Rebecca Netley interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My name is Rebecca Netley and I am author of Monstrous Souls (under the name Rebecca Kelly) and both The Whistling and The Black Feathers, the latter being published in October this year. The Whistling and The Black Feathers are gothic, historical ghost stories unlike Monstrous Souls which is a contemporary thriller.

When did your love of books begin?

I loved books before I was able to read them. My mother read a wide variety of literature when we were children and even when I did not understand the meaning, I recall how much the words themselves were thrilling.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

Although I have always written, I first considered the idea of making money from it in my early twenties and made a few attempts at getting published. I realise now that I understood nothing of the way the industry operated and had very little grasp of what was required. After gaining no traction whatsoever, I abandoned the idea for many years and only began Monstrous Souls when my children were in their mid-teens.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

I think, like almost everyone attempting to become published, the journey is long and arduous and full of disappointment. My first book failed to gain an agent in the eighteen months I tried and was eventually published by a small press, which has since folded. I was luckier with The Whistling, getting an agent quickly followed by a publisher.

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

I would encourage anyone with a love of writing to follow their dream. I would however say that it usually takes great tenacity to succeed – the road is frequently littered with rejection and disappointment. However, there is little more satisfying than seeing your hard work pay off and find your own book on a bookshop shelf.  

Tell us about your book/books:

Monstrous Souls is a dark thriller following the brutal attack on three girls that left one girl missing, one girl dead and one girl with no memory of the assault.

The Whistling is a ghost story set on a wild and remote Scottish island. Elspeth leaves the mainland following a personal tragedy to become nanny to eight-year old Mary. But hope is soon dampened when she discovers that Mary is mute following the death of her twin brother and that the previous nanny has disappeared. But it is not long before there are other concerns: what is the source of the eerie whistling and who is humming lullabies late at night in the corridors?

The Black Feathers is also a ghost story. When Annie marries widower Edward and arrives at his estate on the Yorkshire moors, the life she imagined is not as she had hoped.

Edward's psychic sister still lives in the family home and soon unsettles Annie. It is not long before Annie feels haunted but another concern begins to make itself felt: what exactly happened to Edward's first wife and why is Iris so disturbed?

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

Connecting with the writing community has been joyous. My main forum for social interaction as a writer and reader is Twitter. It has been wonderful to discover how supportive the writing community is  and I have made many friends and had lots of fun.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

I would say thank you for reading my book; I do not expect everyone to like it but someone loving my book makes it all worthwhile and I love to hear when that is so.

Where can people connect with you?

I can be found on Twitter as @Rebecca_Netley and I am also on facebook.