October 19, 2021

Why Isn’t This House Haunted?

Lauren Blackwood on how Within These Wicked Walls came to be—from Ethiopian folklore to Jane Eyre to writing a book that she needed as a teen

Why Isn’t This House Haunted?

Lauren Blackwood on how Within These Wicked Walls came to be—from Ethiopian folklore to Jane Eyre to writing a book that she needed as a teen

It began with the evil eye.

A concept which is so wide-spread across the world, throughout so many cultures—the idea that someone could curse you with bad luck or worse unless you had some sort of talisman of protection against it. And even though I didn’t know it at first, one of my trips down the rabbit hole that is Google to casually research mythology and folklore would spark an idea… an idea that came from a simple scholarly journal article about the belief in the evil eye in Ethiopia. An idea that wouldn’t let me go until I wrote it.

Around the same time, I was also comfort-watching Michael Fassbender be moody in the 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre while pondering why isn’t this house haunted? It had all the right elements to be a great gothic horror—dark manor, seemingly unexplainable occurrences, a master of the house with secrets, and a determined employee staying despite all signs pointing to danger. On top of that, it has one of my favorite romantic tropes, in which two people, seemingly divided by rank and dark secrets, become equals more and more with each match of repartee.

All it needed was a fantasy twist, and Within These Wicked Walls was born.

From that early inspiration came my main character, Andromeda, and her love interest, Magnus. For Andi, her name came to me first—the famous Greek myth of an Ethiopian princess, whose mom couldn’t stop bragging about how beautiful she was and so the god Poseidon (petty as ever) sent a sea monster to destroy their city. Only the payment of Andromeda’s life would save her people, and so she was chained between a rock and a monster to await her fate. Except in my version, the monster would be a cursed house, and Andi isn’t waiting for Perseus to save her. For Magnus, I wanted a Mr. Rochester who was a little more vulnerable, someone who could grate on Andi’s nerves while simultaneously making her feel for him and, ultimately, fall for him. He had to be someone she would want to protect at all costs, even at the risk of death. I’m really happy with their dynamic, and I hope you’ll fall in love with them, too.

But most importantly, the inspiration behind writing this book was the memory of when I was a teen and so badly needed a book like this—a romantic, funny, daring book where young Black people get to laugh and kiss and . . . live. Back then I didn’t know that Black girls could lead instead of follow, could get the guy, could exist in their own world, because none of the books had ever been written for kids like me in mind. I’m so glad this generation gets to read the books I longed for—and am beyond excited that I get the opportunity to write them!

I hope you enjoy Within These Wicked Walls. Here’s to many more books about Black girls kicking butt!

Introducing... the exclusive cover of the page-turning thriller Gone Before Goodbye by @ReeseWitherspoon & @HarlanCoben!

Grab your copy at our link in bio!
Bringing a book to screen isn’t just about translation — it’s about transformation. Some stories, like Regretting You, feel destined to leap off the page and into our hearts. 

On this live taping of Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club podcast, Allison Williams @AW and @DanielleRobay dive deep into the power and pressure of adaptation, what it means to truly connect with a character, and why Regretting You will speak to you at any stage of your life. It's a conversation you don't want to miss and a movie you can't help but fall in love with. 

Start listening to Bookmarked and buy tickets to see Regretting You at our link in bio.
#ad It's time to turn the page to a fresh chapter ✨ 

We teamed up with @carsdotcom & @raeganrevord to ask Shine Away attendees the title of their next chapter in life. We're thrilled to hear all the inspiring titles! Tell us, what would you title yours? Pens up! ✍️
Congratulations, @ReeseWitherspoon and @HarlanCoben — "Gone Before Goodbye" is a #1 New York Times Best Seller 👏📚🥳

Join the conversation! Grab your copy at the link in bio, and leave a 🎉 in the comments to celebrate this win for trying new things and chasing your dreams.
#ad A new book-to-screen adaptation that gave us all the feels and a new episode of our Bookmarked podcast? This week is one for the books 📚 Come with us as we celebrated the premiere of @RegrettingYouMovie with a special conversation with @DanielleRobay and star and exec producer @AW ahead of the film's release this Friday, October 24th. Head to our link in bio to grab your tickets now.
It was an absolute dream to attend the live recording of the Bookmarked podcast featuring the incredible Allison Williams!

@AW opened up about the title of her latest film, Regretting You, and shared how its themes have resonated with her personally in a powerful conversation with @DanielleRobay last week.

Missed the live event? Listen to the whole conversation at the @iHeartPodcast app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you love to listen.
We can’t believe it’s been 3 years since From Scratch was released! We’re celebrating with a sneak peek of @tembilocke’s new immersive audiobook, Someday Now. Hear her read a passage from the breathtaking memoir about family, reclaiming possibility, and uncharted new chapters. Head to our link in bio to start listening now!
We’re taking our copy of Gone Before Goodbye on a little coffee date this weekend ☕📖 
Link in bio for book tour tickets and to get your own copy!

Where are you reading yours this weekend?
Had the most amazing time connecting with the Reese’s Book Club community IRL at #ShineAway2025 last weekend! ✨ @RaeganRevord and @TembiLocke picked up some incredible book recs that we are immediately adding to our TBR. Drop your must-reads below!
This Thursday's coffee and current read is an iced matcha and our new favorite eco-fiction mystery, Bog Queen by @AnnaNorthBooks. Talk about a perfect combo!
Bog Queen is now available, including at our link in bio.