Writing Suspense, Surviving Reviews and Finding the Right Book with Gemma Denham

In this episode of The Write Place, I’m joined once again by author Gemma Denham to talk about her new psychological thriller, The Inheritance. Kate and Patrick are struggling financially when an unexpected inheritance seems to offer the perfect escape: a Victorian townhouse on the north-east coast. But from the moment they arrive, things feel wrong. Objects disappear, footsteps sound in the night, and Kate begins to wonder whether someone is getting into the locked house, whether something more unsettling is at work, or whether she is losing her grip on reality.  Gemma and I chat about the idea behind the book, balancing thriller and supernatural elements without tipping fully into horror, and why The Inheritance flowed so differently from the difficult second book she originally tried to write. We also talk honestly about second book syndrome, imposter syndrome, Goodreads reviews, publishing timelines, social media, marketing as an author, and the reality of building a writing career after your debut has gone out into the world.  In this episode, we discuss:  The creepy locked-house setup behind The Inheritance  Writing suspense without crossing fully into supernatural horror   Why Gemma’s original second book didn’t quite work   The pressure that follows a debut novel   Plotting, character journals and visual references   Researching blessings and exorcisms with a local vicar   How reviews can feed imposter syndrome   The difference between writing for yourself and writing with a publisher waiting   Gemma’s Darkest Hour and what she learned from pushing through a difficult project  You can find out more about Gemma and her books at her website, GemmaDenham.com, and follow her on Instagram, Facebook and X. The Inheritance is available now in paperback and ebook. My book, Real Writers Never Quit, is out now: https://mybook.to/realwritersneverquit Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrkelly2u/