🌟 Reader Spotlight
I inadvertently manifested Holly Stars into my world. I’m a huge fan of Drag Race, as you all know. But I’m in awe of the multi-talents of drag artists. It’s so much more than a dress and a wig.
It led me in 2021 to see the drag murder mystery comedy Death Drop in the West End, the first West End show to feature a full drag cast. I followed the writer, Holly, on social media and nearly died when she asked if I could help with her first book launch.
I had zero capacity for clients and was focused on growing the paid newsletter community, so invited her instead to come over.
And she did.
One of my goals for 2026 is focused on showcasing the hype lessons from my paid readers and I’m in awe of Holly’s creative output, so sat down with her over a cup of tea to glean her best hype hacks for you all.
💥 Holly Stars knows a thing about hype
From a career that began in fundraising for national non-profits, she made the scary leap to stand-up comedian, which in turn led to becoming a West End performer, playwright and author.
A drag queen superstar.
And this week I got to see her in her Agatha Christie era for the launch of her second in a three-book deal with Penguin, for her mystery book series featuring drag queen detective Misty Divine.
She regularly pitches scripts, shows and partnerships.
She also happens to be fluent in French.
❤️ What I love about Holly’s approach (and why I wanted to share this) is that every part of her career is intentional hype, not accidental success. ❤️
🎭 Build your own opportunities
Holly is a trailblazer in the UK drag scene without having been platformed on a TV show like Drag Race. She is often asked by newer drag performers:
“How do you get booked for shows?”
I love her response:
“If you can’t find a producer to get booked on a gig, learn to be your own producer. Make your own show.”
We might not necessarily need to be creating our own West End events, but this is a forgotten lesson I’ve learnt along the way too.
💡 When I first wanted to get booked for workshops and speaking gigs, I had zero presence, so I created my own. I hosted a panel event.
Next up for Holly’s Hype Yourself activity: she is researching and planning a unique event for the summer, to co-ordinate with her paperback launch and UK Pride events.
Amongst her multiple projects, she is always thinking ahead to future hype moments she can create for herself.
📣 Use your platform
My own work in allyship is a continual work in progress. For Holly, it’s part of her process.
“It’s important to me that I use my platform and opportunities to say the things that mean something to me about what’s happening in the world. Not in a preachy way, I hope. I like to couch these thoughts inside wild stories and fun shows, and deliver them with Holly Stars’ signature humour.
In this kind of business, you don’t know how long those platforms and opportunities will keep on coming so I’ve tried to use them to say what I need and to support my community where I can.”
🎉 The multi-hyphenate launch
I love a quirky book launch, many of you know I hired a drag queen and DJ to come to mine.
Holly turned hers into a full show experience.
It opened with a performance by the amazing drag king Richard Energy, then a slightly more traditional Q&A with author Karen McLeod (Lifting Off and In Search of The Missing Eyelash), which pivoted into a stand-up show where we were not quite sure what was fact and what was fiction.
(I later learned that she did indeed meet Michael Palin — but she didn’t really offer him a puff of her vape.)
The Phoenix Arts Club venue was on brand. Signed books were available to buy. Photos with Holly against the Misty Divine backboard with a professional photographer were on tap.
Chef’s kiss.
The best bit though?
This launch was the first time she has used the video sketch content she’s known for on Instagram in a stand-up show, and she’s now developing the show further into a tourable product for later in the year.
💡So many of us create assets for our launches, workshops and events that never see the light of day again.
(Once again, I’m looking at myself and my PR tip dress that lived for a virtual launch only and is sat in my office waiting for its real-world debut.)
🎭 Work & play separate
The character of Holly Stars is hilariously fictional. She’s constantly embroiled in a complex criminal conspiracy, or a drama with her northern nightmare neighbours, Posh Sue and Fat Julie.
It’s a universe anyone can dip into and enjoy.
And while incredibly fun, off-stage Holly treats this work seriously. It’s her business.
I once likened my Instagram to a bit of a drag alter ego. It’s where I show up with confidence and play.
I used to think of Lucy Werner PR and Lucy Werner personal as two separate people. Today they’re more blended than ever.
I share parts of my midlife relocation and how I juggle business as a parent because it’s part of my story and often, when I’m posting, I’m also reminding myself how lucky I am to be doing this work at all.
I’m not trying to present a romantic life or be a role model. I’m here to be useful, and to have fun while I do it.
Just as Holly doesn’t often share about or show up as who she is outside of her fictional world, I think there is a real lesson in setting guard rails around how we show up in our own businesses.
We chatted about this and Holly said:
“I don’t get it right every time, nobody will. It’s challenging to turn a passion into a business and keep a clear head about it. We all know that putting yourself and your work out there is hard, and not everyone will like everything you do (that’s very very ok!), but what’s most important for me is that I can say I’ve given it a go and tried my best.”
⏳ The long game
Holly isn’t just working in her business today. She has big goals and dreams for the long term.
Her book was always planned as a series, and her initial three-book deal will have taken over five years to fully deliver by the time the third is published.
Other projects and revenue streams are planned further down the pipeline, and she is often pitching new project ideas to her agents, peers and publishers.
I can get so stressed out by my own day-to-day fluctuations that I think having the confidence to plan and book work beyond the immediate future is so clever.
It also means you can be promoting the next thing while you’re there.
📚 Where to find Holly
In the current political climate, not all mainstream press publications want to jump enthusiastically onto the drag queen murder mystery train (though they should, because it’s so much fun!).
So if you have your own newsletter, podcast or platform, I’d invite you to:
- read and share Holly’s new book
- interview her about her world-class creative book launch and multi-faceted career
- or consider a Misty Divine Mystery for your next book club
Holly’s newsletter:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
Latest book: MISSING IN SOHO — out now in the UK
(Released in Canada and the USA on 2 June.)
Upcoming events:
Holly will be at a number of Prides this summer and has sworn me to secrecy about some exciting top-secret theatre projects currently in development.
👀 Watch this space.
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