As the release date for In a Dark, Dark Wood gets closer, I thought it would be fun to share with you the three main things that inspired me to write this book.

#1: My love for Gothic romance

When I was trying to think of ideas for the Forest Tales series, I realized I wanted to write a book that paid tribute to one of my favorite genres growing up: Gothic romance. I loved Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Rebecca and Jamacia Inn by Daphne du Maurier, and ANYTHING by Victoria Holt.

I knew my story would have to have a creepy castle or house, mysterious characters, a moody setting, a “ghost” or two, and of course, heart-stopping romance.

#2: Being traumatized by ghost stories as a child

Lol, I know this probably sounds more like a reason why I would NOT write this book, but humor me. When I was a kid, my older sister used to torment me by reading me scary stories from her favorite ghost story book, which included this poem. I was a big wimp and I would try to hide from her, but needless to say, it made an impression! I’m still a wimp, but I now have an appreciation for a stormy night and curling up with a creepy, suspenseful story.

The title was inspired by this classic poem “In a Dark, Dark Wood.” Even though this is a children’s poem, I found a fun way to weave it into the story.

#3: And (of course) my love for fairytales!

You might be wondering how this all fits into the Forest Tales series. This book is set in the same world as my other three and has a dark fairytale feel to it. It’s not a strict retelling, but there is inspiration from the classic fairy tales of Beauty and the Beast and Little Red Riding Hood.

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed learning about all the little things that helped shape this story, and don’t forget, you can pre-order In a Dark, Dark Wood now!

Also, check out my vision board for this story below (sources for all images can be found on my Pinterest page):