When I was pitched the book My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. I’m always here for a vampire book and this one sounded delightful (spoiler alert: it was).
Before we get to my interview with Jenna, let’s check out the book.
Title: My Roommate is a Vampire
Author: Jenna Levine
Pages: 336
Pub Date: August 29, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
Find it: PRH | Bookshop | GoodreadsSynopsis: Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it’s a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she’s desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch—only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price.
Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn’t look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they’re both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren’t there earlier, Frederick has to come clean…
Cassie’s sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her.
Sounds good, right?
1. Please give the elevator pitch for My Roommate is a Vampire.
What would you do if your hot, mysterious, fastidiously dressed roommate turned out to be not just somebody who acted as if he were from a different era, but was actually a 350-year-old vampire who needed your help? It is an eminently relatable question, and one that Cassie Greenberg answers (for herself, at least) in MY ROOMMATE IS A VAMPIRE.
2. Which came first: the characters or the plot?
The premise of this book definitely came to me first, though a lot of the main characters’ attributes (particularly Frederick’s) were also developed very early on.
3. Why do you love Cassie and Frederick and why should readers root for them?
Despite their obvious differences, I feel like Cassie and Frederick also have a lot in common. They are both very earnest and very cinnamon roll-y people just trying to make their way in a world that doesn’t always make sense to them. Their strengths complement each other, however, and I really feel like they are smarter and stronger together than they are apart.
4. Were there any weird things you googled while drafting?
There were many, but “do blood banks use padlocks” was probably the weirdest!
5. Without spoilers, which scene was your favorite to write?
1. Refrigerator scene; and 2. Naperville scene (IFYKY) ;)
Speed {ish} round:
1. You find out that you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! (deep breath) (start to sob hysterically) AAAAAAAAAAAaaaAAA!!!!!!!!
2. What three things would you take to a desert island?
Coffee, Diet Coke, Crash Landing on You (my favorite kdrama)
3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It blew my MIND when I read it for the first time at age 11, and while I suspect I’d have a different reaction to it today, nothing I’ve read since has surpassed that jaw-dropping feeling of OMG
4. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?
That no matter how much you achieve, the feelings of self-doubt never really go away. (I am working on this, but I’ve been led to understand from others that this is a persistent problem)
5. You wake up and discover you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently?
One word: THREESOME
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By day, Jenna uses her law degree to increase access to affordable housing in the American South. By night, she writes romance novels where ridiculous things happen to beautiful people. When Jenna isn’t busy being a lawyer, a law professor, or a romance novelist she can usually be found either spending time with her husband and their teenage daughter or training her small army of cats to take over the world. website | instagram
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Huge thanks to Berkley for the opportunity and to Jenna for taking the time. My Roommate is a Vampire is out today and buy links are above.
Have you read this book? What’s your favorite vampire book?
I’ve got to get my hands on this one! I’ve been so excited since I first heard about it and all the reviews I’ve seen say it is wonderful! Thanks for sharing this interview too!
I hope you love it! Thanks for reading and commenting. :)