the time it was about a hexcellent chance to fall in love

Posted September 9, 2025 by Stacee in Interviews | 0 Comments

when I got the invite to interview Ann rose for her new release a hexacellent chance to fall in love, I couldn’t reply fast enough. I loved the synopsis and hello gorgeous cover.

before we get to Ann’s answers, let’s check out the book.

Title: A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love
Author: Ann Rose
Pages: 400
Publisher: Berkley
Pub Date: September 9, 2025
Find it: PRH | Bookshop | Goodreads

Synopsis: Each year, when no one is paying attention, The Dead of Night Halloween store appears in a new location with its giant sign and great low prices. No one sees them setting up or tearing down—one day it’s just there and then, two days after Halloween, it’s gone.

Pepper White knows exactly how this works. For five years, ever since the last Keeper of the Store tricked her, she has been cursed—appearing when the store does, and disappearing when it goes away. People will remember The Dead of Night, but they’ll completely forget Pepper. That is, until Christina Loring walks in the door. Their chemistry is instantaneous and, for the first time in five years, Pepper finds herself wishing for more time.

But how do you tell the girl you’re falling for that you’re cursed and that you only have ten weeks together before Christina forgets . . . everything? To have a chance at happily ever after, Pepper has to do the one thing she swore she wouldn’t—find the right treat to trick someone else into taking on the curse. But all’s fair in love and spells, and this spooky season, Pepper and Christina are ready to stir up trouble in the name of love.

Sounds good, right?

1. Please give the elevator pitch for A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love.

A woman cursed to appear and disappear with the Halloween store every year and forgotten each time it vanishes has finally met the love of her life, but how do you tell the woman you’re falling for that you’re cursed and you only have ten weeks together before she forgets . . . EVERYTHING?!

2. Which came first: the plot line or the characters?

In this case, it was very much the plot that came first. Or I should say the idea for the plot came first. It all started with a social media post that read something like—don’t be in The Spirit Halloween store at midnight on Halloween—and it all kind of spiraled from there. I thought, well what if the store needs a human soul to power it? And what if everyone forgot that person, but they would remember the store?

3. Why do you love Pepper and Christina and why should readers root for them?

Oh dang, this is a good question. I love all my characters, but I’ve never really thought about why I love them.

Pepper is feisty and positive. She’s been put in this horrible situation, but she’s still figured out how to make lemonade. She’s going to roll with the punches and make the best of things. I also love this idea that once we remove the general thought of existence from the table how that can change a person’s perspective. When you don’t fear death, what do you fear? Anything? Pepper doesn’t think so until she meets Christina—and then suddenly there’s something to lose.

Christina, I feel, is a little like all of us. Trying to figure things out and make the best decisions for ourselves but also realizing that life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows. No matter one’s situation we all hold a little fear in our hearts—am I doing the right thing? What if I make the wrong decision? I find Christina completely relatable in this respect. There are things she wants, but at the same time she’s afraid to go after them.

All in all, I think these women are two sides of the same coin and together they make the perfect match.

4. Were there any weird things you googled while researching?

I look up weird things on the daily! LOL. This one for sure had me looking into hearses and what the backs of them look like. I’ve never personally been inside a hearse—and in this book there’s only one of them. (wink emoji) (aka there’s only one bed—if you like that kind of trope.)

5. Without spoilers, which scene was your favorite to write?

Oh, I love this question. I enjoyed writing a number of scenes in this book. This was the Halloween/fall vibes book of my dreams so asking me to pick my favorite is SO HARD!

One of my favs has to be when Christina and her bff Cami are crammed into a booth sharing food at a restaurant appropriately named—Take it Cheesy. There’s just something uniquely special about female friendships—they aren’t like any other.

When Christina runs into Pepper at the local coffeeshop—Deja Brew. It has all the warm and cozy vibes of sitting in your favorite spot on a chilly fall night combined with all those butterflies you feel when you are with someone you find attractive.

And of course there’s the scene in the back of a hearse that I really think is adorable. (And a little spicy.)

Speed(ish) round:

1. You find out you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

Shock. Disbelief. Crying.

2. What 3 things would you take to a desert island?

Let’s see…

1) A fully stocked and functioning house with plumbing and electricity—including AC—and a pantry that restocks itself.

2) My bff – Sorry girl, you’re coming with me.

3) A boat with a motor.

Did I cheat on this answer? Absolutely.

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

How dare you! LOL. As my girl in Ever After said, “I could no sooner choose a favorite star in the heavens.”

4. What is the one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?

This is something I’ve heard and have known about publishing, but it’s one of the hardest things to do when you are here—and that’s keeping your eyes on your own lane. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what another author is doing or getting from their publisher and all it does is create a lot of heartbreak.

5. You wake up and discover that you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently?

Well I do not fall in love with the boy who is stalking me and watching me sleep that’s for sure. (So much yikes there!)

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Ann Rose is a typical Taurus—loyal but stubborn, which means being an author is perfect. While asking the private group chat for ideas on what to include in this bio, Ann was reminded that some of her greatest qualities are her awesome best friends from high school—a fact she couldn’t argue with. She loves dark chocolate, sarcasm, her family, tacos, and her cats—obviously not in that order. Ann also writes young adult novels under the pen name A. M. Rose.