Beneath the Poet's House

Christa Carmen lives in Rhode Island. She is the author of The Daughters of Block Island, winner of the Bram Stoker Award and a Shirley Jackson Award nominee, the Indie Horror Book Award-winning Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked, and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated “Through the Looking Glass and Straight into Hell” (Orphans of Bliss, Wicked Run Press). She has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from Boston College, and an MFA from the University of Southern Maine. When she’s not writing, she keeps chickens; uses a Ouija board to ghost-hug her dear, departed beagle; and sets out on adventures with her husband, daughter, and bloodhound–golden retriever mix. Most of her work comes from gazing upon the ghosts of the past or else into the dark corners of nature, those places where whorls of bark become owl eyes, and deer step through tunnels of hanging leaves and creeping briars only to disappear. Visit her at www.christacarmen.com.

“Bram Stoker Award winner [Christa] Carmen weaves a captivating web of psychological suspense in her latest spine-tingler…For gothic mystery fans, this is a treat.” —Publishers Weekly“Incorporating a love of all things Poe (both the horror and romantic parts), Bram Stoker Award-winning author Carmen has written an intense, creepy psychological thriller that is a perfect cozy read for spooky season.” —Booklist“Beneath the Poet’s House is creepy and addictive. Carmen uses a gothic New England setting to explore art and magic and left me thinking that the things men do to women are far more terrifying than any conjuring.” —Jessa Maxwell, author of The Golden Spoon and I Need You to Read This“Beneath the Poet’s House is a brilliant, gripping novel filled with secrets and danger. Christa Carmen captures the haunted magic of Providence and introduces one of the most fascinating and singular characters I’ve ever encountered. The novel shimmers with questions of what is real and what is imaginary, helped by the extraordinary setting of a writer’s house with a tragically romantic rose garden, a cemetery, and ghosts in love. Shocking, tender, and wildly compelling, Beneath the Poet’s House will keep you racing through the pages all night long.” —Luanne Rice, Amazon Charts and New York Times bestselling author of Last Night“With secrets as deep and dark as catacombs and lyrical writing befitting of its literary inspirations, Beneath the Poet’s House is a truly eerie page-turner.” —Zoje Stage, USA Today bestselling author of Baby Teeth and Dear Hanna“In Beneath the Poet’s House, haunting history meets a riveting modern mystery. It’s a spellbinding, beautifully told story about secrets, the supernatural, and ultimately, finding the strength to fight back against impossible odds.” —Jess Lourey, Edgar-nominated author of The Taken Ones“With lush, haunting prose to rival any classic, Beneath the Poet’s House twists patriarchal gothic tropes and gives new breath to old stereotypes in a story that is at once a historical reckoning, a desperate love story, and an intriguing mystery. Like a crooked finger beckoning the reader down a castle’s winding staircase, Carmen’s writing is impossible to resist. Mark my words: she will soon find her place among the gothic greats.” —Katrina Monroe, author of Through the Midnight Door“Christa Carmen has cleverly resurrected the infamous Providence romance between Edgar Allan Poe and Sarah Helen Whitman in this thrilling novel set in modern times. What unfolds is worthy of a plot concocted by Poe himself. You won’t be able to put this book down!” —Levi L. Leland, creator of www.edgarallanpoeri.com and A Walking Tour of Poe’s Providence“Haunting and gorgeously told, Beneath the Poet’s House brings new life to the tumultuous romance and compelling lives of Edgar Allan Poe and Sarah Helen Whitman, all within a modern psychological suspense with a riveting plot that will enthrall readers.” —Vanessa Lillie, USA Today bestselling author of Blood SistersPraise for The Daughters of Block Island“Thrilling psychological suspense that should appeal to fans of gothic novels and the works of Gemma Amor, Sarah Waters, and the Brontë sisters.” —Library Journal“Great fun for readers…” —Kirkus Reviews“This compelling and atmospheric thriller pays homage to classic gothic novels while still adding something fresh to the beloved genre. An easy sell to fans of the Brontës but also those who enjoy the creepy, psychological suspense of Simone St. James.” —Booklist“Christa Carmen celebrates the gothic in this twisty, spooky tour de force that ticks all the boxes with panache and style! This love child of Barbara Michaels and John Harwood has written a chilling page-turner guaranteed to keep you up all night. The Daughters of Block Island is a top-notch read!” —Nancy Holder, Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Horror Writers Association“The mystery leaves the reader feeling like they are trying to escape a twisted haunted dollhouse without knowing what is real or imagined. Lovers of gothic fiction should pick up this book, which contains a wealth of nods to the genre but also discusses personal horrors like addiction, abuse, and mental health.” —V. Castro, Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of Goddess of Filth and The Queen of the Cicadas“A tantalizing love letter to gothic fiction, imbued with rain-soaked atmosphere and scandal-ridden mysteries that unravel to reveal the dark beating heart at the center of a mysterious island mansion. Readers of gothic novels will delight in nods to classic works and the way the past continues to haunt the present in White Hall. Filled with intrigue, this book is the perfect addition to your bookshelf, tucked in beside Radcliffe and du Maurier!” —Jo Kaplan, author of It Will Just Be Us“With its lush and exquisite language, Christa Carmen’s The Daughters of Block Island honors and explores the great gothic novels of the past, but here the rules are rewritten. Be prepared to find yourself in White Hall’s spider’s web.” —Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of Children of Chicago“Offers an atmospheric, harrowing plight of ghosts and murder. Christa Carmen paints an island of vivid and unsettling imagery, where every claustrophobic twist leads deeper into an underworld of dread. A compelling mystery, with arresting characters ready to engulf you.” —Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of The Worm and His Kings“Christa Carmen has long been one of my favorite horror authors, and The Daughters of Block Island is further proof that she’s among the most important voices in the genre today. A clever inversion and exploration of gothic tropes, this is a debut novel unlike any other. A true macabre masterpiece, this book is a must-read.” —Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of The Rust Maidens and Reluctant Immortals“Christa Carmen cleverly combines classic elements of the Victorian literary canon in a fast-paced island intrigue that is atmospheric and enigmatic. A tale to rival Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, told in exquisite prose and embracing contemporary themes, Carmen’s debut novel is a triumph of the modern gothic genre.” —Lee Murray, five-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Grotesque: Monster Stories“Immerses the reader in the inexorable, chilling, uneasy atmosphere one hopes for in a gothic novel. Classically genre aware while still being inventive, Carmen has a compelling voice no matter which of the sisters is taking the lead. Generational trauma, true villainy, tragedy, loss, and resilience collide in a rushing tide of a powerfully wrought story.” —Leanna Renee Hieber, award-winning author of Strangely Beautiful and A Haunted History of Invisible Women“The gothic horror novel just received a massive shot of adrenaline to its bleak-but-beautiful heart…In this debut novel, Carmen doesn’t attempt to top the classics; instead, she subverts them in a unique manner. She embraces the tropes that made the subgenre what it is and forges an enthralling tale of two sisters, a strange town, and a cast of characters that would make the masters proud…If this is any indication of what Christa Carmen can bring into the world, readers will be smiling under candlelight for years to come. An exceptional new talent has arrived.” —Cemetery Dance