About This House Will Feed: Amidst the devastation of Ireland’s Great Famine, a young woman is salvaged from certain death when offered a mysterious position at a remote manor house haunted by a strange power and the horror of her own memories in this chillingly evocative historical novel braided with gothic horror and supernatural suspense for readers of Katherine Arden’s The Warm Hands of Ghosts and The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins. Released January 27th 2026.

I’m so happy to see that Gothic and horror are having their moment once again, and with more debut authors to choose from than ever before, it lightens the heart to think that so many readers will have the opportunity to be introduced to my first love: Gothic historical fiction.

I find it interesting that one of the consistent themes in reviews for This House Will Feed is surprise that most of the horror comes from the historical events that allow Maggie’s story to unfold. To fans of Gothic historical fiction, the source of that horror should come as no surprise, as the very hallmark of a true Gothic tale is that the horror is grounded in reality, whether it’s an event, or something supernatural that can be explained away once the main character has all the information. At its core, Gothic horror bleeds into psychological thriller, blurring the lines between reality and human nature in ways that should leave the reader in a state of contemplation.

To that end, I’d like to introduce you to six other Gothic books — not all Gothic historical fiction — that utilize either history, folklore, or human nature to tell a story; books that would fall apart without those elements, ones with the ability to spark conversation and leave you staring at the wall as you parse through every twist and turn.

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

One of my favorite reads of 2020, Conjure Women utilizes the uncertainty of post-Civil War-era to weave a story, in dual-timeline, that uses the supernatural to complement the realistic struggle of former slaves as they strive to find their identities in a kind of limbo between slavery and freedom. The history is horrific, the supernatural is creepy, but the spotlight shines brightly on character development and the resilience of people in the face of adversity.

Parting the Veil by Paulette Kennedy

I’m an avid Kennedy fan, and her 2021 debut was a standout release for me. It’s packed with all the hallmarks of a traditional Gothic — a heartbreaking past, a sexual orientation that was most definitely frowned upon in the 1809s, a ramshackle estate, a broody love interest, and things that go bump in the night. The twist in this book will have you re-reading for clues — and those clues are there — only to marvel at the beautiful way the entire story came together.

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Like Parting the Veil, The Hacienda sports all the hallmarks of a classic Gothic, giving us a slow burn that turns to a gallop as we race to the end. A spectacular story that dives into colonization, forbidden romance (we stan a questionable priest!), and the energetic imprint of real-life horror turning into something supernatural, this book uses historical events to delve into the horror aspects that make this novel a must-read.

She Is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

Taking a slight detour into the world of YA, She Is a Haunting takes no prisoners, planting us firmly into the ominous from page one. With a classic slow burn that allows the creepiness and supernatural to slowly seep into our veins, we’re as surprised as Jade when we find ourselves in the thick of it. With a complicated family dynamic, and secrets that threaten to drown the house, She Is a Haunting utilizes the in-between and disconnect of living in the diaspora — something that resonates for me as an immigrant — as the catalyst for the horror, and it’s executed flawlessly.

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

Another YA, White Smoke isn’t the first book one thinks of when the term “Gothic” is tossed around. However, for me, this was an obvious Gothic. We have the house, things that go bump in the night, the slow, creeping horror, a complex character, and a twist firmly rooted in reality. This book had all the ingredients I love, including an “is it/is it not” thread as the haunting of the house echoes a haunting of another kind: Mari’s addiction. The reality twist in this book preyed upon a very real fear of mine, so needless to say, I was left breathless by the end!

Hokuloa Road by Elizabeth Hand

Swerving back into the world of Adult, Hokuloa Road jets us into modern day Hawaii to give us a Gothic steeped in folklore, mystery, and terror. Not a conventional Gothic, it still carries the hallmarks, where the setting (in this case, a compound instead of a crumbling mansion) fuels the supernatural forces, and the goal of those forces is to protect the land, and its people, from the incursion of tourists and those who would destroy the land for profit. This one not only left me staring at the wall, but rocking back and forth. I don’t scare easily, but this one left me reeling.

The post Six Intriguing Gothic Reads To Pick Up Next appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

What inspired you to write THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE?

I had lots of inspirations–but ultimately this story of a young caregiver, Sadie, who finds her path through grief by caring for her great-aunt Marguerite, was inspired by my own experiences as a caregiver to both of my parents. While they were afflicted by very different, challenging illnesses toward the end of their lives, it occurred to me how often they reminisced about their youthful years–way before me and my sister were ever in the picture. As they spoke to me about their fondest memories, and their regrets, I was struck by the fact that while our bodies and minds may betray us, our essence—our spirit—remains the same, throughout our lives. And so, I wanted to write a novel honoring that and how the events of the past create a framework for the future, with a gothic, supernatural twist.

Why did you choose to include a time-slip element in the novel?

The time-slips enabled me to show Marguerite’s past and her youth in a way that was also accessible to Sadie, who uses the enchanted paintings as a portal. These time-slip interludes work as a frame narrative in the novel and give clues to the reader about what Marguerite experienced as a young woman, and the trauma that’s still affecting her. Plus, it was a fun challenge to create a time-slip story. Keeping track of all the narrative threads sometimes made my head hurt, but ultimately, I’m proud that I pushed myself in a new direction.

There is a tradition of toxic love interests in gothic fiction. How do you incorporate this idea in THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE?

I’ve always been fascinated by how heroines in gothic fiction are often drawn to heroes with troubled pasts and toxic, abusive behavior that our modern sensibilities would be averse to, although there’s been a recent uptick with antagonistic, “Byronic” heroes in dark romance, and I’m seeing a lot of these traits resurface. In Sadie’s case, the loss of her father at a young age, her approval-seeking personality, and the fact that she finds herself orphaned in her twenties, all contribute to her becoming vulnerable to the predation of older men with unsavory designs. This is a novel about cycle-breaking, and Sadie must come to terms with how her past informs her troubled romantic relationships.

Can you explain how the choices characters make in the past trickle down to the present in the novel?

Especially with Marguerite and her sisters, the choices they make as young women influence their descendants in various ways. Selfishness is a trait in the Thorne family–    something that the reader will see play out in the novel. But there’s a good deal of sacrifice as well. At the core of the Thorne women’s self-centeredness is a great need to be seen, to be heard, to be allowed to be oneself. The choices they make are a reflection of society’s constraints as well as the unaddressed narcissism that trickles down from generation to generation–the veneer of respectability at all costs, hiding the rot at the core.

Who was your favorite character to write in the novel?

I love all of my characters, but I think Florence was my favorite to write. She’s so awful, in many ways, but I can also relate to her as an eldest daughter–the expectations that you must be a good example for your sisters, a paragon of virtue and responsibility, etc. Even though she’s the golden child of the Thorne family, she never truly gets what she wants. And I find that incredibly tragic.

If you could go back in time and change anything in your life – or the choices you made in the past – would you? Why or why not?

I’ve thought about this a lot, as a woman entering her 50th year! The retrospective of my life is just beginning to come into focus. There are some things I regret, of course. You don’t make it through life without some regrets. And I suppose if it wouldn’t completely alter the trajectory of mine or my loved ones’ lives, there are some things I’d change. Like Sadie, I’ve experienced a lot of loss at a relatively young age, and it never gets easier to lose those you love. If I could change anything, it would be more time with those I’ve lost.

You often create strong heroines and write about female empowerment in your novels, and THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE is no exception. Tell us about your two female leads – Sadie and her great aunt Marguerite, from where they get their strength, and if they are based on anyone real.

Sadie and Marguerite get a lot of their strength from what they’ve endured and what they’ve learned from their mistakes. There are so many parallels between them. While they aren’t based on anyone real, they are an amalgamation of what I’ve observed in my own family history—the secrets kept and the choices made, and how those actions impact every generation that follows. Cycle breaking is difficult, and Marguerite and Sadie are both cycle-breakers, which sets them apart and makes them the “black sheep” of their families, but I enjoy telling stories about outliers and renegades.

This is your fourth novel after Parting the Veil, The Witch of Tin Mountain, and The Devil and Mrs. Davenport. How is your new novel like your other books and how is it different?

All of my books have a thread running through them: how the traumas and choices of the past—the hidden secrets whispered about in the shadows—manifest in the lives of my main characters. All of my heroines are flawed women. They make mistakes–wrong turns, false starts, and foolish choices. But I’m not interested in perfection. I’m interested in seeing how broken people put themselves back together again. That’s the core theme running through all of my books. The ghosts, the curses, the haunted houses are symbolic of the emotional state of my characters and make for a fun atmosphere to explore the deeper themes of loss, redemption, and second chances. We are all haunted houses.

Will you be picking up The Artist of Blackberry Grange? Tell us in the comments below!

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