Behind the Story: The Gothic Inspiration for Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary

There’s something irresistible about a crumbling manor, a brooding hero, and a heroine determined to uncover the truth. That blend of eerie atmosphere and sweeping romance has always captured my imagination and it’s exactly what inspired Once Upon a Midnight Dreary.

This story is my gothic retelling of Poe’s The Raven, but it’s also my love letter to the genre itself. I wanted to capture the moody beauty of the old gothic romances—the ones that drip with candlelight and secrets—but give it my own fairytale twist.

Here are a few of the vibes that inspired me while writing:

• Moonlit halls echoing with footsteps that may—or may not—be real.
• A love powerful enough to defy even death’s hold.
• Ghosts that linger, not always out of malice, but out of sorrow.
• Music that feels like whispers in the dark (I listened to a lot of atmospheric piano and violin).

Tell me in the comments: What’s your favorite gothic romance or ghostly story?