Ravenswood follows a team of paranormal investigators who embark on a chilling journey to investigate the supernatural entities that the Ravenswoood Asylum harbors. What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?

I’ve always been drawn to the boundary between reality and the unknown, especially in the realm of ghost hunts. I’ve joined a few over the years, with mixed experiences, some with undeniable chills, others marked by a sceptic or two ready to disprove every strange occurrence. This tension between believers and sceptics fascinated me. There’s a unique energy when someone tries to break down every supernatural experience, almost like a challenge to the paranormal itself.

Horror and the paranormal aren’t just about scares; they explore what lies beneath the surface, unseen and often unsettling. Writing Ravenswood gave me the chance to delve into those hidden layers, but with a twist: placing a sceptic at the heart of inexplicable phenomena. I wanted to explore what happens when the rational mind is forced to confront something it can’t explain, when disbelief unravels into fear.

This conflict is rich with suspense, especially as the sceptic becomes entangled in events that defy reason. It was thrilling to develop Steve’s journey as he moved from questioning every bump in the night to facing a darkness he couldn’t ignore. The horror genre allows you to magnify human responses to fear and the unknown, pushing characters to their limits and revealing sides of them they never thought existed. With Ravenswood, I hoped to give readers the same sense of uncertainty I feel on those ghost hunts, the lingering question: What if there really is something there, just out of sight?

What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?

Steve, the sceptic, was by far the most fascinating character to write. Bringing a sceptic into a haunted setting allows for a unique interplay between doubt and fear, and Steve embodies that balance. His mind set isn’t rooted in the supernatural, he’s grounded, rational, and prone to dismiss anything that veers into the realm of “unexplainable.” I loved exploring how he would interpret and confront these escalating events within Ravenswood Asylum, where every shadow, every whisper seems almost designed to wear down his resistance to belief.

Steve’s scepticism gives his journey a slow-burn quality that adds to the suspense. Watching him go from rolling his eyes at every odd sound to being forced to question the very fabric of his reality gave me so much room to develop not only his character but also the unfolding horror around him. It’s as if the asylum itself becomes an antagonist, steadily chipping away at his resolve until he’s faced with the terrifying possibility that there may be forces at work beyond his understanding.

What really drew me into Steve’s character was his internal struggle, his constant tug-of-war between the need to rationalise everything and the creeping fear that maybe, just maybe, he’s in over his head. Writing his reactions to each unnerving event allowed me to play with tension in a way that’s deeply psychological. As a sceptic, Steve doesn’t give in to fear easily, which means the horror has to evolve, becoming more insidious and personal, finding ways to target him specifically. It was a thrilling challenge to orchestrate a haunting that could break through his walls of disbelief.

By the end, Steve’s transformation speaks to something I think a lot of us relate to, the discomfort of facing the unknown and, ultimately, the question of what we choose to believe. Writing him not only made the horror feel real and grounded, but it also allowed me to explore the complex ways we react when confronted with something we can’t explain. For me, Steve’s scepticism makes the paranormal events in Ravenswood all the more disturbing because he’s not looking to be convinced, he’s being forced to confront a darkness that won’t be ignored.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

We are currently working on Stonebridge, the second book in this trilogy. After Steve, once the hardened sceptic determined to prove that the paranormal is all fake, is drawn into a mirror by a mysterious entity, much like Janet before him, the story leads us to the chilling Mosswood House Orphanage in Stonebridge. As Linda and Carl investigate, they uncover dark, twisted connections between Mosswood and Ravenswood Asylum, revealing secrets more dangerous than they ever imagined. Stonebridge is set to be on shelves early next year, and it will pull readers deeper into the trilogy’s mysteries, building up to an unforgettable final book.

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