“That experience of going under the ground and feeling how alienating it feels down there. That feeds very nicely into the sort of gothic ideas that we're talking about here, that sense of the past is oppressive.” – Rosie Andrews

Somewhere on the border between Wales and England, Miss Catherine Symonds arrives at the shadowy Locksley Abbey to take on the role of governess. She’s traveling in disguise, because what she’s really after is uncovering the circumstances surrounding her sister Emily’s death. Emily was the previous governess.

In The Puzzle Wood, author Rosie Andrews delves into tales of Welsh mythology, forgotten childhood memories, and an unreliable narrator. With this second book, the bestselling author of The Leviathan offers us a classic piece of gothic literature.

This episode explores how Rosie Andrews managed to write a pure gothic novel, inspired by gothic legends like Robert Louis Stevenson and M. R. James, while simultaneously retaining her own style. Hear about her choice of including a crime in the plot, as well as the challenges of writing a second book after a successful one.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why you should leave your house to become a better writer.
• How settings and landscapes can become characters in your story.
• How to write that perfect twisty end to your mystery novel.

Find out more about Rosie here.

Your host is inkjockey founder Mark Heywood.

Behind The Spine is an inkjockey production and the audio accompaniment to The Writing Salon. Sign up for the newsletter here.

You can buy copies of our anthology series here.

You can view the full transcript here.

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