Atlanta-based author Channelle Desamours loves scary stories in all forms. She couldn’t get enough of them, so she started writing them herself. By day, Desamours helps her students unravel the mysteries of living organisms in her biology and forensic science classes. But in the wee hours of the morning and any other chance she gets, she writes supernatural, speculative mysteries that she describes as “twisty and emotional” for young adult readers. Her 2025 debut YA novel, Needy Little Things, about a teen with a superpower of hearing the needs of everyone who crosses her path, earned multiple starred reviews. Desamour’s ghostly sophomore novel, They Call Her Regret, hit shelves this month. PW spoke with the self-proclaimed “science nerd” about her latest novel, what drew her to writing YA mysteries, and what her hopes are for her readers—aside from scaring them silly.

How did you choose to write stories about magical Black girls?

I chose to write my novels as genre blends. Needy Little Things is a little fantasy with a mystery thriller because the character is trying to undo what happened to her missing friend while navigating a superpower. They Call Her Regret draws in a bit more of a horror element into a mystery. While writing, I love hooking my readers with something they’re familiar and/or comfortable with and then slipping in some other stuff. Growing up, my dad fostered my love of reading, and my mom turned me onto scary stories. As a result, I love mystery, horror, and thriller books and movies. And, if there’s fantasy, sci-fi, and some romance mixed in, I’m there for it. I find that my students have broad interests, but they can also become fixated on one thing. So, I aim to broaden my students and readers’ horizons.

As for writing about “magical Black girls,” I like to write about the beautiful things—the magic that we can share with the world, and at the same time be protective of them. I believe that no one is owed your gifts, whatever they are; and it’s important that we create healthy boundaries for how much we share with others and what we preserve for ourselves. I think this is something women in general can relate to and even more so for Black women. Learning to find the things that make us special, make us unique, and deciding how much, when, and to whom we give these things to others can be empowering. I want to empower my readers.

They Call Her Regret is a spooky tale with many twists and turns. At the same time, it’s filled with themes of family, close friendships, first loves, secrets, and regrets. How did you manage to weave all of these aspects together?

It all began with my main character, Simone. She’s a girl who wants to be good, to do the right thing, and to make everyone happy, but ultimately, and inevitably, she falls short. The book centers around this flawed human, as we all are, who has the best intentions, but learns the hard way that these don’t always ensure good outcomes.

I see this every day in how my students’ misunderstandings, miscommunications, and assumptions can create all sorts of drama that feels earth-shattering for them. The teenage years are filled with many big firsts that are often black or white—or all or nothing. With this novel, I wanted to explore the gray areas—to look at the pressures that teens often face while trying to live up to standards that they have, and that other people have for them, while making mistakes.

Using those creepy woods and lonely dolls to tell a story of guilt, grudges, and complex loyalties to family and friends allowed me a way in. Then, I added the character named Regret to turn that emotion into a physical thing that could literally haunt my characters and raise the stakes. While it’s a supernatural mystery, it’s also very much about all the things we will do to protect the people we love.

What else can you tell us about Simone and where the inspiration for her story came from?

Simone’s character and name were inspired by Nina Simone’s song “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” The song has a line in it that says, “No one can always be an angel.” I thought a lot about those words as I created Simone, a kid who gets perfect grades and does what she’s supposed to do. I wanted to create a teen character who is quite different socially and academically than my main character in Needy Little Things. Simone’s really involved in school activities, has lots of friends, but is worried about people discovering what is underneath. So that’s when her mask goes on. She puts on a version of herself that she wants other people to see. I observe the same things with my own students. They come to me to vent about their friends and have some of the same concerns. All of this makes crafting teenaged characters challenging, but in a good way, because they’re on the border between childhood and adulthood. I think part of writing authentic teens is trying to create characters who think they’re a whole lot more grown up than they really are, yet are far less childlike than the adults in their lives believe them to be.

Outside of scaring your readers, what are your hopes for your new book and desired takeaways?

Through the story and my characters, I want my readers to see the value of confronting and learning how to deal with their own mistakes and/or problems—whether internally or by sharing them with family members, friends, or a therapist. Perhaps, they may be looking for peace, acceptance, or forgiveness for what they have done, and trying to figure out how to move forward. I hope that after reading this book a teen will understand that one mistake doesn’t have to define them.

They Call Her Regret by Channelle Desamours. Wednesday, $20 Feb. ISBN 978-1-250-33770-2