About

The Mysterious R.M. Chastleton

Stop. Look around. There are mysteries everywhere, intriguing us. Our lives are filled with elements of the unknown, the gothic, the suspicious, the suspenseful. After all, do we really know what’s going on behind the walls of our houses? The mice and creepy crawlies would beg to differ, I’m sure. Without these uncertainties, life would be boring and predictable.

For some, predictability is a warm down comforter they snuggle under while binge watching television or while tearing through a novel. It is the soothing warm mug of herbal tea after a stressful day.

For others, seeking out the unknown provides a thrill. They ravage suspenseful movies and thrilling novels, trying to solve whodunit or jumping at every creek they hear in the attic. It ensures them that their own lives are normal and allows them to forget their own uncertainties for a brief moment.

For me, I have always been one of the latter.

As a child, I devoured every single book about unsolved mysteries, ghosts, and horror that the library had, rereading them over and over—one of which I checked out so many times, I don’t think anyone else ever got the chance to read it. I binged on the scary televisions shows I was allowed to watch or was able to sneak a peek at.

Now as an adult, I continue to seek out mysteries. I meandered through the castles of England. I visited places famous for their associations to the supernatural like Stonehenge, Salem, the Stanley Hotel, Jack the Ripper’s East End, and Robert the Doll’s house in Key West. But I also relished the thrill of exploring the unknown while surfing in California’s shark-filled waters and walking through the cobblestoned alleys of New York City. Normal, everyday life is often more mystifying than any fictional phantasmagoric fright.

When not writing in the wee hours of the morning, I can be found skulking around New York City seeking inspiration or at the local bookstore buying yet another mystery novel. I am a member of the MWA, SinC, and SCBWI.

In the Mysterious Nook, I will explore everyday unknowns, history’s mysteries, reminisce about the books I read as a child in the genre, discuss current novels, and, of course, announce my upcoming publications.

Come, follow me through a hidden door, down a long, dark passageway, and into a secret library filled with old, fragile books, claret velvet curtains, and tufted chaise lounges. Carry a candle and brew your own tea.