Interview With The Author
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The blurb:
House of ThievesAt Terrington Hall, objects are treasured while people are forgotten.
Chief conservator Amy is restoring the Hurly family’s guilt-stained hoard when a theft forces her to hire Harrison, a security adviser on a personal quest to uncover his own history.
Unknown to anyone, an invisible presence woven into the fabric of the house watches their every move.
When Harrison uncovers a room sealed for decades, the investigation shifts from simple theft to the resurrection of murderous secrets. In a house where the past is too heavy to escape, the dead don’t need bodies to tell their stories — they just need someone to listen.
One house. Two mysteries. Two centuries apart.
Q1. What advice do you have for other ghost story novelists?
Whether you decide your supernatural being is benevolent or not, they have to be a person or presence that has a character, just like any other. Many ghost stories seek to scare or crossover into horror, but I think ghosts are the ‘extra’ character in a story that can bring a twist to the plot just because they are magical in their own right. They’re allowed to break the rules and be extraordinary. In House of Thieves, turning the narrator into a ghost wasn’t my original idea; it evolved from an earlier draft. Be adventurous and have fun with your ghost(s).
Q2. What inspired you to become a writer?
When I was young my family and I would go on walks, long walks, during the summer holidays. If I started to dawdle, my dad told me stories, usually magical tales set among the scenery of our walk, instilling me with the idea that inspiration is all around us. My mum was an English teacher, and she would feed me books, all kinds of genres. Our house was a bottomless library. By the time I was eight, I was already writing badly spelled stories and poetry. I think it was inevitable that deep down I would want to write novels and I started to fill my head with stories.
Q3. Are you a member of creative writing group and does working with other writers give you inspiration?
I’m not part of a creative writing group, but I am a member of the Society of Authors (UK). It’s an organisation that represents published writers on many issues, such as copyright, traditional vs independent publishing, and more recently, protecting our books and manuscripts from being used to train AI tools without our consent. But what I like best is the local groups. I meet up with one every few months. It’s the only opportunity I have to chat and exchange ideas with other authors. Writing is a lonely occupation and sometimes encouragement is more vital than inspiration.
Q4. Why did you choose the name “Spare Time Press” for your imprint?
I write in my spare time, between being mum and my job. People generally read in their spare time, when they’re on the beach or on train journeys, or the book at bedtime. I gave my imprint the logo of an hourglass because spare time is precious and limited.
Q5. Do you write novels in other genres?
Yes – I write contemporary crime novels under the pen name Rae Shaw. The stories are darker, gritty and involve issues such as trafficking, domestic abuse and the odd serial killer. I wrote a trilogy starring an independent female investigator, who once worked as bodyguard and a spy. She ends up working for a charity that provides refuges and tracks down missing women. I didn’t want to write police procedural stories, which means I’m free of protocols. Julianna has a sidekick, Mark, and there is a little romance to lighten the tone, too. My next book will be a new Rae Shaw story with a different set of characters and a murder at a house party in the 1980s.
| Author Bio – Rachel Walkley |
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 Rachel Walkley is a former librarian and scientist who lives in the North West of England, where she spends her spare time making music and writing. Her debut novel, The Women of Heachley Hall, was a bestseller in the UK and Australia. Known for weaving together family secrets, magical mysteries, old houses and inspirational women, Rachel also writes gripping female-led crime novels under the pen name Rae Shaw. |
| Social Media Links – | |
| Web site | rachelwalkley.com |
| Rachel Walkley | |
| Goodreads | Rachel Walkley |
| @RachelJWalkley | |
| X | @RachelJWalkley |
| Bluesky | @raejcreations.bsky.social |
| Rachel Walkley | |
Thank you so much for sharing my book and the interesting questions. I enjoyed answering them. Best wishes, Rachel
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