Sometimes, your editor really hates vampires. But sometimes, even then, she is such a wildly passionate, talented, and dedicated professional that she will pace the hallways of a New York City courthouse while on break from jury duty, nailing down the exact rules of a vampiric blood thrall. (I can only guess that this is not the weirdest thing to happen on any given day at jury duty in New York City.) Thank you, Emma Caruso, for that phone call and all the others, for caring about these characters as much as I do, for being the most insightful and supportive editor any author could hope for, and for letting me put back all the questionable jokes you cut. I don’t take any of this for granted, and I will never stop being grateful to be able to do this work with you.
This novel exists because on a day when I was having an absolute meltdown about another project, my book agent, Julia Masnik, asked me what I would rather write instead, and I whimpered, through tears, “A girl wakes up in Buffy?” “Oh,” she replied gently, in a tone I have personally heard her use with her fashionable and spirited toddler, “what would happen next?” J, thank you for your brilliant guidance, for the gossip, for the memes, and for one of the most important friendships of my life. I don’t think I could ever write a book without you, but I know for certain I couldn’t have written this one.
I love working with the team at the Dial Press, and I am so grateful to all of you for being such fiery champions of books for, by, and about women and queer people. Whitney Frick, thank you for curating this amazing community of bighearted feminists and inviting me to be a part of it. Thank you to all the fantastic members of the Fang Fiction team: Melissa Folds (the fanciest Swiftie), Maria Braeckel, Debbie Aroff, Corina Diez, Madison Dettlinger, Avideh Bashirrad, Sarah Horgan, Cindy Berman, Alexis Flynn, Talia Cieslinski, and the incomparable Random House subrights squad. In an industry that can verge on vampiric, I feel beyond lucky to have a place in your fabulous coven. Thanks also to Melissa Yoon for your kind encouragement, extremely sharp suggestions, and commitment to Spuffy.
Thank you to all my wonderful writer friends who took time to read various iterations of this book and give vitally important feedback: Sonia Kharkar, Julia Cox, Sneha Koorse, Morgan Matson, Jeanne Jo, and Nasser Samara (who came up with the title). Thank you to Taylor Salditch for teaching me about horses, and to Tia Subramanian and Michael Cole-Schwartz for your careful consideration of which beverages pair best with the characters in this novel. Thank you to Amanda Litman for reading on behalf of romance enthusiasts and Nick Gaw for reading on behalf of men. Any mistakes in this novel are mine alone, but if you’re a man who has a problem, I do encourage you to take it up with Nick.
I am fortunate to have so many wonderful authors and book lovers who have been deeply generous in supporting me and my work. Thank you to Grace Atwood, Eva Chen, Heather Cocks, Rosie Danan, Fiona Davis, KJ Dell’Antonia, Becca Freeman, Kate Goldbeck, Laura Hankin, Lana Harper, Emily Henry, Linda Holmes, Greta Johnsen, Mackenzi Lee, Jenna Levine, Jessica Morgan, Hannah Orenstein, Jo Piazza, Lyla Sage, Amy Spalding, Ashley Spivey, Emma Straub, Elissa Sussman, and especially Jasmine Guillory, whose kindness while I debuted during a pandemic I will absolutely never forget.
I am grateful as ever for my incredibly supportive family, and would like to make particular mention of the fifteen or so Staymans who excitedly passed around one advance copy of One to Watch. I will really do my best to get you guys more than one book this time. I love you so much.
Thank you to Adam Klaus for telling me in 2008 that you thought I would like Buffy the Vampire Slayer (you were correct), and to Rachel LaBruyere, Amy Beihl, Meg “Jodi the Vampire” Vázquez-Pastrana, Sharon Greene, Trish Welte, Sneha Koorse, Liz Werner, and many more for being fabulous sisters in vampire adoration over the years. Thank you also to Charisma Carpenter and all the courageous people who spoke out about abusive behaviors behind the scenes on Buffy and Angel, as well as to the many allies from the cast and crew who supported you. I am grateful for your bravery, your talent, and all the time you spent creating a work of art that changed my life.
Thank you to my extremely kind former neighbor Jason Chiang and his dad, Willie, for helping me finally install an air conditioner after ten years in LA. Thank you to Patrick Metz for being the fiercest friend and advocate when I needed one most (and yes, I obviously mean fierce in the RuPaul sense of the word).
I personally have never believed in a wild internet conspiracy for nearly a decade, but if I did, Sonia Kharkar and Keria Madow are the only people who would truly understand. The FeudieTruthers have nothing on us.
Thank you to Corey Ackerman and Katy McCaffrey for fighting so hard for me on the Hollywood side of things, and for being outstanding company at the Taylor Swift picket. While on the subject, it must be said, thank you to Taylor Swift. Thanks also to Krissy Wall for all your support (and excellent taste in baby names).
When I told my therapist, Helen Land, about the topics I planned to address in this novel, she tilted her head in an exasperated way and said, “Oh, Kate. Really?” I know, Helen. I know. Thank you for helping me feel strong and happy enough to do this, and everything else.
This book is about so many things, but the most important one is this: The only way to get through the really awful stuff is with the love of your friends. Thank you to Ali, Amanda, Amy, Chase, David, Eleanor, Erin, Franchesca, Jeanne, Jen, Jenna, Jess, Julia, Julia (I’ll never say which came first), Kellie, Kent, Keria, Leslie, Lilia, Mark, Meg, Megan, Michael, straight Michael, Mike, Morgan, Nasser, Nichole, Nick, Nora, Patrick, Rachel, Shareeza, Sharon, Sierra, Sneha, Sonia, Steph, Steven, Taylor, Tia, Toni, and Trish. I’m sure I missed someone, this paragraph was a Libra nightmare. Thank you. I love you.
And if you’re reading this, and you once helped a friend through something terrible, thank you too. You’re a mensch, and the people who love you know it.