Samantha B. Cummings's Blog

December 1, 2025

Why we love a dark academia antagonist…

More Than a Mean Girl?

In a dark academia novel, the true tension often doesn't come from an external monster; it comes from the person sitting across the library table....

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Published on December 01, 2025 03:40

November 12, 2025

The Role of Secrecy in Dark Academia.

Seductive secrets…

I don’t know about you, but I love secrets. Isn’t that why so many of us were obsessed with Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl back in the day? Secre...

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Published on November 12, 2025 09:37

October 28, 2025

Literary Ancestors: Tracing the Roots of Dark Academia Back to Classic Literature.

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Before the Aesthetic Was Named

Dark Academia might be a popular tag right now, complete with expected visual, and vibey aesthetics, but the core elements—the gothic...

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Published on October 28, 2025 10:37

October 21, 2025

How to Capture the 'Mood' of a Dark Academia Setting.

Atmosphere is Everything…The Unseen Character of Dark Academia

In Dark Academia, the setting isn't just a backdrop—it's a living, breathing character, that should influe...

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Published on October 21, 2025 13:05

October 14, 2025

Beyond Hogwarts: Essential World-Building Elements for Modern Magical Schools.

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The Stepping Stone to Something Darker

When we think of a magical school, Hogwarts is the default mental blueprint—I can categorically say this since I recently rel...

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Published on October 14, 2025 07:44

October 7, 2025

5 Tropes the Best Dark Academia Novels Always Get Right

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Why We’re Obsessed with Dark Academia

The appeal of Dark Academia isn't just about tweed and late night rituals; it’s about the inherent conflict between the pursui...

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Published on October 07, 2025 09:35

June 7, 2023

Another year older and all that June has to offer…

May was a quiet month for me - after finishing up the last of the edits on Curse of the Wild and sending the manuscript to my brilliant formatter, and nailing the book cover with my designer, I have to admit; I took time off.

I can’t say what I did - I read, cooked, walked a lot, and played video games for hours. Spent sunny afternoons in my allotment trying to dig up all the weeds and constantly feeling like I was failing, all the while, feeling full to the brim with excitement that CotW was rol...

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Published on June 07, 2023 06:04

May 4, 2023

Curse of the Wild - synopsis

Lucy never intended to leave her pack. Family was everything when you were born and raised a werewolf, but when her younger sister turned Wild and received a death penalty for the untreatable disease by the Alpha’s of the pack—their parents—she disappears. Now it’s up to Lucy and her older sister June to find Cassie and try to save her life.

Following a trail of dead animals across the country, the girls land in a dusty desert town where everyone seems to hate them, and secrets and drama hide aro...

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Published on May 04, 2023 02:20

May 2, 2023

Jan-April Wrap Up!

It’s May… how is it May?

As I baffle at the ever speeding time as it whips past me, dragging the year with it, let me also marvel at the progress I made with all of my projects.

If you remember, I wrote a rough guide to how I was planning out my writing year in a previous post. As I split the year up into quarters I thought it would be cool to check out how well or… not well, I had done with everything I set my sights on.

Reader, it is safe to say I am genuinely impressed with myself.

Yes, I pack...

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Published on May 02, 2023 06:59

April 18, 2023

Baby Steps has a NEW COVER!

It’s been a long time coming and I’m so happy to reveal the new Baby Steps cover!

For the longest time I’ve been meaning to release this, but the idea of faffing with Amazon’s cover system put me off. It’s sometimes a real pain in the neck and, at this moment, this new cover available in Kindle as I’m waiting on the paperback proof before I put it live, but no matter what happens… the new cover now matches the Etta! cover!

I hope you like it!!

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Published on April 18, 2023 04:06