Q&A: Erica Lucke Dean, Author of ‘Chasing Stardust’

We chat with author Erica Lucke Dean about Chasing Stardust, which is a funny and heartfelt novel about learning who your parents are as people, finding yourself, and falling in love in the strangest places—with a David Bowie soundtrack of a lifetime.

Hi, Erica! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

First of all, I’m a decidedly Gen-X mom, wife, writer, and fanatical David Bowie fan with an unhealthy obsession with sheepskin rugs (sorry, that’s a story for another day!) My favorite season is fall, I’d pick the mountains over the beach (but that’s a tough call) and I’d choose vanilla ice cream over all the other flavors because it’s a chameleon. You can add just about anything to it to make it whatever you want it to be. Oh, and I like my popcorn just a tiny bit on the burnt side. I listen to (almost) every kind of music depending on my mood. And I prefer staying home with family (and my dogs) to going just about anywhere. 

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

That’s easy. I’ve always been a writer. According to my mom, I came out of the womb as a grand storyteller, weaving tall tales long before I knew how to write them down. But once I did learn how to read and write, I started putting them down on paper to entertain my friends. I had to beg my dad to let me change my college major from computer science to English lit and creative writing because despite his insistence that “computer science is a very creative field!” It wasn’t remotely the same sort of creativity I was after. But I waited until my kids were almost teenagers before taking the whole thing seriously enough to seek representation and land a publishing contract. Best decision ever, by the way!

 

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Pippi Longstocking books
• The one that made you want to become an author: A Wrinkle in Time
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: That’s a goalpost that keeps moving. It’s whatever the last book was that moved me while I was reading it. Currently, it’s the book I’m working on in edits. Gotta keep my head in the game and finish this one before picking up something else.

Your latest novel, Chasing Stardust, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Life-changing, eye-opening, Glittering, rock-god, Romance. That might be more than five, but you get the idea.

What can readers expect?

Chasing Stardust is the story of three generations of women with one glittering Ziggy Stardust connection. I sprinkled in a Dash of romance (pun intended!) and a whole lot of humor while tugging on those heartstrings. I poured my whole self into this book, and I hope it resonates with readers. 

Where did the inspiration for Chasing Stardust come from?

Chasing Stardust has been a labor of love for me since long before putting pen to paper. I, like many others across the globe, was devastated when David Bowie died. So devastated that I immersed myself in old concert and interview footage until I almost felt like I was standing in the crowd at the final Ziggy Stardust show. I decided to write a story about a girl on a road trip to see David Bowie in 1972, and that morphed into the story of a girl spreading her mother’s ashes because her grandmother crossed the country to follow David Bowie in 1972.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved every minute of the journey. As a Bowie fan, it gave me a legit reason to do a deep dive into his music, and who doesn’t love music? Of course, G-Lo is a favorite of mine, but I love them all for different reasons. This story allowed me to channel a little of my loony family into characters in the book, which was a blast. Every time I write about two people falling in love, it allows me to get the rush of first love all over again, and at this stage of my life, that’s hard to recapture without a little help.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

I think as a writer, you always face challenges when writing. How to tell a story and keep it fresh. How to make things funny without being too childish (for the record, I may have been a 12-year-old boy in a past life.) And just making sure you take the reader on a journey they don’t want to end. I have a wonderful group of critique partners who read my chapters and cheered me on while I was writing to keep me on the right path. I think (I hope) I succeeded with Chasing Stardust.

What’s next for you?

I’m deep in the edits for my next book as we speak. It’s another heartfelt story about a young woman’s journey that will hopefully tug on a few heartstrings while bringing belly laughs. Look for that one sometime next fall!

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up in 2026?

I’ve read some wonderful books this year! Casey Dembowski’s The First Love Myth, Sara Confino’s Good Grief, Leslie Gray Streeter’s Family and Other Calamities. And I’m about to dive into Marina Scott’s The Night Guests. After I finish my edit, of course.

Will you be picking up Chasing Stardust? Tell us in the comments below!