Q&A: Christina Kovac, Author of ‘Watch Us Fall’

We chat with author Christina Kovac about Watch Us Fall, which is a gripping mystery and an examination of the things we tell ourselves when we can’t face the truth.

Hi, Christina! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m the author of Watch Us Fall and The Cutaway, both psychological suspense novels set in Washington DC. Before writing novels, I worked as a journalist in television news. My final—and luckiest—job was at NBC’s Washington Bureau under Tim Russert, who was really the last of the greats. In my spare time, I haunt my local library and independent bookstores in and around Washington DC. I also love hiking and kayaking, and I’m learning to climb, though I’m afraid of heights. I’m happy to say I haven’t fallen yet.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

My mom taught me to read and write before I started kindergarten—so I had a jump. I can remember creating “books” on construction paper when I was four or five, maybe six? I’ve always loved stories of any kind—plays, song lyrics, poems, novels, you name it. When I was a little girl, I stole romance novels from my grandmother’s shelves. I read Rebecca when I was twelve. For a lot of my adult life what I loved most were news stories, but they’ve let me down of late. Now I think fiction tells truth the clearest—so that’s what I read and write these days.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The Secret of the Old Clock, Nancy Drew. It was old and had a cracked cover and brown pages. It had been my mother’s book when she was a girl
• The one that made you want to become an author: Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier—what magic was that? How did she do that?
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Donna Tartt’s The Secret History—so many layers.

Your latest novel, Watch Us Fall, is out December 2^nd! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Trust nobody; not even yourself.

What can readers expect?

A fast-moving, page-turning psychological suspense novel about four friends, postgrads, living their best lives, sharing a cool Georgetown rowhouse, when one of their exes—a celebrity journalist from a famous family—goes missing. The main character, Lucy, becomes obsessed with the search only to have police suspicion boomerang to her and her friends. It’s a story about friendship and love and lies and delusion, the extremes we’ll go to for the people we love.

Where did the inspiration for Watch Us Fall come from?

I’d been thinking a lot about lies and truth and delusion during the Covid pandemic shutdown. Not only why people lie, but also why we believe obvious untruths. At the same time, I was sick of being stuck inside. To get away, I went to Assateague Island on the Maryland shore, and while hiking on the island came across an enormous tree, very beautiful. Four girls clung to its branches, chattering and laughing. They seemed so happy to me, and I thought, what if I wrote about four best friends? What if I centered the drama around lies that hold friend groups together? And so it began.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I really love the character, Addie, who is the friend Lucy loves most. She reminds me so much of my best friend, how she’s always the leader of every group, and is always trying to help and fix people, because she can’t stand to see anyone hurting. She’s all heart. Just such a perfect friend.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

I found the novel’s structure challenging. Watch Us Fall incorporates two points of view. Lucy’s first person narration, and Josh’s, the missing man’s third-person telling. So much of the story is about competing truths of what happened, so it made his point-of-view critical, but the structure itself was different than anything I’d written before.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a crime novel that takes place in Washington DC again. The conflict is between mothers and centers around the old murder of high school senior, and it’s about parenthood and what you’d do for your children, which is to say, what wouldn’t you do? Some parents will do anything.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up in 2026?

This year I’ve loved Alafair Burke’s The Note, Lou Berney’s Crooks, Janelle Brown’s What Kind of Paradise, Alex Finlay’s Parents Weekend, and Amity Gaige’s Heartwood. Those are my top 2025 books.

For 2026, I have an advanced copy of Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser that comes out March. I’m dying to dig into it. That’s my New Years gift to myself after I finish launching Watch Us Fall.

Will you be picking up Watch Us Fall? Tell us in the comments below!