Reading Between the Lines with Local Horror Author Christa Carmen

Book covers courtesy of Thomas & Mercer

Christa Carmen didn’t set out to write horror.

In fact, she didn’t set out to write anything, until a mid-twenties career and life shift saw her move back to her hometown of Westerly and pick up an old copy of Stephen King’s On Writing.

“Nobody ever said to me, ‘You can be a writer,’” says the former mental health counselor-turned-award-
winning-author. “It just finally occurred to me — you could write, and you can put your passions into an actual pursuit of something.”

Portrait photo © 2022 by Joshua Behan

Carmen dove into the genre of her youth, when books like Bunnicula and the Goosebumps series ruled her reading list. Her first novel, The Daughters of Block Island — which won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel — tells the story of two estranged sisters caught up in a murder in a historic island mansion. Her short fiction anthologies have also earned her praise as both an author and editor, including two collections by the We Are Providence: RI Horror Writers group co-edited with fellow author L.E. Daniels.

Her novels touch upon personal experience, weaving complex characters facing real-world fears and the challenges of substance use, motherhood and loss.

“I feel like you can explore heavy topics with the trappings of horror in a way that you can’t without using those trappings,” she says.

She also draws inspiration from her home state, where the local lore makes for a perfect horror setting. Her second novel, Beneath the Poet’s House, takes place in the real-life home of Sarah Helen Whitman, the Providence poet best known for her brief engagement to Edgar Allan Poe. Though most readers are more familiar with Whitman’s famous fiance, Carmen’s research took her on a deep dive of Whitman’s work and the historic home that still stands on Benefit Street.

Her latest novel, How to Fake a Haunting, tackles the horrors of alcoholism as it follows a woman trapped in an unhealthy relationship who tries to frighten away her husband. Carmen does much of her writing on long walks around her Westerly neighborhood with her pup, Mirabel. Her daily strolls are often the only time she finds to write in a busy schedule of family and career obligations: She straps the dog’s leash to her waist and scribbles in a notebook, occasionally drawing curious looks from neighbors.

“It sounds so crazy, but it’s kind of lovely. I’m very focused and it’s nice to write,” she says.

In a perfect world, she’d love to spend a day writing in one of Rhode Island’s storied historic properties (the Ocean House and Newport mansions rank high on her list). Her next novel is set in Europe across London, Geneva and Rome, though she’ll always return to her home state when she’s in need of some spooky inspiration.

“I do feel like for the smallest state in the U.S., we are definitely right up there in terms of inspiring legends and history,” she says. christacarmen.com