"Honestly, I freaked myself out a lot writing this novel."

Rachel Koller Croft on "screenwriter brain," epic friend breakups, and her genre-defying vampire tale, WE LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE

Check out the collection of past Words With (Author) Friends, wherein I g-chat with an author and you get to read over my shoulder, and order Rachel’s heart-pumping new novel, out now!

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Me: Hello!!

Rachel: Hi Andi!

HUGE congrats on WE LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE and all its accolades! How are you feeling post-publication??

Thank you so much! I feel...god, that's such a good question lol. A little wiped but mostly very proud and in disbelief it came so fast?!

I know, right?! The publication whirlwind is so head-spinning! After counting down the days for a literal year-plus!

And I feel like with my first book, which came out in February last year, it was like "oh, of course!" it's here. But this year, when 2024, started, I was like, August is aaaages away. But I blinked and there she was and now spooky season is upon us. Allegedly -- it's 108 degrees today in LA so that's disorienting haha.

108! We're doing perfect fall weather in NYC. But I hear that, I think things feel slower with a debut. Beyond the fact that publishers DO give a longer runway to debuts, I mean. It's like how the first half of a vacation feels SO LONG and then, when it's no longer novel, the second half flies by, you know? You've got to remind yourself to actually savor it.

New York weather was SO ideal! I had my book tour event two nights ago and I certainly savored that knowing the hellfire awaiting at home. I need to be better about savoring publication. I am such a go-go-go personality that I rarely soak it all in. It's really been a wonderful launch but yes, a whirlwind!

Well, I loved this book and it sounds like readers and reviewers did too, so hopefully you're soaking that up at least a little! Can you share what WE LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE is about?

Thank you! The reception has been very fun because I know it appeared to be a big pivot from Stone Cold Fox, so yeah, I was nervous about what people would say. Because I can agree that it does sound very different, at least from the baseline description of "London Disco Vampires." BUT, really, it's the story of a decades-long friendship between two women -- vampire women -- that goes completely off the rails, growing more toxic over time, that all comes to a head when they decide to open a nightclub together in London.

I really loved how you mixed all that darkness with the effervescent FUN of a wild night out. Where'd you get the idea for your sophomore novel? Because you're right, it's a big departure from your debut!