We chat with debut author Crystal J. Bell about The Lamplighter, which is an atmospheric gothic horror novel with supernatural tones set in the 19th Century.
Hi, Crystal! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Sure! I’m a Colorado native and super proud of it. We call people who’ve lived here their whole lives natives and even have bumperstickers for it. I dont, though. I’m proud but not THAT proud. So many people move to Colorado, those of us actually born and still living here are basically unicorns. That being said, I admit I’m not a big skier or snowboarder…GASP! You will always find me out at the state parks paddleboarding, though.
When I’m not writing or reading I’m filming or photographing weddings. My creative careers are a nice balance of socializing/embracing the romance and introversion/crafting dark and intense fiction. My husband and I are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this year, which is very exciting. We’re planning a trip to France because we love good food and history. We’ve got three fur babies. A cat who never stops meowing (like for real, it’s obnoxious) and 1 year-old and 6-month old Belgian Malinois mixes who we love to death (the dogs, the cat I could take or leave ;p).
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always enjoyed reading. My mom used to tell me that I wouldn’t let her read books to me when I was little because I wanted to read them to her instead. And while I always wrote stories when I was younger or came up with stories while my friends and I played, I think I truly fell in love with it when I started writing LOTR fanfiction my freshmen year of high school. Fanfiction was everything to me back then.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
- The one that made you want to become an author: Sabriel by Garth Nix
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Ahhhhhh….two come to mind as of late. Can I say that? Is that cheating? Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear by Robin Wasley and Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
Your debut novel, The Lamplighter, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Atmospheric, uncanny, tense, gothic, and RAGE!!!
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect an atmospheric mystery that is very much like taking a foggy stroll through a historic seaport. Little bread crumbs will have been dropped along the way, some noticed and some not, as the tension in your shoulders increases knowing something evil is occurring just out of sight. Then you’ll find yourself suddenly thrown into the fire and the pay off will be so glorious. Take note, however, this book is not a light-hearted book. The treatment my main character, Temperance, receives is maddening, as well as how she chooses to handle situations. This historical horror is meant to take the misogyny women faced in the 1800’s and inject it with supernatural elements. From our 21st century perspective it can be difficult to read and easy to be angered by it. But I promise the twists and turns will keep you hooked as you root for Temperance to come out victorious and find her way through the fog. Is this book filled with metaphors? Maybe.
Where did the inspiration for The Lamplighter come from?
I had just finished writing my first historical horror manuscript and thought it would be best to stick to the genre on the chance that it landed me an agent. As I usually like to write about places I’ve been to, the first place that came to mind to write about, other than my own home state, was my husband’s: Connecticut. Whenever we fly out to visit his parents, we always make a point of visiting Mystic Seaport Museum, an old maritime village. Mystic is incredible and so very interesting. Once I decided to delve more into its history and spin it into a book, creating my own fictional seaport, all I had to do was decide how I wanted to make it horror. While I brainstormed I saw a very specific and unsettling image in my head…but I can’t tell you what it is. It would be quite the spoiler for anyone who hasn’t read my book yet. Shhhhhh. But once that image was there, it stuck.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I absolutely loved writing the scenes between my protagonist and antagonist, particularly their interactions when other characters were around them. I had fun exploring their very dangerous game of cat & mouse.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It was a long and difficult one to be sure. I’ve enjoyed writing since I was a little girl but it wasn’t until high school when I decided I wanted to become an author. While I dabbled in things here and there, focusing more so on short stories and poetry, I began writing my first book after graduating from college. That book was a behemoth of a book at 172K words. I began querying it at the beginning of 2017, but it wasn’t until I began querying The Lamplighter in 2021 (my sixth manuscript) that my agent signed with me. We were on submission for over 14 months before we received the offer from Flux Books. So from the moment I began writing that first book until The Lamplighter hits bookshelves May 21st, it will have been almost exactly 14 years.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on multiple projects. A women’s fiction/horror mashup, another YA historical horror, and a YA fantasy. I have a lot of irons in the fire.
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
I’m very excited for Tatiana Schlote-Bonne’s Such Lovely Skin, K.A. Cobell’s Looking For Smoke, and The Ones Who Come Back Hungry by Amelinda Berube.
