Those Star Wars fans fortunate enough to visit Galaxy’s Edge have been thrilled with the opportunity to get up close and personal with our beloved far, far away.  Not everyone, however, has been or will be able to make the trip to Batuu.

Good news: you’re not stranded. Del Rey is publishing several books set in and around Black Spire Outpost, the first of which, A Crash of Fate, by Zoraida Cordova (The Vicious Deep, Brooklyn Brujas) dropped August 6th.

A Crash of Fate is definitely not your parent’s Star Wars novel. A YA romance about best friends Izzy and Jules, separated at age six when Izzy’s family leaves Batuu suddenly, and reunited years later when down-on-her-luck smuggler Izzy finds herself unexpectedly back on her home planet. Jules, still struggling to find himself and his place in the universe, trips over the girl of his dreams, a way off Batuu, and into the trouble Izzy’s found herself in all at once.

While I adore the big, sweeping epic storytelling of Timothy Zahn’s new Thrawn trilogy, D.J. Older’s Last Shot, and Claudia Gray’s Master and Apprentice, I’ve come to appreciate the smaller, more intimate, personal stories both the animated series, such as Rebels and Resistance, and books like A Crash of Fate, have allowed creators to tell within the Star Wars universe. No matter how big a story is, after all, no matter how sweeping and massive, no matter how many generations it encompasses, at its core, it’s still made up of, and driven by, people. With the Skywalker saga coming to a close this winter, I think it’s even more important for us to be introduced to those folks who live outside the margins of that saga, to realize the possibilities afforded by such an enduring central core, the infinite launch points Luke, Leia, Han, and Obi-Wan have given us.

Cordova has met that challenge beautifully. See what she has to say about taking up the saber below:

RB: How did you get involved in this particular Star Wars project?

ZC: Disney/Lucasfilm was looking for someone to write a YA romance set on Batuu and my name came up since I contributed a short story to the From a Certain Point of View (‘You Owe Me a Ride’) anthology. I knew exactly the story I wanted to tell and got to writing.

RB: How did you go about making this corner of Star Wars yours?

ZC: I think every Star Wars author right now is adding their own voice to the greater galaxy. Everything from the dialogue to character development to point of view goes into what makes an author. If you’ve read my other YA then you’ll still see that this is very much a “me” book. I like a certain type of humor and when it comes to romance, I like there to be a lot of angst. Especially when it comes to YA novels.

RB:  In a universe of epics, A Crash of Fate is a much more personal story. What about that was appealing to you?

ZC: Even though there’s a war happening, day-to-day activities don’t stop. People still have to go to work, survive, eat, sleep, drink, fight, love. How are the people not involved in the greater conflict impacted? That’s what I wanted to look at.

RB: What kind of guidance did you get from Disney/Lucasfilm/Story Group?

ZC: Story Group and Imagineering read the manuscript, in addition to my editor, to make sure that there was world continuity and that Batuu was reflected as it is in real life.

RB: A Crash of Fate is the first book in the “new canon” that feels totally independent of the Skywalker saga and all the other characters and events we know. Was that intentional?

ZC: I don’t know about a “new canon” but this is definitely a novel that introduces unknown characters. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray did this as well. I think it’s wonderful to be able to look at the rest of the galaxy and what’s happening while our rebels are fighting. A Crash of Fate is an introduction to Batuu and Galaxy’s Edge but told through locals instead of the Resistance and First Order.

RB: What parts of Brujas and your other books did you pull from for A Crash of Fate?

ZC: Thematically, I tend to write about love and family and I think that carried through.

RB: A lot of fans can pinpoint the moment they fell in love with Star Wars. Do you have one of those moments?

ZC: I honestly don’t remember! Star Wars has always been part of my life. Even the days getting ready for school with my little brother, or watching it on my own when I’m sick, or my yearly reruns. It was always there.

RB: Has having Latinx leads in the Galaxy (Cassian, Torra) changed your experience of Star Wars? 

ZC: It’s definitely encouraging and wonderful to be able to see characters who look like me on the screen. From Diego Luna to Oscar Isaac, I deeply feel that we all belong in this galaxy.

RB: What are you working on next?

ZC: I have a high fantasy out next year from Disney/Hyperion called Incendiary. It’s about a memory thief who infiltrates the royal court in order to take down a murderous king, in a world loosely inspired by 15th century Spain. That’s out April 28th, 2020.

Thank you so much for having me on the site!

Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash Of Fate by Zoraida Cordova is available now as is From a Certain Point of View containing her short story, ‘You Owe Me a Ride.’