Veronica Bane: A Shelved Book Is Never Truly Dead
In this interview, author Veronica Bane discusses adding seven points-of-view to her new YA thriller, We’re All Going to Die Tonight!
Veronica Bane spent her formative teen years working at a popular theme park. Following days spent as a princess and an usher, she graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in Creative Writing. Since then, she’s worked as a high school English teacher in Lincoln Heights, California. When she’s not writing, she’s exploring Los Angeles with her husband and their beloved dog, Bodhi. Her debut novel, Difficult Girls, was an instant USA Today bestseller. Visit her online at VeronicaBane.com, and follow her on Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky.
In this interview, Veronica discusses adding seven points-of-view to her new YA thriller, We’re All Going to Die Tonight!, her advice for other writers, and more.
Name: Veronica Bane
Literary agent: Michelle Wolfson
Book title: We’re All Going to Die Tonight!
Publisher: Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press
Release date: September 15, 2026
Genre/category: Young adult thriller
Previous titles: Difficult Girls
Elevator pitch: Seven teens—and their three teacher chaperones—stop at a remote Airbnb on their way home from a disastrous debate competition. And after a game of Truth or Dare turns deadly, it’s clear they won’t all be making it out of this one alive.
What prompted you to write this book?
I’ve always loved 90s slasher films, especially Scream. The mix of dark humor, romance, and bad decisions spiraling one after the other makes for such a fun playground. I also love the dynamics of a high school extracurricular because the relationships are always so complicated and messy. I knew that trapping a team like that in this situation would make for a great slasher set-up.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
I sent my editor a few different ideas in 2024 that I was excited about, and she narrowed it down to two that she wanted me to flesh out. I outlined both stories, and this book was the one she loved most. Technically, though, the seeds of this book were planted back in 2017. I had written a manuscript about a rivals-to-lovers situation on a high school debate team. I’d brought some scenes from it to my critique partners a few times, and it just never seemed to gel. No one could pinpoint exactly what was wrong. They loved the two characters, but the right story wasn’t surrounding them. Once I started outlining this book in 2024, though, I realized those two characters belonged in this story. I pulled them out and they made We’re All Going to Die Tonight! come alive. It was a good reminder that a shelved book is never truly dead.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Writing this book while promoting my debut was an entirely surreal experience. I was on my book tour for Difficult Girls while working on edits for We’re All Going to Die Tonight! on airplanes and in hotel rooms. There was definitely more pressure—much of which I put on myself—to do something really fun and fresh. Just learning how to balance everything was a learning moment, honestly. I also really learned how important it is to lean on community. I wrote nearly all of this book at a coffee shop with a fellow author, doing sprints and bouncing ideas of each other. That was really special and made the process of writing to a deadline so much smoother.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
When I wrote the first draft of the book, it was told from two point-of-view characters. After reading the draft, my editor and I looked at it and knew something wasn’t exactly right. She suggested one point-of-view character, but after sitting with it for a weekend, I realized the answer wasn’t fewer point-of-view characters but … more. I went back to her and said that I thought it needed seven point-of-view characters, all of the debate team members, and, luckily, she agreed! I got to work restructuring everything, and I had to apply everything I’ve ever learned about voice and characterization to make them each distinct. It was a surprise but one that I really loved figuring out.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope readers have that amazing heart-pounding, pulse-racing feeling that you get out of a really good slasher, the kind where you realize you’re holding your breath as a character goes around a corner when you know the killer’s waiting for them. I’ve had several readers tell me that they read the book in one night because they just had to know what happened next … and that they needed 5-6 business days to stare at a wall after a particular twist. That would be my dream experience for every reader! Of course, I also put so much thought into every character and giving them real, human experiences and thoughts. I hope that, amidst all the action, they see these teens for the flawed, interesting people that I think they are, and that they’re eager to root for them—whether that’s for their success or downfall, though, will vary character by character!
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Rejection and failure are unfortunate necessities in this business. But rather than let them pin you down, let them fuel you and move you forward. Let rejection be redirection, as I’ve been so often told, and keep telling your stories. The right one will land.
