My guest today is author, Rachael Holyhead whose debut novel, Black Hollow, has received great reviews. Rachael is going to talk to us about her writing journey, and her book. So grab yourself a cuppa, get cosy and let’s get chatting to Rachael. 

Bio

Rachael Holyhead was born in the industrial heart of Sheffield. She grew up in South Yorkshire, on the edge of the Peak District and draws on these dark landscapes in her writing.

She read history at Liverpool University and still loves the city. She is a lifelong Sheffield United supporter and also a fan of snooker.

Still passionate about history, she has eclectic reading tastes, enjoying everything from Wilkie Collins and the Brontës to more modern writers of mystery, horror and crime.

As a child, Rachael began writing letters and stories to her uncle, who was stationed overseas in the army.

She lives in Sheffield with her sons and her pet cat, Alice.

Welcome to my blog, Rachael, and congratulations on your debut being such a success. Can you tell us about your writing journey.

I think with all writers, a love of books comes first. I was always an avid reader but thanks to my maternal grandmother, I also wrote from an early age. From the moment I had any understanding, it was clear my Nan missed her son. He was stationed abroad in the army and she would rip up teabag boxes and get us writing to him on them. She was a recycling pioneer really and the ripped-up boxes became postcards and my few scribbled lines of news developed as time went by. When my uncle came home on leave, he encouraged me to write more and I began to make up stories especially for him. I believe they still exist in a loft somewhere.

I grew up and left writing behind but I never stopped reading. And then nineteen years ago, I injured my back. Years of pain followed, as well as years of solitude. Throughout this time, books have been my saviour, my comfort and escape. At nearly 50 and almost housebound, I believed all my achievements were behind me. But then, a chance encounter at my local library with an author inspired me to have a go at writing again. Almost five years later, my book Black Hollow was published. Written entirely from bed between bouts of pain, It’s a murder mystery but focuses more on the flaws of the characters. My main protagonist has my back condition, so I know he is authentic. I’d lost my mum during this period, so I used my experience of grief and bereavement to make other characters real.

The reviews have blown me away and now I can’t imagine not writing. I think the best thing about it all is hearing how much people have enjoyed reading my story and knowing that the people I created are now real in other people’s heads.

I dedicated the book to my Uncle David, who died in 2015.

So sorry to hear that you’re in so much pain Rachael. Thank you for sharing your inspiring writing journey. Congratulations on the success of Black Hollow and lots of luck with the sequel.

Rachael’s book

Derbyshire, England 1977

Marie is a girl with strange obsessions and a free and often wayward spirit.

Anna is shy and bookish, kept on a short rein by her repressive parents.

An unlikely alliance. A friendship forged in blood. Families intertwined forever.

Autumn 2010

A brutal murder is just the case chain-smoking detective Kate Fox has been waiting for, except her nemesis has other ideas.

Newton is struggling to live up to his own high standards. As he grapples with chronic pain and a hidden phobia, his wife leaves him and things begin to unravel.

As Anna comes to terms with her father’s murder, Marie returns after more than 30 years, sending her well-established drink problem spiralling out of control.

Set in a fictional town in Derbyshire, England, this gripping saga takes you on an emotional journey, with an abundance of twists and turns…

Buy  link: Amazon