Nightwatching

Tracy Sierra loved scary stories as a child, and as an adult, reading suspense and horror stories became a safe way for her to explore her fears and anxieties. Her first published short story, “The Burr,” is inspired by a collection of horror stories called The Burr Woman and Other Weird Tales, which she read as a child. As an adult, Tracy and her husband purchased a historic New England home that contains a secret room. Like Sierra, many homeowners discover these hidden chambers during renovations or repairs. Though most houses use the same floorplan, each has a unique story and mythology. New England farmhouses have also influenced local folklore and family traditions. For example, stories of hidden treasures, haunting apparitions, and inexplicable disappearances surface frequently, adding to these historic mansions’ sense of mystery and excitement. Likewise, false walls, underground basements, and attics were popular hiding locations, with access limited to unobtrusive doors or moveable panels. For Sierra, she began to contemplate the frightful darkness of these places and imagined the various secrets that they might be hiding. While writing the novel, she walked around her 300-year-old home and mapped out how the story would take place, including spending time in their secret space behind the fireplace.