About

Biography

Christa Carmen
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 finalist, 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: Tales of Addiction Horror). 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.

  • 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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Oct 24, 2025
Time: 6:00 - 10:00 pm
POWERHOUSE OF HORRORS 2
Powerhouse Arena, DUMBO Brooklyn Tickets sold ahead of time through Powerhouse's website. They will cost $56 each (the price of two hardcovers), include two books of the buyer's choosing from the list the most recent books of each author participating), two drink tickets for the themed cocktail bar, spooky snacks, exclusive POWERHOUSE OF HORRORS 2 event merch with all participating authors' names, entry into raffle with prize(s) donated by authors, entry into costume contest, & opportunities for photos and signatures from authors. Link to come.

Oct 25, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm
Once Upon a Bookstore
Join Christa Carmen and Kristin Offiler for conversation, signings, and photos, at Once Upon a Bookstore, 418 Quequechan St. Fall River, MA.
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Oct 26, 2025
Time: 11:30 am
Ocean House Thriller Panel (with 4 other authors)
More info to come!
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