Author Spotlight: Charissa Gracyk, More Than Just Swoony Heroes

This post was a little more difficult to write, not because there isn’t a ton of awesomeness surrounding Charissa Gracyk, but because I kept trying to keep the "personal" side out of it. So after struggling with a “clinical” take on her as an author, I took a break, took a shower, and then the brain squirrels kicked my ass and said, “screw it, it's your blog! Write what you wanna write!” And it all clicked. I can’t write Charissa’s spotlight as an inventory of her works, because that’s not how I know her.  Well, not really anyway. It makes sense in my mind, so stick with me for a bit here.

Everything happens for a reason is something I’ve been told my entire life. And to be honest, I do honestly believe it’s true. Do I believe in fate? Maybe? Coincidence? Maybe not as much. Do I understand that sometimes something catches my eye for absolutely no particular reason other than it was absolutely meant to, and that something then becomes something pretty significant in my life. Yeah, that I do. Because to be honest, I cannot remember exactly how or why Charissa Gracyk’s book Reactivated: Oz (book 1 in her Project Phoenix series) caught my attention, but the decision to read it has become pretty freaking important in my life. 

In the year leading up to when I read Oz, my book recommendations mainly came from other readers and authors, and were heavily skewed toward authors with deep backlists and large on-line reader groups. I had branched out from reading romantic suspense into contemporary romance and rom-coms, and I was pretty solidly set with a hefty TBR. My blogging journey had just begun, and I was slowly creating a social media presence. I was just getting into ARC reading in October 2021, and somehow Oz wound up on my radar. I hadn’t read the four books Charissa had already published in her Fortune Seekers series, but there was Oz with his hot cover and cool name, and the blurb sounded really intriguing, so I signed up to ARC read it. And the rest, as they say, is some pretty wonderful history.

Charissa was a newer author, and a brand new author to me, but after reading Oz I saw huge potential in her work, and I wanted to see her grow, succeed, and soar on her journey. So I messaged her about editing gremlins I found while reading Oz. And that exchange developed into a friendship and a professional partnership of writer and editor that has now covered seven books, including a re-edit of Oz, plus a prequel novella available by signing up for her newsletter. 

One of the most beautiful things for me as a reader, and as an editor, is seeing an author’s growth from book to book. Watching Charissa catch her confidence and dive into new situations is really amazing. Plus, knowing that we’re both learning so much in the journey is truly encouraging. I had no idea when I sent her those suggestions for Oz that it would turn into an editing gig for me. It was nothing different from what I did with any book I read that had some of those little buggers slip through to publication.  I was still a baby editor, getting my feet wet after several years out of the editing scene, but the connection I felt to Charissa, her characters, her stories, and her style was inescapable. The fact that she rescues animals and also was a dog walker in her past professional life (I owned a pet sitting biz for 20 years) probably had something to do with it, too. We have definitely bonded over pet stuff as much as book stuff. When I first started working with Charissa, I honestly didn’t know if I was even ready to return to editing as more than a side gig, but working with her made it all so real in my mind, that I couldn’t deny it any more. 

Thinking as a reader, one of the things I love most about Charissa’s books is her focus on fast paced action and high intensity scenarios. In addition to being a novelist, she’s a screenwriter, and that background definitely shines through in her ability to create a plotline that grabs you firmly by the collar, pulls you in nice and close, and holds onto you for a pretty wild ride from beginning to end. Project Phoenix also has a really wonderful sci-fi(ish) element to its suspense that draws you in. If you’re a Marvel fan (think Winter Soldier) you will flove this series! The details within the military element of her stories have an authenticity that only adds to the dramatic elements, bringing a level of realism to the plots as well.

Her heroes are seriously swoony- running the gamut from smooth operators to dirty talkers to broody alphas- and they raise the heat level with every book.  But her heroines are starting to find their place in the spotlight, and I love that so much! From book one in Project Phoenix and now into her Slater Security series, Charissa builds solid female characters who not only hold their own with their SEAL and Ranger counterparts, but quite often steal the show with their own strengths and talents. And in a genre of romance that carries a heavy focus on the heroes always saving the day, her heroines getting their due is definitely a very welcome shift in the genre for me.

I love watching Charissa change lanes in her writing plan when her characters invade her author gps and send her on little adventures and excursions. Her most recent dive into her Project Phoenix series sent her after Cassian Stone- a character who wasn’t even supposed to have a book of his own!  But I think he took that as a bit of a challenge, and maybe a personal affront, and demanded page time. And damn, his book is an emotional deep dive that is on a very different level from his teammates. He was a fan fave before his ARC hit kindles. He would not be ignored. And fortunately for all of us, Charissa listened.

But what hit me the most, was when Charissa was writing Cassian’s story and reached out to let me know she was going to pull me in to help with that emotional deep dive. Y’all, as an editor, that is some serious trust from your author. And yeah, I cried. Working together with Charissa on six books really built a solid foundation for understanding what goes into her characters, where they are in her head, and what goals she has for them. And seeing her take the collaborations we’ve done before and pull them together to move forward is amazing!

On another personal note, I want to swing back to that Slater Security series she’s writing. The first three books focus on the heroines! Yes, they have swoony heroes, but the main focus, the Slater Security operatives of books 1-3 in the series, are women! And they are badass women! And to me, as a martial arts instructor who teaches at an all female dojo, that girl power front and center is freaking amazeballs!  The time Charissa takes to develop her characters as unique individuals, casting off the stereotypes, is truly inspiring. Helping those heroines, and actually all of her characters, find their voices is where Charissa’s talents truly shine.

Just the facts:

First book I read by Charissa: Reactivated: Oz 

What I love most about her books: fast paced stories, unique plotlines, badass women and swoony heroes who love and support them, found family.

 Fave book by Charissa: Reactivated: Cassian

 Fave character: Aidan

 Fave cover: Operation: Dead Drop

 You can get her books on Amazon 

You can find Charissa on social media here: Facebook        Instagram                 TikTok

Facebook reader group: Charissa’s Reading Crew