Welcome, friend! This week I’m gearing up for Halloween and am sharing interviews with two authors writing in the spooky genre with their unique twists! Today, I have Trilina Pucci with me. She is a bestselling romance author often blending genres with her signature romantic comedies. In her latest One Killer Night (Montlake; October 14, 2025), she combines romance, comedy, and psychological suspense to create an unputdownable read that is both hilarious and dark. If you are looking for a delicious read and a snack to go with it, this book and interview are for you!
One Killer Night
USA Today bestselling author Trilina Pucci cranks up the heat in this sexy slasher filled with dark family secrets, classic horror tropes, and banter as sharp as a deranged killer’s knife.
Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love will stab you from behind.
It’s Halloween night, and out-of-work writer Goldie Monroe’s trip to the drugstore scares up more than the fake blood she’s looking for. It leads to the man of her naughtiest dreams. And in spite of her costume, sparks fly from the moment they meet.
Noah Adler, aspiring sneaker designer, is impossibly gorgeous—like a tatted-up version of Goldie’s favorite blue-eyed vampire. He’s there for candy, but it’s Goldie he can’t resist. When she invites him to her sister’s F/X company bash, he’s all in without a second thought.
The pair’s flirty connection heats up fast, carrying them to electrifying new heights. But after Goldie discovers Noah is hiding a dark secret, it all starts to crumble. Looking for answers about her own past awakens new dangers, and when Goldie and Noah land at a slasher camp for adults, a deadly tragedy threatens to repeat itself. If they can survive this one killer night, they can definitely slay a happily ever after.
Get to know the author: Trilina Pucci
Hi Trilina! It’s a pleasure to have you on Armed with A Book. To begin, can you tell my readers a little about yourself?
This is always the hardest question because I’m just a girl who writes. A mom of three, (five if you include the puppies). And a wife to the best guy ever. But if people want to know me better than I guess knowing I love to cook is important, that I prefer bourbon to wine and I’m a movie fanatic.
One Killer Night is set around Halloween. What’s your go-to spooky season snack or drink while writing?
We actually came up with a fun cocktail just for One Killer Night called Killer Kiss.
Inspiration: Dark, dangerous, but irresistible — just like Goldie and Noah’s chemistry.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz black vodka (or regular vodka with black food coloring for spooky effect)
- 1 oz pomegranate liqueur (deep red for the “kiss”)
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
- ½ oz simple syrup
- Splash of club soda
- Garnish: maraschino cherry or a red sugar rim (to look like blood)
Instructions:
- Shake vodka, liqueur, lime juice, and syrup with ice.
- Strain into a coupe glass with a red sugar rim.
- Top lightly with club soda.
- Garnish with a cherry that sinks like a hidden secret.
Your novel blends romance, comedy, and psychological suspense—what inspired you to mix such seemingly opposing genres into one story?
I can never write the same story twice, it feels creatively stifling. I’m always looking for new ways to make a story feel fresh for me and the reader. Back in 2023, a colleague told me I should be writing rom-coms. I’d never thought about it before, even though in life I’m always making jokes. But I thought being funny in person is one thing, on paper’s probably a different beast. She kept lovingly pestering me, so I finally caved and did a series of erotic rom-coms, except I combined it with a very popular trope from the dark romance world. I think it was a shock to everyone, including myself, how popular they became, so when I started brainstorming new ideas, I was already a lock for comedy, but I wanted to explore more tropes/themes and genres I could play with to create interesting and fresh stories for readers to enjoy. I’d read a very funny book by Grady Hendrix, followed by a thriller by Frieda McFadden, and when I finished, I thought…what if I made a dark, sarcastic thriller and added spice? And there was the birth of One Killer Night. Well, that and like a multitude of other factors.
Dark humor plays a big role in your writing—how do you strike the balance between laughter and unease without losing emotional depth?
I spend the most time on this particular issue. Crafting a joke that plays well during a harrowing situation for the sake of levity or interjecting dark humor in a completely inappropriate time because that’s when the reader would have the same thought is hard. I think the balance you have to strike is making the character speak and act the way people really do. We all make jokes when we shouldn’t, when we’re scared or sad, and it doesn’t erase the emotion; it just acts as an observation of the absurdity of life. I aim for the reader to have moments where they read something that they just thought of themselves. Because if it’s real, then dark humor just becomes relatable.
Your main character is charming, troubled, and dangerously relatable. How did you go about creating someone readers will both root for and question?
You make him as real as possible. People are flawed and make poor decisions all the time, but in the end, if I give the reader enough goodness lurking inside, enough potential to hold onto, they’ll root for him. Flaws just highlight how sometimes in our own lives we’re the main character and other times the underdog, but in the end, we all want to succeed. It’s not different for fictional people.
Both Goldie and Noah are carrying secrets. How do you build chemistry between characters when trust is on such shaky ground?
It’s only shaky in hindsight. They fall in love much like most people do before it feels like the rug is pulled out from under you. I believe that’s what makes them so relatable.
If readers take one thing away from your book—beyond being wildly entertained—what do you hope it is?
Cowardice never serves you. There’s always strength in numbers. And love conquers all.
Rom-coms usually promise happy endings, while thrillers don’t. Which side wins out in your story, or do you find a way to cheat the system?
Definitely romance. The community has spoken, and they want a happily ever after. That doesn’t mean it won’t be bloody, and people won’t die…but at least two people end up happy.
You’ve written plenty of steamy romance. Did the suspense and horror elements change the way you approached intimacy on the page?
Intimacy is always character based. I never know how the chemistry will unveil itself until I begin writing “that” scene. So there’s no way for me to preplan.
Which authors, films, or pop culture moments shaped your voice in this genre mashup?
I love this question because I’m a pop culture connoisseur. I’m a huge scary movie fan, but I typically stick to the unholy trinity: Jason, Michael, and Billy Loomis, with a hard mention going to Ben Willis. So those movies played a huge role in how I saw One Killer Night play out. I mean, I still think about the scene with Sarah Michelle Gellar when she wakes up and all her hair’s been chopped off. I’m also a kid of the nineties, so everything I write flirts with that period, has a kind of grunge appeal.
What’s someone who loved your novel, what would you recommend they pick up next?
I would recommend reading The Star-crossed Series. There’s some mystery and suspense along with a very romantic storyline.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for reading!
Thank you so much for spending time with me!
Thanks for joining us! Add this book on Goodreads. It is available wherever books are sold!
Many thanks to Over The River PR for coordinating this interview. Head to their blog to find out who else has joined the tour.
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