What is the title of your latest release?
FORMULA ZERO
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
F1 in outer space (and also they fall in love!)
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I knew I wanted to write about F1-style racing, and I knew I wanted my FMC to be a racer/competitor in her own right. To do that, I either had to write about the first woman in F1 (which just wasn’t the story I wanted to tell), or skip far enough into the future that women in F1 were commonplace. Once skipping into the future was on the table, my innate love of sci-fi took the wheel.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Oh, absolutely. Clarke and I would be great friends, and we’d also make a very efficient partnership at plotting the downfall of sleazebag men.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Driven, stubborn, impulsive
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
My new party trick is being able to list geographical features on Mars and the moon.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Edit as I draft, absolutely. It usually means that my “first draft” is in pretty good shape, but it takes me forevvvver to get there.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Korean barbecue. I can eat an alarming amount of bulgogi, tteokbokki, and gojuchang chicken in one sitting.
Describe your writing space/office!
I write at a desk in the corner of my basement that is too cold in the summer and too hot in the winter. There is a topographical map of Mars on one wall, and a poster that says “So I looked inwards, and all I found was a family of worms teaching themselves to use a computer” on the other. There are at least three beverage containers within reach at all times.
Who is an author you admire?
Everina Maxwell is writing some of the best character-led SFF on the market, in my opinion. I also love K.D. Edwards’ found family-having-chaotic-magical-mystery-adventures books.
Is there a book that changed your life?
THE FIFTH SEASON by NK Jemisin. That book rewired my brain. Looking back further, REDWALL by Brian Jacques; my 6th grade Reading & Comprehension teacher read REDWALL out loud to my class, and something about that experience cemented reading as a lifelong passion for me.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My now-editor had said she was interested in FORMULA ZERO, but it had been a few weeks since my agent and I had heard from her, so I figured it wasn’t going anywhere. Disappointed but knowing that’s just how it goes sometimes, I started thinking about new projects, found out I was pregnant with my second kid – moved on mentally, more or less. Then, on a random Thursday morning, my agent asked if I could be available for a quick call with PRH Berkley that day. I cleared my calendar. My now-editor and I squealed at each other in giggly excitement for half an hour, and I could barely sleep that night waiting to hear if there’d be an offer.
I pretended to focus on my day job for the first part of Friday morning, then wound up crouched on the floor shaking in disbelief and joy when I got the call from my agent (which included a lot of terms I had to Google later). I spam-texted my sisters, best friend, and husband in between rounds of negotiations, and ended the day with an accepted offer and so much adrenaline that I could’ve probably punched a hole in the sun. It was an absolutely insane 24 hours!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Sci-fi and fantasy!
What’s your favorite movie?
I don’t trust people who can name a singular movie when asked this question. It’s so mood-based! In no particular order, some of my all-time favorites: Pirates of the Caribbean, 10 Things I Hate About You, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (the one with Brandy), The Martian, How To Train Your Dragon, The Lion King, Knives Out, Iron Man, Pacific Rim, The Emperor’s New Groove, Mamma Mia!, Sinners
What is your favorite season?
Autumn
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Chocolate cake. That’s it. My birthday is close to my dad’s, so we usually have a family dinner as well, but – cake.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Project Hail Mary! The movie, the soundtrack, the book – all incredible.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Probably Thai, although Indian food would be a close second.
What do you do when you have free time?
Sidequests. I have recently taken up competitive jigsaw puzzling, as well as making my own sourdough and teaching myself to do a handstand.
What can readers expect from you next?
An interconnected standalone in the Formula Zero universe!
Romantic tension between ex–best friends rockets to new heights in this dazzling sports romance debut set in the fast-paced, interplanetary world of Formula Zero racing.
Madeline Clarke didn't think her life would be all fun and trophies after earning her spot in the solar system's most elite zero-gravity racing circuit, but she definitely thought it'd be better than this. Aside from being a female pilot in a male-dominated sport, her boss is a controlling jerk, her estranged father is a beloved figure from her team's past glory days (and an absolute ass), and she's performing so poorly she risks losing her contract. And worst of all, there's Julian Casperi.
Julian was Clarke's childhood best friend and is a rising star in the league. The dance between them has always been complicated, but when Clarke walked away from her feelings years ago and Julian didn’t stop her they became nothing more than competitors—until Clarke gets into a near-fatal accident on the track and Julian comes to her rescue.
Now back in each other’s orbits, the tension between them is at an all-time high. But navigating their relationship might be the least of Clarke’s problems. Things keep going wrong on the track, and she suspects there's something shady at play. If she wants to come out on top, she needs to move fast and make bold choices—about her team, her future, and her heart.
Romance Sports | Science Fiction [ Berkley, On Sale: July 7, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9780593956694 / eISBN: 9780593956700 ]
Meredith Lanzen is an adult sci-fi and fantasy author. When she’s not charting out intergalactic adventures on her kitchen window, she’s playing D&D, braving her fear of spiders to spend time outside, and singing show tunes loudly enough to have acquired a neighborhood nickname. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two chaos goblins cleverly disguised as human children, and a 65-pound lapdog.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2026