About / Biography
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.
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.”
Events
Apr 26, 2025
Time: 11:30 am - 2 pm
ANNUAL AUTHORS LUNCHEON
BENEFITTING: Rhode Island Center for the Book Christa Carmen is the author of a number of horror books including The Daughters of Block Island, a novel about two sisters, strangers since birth who are bound by family secrets on an isolated island. Alizah Holstein, an independent editor with a Ph.D. in History, is the author of My Roman History a profound memoir in which a medieval historian traces her lifelong obsession with Rome, past and present. Elizabeth Splaine, an opera singer, has written the Dr. Julian Stryker series of “Blind” Thrillers. Her newest novel, Pleasure to Purpose is about a vulnerable woman who discovers a key to growth and positive change. For reservations, please make checks out to AAUW for $45.00 by 4/17/25 and indicate if you want to reserve seating for yourself, several people or a group. Mail to Rosemary Slocum, 127 Center Ave., Middletown, RI 02842 Further Info 849-6073 or [email protected] (include a phone # or email)
Time: 11:30 am - 2 pm
ANNUAL AUTHORS LUNCHEON
BENEFITTING: Rhode Island Center for the Book Christa Carmen is the author of a number of horror books including The Daughters of Block Island, a novel about two sisters, strangers since birth who are bound by family secrets on an isolated island. Alizah Holstein, an independent editor with a Ph.D. in History, is the author of My Roman History a profound memoir in which a medieval historian traces her lifelong obsession with Rome, past and present. Elizabeth Splaine, an opera singer, has written the Dr. Julian Stryker series of “Blind” Thrillers. Her newest novel, Pleasure to Purpose is about a vulnerable woman who discovers a key to growth and positive change. For reservations, please make checks out to AAUW for $45.00 by 4/17/25 and indicate if you want to reserve seating for yourself, several people or a group. Mail to Rosemary Slocum, 127 Center Ave., Middletown, RI 02842 Further Info 849-6073 or [email protected] (include a phone # or email)