Atlantic City takes center stage in a chilling new novel that reimagines our local resort’s iconic casinos as more than a gambling fun ground, but as portals to something far darker. In “Roll Them Bones,” author Danielle Gomes fuses supernatural suspense with local lore, crafting a story where the line between luck and fate blurs and the house always wins.
Gomes, an Atlantic City-born and raised local, describes the novel as her “love letter” to AC. Growing up in the gambling business and even living at the Taj Mahal in her early years, her background, along with the rich history that Resorts Casino in Atlantic City carries, made it a no-brainer to use her beloved hometown as the backdrop for her new thriller.
“I love this area and I wanted to celebrate it in a fun way. I received the advice when I was starting out as a writer, to write what you know. When I was trying to come up with an idea for a horror novel, this bit of advice stuck with me and now here we are,” Gomes said.
“Roll Them Bones” is a supernatural thriller full of secrets, shocking twists, unreliable narrators, and stories where nothing is as it seems. Gomes used her love of horror movies and books to tune into this genre and story scope.
“I started watching scary movies as a little kid with my dad, then he got me into reading Stephen King, and my love of all things horror grew from there. I’ve loved the genre for as long as I can remember, so of course I wanted to write horror,” Gomes said. “When it came time to sit down and actually write the story, I drew inspiration from my hometown and its rich history.”
While Atlantic City is specifically named and featured in this story, the casino that inspired it is Resorts, due to its deep history. Gomes shared that it used to be the Chalfonte-Haddon Hall, built in the 1920s. During World War II, it became the Thomas M. England General Hospital, which was the largest hospital at that time. She shared that since not many buildings with that kind of history still exist, she thought the story needed to be told.
“My dad used to run Resorts, so at that time I was able to tour the building and hear some of the lingering ghost stories. There’s not many haunted house stories set in a casino and there’s even less that are inspired by true events. I wanted to create something different and ‘Roll Them Bones’ is the result,” Gomes said.
“Roll Them Bones” is meant to be a story about daring to be different, and Gomes hopes readers pick up on that theme and run with it. She also hopes locals connect with the familiar scenes while diving into the fun experience it provides, since they can relate to it. Gomes shared that the location in this story plays a major role in the overall narrative, essentially making it a character in itself. Many of the events in the story are inspired by real events that happened here.
“I did a huge amount of research into occult practices during this time period and wove that into a modern retelling. But, it’s fiction so, I hope readers have a bit of fun guessing what’s real and what’s made up. It’s the perfect time of year for a scary story,” Gomes said.
Gomes is holding an invite-only book release party at the historic Irish Pub Inn in Atlantic City on Oct. 23. She shared that this event is her way of saying thank you to the community for their support of her writing. The Irish Pub was a natural choice since the bar captures Atlantic City’s rich and wild history. Resorts is visible from the deck of the Inn, making it the perfect place to celebrate the release of “Roll Them Bones.”
At the heart of this novel is the setting itself, Atlantic City. Gomes shared that the writing process for “Roll Them Bones” began simply by knowing the location. The result is a truly local story that readers can relate to and take pride in, one that puts Atlantic City and its history on the map in a fun and entertaining way.
“I started with a location. Then I thought about the sort of story I wanted to tell there and what would work in this location. So much of this story is inspired by history,” Gomes said. “I just hope that readers have fun with this book and are surprised by some of the twists and turns.”
Delaney Crawford is a dynamic entrepreneur with a passion for storytelling and digital marketing. After earning a BA in Communications, Delaney built a successful career in the newspaper industry, honing skills in, news writing, media, and content creation. Driven by a desire to empower local businesses, Delaney founded DC’s Social Media & Content Creation, a company dedicated to helping businesses enhance their brand image and thrive online.
