About
Biography
Christa Carmen lives in Rhode Island and is the Bram Stoker
Award-nominated author of the short story collection Something
Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked. 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.
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.
- Dave Simms offers a stunning review of The Daughters of Block Island for Cemetery Dance: “The gothic horror novel just received a massive shot of adrenaline to its bleak-but-beautiful-heart...a stunning novel that arrives in the final month of the year, just in time for the calendar’s longest nights of darkness. 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.”
- KIRKUS REVIEWS calls The Daughters of Block Island, “Great fun for readers who’ve done their background reading and want to try a Gothic Plus.”
- Of The Daughters of Block Island, Dead Headspace’s Brennan LaFaro writes, “What a fine line Christa Carmen has to walk with this book, and how masterfully she walks it… a layered tale that borders on cozy, while never quite allowing the reader to settle in too comfortably...Here lies mystery and secrets, and I was here for it.”
Interviews
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Gwendolyn Kiste’s Blog
Roundtable Interview
Read Interview Part I
Read Interview Part II -
Murder Coaster
Matthew Brockmeyer interviews co-host Christa Carmen
Read Interview -
Book Notions
Q&A with Christa Carmen
Read Interview
Upcoming Events
The Daughters of Block Island Tour Dates
Dec 9, 2023Rarities Books & Bindery, Wakefield, RI, 1 0am
Stillwater Books, West Warwick, RI, 2 pm
Dec 10, 2023
RI Boutique, Mystic, CT, 4 pm
Jan 11, 2024
Books on the Square, Providence, RI, 6 pm
Jan 17, 2024
Ashaway Free Library, Ashaway, RI, 6 pm
Jan 24, 2024
Barrington Books, Barrington, RI, 6:30 pm
Jan 30, 2024
North Kingstown Free Library, North Kingstown, RI, 6:30 pm