Oy, With the Rewatching! Behind the Scenes of Writing A Book about Fandom

Guest contributor Kristine Eckart shares the experience of writing about Gilmore Girls in her new book, Meet Me At Luke's!

One would think that, for as much TV as I watch and as many books as I read, creating a blog and later penning a book about pop culture would have always been at the forefront of my mind. It wasn’t. At times, I wish I had thought to do this sooner, but as this year marks the 25th Anniversary of Gilmore Girls, the timing couldn’t be more perfect. Just in time for Gilmore season, my first book, Meet Me at Luke’s: Lessons in Life and Love, will officially be out in the world on October 7, 2025 (aren’t you glad I skipped Taylor’s gross birth metaphor about Rory’s graduating from Yale?)

But what does it take to create a book about a popular fandom? Meet Me at Luke’s is actually the culmination of a journey spanning over eight years. As I mentioned, I started with the Gilmore Book Club blog and grew the community there and on social media, keeping all the little nuggets of information I learned along the way in color-coded filing folders in my brain so that I could one day take them out and use that information for the book.

Working on Meet Me at Luke’s, which of course means watching Gilmore Girls obsessively, and engaging with the fan community, has been an immense joy and such an honor. But with great honor and joy comes great responsibility. I know that’s not the usual phrase, but I have found it to be true.

Every step of the way, the fans have been my number one concern. Fans are the foundation of pop culture. It is through their support and dedication that pop culture works of art are shared from community to community and endure in many forms long beyond their original conception. Without the fans, Gilmore Girls would not have achieved popularity back in 2000-2007 when it first aired, and the characters, sayings, and Stars Hollow ambience wouldn’t have endured in our hearts and minds for so long. The existence of this massive fan following is also one of the main reasons I was able to publish Meet Me at Luke’s.

For those of you not in the publishing industry or who don’t know much about it, let me tell you, it’s a strange beast. Yes, the words matter, the way you craft a sentence is important, and the stories you weave are paramount. However, writers, like other artists, are also beholden to the concept of art as a business. When presenting a book to a publisher, you need a strong argument for its potential to attract readers. For Meet Me at Luke’s, the tremendous size and ardent support of the fanbase worked in my favor, and I signed a book deal with my publisher.

When I officially started work on the book, I not only knew how much I owed the fans for helping make my dream of being an author come true, but I also recognized how well-versed the fans are in everything Gilmore. Fans would scrutinize everything from the smallest illustration to the shortest word on a scale of how Christopher (not good) to Lorelai or Rory (very good) it was as it pertained to the world of Stars Hollow. Luckily for me, I’m a total Paris. I took copious notes on each episode, noting the important scenes, characters, and themes in each and coordinating quotes. I’d use all this information to reference when writing, but I also used all the quotes to help guide me on each topic and as catalysts for brainstorming different interpretations of these famous lines. I watched and read numerous interviews with the cast and Amy Sherman-Palladino. (While information from the creators, cast, and crew is important and I did my due diligence there, I didn’t want that to be the focus of Meet Me at Luke’s. Most viewers of Gilmore Girls, or any TV show, don’t have access to actors and showrunners. Being a fan is usually just you, your friends, and what you see on the screen. Your personal thoughts, feelings, and reactions to a show are what give it a deeper meaning, and I wanted to stay as true to that fan experience as possible. Okay, back to the essay.) I listened to The Bangles to get me in a Lorelai mood, Grant Lee Buffalo when I wanted a Stars Hollow ambience, and the originals of Hep Alien covers to help me think about music like Lane. Although this may not seem like research, it all contributed to the show we love so much, which meant it was also important for me to examine. And let me tell you, the elements that make up the Gilmore universe are some of the most fascinating and fun things to study.

And yes, I actually studied like Rory and Paris, too. I was already making my way through the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge, which involves reading all the books mentioned on the show, but I ramped up my TBR (to be read list) to broaden my knowledge base for Meet Me at Luke’s. I even had massive spreadsheets detailing all the books, movies, and TV shows referenced in Gilmore Girls, along with their publication or air date, working to make sure I mentioned as many as possible in the chapters in a way that seemed natural for a Gilmore, but also giving enough context so that readers could extrapolate the meaning themselves.

My illustrator and I worked diligently to incorporate some of the references not mentioned in the text into the artwork, ensuring they’d still be represented in some way. And speaking of the artwork, my incredible illustrator, Laura, worked with me to hide as many Easter eggs of Gilmore references as possible. We included Lane’s purple hair, Drella and her harp, Rory’s birthday crown, Sookie’s S’mores cake, Hay There!, The Yearling, Luke’s “Be Happy” Bass, Miss Patty’s plums, the famous meatball fight (can you find them all?), and so much more. We also debated everything from what colors the characters would wear, what objects would be around them, and how to portray important quotes and moments from the show. I remember agonizing over the full-page illustration of all the characters for weeks! We had a sketch of all their portraits on a gallery wall at the Dragonfly, with frames that alluded to their personalities, but we went with the group gathered outside the Dragonfly instead, and it was the right call. I firmly believe that readers and fans will know when something in a book or a show doesn’t work, even if they can’t put their finger on why. So, it’s important that creators work to ensure the words, the extras, and the illustrations all have a complementary aesthetic.

Laura and I also worked to ensure that any scenes we depicted were portrayed differently from the other Gilmore art that’s already out there. Fans are so passionate about Gilmore Girls that they will adore anything with “In Omnia Paratus” and an umbrella on it, but it was important to me that we give them a fresh take on what they already know and love. Laura brilliantly shifted the perspectives of our favorite scenes, as seen in the Rory and Logan Life and Death Brigade sketch. We still see the umbrellas and Rory’s blue dress, but this time we’re on the outside looking in, wondering what it would be like to take such a leap of faith ourselves.

If you’re interested in more behind-the-scenes details about the artwork, check out our Cozy Coffee and Coloring Event on November 12th at 7pm EST with fellow Gilmore Girls fan and author, Breanne Randall, and my incredible illustrator, Laura Marr—more details here.

I knew how fans craved anything that would take them back to Stars Hollow, and I was determined to give them the Gilmoriest experience I could. Every little ounce of Gilmore in Meet Me at Luke’s is my tribute to the show and my gift to the fans. We have so many amazing things planned to celebrate this book and the fandom; follow Gilmore Book Club on Gilmore Book Club on Instagram or visit Gilmore Book Club for all the details.

Whatever drew you to Stars Hollow, whether it’s the witty remarks, the junk food, or the strong sense of community, I hope you find that and more in the pages of Meet Me at Luke’s.

Copper boom, Gilmores!

Credit: Blaire Collins

Kristine Eckart is a writer, pop culture aficionado, and diehard bibliophile who is passionate about using literature to change lives. When she’s not binge-watching TV or penning her next masterpiece, she shares her bookish passions on her blog, social media, podcasts, and by hosting book clubs. Always a city girl at heart, Kristine lives in New York City with her fluffy feline reading buddy, Cleo. You can find Kristine on Instagram @gilmorebookclub and online at Gilmorebookclub.com.

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