“I definitely wanted to make him a little more sympathetic,” Blackwood said. But when she envisioned her Rochester, Blackwood had a plan. So that the reader could sit there with her going ‘oh my god, why is this taking so long?'”īrontë’s Rochester is one of literature’s most famous brooding leading men. I wanted there to be a process in getting rid of the Evil Eye that was tangible and measured. But the welding of the silver was what I sort of took into my own creative hands. There is silver involved in getting rid of the Evil Eye too. “I just took a lot of creative license in making them different.

“The amulets are part of the Evil Eye lore,” Blackwood explained. In the world of Within These Wicked Walls, Andromeda has to wield and create a very specific kind of power to survive. If you’re a fan of intricate lore-filled magic systems, Blackwood has you covered.

So I thought she could do pretty well in this situation.” She doesn’t know where she’s going to get her next meal or where she’s going to sleep. “She’s used to unpredictable circumstances, like living on the street. “I thought that giving her street smarts made more sense than any other kind of education,” she said. But she’s also a little vulnerable and I think that helps to balance her out.”Ĭreating such an unpredictable haunted house and series of threats, Blackwood realized that she needed to build Andromeda’s skill set. “So I gave her a backstory where she had to survive on being tough, not relying on affection or people to help her out, because she knew she had to handle this herself. “I knew she had to be a tough sort of person to survive this haunted house,” Blackwood explained. She’s a powerful, young exorcist Rochester hires to cleanse his house of the Evil Eye. In the face of such supernatural power, you need a hero who can stand strong and hopefully at some point fall in love with the mysterious Rochester. She said, “I just thought of things that would scare me! If there could be a manifestation in each room of something that would freak me out, that would work.” It’s sort of romantic but terrifying!”īlackwood’s haunted house overflows with horrifying spirits and abhorrent creations. She explained that she wanted to make sure she was bringing real Gothic traditions to the book along with some “ Crimson Peak vibes.” She elaborated, “Romance is very important, there’s lots of tension, and the house is definitely haunted. Blackwood felt that taking the gothic atmosphere and turning it up to eleven was key. One of the things that immediately stands out about Within These Wicked Walls is just how scary it is.

Lauren blackwood books