AUTHOR CRUSH FRIDAY: RACHEL TAFOYA
Glitter girls, you have pressing questions for your favorite authors and we have their answers. Welcome to our new weekly segment, Author Crush Fridays.
We love asking questions and we love the answers from some of our favorite authors. Today we’re talking to Rachel Tafoya, author of The Night House. Thank you for talking to us today, Rachel! We’re honored!
GLITTER: How did you come up with the plot for The Night House?
RACHEL: Well, I’ve always loved vampires, and creatures in general. I had insomnia when I was in high school, which means a lot of time laying awake at night, and a lot of really vivid dreams when you do get to sleep. So my brain pretty much did what it wanted after the sun went down. I often dreamed about vampires and zombies and werewolves and demons. One night though, I saw a girl, in a small room, waiting to get bitten. I was plagued by it, wondering why she would be waiting for the bite, even looking forward to it. It didn’t take long to fill in the gaps and create a very rough draft of The Night House.
GLITTER: If you could describe The Night House in only 160 characters, how would you describe it?
RACHEL: It’s a story about a teenage boy and girl, amongst vampires and their hunger, learning the difference between surviving and living.
GLITTER: Did you watch a lot of True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals for research?
RACHEL: I read the first Sookie Stackhouse book while writing The Night House, and have since watched much of the show, as well as The Vampire Diaries, but most importantly, I watched Buffy and Angel. I also read some books with vampires, including Twilight, Marked, City of Bones, and Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce, in case you want a book you might not have heard of.
GLITTER: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
RACHEL: I remember sending my friend the first chapter of the first book I wrote (first original book, I should say. We’re not counting the fanfiction books). He tore it apart and basically said everything was unrealistic and teenage girls weren’t interesting. I was taught a valuable lesson that day. Critics don’t pull their punches, even if they’re your friends, so it’s best to leave them alone and write for yourself.
The best complement would have to be when Jonathan Maberry read the first chapter of The Night House and said it needed to get published.
GLITTER: If you could collaborate on a new book with anyone, who would you collaborate with and why?
RACHEL: Asking the tough questions! After reading Grasshopper Jungle this past year, I’d say Andrew Smith, or, my go-to, Holly Black, whose Tithe series inspired me as a teen. Also my former teacher, Jonathan Maberry.
GLITTER: What are you working on next?
RACHEL: The sequels to The Night House, of course. But I’ve also been working on something a little science fiction-y about memory, and something a little fairy tale-y about expectations.
GLITTER: How did you come up with the plot for The Night House?
RACHEL: Well I’ve always loved vampires, and creatures in general. I had insomnia when I was in high school, which means a lot of time laying awake at night, and a lot of really vivid dreams when you do get to sleep. So my brain pretty much did what it wanted after the sun went down. I often dreamed about vampires and zombies and werewolves and demons. One night though, I saw a girl, in a small room, waiting to get bitten. I was plagued by it, wondering why she would be waiting for the bite, even looking forward to it. It didn’t take long to fill in the gaps and create a very rough draft of The Night House.
GLITTER: If you could describe The Night House in only 160 characters, how would you describe it?
RACHEL: It’s a story about a teenage boy and girl, amongst vampires and their hunger, learning the difference between surviving and living.
GLITTER: Did you watch a lot of True Blood, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals for research?
RACHEL: I read the first Sookie Stackhouse book while writing The Night House, and have since watched much of the show, as well as The Vampire Diaries, but most importantly, I watched Buffy and Angel. I also read some books with vampires, including Twilight, Marked, City of Bones, and Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce, in case you want a book you might not have heard of.
GLITTER: What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?
RACHEL: I remember sending my friend the first chapter of the first book I wrote (first original book, I should say. We’re not counting the fanfiction books). He tore it apart and basically said everything was unrealistic and teenage girls weren’t interesting. I was taught a valuable lesson that day. Critics don’t pull their punches, even if they’re your friends, so it’s best to leave them alone and write for yourself.
The best complement would have to be when Jonathan Maberry read the first chapter of The Night House and said it needed to get published.
GLITTER: If you could collaborate on a new book with anyone, who would you collaborate with and why?
RACHEL: Asking the tough questions! After reading Grasshopper Jungle this past year, I’d say Andrew Smith, or, my go-to, Holly Black, whose Tithe series inspired me as a teen. Also my former teacher, Jonathan Maberry.
GLITTER: What are you working on next?
RACHEL: The sequels to The Night House of course. But I’ve also been working on something a little science fiction-y about memory, and something a little fairy tale-y about expectations.
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