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On The Table Read, “the best book magazine in the UK“, author Rhen Garland talks about her book series, The Versipellis Mysteries, and the story of the latest release, The Shadow Of Death.
Written by JJ Barnes
I interviewed author Rhen Garland about her fantasy mysteries book series, The Versipellis Mysteries, what inspired her to start writing, and the latest book release, The Shadow Of Death.
Tell me a bit about who you are.
My name is Rhen Garland. I am a forty-something English woman with a good imagination, a dry sense of humour, and a mild Prosecco problem (this is sounding very much like one of those “Husband Wanted” posts from the nineteenth century!).
I am a Grey Kitchen Witch with a great appreciation for tea, hot-buttered crumpets, 1980’s films, and Golden Era murder-mystery authors. I am also a total movie nerd; I can recognise actors on film by the back of their heads…it’s a strange talent, but it is mine own.
I have managed CFS/ME, fibromyalgia, and a form of arthritis for the last fifteen years. It can, and occasionally does, interfere with my life and my writing. I am your classic introverted author…I hate people looking at me. I spend a great deal of time sitting in a quiet corner of my kitchen where I create, enable, and kill my characters while sipping tea…it’s great fun, and completely legal! As a Gemini, my butterfly brain can, when it decides to work properly, juggle several different ideas at the same time, which comes in handy while writing.
I write Gaslamp fantasy mysteries set in the late Victorian era that star a cast of immortals with strange abilities, devious humans, calculating killers, sadistic toymakers, and a very spoilt Labrador.
When did you first WANT to write a book?
I have always written stories…right from being a little girl. However, a teacher took great delight in shutting down my writing in Primary School; they tore up one of my essays when I was ten years old and told me I would never amount to anything. It took me twenty years to restart my writing.
When did you take a step to start writing?
When I was first diagnosed with my health issues, I realised that I could either spend the rest of my life staring at four walls, or I could use my imagination and write the tales of the characters inside my head. I was resting in the living room when I saw an image in my mind’s eye that I knew I had to write down. It was a country lane in the moonlight, and a man in a shabby overcoat was walking down the middle of the road. So, I started making notes about what I thought the story might be…big mistake!
I wanted my book to be set in the 30’s, but after several false starts, I realised my characters had to be a part of the process…they chose the Victorian era, not me. That moonlit sequence became part of my first book, A Portrait of Death.
How long did it take you to complete your first book from the first idea to release?
Due to homelife, family commitments, and my health issues, the first book in my series took ten years to write and release.
How long did it take you to complete your latest book from the first idea to release?
I had ideas for book two while I was writing book one, and I had ideas for book three while I was writing book two. But during lockdown I took the opportunity to refresh my first two books and focus a little more on the fantasy and paranormal side of the story, so I added a little here and there to books one and two while I was writing the third book. Because of the added work, book three took a little over eighteen months.
Focusing on your latest release. What made you want to write The Shadow Of Death?
Because I wanted to know what happened next!
With book three, The Shadow of Death, I really wanted to see if Veronique the Labrador would come into her own…and she certainly did!
Finding out more about my character’s backstory in their homeland was also wonderful…it just worked so well.
I also wanted to see if I could finish one of the main character arcs…I loathe those books and TV series where one antagonist or plotline just seems to go on and on and on!!! Wrap it up, already, and give us a new villain and storyline!
What were your biggest challenges with writing The Shadow Of Death?
Constraints caused by my health issues were the worst challenges. I try to write every day, but when I’m having a flare, all bets are off. Second issue…procrastination! I can procrastinate for my country.
Who or what inspired you when creating your Protagonist?
I genuinely can’t say. When I started to write A Portrait of Death, he didn’t arrive until a third of the way in. Up until that point, I thought Lord Lapotaire was to be my detective. But then Caine and Thorne arrived in their office in Scotland Yard and I immediately though “oh, yes…of course”, and there they were.
Who or what inspired you when creating your Antagonist?
Again, they are completely themselves. As I wrote their scenes, they began to show me more about who they were, and it was no one I recognise from anywhere in this world.
At first, I thought I was writing a very straightforward murder mystery…but then my antagonist began to change. The murder that takes place in the second epilogue, the paranormal element, and the ending were all the last things I wrote in book one…my antagonist went from being a greedy human to an immortal with the ability to become the person they kill, both physically and mentally and with all their victim’s memories intact, to better enable their camouflage.
This way of writing happened again in books two and three.
What is the inciting incident of The Shadow Of Death?
Book three opens with a group of cultists preparing to sacrifice a victim in the early 1800’s. There’s a touch of the Hellfire Club about it, but things backfire quite rapidly. We then jump to Christmas, 1901, where a hideous family secret is discovered in the catacombs beneath Cove Castle. This lifts the lid on Filicidae; an evil creature that feeds off pain and fear, and several other murders committed a decade earlier.
What is the main conflict of The Shadow Of Death?
Caine and Thorne won’t allow the killer to achieve their evil ends. Their investigation deeply angers the murderer who simply refuses to stop.
But there is also the appearance of Aranae…discovering just who and what he carries the conflict forward…
It definitely snowballs!
Did you plot The Shadow Of Death in advance, or fly by the seat of your pants and write freely?
I am a total pantser…I never know what my characters are going to throw at me until they show me. I can’t plot the storyline; one of the few times I tried, the characters just stood there and glared at me until I threw the plotline away, at which point, they went back to work…and so did I. I make short notes; plot ideas, dialogue, names, character traits…some of which I’ll use, some of which may appear in other stories, and some of which will never see the light of day.
Did you get support with editing, and how much editing did The Shadow Of Death need?
Originally, no…and it shows!
During lockdown I decided to use the time to refresh the series and I managed to find a brilliant freelance editor who offered a service that is a little bit of everything; line editing, proofreading, synonym suggestions, historical accuracy etc. She had a look at a sample of my first book, sent it back, and my Gods…the red ink! But she said she would be happy to take my books on, and thanks to her, I have noticed that my writing has improved…it’s still my voice, but it is definitely clearer, tighter, and it flows better.
I still have an odd way with punctuation, though…it is a part of how I write.
What is the first piece of writing advice you would give to anyone inspired to write a story?
Write with your own voice.
Don’t ever allow anyone to force you to stifle or censor a character’s personality or situation…the characters are who, what, and how they are, don’t try to turn them into something they aren’t just because someone else demands it. They can write their own stories, you should focus on your characters; listen to them, allow them to tell you their story so you can tell it to others…because if you don’t, who will?
Other things to consider…
All writers are different. Some are plotters, some are pantsers, and some are a mixture of both. Some can write two thousand words a day, some can only manage a few dozen. Some can have three books out in a year, some manage one in a decade (hellooo!).
Some use a computer, some handwrite their manuscript, and some use both methods; personally, I write on my laptop…yes, I still call it writing even though it’s typing, and my notes are on scraps of paper…my desk looks like an explosion in a Post-It-Note factory!
What works for one author doesn’t always work for another. If a certain method doesn’t speak to you, try something else. There is no “ONE” way of writing, and if someone tries to tell you there is, ignore them. Find your own way of releasing the words and characters inside you.
In short; If you have an idea for a story, write it, it doesn’t matter when, why, or howyou write it, just get it down.
Can you give me a hint about any further books you’re planning to write?
I‘m currently 36,000 words into book four in the series. This one’s set in Egypt and involves immortals, necromancers, toymakers…and airships! I’m really enjoying how the story is playing out. I’ve already written the beginning, the ending, multiple murders, and chunks of the middle, so it’s just building the bridges to link everything up, now.
I’ve already written the beginning of book five…messy! I know where book six will be set, and I know who’s coming back from book two for that one because they’ve already told me. I also know who the antagonist will be in book seven.
I’ve noticed the death count in my books is getting higher with each instalment…after all the deaths in book four, book five is going to be a bloodbath!
And, finally, are your proud of your accomplishment? Was it worth the effort?
Yes, I am. I love the feedback from my readers about the characters that, if I hadn’t written my books, would still be living in my head. They’re out there in the world for others to enjoy now.
It can be tiring…I often wake up at 3am with ideas. There are times when my husband has finished work for the day and if the muse has landed, I’ll still be hammering away on my laptop into the evening. It interferes with your home life, and your private life…I’ll be talking with someone and my eyes will suddenly glaze over because I’ve had an idea for a character’s name three books from now!
But I think it’s well worth the effort.
Pop all your book, website and social media links here so the readers can find you:
My website is;
My Twitter is;
My Instagram is;
https://www.instagram.com/rhen_garland/
My Facebook is;
https://www.facebook.com/rhengarlandauthor/
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