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Author Spotlight: Gothic Fantasy Author Nadine Bells

I’m Nadine Bells (she/her), a Gothic fantasy & horror author with a passion for whimsical, romantic and magical stories. Born and raised in the South of Germany, I draw a lot of inspiration from medieval castles, dark forests and classic fairytales. In 2023, I moved to the beautiful Mediterranean island of Cyprus where I now live with my partner and our unreasonable number of cats.

Author Links:

Website: nadine-bells.com

IG: @nadinebellswriter
TikTok: @nadinebellswrites

Once Upon A Song: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/once-upon-a-song-nadine-bells/1148696663?ean=9781967911103

Linktree with all important links: linktr.ee/nadinebells

Book Summary for Book Clubs/Readers:

Welcome to the Hôtel de Neige. Let yourself be swept away by its grandeur and glamor but beware – the cold may swallow you whole.

When lonely waitress Ana lands a job as a singer at the prestigious Hôtel de Neige, she believes it to be the beginning of her fairytale. Yet she soon finds that in those eerie halls, the line between Cinderella story and Gothic nightmare blurs. Sinister dreams cause her to sleepwalk, a ballerina makes ominous threats, and a phantom in white haunts the hotel – and Ana.

When Ana discovers that the hotel’s last singer lost his life under mysterious circumstances, she needs to decide if happily-ever-after is worth it. She knows she cannot trust her secretive colleagues or the charming but elusive hotel manager, Dimitri. All Ana ever wanted was to belong but at the Hôtel de Neige that may mean never leaving again.

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Your debut novella,  Once Upon a Song, came out with Quill & Crow in January 2026. Was this the first book you wrote? Can you tell us more about your writing and publishing journey so far?

I have been writing stories basically ever since I could write, mostly fantasy. When I was eleven, I finished my first “book” – it was Warrior Cats fanfiction. Since then, I’ve written five more books, two in German and three in English, but Once Upon A Song is my first published work.

What is your relationship with the Gothic and fairytales, and what inspired you to blend them together?

Fairytales have always inspired my stories. I grew up on Brothers Grimm and Disney movies.

The German versions tend to be much darker and more brutal. Just because a story features romantic ballroom dances doesn’t mean it can’t also feature mutilation. That’s one of the reasons why the connection between fantasy and horror makes so much sense to me.

In Once Upon A Song, that connection happened very naturally. When I wrote the first draft of Once Upon A Song, I didn’t explicitly plan for it to fall into the Gothic genre but the story decided that’s where it wanted to go and with every reiteration, it became a little bit darker.

What gave you the idea to set a Gothic tale based on The Snow Queen X Phantom of the Opera in a hotel, and which versions of the fairytale in particular were you most inspired by? What other influences come into play in this novel?

The initial inspiration came from the musical Anastasia which I got to see live way back in 2019. I left the show with the desire to write something that would capture that same feeling of whimsy and mystery and magic.

That merged with the idea to put a new spin on The Snow Queen, one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most intriguing stories.

The nods to Phantom of the Opera developed subconsciously as I drafted the story. I noticed the parallels later on and decided to embrace and strengthen them. There are a lot of other influences that shaped the book, from the dark beauty of Guillermo del Toro’s Crimson Peak to the romantic extravagance of Bridgerton. Once Upon A Song is very much an amalgamation of all the things I love.

How did the character of Ana develop, and what were your references for her? 

Ana’s character was inspired by the character of Anastasia: someone who feels lost in the world and is trying to find her place. In a world that’s more anonymous and lonely every day, it’s a relatable struggle for many people, including myself, which is why I wanted to explore that theme.

Another huge part of Ana’s character is her relationship to music and her ability to find comfort and belonging through her creative pursuit – that’s definitely something I borrowed from my own life.

How did you develop the hotel itself – the sinister, wintry Hôtel de Neige? How did you decide upon a hotel as the equivalent of the Snow Queen’s Ice Palace and were there any real life buildings that inspired your Snow Hotel?

Setting is one of my favorite parts of storytelling. I loved coming up with the Hôtel de Neige and its atmosphere. The decision to set the book in a hotel came very early on in the process. Hotels are places where we can forget our daily life behind for a while; they are magical but only because you know your time there is limited. That’s the perfect backdrop for Once Upon A Song.

The architecture itself was inspired by Strawberry Hill House, the estate of Horace Walpole who wrote the first Gothic novel. It’s a gorgeous building which truly captures the dark spirit of the Gothic genre – even though its exterior is completely white. I love that contrast and it’s something readers will discover in Once Upon A Song: great beauty which hides sinister mysteries.

Lastly – what are you most excited about for readers to discover in this story, and what has been your favourite ARC reader responses so far?

The reaction has been wonderful so far. Most days, I still can’t believe there are people out there reading my book. Nothing makes me happier than hearing from people who curled up with it on a cold day and were immersed by the story and its atmosphere – and surprised by its twists and turns.

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Feb 4 at 10:30amWeb