Exclusive Interview
V.E. Schwab on ‘Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil’s Romance & ‘Interview With the Vampire’s Influence (VIDEO)
Readers don’t automatically associate romance with author V.E. Schwab, though many of her fantasy and horror books feature a love story element, and her bestselling standalone 2020 fantasy novel The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue featured a whirlwind romance filled with yearning for its title character. Still, Schwab’s upcoming book, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, takes a similar approach — there’s romance along for the ride, but it’s sitting in the backseat.
“I think philosophically, I believe that romance is something that we earn,” Schwab tells Swooon. “Romance is a component of our lives, but it’s not the driving force. And I think that the most earned romances are the ones that are happening while the story is happening.”
Schwab says that sometimes the love stories in her books serve as a “reward” at the end for readers — and yes, she delivers. “Because I write at the intersection of romance and fantasy, or romance and horror even, there has to be a hierarchy,” she continues. “Romance is never at the top of the hierarchy, but because of that, it sneaks up on you.”
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, described as a “toxic lesbian vampire story,” follows the trajectory of three different women in three very different timelines. Confident and headstrong María in 1532 Santo Domingo de la Calzada, secretive Charlotte in 1827 London, and shy college student Alice in 2019 Boston — all their stories intersect as the three struggle to survive in a world trying to make them feel less-than.
“This is probably the most romantic thing I’ve ever written, and the most horrifying,” Schwab notes. “Yes, it is a book that has vampires in it, but really what it’s about is moving through the world in a female or femme-presenting form, and being told how much or how little space you’re allowed to take up, being told how much or how little you’re allowed to love, or want, or need. And so, it’s really a story about hunger, and wanting to feel satiated, and how far we’ll go to feel satisfied.”
What is satisfying? Hearing Schwab discuss AMC’s hit Interview With the Vampire and how that particular television drama influenced Bones, the next big swing for the author after her massive hit with Addie LaRue. “As much as Addie was about hope,” adds Schwab, “[Bones] is her feral older sister.”
Okay, we’re ready to sink our teeth into it now. Check out the video above for Swooon’s full interview with Schwab.
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab is available on June 10, 2025
