I’ve always been a great bookworm, a love I inherited from my mum who would read anything she could get her hands on.
SoulBreather, Helen Garraway’s award-winning paranormal and urban fantasy, was up in lights in Times Square as a 2024 BookFest Gold medal winner. Here is a glimpse into her writing journey.
Lyndi: How does someone with your educational and work background end up writing fantasy?
Helen: Becoming an author was never something I actively considered. I’ve always been a great bookworm, a love I inherited from my mum who would read anything she could get her hands on. So I had plenty of books to choose from and my favourite books were action and adventure and fantasy. It wasn’t until my mum passed away and my daughter left for university that I was suddenly at a loss as to what to do with myself.
I started writing. I took an idea that had been bubbling in the back of my mind and wrote it down. I filled quite a few notebooks. The ideas kept flowing and then I realised I had written a book, but it didn’t end there, I had more ideas. It took forever to type it up on the PC, so I started writing straight on the PC. That became the epic fantasy Sentinal Series.
I think my degree in International Politics helped with all the political intrigue that flows through my books.
I got fed up with reading my book on my laptop and wanted to read it as a physical book, so I investigated how to get published and after much research, and a lot of editing (!), I ended up self-publishing my books.
Lyndi: What are the various types of fantasy you write and how do you determine the sub-genres for your books?
Helen: The first books I wrote were epic fantasy. The Sentinal Series is complete at six books and two novellas. I love world building and the Sentinals travel over a large world which was great fun to create. My second series was fantasy romance or paranormal romance because SoulBreather was written for a fantasy anthology. I had to write a book with a paranormal creature, and I chose angels. The spice level was up to the author and I chose middle of the road. Not too spicy, but enough romance to show how invested the characters are in each other. And then I have a standalone novel, Harmony which is dystopian science fantasy.
Lyndi: Congratulations on SoulBreather making it to the top of the USA Best Sellers List. What made this book particularly popular? Live reading of SoulBreather
Helen: SoulBreather was part of the Realm of Darkness Anthology which hit the USA Today bestseller list in 2022 and was the first book I wrote to an external deadline. I think SoulBreather is popular because it is easy for readers to immerse themselves in the world and has characters who readers can connect with. The idea of everyone having a soulmist and that it can be taken or manipulated is intriguing. A world of sunlight and shadows, where not everything in the light is good nor those in the shadow are bad. A world where people are soulstripped as a punishment. Demavrian and Solanji are very popular and readers love their journey as they discover how they can help each other. And there are dragons! What more do you need?
I am even more excited because SoulBreather was up in lights in Times Square as a 2024 BookFest Gold medal winner for paranormal and urban Fantasy, along with Sentinals Justice, book 3 of the Sentinal Series, which won a gold medal for Epic Fantasy. Check it out here: http://helengarraway.com/2024/06/01/soulbreather-and-sentinals-justice-hit-times-square/
Lyndi: Your book covers are captivating. How did you come by your designer and how much direction do you provide?
Helen: I find book covers one of the most difficult parts of publishing a book, because I am not an artist. For The Sentinal Series I found some covers I liked in my genre and searched for the graphic designer. I chose Jeff Brown, and the first time we met I described the book and my ideas, and he kindly explained why they wouldn’t work! It was an amazing experience to see him drafting ideas as I spoke, and to see the covers created. We did get quicker as we went through the series, and the Sentinal covers are amazing.
For The SoulMist Series, because there was a stronger romance subplot, I wanted the main characters on the cover, but still with the fantastical element. So, I described who I thought they should like, and SoulBreather had the swirling golden soulmist, DragonBound had the Ellaria, the golden dragon, and OblivionGate had the rose gate in the background. Miblart were the designers and they did a great job.
Lyndi: I hear a lot about how important it is to include romance in your stories. Why do you think this is important?
Helen: Relationships between characters are a part of life and readers relate more easily to what they know and understand. The author’s decision is how much romance to include. I use romance to enhance and emphasize a couple’s relationship, to show how much they care for each other, and how it affects their reactions to situations and each other. In The Sentinals Series, the romance doesn’t enter the story until later, but it adds to the tension and hightens emotions. In The SoulMist Series, the relationship between Demavrian and Solanji is central to the story and is integral to how they face their challenges together.
Lyndi: Often you write series so how did Harmony come to be a standalone?
Helen: I had this idea for a fantasy story that was set in a more dystopian world. The main character Kiefer was very demanding, so I had to write it. It sat on the back burner for a couple of years before I decided to do something with it and publish it. I have so many ideas for more epic fantasy series, and I want to write those, so I left Harmony as a standalone. Though if it ever got a following and readers demanded more, there is always a possibility I could return to the world.
I enjoy writing side stories. Readers often ask for more of a certain character, so I try and write a special novella as an extra story as a Christmas gift for my newsletter subscribers. You only get a copy if you are signed up to my newsletter (via www.helengarraway.com ) and it is available for free download for a limited period.
I am addicted to writing now. I have at least three epic fantasy series bubbling, a prequel to the Sentinal series, a spin-off of the Sentinal series, and plenty of side stories. I just don’t have the time to write them all. The problem is choosing which one to focus on first!
Lyndi: As a co-founder of Thames Valley Wordsmiths and a blogger of author interviews, why do you see writing communities a being important?
Helen: Writing is a solitary endeavour. Having a community of like-minded individuals around you helps keep you motivated and inspired. The writing community is very generous and supportive, so I wanted to pay forward all the help I received when I first ventured into the world of self-publishing. There is so much to learn, and a lot of information available online, some of which is conflicting! So, it can be quite daunting.
Once you have written your book and want to launch it, you need the support of friends and other writers to help spread the word. We all benefit when we help each other.
I read indie fantasy books and leave reviews. We all need reviews on all the book platforms to help raise visibility of our books, and I also offer author interviews, so authors can share their love of writing, some behind the scenes insights and writing advice they received. I am also an ambassador for the Alliance of independent Authors (ALLi) who support the self-publishing industry by promoting and supporting indie authors. You can join via my https://linktr.ee/HelenGarraway.
Lyndi: What marketing methods have you found most effective in promoting your books?
Helen: This is where the writing community is important. Working together we can cross promote each other’s books via newsletter swaps or group promotions. Sharing similar books to your own with your readers means authors can extend their reach and readers can find some new authors. Working together we can all be successful.
Helen Garraway is the USA Today and Amazon Bestselling author of the Epic Fantasy Sentinal series and the Fantasy Romance SoulMist series.
She has been writing about the world of Remargaren, a fantasy world of her creation, since 2016.
Helen has a Bachelor of Social Science in Politics and International Relations from the University of Southampton, and as a member of their alumni continues to offer support as part of their student mentoring programme.
She has worked in Technology companies (for far too many years!) from High Performance Computing to the latest Video conferencing solutions and now manages a team of Product Managers creating services for the solutions they manufacture.
Helen lives in Berkshire in the UK with her cat; a rambunctious ginger and white called Alfie.
She enjoys the odd glass or two of red wine and raises a glass to all who stop by, welcome.
If you’d like to stay in touch join her mailing list for latest news and information about her fantasy novels via www.helengarraway.com.
Having survived Apologia and faced down the Angelic Assembly, Demavrian has every right to be feeling triumphant, but the threat hanging over his head from the vengeful god, Kaenera, is enough to snuff out any celebrations.
His fledglings are distraught and in disarray, Solanji’s brother is still without a soul and Solanji has no idea how her SoulBreathing works. He has no idea how to manage the Oblivion Gate and even with his Gate Wraith’s help, the burden of the soulless banging on the door may be his undoing.
Kaenera is poised to strike back and if Demavrian doesn’t learn the secrets of the Oblivion Gate fast enough, he may be the shortest lived Gate Keeper in history.
OblivionGate is the third enthralling book in the Fantasy Romance SoulMist series full of vibrant characters, political intrigue and betrayal.
Order here: https://Books2Read.com/OblivionGate
Available on Kindle Unlimited for 90 days from launch, after that it will be in Kobo Plus and available from a book vendor of your choice.
SoulBreather and DragonBound are now available on audio.
