Lauren Lee Smith: The Night Pool, Feminist Horror, and Forgotten History

Author Lauren Lee Smith joins The Dark Mind to discuss her debut novel, The Night Pool.Set in Gold Rush-era Coloma, California, the novel follows three women confronting human brutality, supernatural forces, and the histories buried beneath the mythology of the American West.Lauren discusses transforming the land itself into a source of possession horror and using monsters as vessels for grief, rage, and resistance.She also examines the destruction of Nisenan communities, violence against Chinese immigrants, and the challenge of writing experiences that have been neglected by the historical record.The conversation explores her severe postpartum depression and anxiety, the personal origins of The Playroom Ghost, her rural Northern California childhood, and the horror films that shaped her imagination.Lauren also reveals that The Night Pool has been optioned, discusses the screenplay adaptation, previews her Mojave vampire novel, and explains why she believes human intention cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence.The Night Pool will be published by Blackstone Publishing on August 25, 2026.GUEST LINKSLauren Lee SmithWebsitehttp://laurenleesmith.net/Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/lololeereverie/TikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@lololeereverieThreadshttps://www.threads.com/@lololeereverieXhttps://x.com/lololeereverieSubstackhttps://substack.com/@laurenleesmithGoodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/61062312.Lauren_Lee_SmithTHE NIGHT POOLBlackstone Publishinghttps://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-jqoyAmazonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/9798228350274Barnes & Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-pool-lauren-lee-smith/1148495489?ean=9798228350274Barnes & Noble Audiobookhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-pool-lauren-lee-smith/1148495489?ean=2940201219772Audiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/The-Night-Pool-Audiobook/B0FW7LWFS8Google Play Bookshttps://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lauren_Lee_Smith_The_Night_Pool?id=CCeOEQAAQBAJTargethttps://www.target.com/p/the-night-pool-by-lauren-lee-smith/-/A-95269156Indigohttps://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-night-pool/9798228350274.htmlOTHER WORKPretend You Don’t See Her: The Invisible WomanIncludes Lauren Lee Smith’s story Selkie’s StewKandisha Presshttps://kandishapress.com/pretend-you-dont-see-her/Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7G21ZDYThe Playroom GhostFOLIO Literary Journalhttps://www.folioliteraryjournal.com/2023-horrorSupport The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast