Vroman’s brings together horror besties CJ Leede, Kyle Kouri, Chuck Tingle and Liz Kerin

“It’s the love rodeo!”

Partners and former Angelenos CJ Leede and Kyle Kouri stopped at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena on Tuesday, June 16, to talk to fans following the recent publication of their new novels.

The long-time couple was joined by fellow authors and friends Chuck Tingle and Liz Kerin to discuss Leede’s “Headlights” and Kouri’s “The Problem Drinker.”

“The four of us are actually very close, we’re, like, actually friends,” said Tingle as he explained that he was able to watch the creation of both novels firsthand. “You see their work, and you’re like, that’s actually amazing.”

Between bantering back and forth, the four authors answered questions from each other and fans in the audience, and also explained why the event was like a homecoming for them.

“CJ and I evacuated from West L.A. to Pasadena because of the [Palisades] fire, and then we had to evacuate Pasadena [because of the Eaton fire],” Kouri explained. “And funnily enough, we’re staying in the hotel we were evacuated from. Life really works in such strange ways. It was a beautiful experience coming back.”

Kouri and Leede lost their home during the Palisades fire and talked about how they dealt with their grief through the creation of their books. They also revealed during the event that Tingle and Kerin were actually their first guests in the house right before the wildfires began.

“I was writing in the time period when all of this was happening,” Leede said. “Kyle wrote a memoir that talked about exactly what was happening. I hid behind horror. We wrote them from the same period of life. And [also] when these two were our friends. So, this is very cool.”

Leede and Kouri left L.A. and began traveling around the country while they finished up their books, stopping by every roadside attraction, dive bar, local bookstore, and everything else they could along the way. The two even have an Instagram account, @nobodyreadsinla, that documents the independent bookstores they visit.

“The main thing is a lived-in quality. A bookstore with a perspective,” Kouri answered after Tingle asked what makes a good bookstore. “You go in, and it’s like a book, and it has something to say. Here is a space with something to share.”

Leede agreed, adding that independent bookstores are a good reflection of where they’re located. She also noted that she’s always wanted to do an event at Vroman’s and hyped Tingle’s upcoming book “Fabulous Bodies” and Kerin’s “How to Disappear Completely.”

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Tingle and Kerin weren’t the only other authors there to enjoy the event. Guests in the audience included Monika Kim, Colin Hinckley, Carlyn Greenwald, Rebekah Faubion, and others.

Fans who purchased tickets were also treated to free T-shirts with a design by Dylan Garrett Smith promoting “Headlights” and “The Problem Drinker,” and a map created by Abby Armistead of Colorado locations featured in “Headlights.” Vroman’s wine bar, 1984, also created speciality drinks to mark the occasion.