Interview With Debut Author: Rachel Louise Driscoll
In this blog post, I am interviewing my sister, Rachel Louise Driscoll, whose debut historical fiction novel, Nephthys, is hitting bookshops in February 2025! In this interview, Rachel will give us a little flavour of her novel and share with us some of her writing journey, as well as letting us know when her book is available to pre-order.
Rebekah: First of all, congratulations on securing an agent and a publisher for your novel, Nephthys! You must be beyond excited and I’m beyond proud of you.
Rachel: Thank you so much Rebekah. Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m here with my debut novel about to be published. It’s such a dream come true and is proving to be a very exciting journey.
Rebekah: When did you first start writing Nephthys and what inspired you?
Rachel: I first started plotting and writing Nephthys whilst overcoming post viral fatigue in September 2021. My inspiration came from a childhood experience – one which I’m sure you’ll remember Rebekah. When we were children, mum arranged for us to have a private handling session of Egyptian artefacts at the museum, and when I held a mummified cat in my hands, it was unreal. That moment, holding something from another age that had once been alive, really touched me. So, in 2021, when I was deciding what I wanted to write, I had this germ of an idea about Egyptology, and as I’m completely in love with the Victorians, it just made sense to join the two. I love blending historical fiction with elements of mythology, married with plenty of Gothic romance, so this book is really a cocktail of all of those things.
Rebekah: Are you able to give us a little idea of what your novel is about without giving anything too much away?
Rachel: Absolutely! Nephthys tells the story of Clemmie, a hieroglyphist and the daughter of famous Egyptologist, Dr Attridge. After suffering years of family adversities, Clemmie arrives in Egypt on a secret mission related to one of her father’s Egyptian relic parties. The myth of the Egyptian goddess Nephthys echoes uncomfortably in Clemmie’s life as she attempts to save herself and what’s left of her home. But keeping her secrets close proves just as challenging as her quest as she encounters myriad adventures, peril, and romance along the ruins of the Nile.
Rebekah: How long has this particular journey been with this novel, from the conception of the plot and finishing your first draft to finding an agent and a publisher?
Rachel: I started plotting and writing the book around September 2021 and I think I finished the first draft around January 2022. After editing it I sent it out on submission to agents, and had three offers of representation. I accepted Sarah Hornsley’s offer as we really shared the same vision for the book and I was excited by her enthusiasm for my writing, and we worked together to get the book ready for submission to publishers in the January 2023. In March 2023, I had an offer from my dream publisher: Liz Foley at Harvill Secker of Vintage, Penguin Random House.
Rebekah: How long have you been seriously writing and trying to get published?
Rachel: I had the deluded, rose-tinted idea as a teenager that all I had to do was write a book and send it to a publisher and it would get published. It was only as I started to do more research that I learnt about agents, what unsolicited manuscripts meant, and how difficult it actually is to get picked up. I’ve been writing from a young age (animal stories and Enid Blyton-style adventures as a child and moving onto Westerns in my teens), and gradually as I got older I realised historical fiction was my thing. It took me several years to truly find my style, and my Curtis Brown Creative courses (the 6 week Edit and Pitch Your Novel online course, and the 3 month Write From Home course for which I won a scholarship in 2020) both really helped me grow as a writer. So it’s definitely been a long journey, especially with a long-lead on my book deal (almost 2 years from my offer from Harvill Secker to actual publication) but I’m still very blessed to be getting published at the age of 27.
Rebekah: What advice would you give to budding aspiring authors out there?
Rachel: Read lots in your genre. Everyone says this, but it really is such good advice. You really need to know your market. Read the acknowledgements at the back of the books to see who the author’s agent is – might they be looking for something else in that area? But also don’t be afraid to read widely. I mostly read upmarket historical fiction, but I also enjoy contemporary thrillers, literary fiction, and the occasional whodunnit. I’m also a huge fan of Southern Gothic – give me Where the Crawdads Sing or Girl in the Walls any day!
Also, consider signing up for a CBC course (or similar) and find your writing group. Workshopping can be so helpful, not just for receiving feedback for your own writing, but also making yourself think to feedback for other writers. If you can learn how to read someone else’s work to give constructive criticism, you will get better at editing your own writing.
Rebekah: Tell us a bit about your agency and your publisher and what has it been like working with them?
Rachel: My agent Sarah is part of PFD agency, who are celebrating 100 years this year (2024)! They represent some amazing authors, such as Rose Tremain and Eleanor Shearer. Sarah is a dream to work with. She’s extremely talented (her own debut thriller ‘Bad Blood’ is out in 2025!) and is always there to answer all of my questions, work editorially with me, and really champion me and my writing.
Liz Foley is my editor at Harvill Secker. Again, Liz has been incredible to work with on Nephthys. She’s so open to my requests for all the details of the finished book, and has been amazing to join forces with through the editing. Harvill Secker publish authors such as Susan Stokes-Chapman, Erin Morgenstern, and Brooke Robinson, to name a few. It really is an honour to join their list of authors.
Rebekah: When is the official release date for Nephthys and when does it go on pre-order?
Rachel: Nephthys is due to be published in the UK in hardback and ebook on the 6th of February, 2025. And the exciting news is that you can pre-order it now! I think all authors say this, and it’s super important, so I’m going to take this moment to say please do pre-order. Those pre-order figures really mean a lot and can help a debut author. I’d be so grateful if people would take the time to pre-order Nephthys.
Rebekah: Tell us how we can go about pre-ordering your novel and where it will be available from, as well as what formats it will be available in.
Rachel: You can pre-order Nephthys from Waterstones, Amazon, or your favourite independent bookstore. It will be released in a beautiful hardback first (and ebook), followed by a paperback later in 2025 (date tbc).
Rebekah: What elements of your story do you think will captivate your audience?
Rachel: If you love Egyptian mythology, the 19th century, Gothic romances, hieroglyphs, adventures on the Nile, books layered with secrets, archaeology, cats, (I could keep going) then this story is for you.
Rebekah: Sum up your novel in three words.
Rachel: Victorian Gothic Egyptomania
Rebekah: Can you tell us the best way of keeping up to speed with you and your writing?
Rachel: Of course. I’m currently in the process of building a website. In the meantime, your best way to keep up to date with my writing is on social media. You can find me on:
Twitter X: @RachLouDriscoll
Instagram: @rachel.louise.driscoll
Rebekah: Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. I cannot wait to read Nephthys and see what’s in store for you!
Rachel: Thank you for taking the time to interview me. I’ve really loved discussing my debut novel with you, and I can’t wait for readers to discover Nephthys!
You can preorder your copy of Nephthys now at one the below retailers (or your favourite independent bookstore!). Just click on the links below:
Comments