An Interview with Sandy Lo
Sandy Lo is an award-winning author, journalist, and multi-passionate creative known for her heartfelt storytelling and pop culture savvy. Best recognized for her Dream Catchers book series, Sandy weaves together romance, music, and self-discovery in stories that connect deeply with readers.
With a background in entertainment journalism, Sandy has interviewed countless celebrities and founded StarShine Magazine, a digital hub spotlighting rising talent and nostalgic favorites. Her work also extends to podcasting, media marketing, and blogging alongside her husband, Steven, in their lifestyle brand, All’s Fair in Love & Writing.
Originally from New York City and now based in Jacksonville, Florida, Sandy is fueled by coffee, fandoms, and a mission to inspire authenticity through storytelling—whether on the page, behind the mic, or in her community.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
Dream Catchers became a twinkle in my eye over 20 years ago when I was in college and away from home for the first time in my life. I felt lost, lonely, and focused on running StarShine Magazine, which I had just created to get experience as a journalist. I was surrounded by music artists on a regular basis, so it was natural that the idea of Haley, a college girl trying to find herself and stand up for herself meeting a rebellious rising rock star and escaping with him was born. However, I wasn’t ready to write their story yet. So, I let it sit for years before finally sitting down and finishing it.
To my surprise, all of the characters had more to say, which is why after Dream Catchers was published, I got to work on its sequel, Breaking the Moon, and then a series of vignettes from various characters in Expressions.
Soon, I realized these characters weren’t going to shut up any time soon, so I went on to create four more books in the series, spanning a decade of releases. Currently, I’m writing the eighth and final book in the series, which will be called The Final Encore. I’m excited to give these characters—this family I created—a proper ending that will be satisfying to me as it will be for fans of the series.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
The Final Encore was kind of a no-brainer. Combining the music theme with a clear end-sounding title was important for me to tie it all together with a bow.
Describe your dream book cover.
I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’ve been taking my time finding my way with this book, not wanting to rush and let the story come to me naturally. I’m a long way off from deciding artwork.
If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?
Funny you ask! I actually wrote several songs throughout the series—all of them appear on the pages of this series. The main character, Jordan’s rock band is named Tortured and most of the songs are by them, with “Haley’s Letter” being the most prominent song. A friend of mine even put music to it. Other song titles are “Break The Mold,” “Detonate,” and “Breaking The Moon.” Along with Tortured’s songs, there would be a boy band song from Sound Wave, who are crossover characters from my first novel, Lost In You. There would also be pop songs by Topaz from Fanning the Fame (Book 7) and Bex Moore from Spotlight (Book 6).
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
I’m in the middle of Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins-Reid, which is pretty fitting, although totally different writing style, it speaks to my journalistic heart.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
As I mentioned, I’ve been the editor of StarShine Magazine for 20+ years, with some breaks over the years. I also run my own marketing business. Believe it or not, I tried out a brief career in finance and am a licensed stockbroker.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
Growing up, I was into movies and that expanded to music in my teens. I was especially interested in behind-the-scenes information and facts, and loved hearing anecdotes from filmmakers, actors, and musicians. I also loved the art of storytelling no matter the medium. From a young age, it was just something that I did: creating family newsletters and delivering them to each bedroom in the house on Sunday mornings, writing fan fiction as a kid about John Travolta coming to my birthday party, and soon, I was writing articles, plays and then novels. I loved layers and symbolism, especially Tennessee Williams’ characters. While my writing isn’t as bleak as his, I try to make mine flawed, endearing, real, but also getting what they deserve. That means the heroes win and the villains lose.
Where is your favorite place to write?
Coffee shops are definitely my favorite place to write! I love being surrounded by the aroma while drinking my creative juice, and feeling the contrasting energy of busy baristas working while customers lose themselves in each other, their computers, or a good book.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
That’s a good question. I definitely would have hired an editor for my debut novel, Lost In You. I’ve since had it re-edited, but man, I was finding typos and weird sentences in that thing no matter how many times I combed through it.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I hope that each book in the Dream Catchers series makes readers believe in something—in love, in dreams, in themselves, and in humanity.
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