught me that I really could do anything I put my mind to. I decided I wanted to be an author and write a romance novel. And then I just...did it. I still can't really believe it. And I'm genuinely so proud of it. I'm biased of course, but I really think it's a fantastic love story...and fun and funny and sweet and sexy and romantic and just everything I want in a romance!
What is the best piece of writing advice you have ever been given? And the worst?
To just start.
Fun Questions
Lightning round. This is where you learn the small things that make Christina Christina, including one detail about her academic background that I am still thinking about.
Describe Walk of Fame using only three emojis.
❤️🥹🫠....and a little 🥵
What's the most chaotic place you've ever written a chapter?
Driving in my car! I had a 4 hour road trip and had a huge writing spark just as I left so I opened my notes app and literally just dictated scenes, details, and dialogue for nearly three hours straight.
What was the book that made you fall in love with reading?
I've read so many books. All the classics. The fantasies. The love stories. The renowned literally works. But seriously those cheap grocery store romances I used to sneak and read at the beach are the ones that probably hooked me the most. I remember how those made me feel then, and I love reading books that give me those same feels now.
If you could have dinner with any character in any book, who would it be?
Oh man. No way I can pick. But if I chose a character from Walk of Fame, I think I'd go Timbo. There's just something about him.
What is one thing readers would be shocked to learn about you?
Hmmm. That I didn't study English, Literature or Writing or anything like that? I was a science and math girl and studied Biochemistry in college. I was full steam ahead with the medical school track...until I did a complete 180 and decided I actually didn't want to be a physician. (and blew my family's minds in the process) I'm so glad I didn't go that route, because it turns out I was meant to be a writer.
(Oh my gosh I have another one I just thought of that shocked my husband at first. I wasn't in a sorority in college, but I WAS in the National Chemistry Fraternity and I was President...also known as the Grand Master Alchemist. HA.)
[Side note from Chelsea: "Grand Master Alchemist" is now permanently on my list of things to ask everyone I meet about for the rest of my life.]
The FAME Series & What's Next
Christina is nowhere near done with this world. Here's what to expect from Book Two, the tropes she's itching to write next, and which Walk of Fame character takes center stage when the second book lands.
Can you tease what you're working on next, just enough to torment us?
Book Two of course! :) And it is a goooooodie. I think readers will love it.
What is your favorite quote from Walk of Fame?
Basically any and everything Jake says and even thinks. I can't pick. A couple are NSFW. And a couple just make me melt into a freaking puddle.
Walk of Fame is the first in the FAME series. What can readers expect from future books?
I'm so excited about Book Two and Book Three! We will stay in the same group of characters you fell in love with in Walk of Fame...with a few new additions! Each book is a standalone but interconnected which to me makes it so much more fun!
Will we continue to see familiar faces as the series grows?
Oh yes! The side characters you love from Walk of Fame will be the main characters in Book Two....and those main characters from Walk of Fame will become the side characters in Book Two...and so on ;)
Are there any tropes you're itching to explore next?
Definitely going to throw in a little age gap at some point...because that's my real life and I know it well. (speaking from personal experience with my hubby, big fan btw ;). I've got a forced proximity and a reconnection/second chance coming. Oh and a grumpy/sunshine that I'm excited about! And I mean, I will run "man obsessed" back every freaking time. We love a man obsessed, am I right?
Where to Find Christina
Follow Christina on Instagram and [FILL: TikTok link], and visit [FILL: author website] for the latest on Book Two of the FAME series.
If you haven't picked up Walk of Fame yet, grab it below and consider this your warning that "he falls first" hits different when it's Jake doing the falling.
📖 Buy on Amazon | 🎧 Listen on Audible
Want my full take on Walk of Fame?
My spoiler-free review with read-alikes is one click away.
Have you read Walk of Fame? I'd love to hear which Jake line wrecked you the most. Drop a comment or tag me @inkandimaginings on Instagram. I read every one.
