Author Focus - HL Tinsley

Author Focus returns for the first time in 2024 and this month I’m delighted to be able to feature HL Tinsley. HL Tinsley is the pen name of British fantasy writer Holly Tinsley. Sometimes described as the Princess of Grimdark, Holly’s most well-known literary creation to date is the novel We Men of Ash and Shadow, the first instalment of The Vanguard Chronicles. The book was a finalist in the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off writing competition in 2021 and the sequel, The Hand that Casts the Bone, came out to strong reviews in 2022.

Since then, Holly has turned her hand to producing the 2023 fantasy horror short story collection, The Anatomy of Fear, and was a fellow contributor to the winter-themed fantasy anthology The Advent of Winter, which is due for release later this year.

Tim – Hi Holly, welcome to Author Focus. This is an exciting time for you, with a new release coming out this month. Tell us a bit more about your inspirations for The Hallows and what we can expect from that novel.

Holly – I’m excited for this book to be out in the world. I think it’s different from anything I have done before. The Hallows is a grim noir fantasy with a 1920s aesthetic, and I drew a lot of inspiration from the gothic classics – Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and similar. The story follows Cam – an assessor for The Providence Company – as he investigates a string of unexplained deaths that may or may not be caused by the Hallow serum. Readers can expect to meet numerous quirky characters, including shady black-market dealers, floating nuns and a seven-foot Mother Superior.

Is there a particular message you’re trying to get across with this novel?

I include a lot of social themes in my writing because they interest me – prejudices, discrimination, the class divide – and the differences between the haves and have-nots. But I’m not trying to put any specific messages into the story – I am just telling people what this world is like and who the people are. If there is a message, it is more about the risks of hubris rather than me trying to make a point about society in general.

The obvious move after finishing The Anatomy of Fear would have been to complete The Vanguard Chronicles. Why did you decide to release a completely different project?

I love writing The Vanguard Chronicles – but I have been doing it since 2018. I think anyone who spends six years with the same person living in their head gets to a point where they need a little break from them. Last year was a tough one for me. I went through a long period where I was grappling with self-doubt and suffering from imposter syndrome. When I wrote the first Vanguard book, I had a precise plan and goals, all of which I achieved. But it all moved very quickly. I was still riding the crest of that wave when the second book came out. But after that, I realised I hadn’t figured out what would happen next. Not in terms of the story – but what was next for me as a writer. I stopped being able to see where I fit into the writing world, and that loss of direction made me retreat a little bit. It felt like someone had slammed the brakes on the car. I dropped back from social media and gave myself time to reflect and reset. I wrote The Hallows as a bit of an experiment. Moving away from Vanguard for a little while was probably the healthiest choice. I love him – he’s been the passenger in my mind for over half a decade. I could never do him or his story the disservice of writing what might well be his final outing while I’m not in the right headspace. But I’m getting there – the book is coming, I promise!

I think the struggles you’ve described are very common for authors. That ability to be able to step back, give yourself chance to rest and take stock are all very important. And for what it’s worth, if The Hallows was an experiment, I think it was a very successful one!

The Hallows feels like a genre shift for your writing. Vanguard falls firmly into the grimdark brand of fantasy, whilst you describe The Hallows as ‘grim noir’ – a blend of grimdark fantasy and the noir crime stories of the 1930s and 1940s. What is it about this style that appeals to you?

Grim noir is like grimdark’s cool, leather jacket-wearing older brother that smokes cigarettes and dates your sister. Joking aside, as subgenres they share a lot of similar elements. In both books the world is dank and dirty – it’s dog-eat-dog and the line between the good and bad guys is thin. I don’t think The Hallows is as grim as Vanguard. It’s got more whimsical elements, even if they are still quite dark. The Hallows is set in a 1920s-esque fantasy world, so there is more magic, whereas Vanguard was firmly rooted in a low fantasy world at the turn of the century. They’re two periods in history that fascinate me because they were steeped in social, political, and economic change. However, Vanguard’s world is all dark – a place where nothing really changes – whereas Cam’s world is experiencing nothing but change. There is an element of opulence and decadence to it. It’s a world being revolutionised by technology and modernisation and you either adapt or get left behind.

I love that description of grim noir and only wish I could be that cool!

I think my favourite Hallows character was The Lord of Spiders, partly because it was only a cameo appearance but yet his scenes were incredibly vivid and scary. Do you have a favourite character or characters from The Hallows? If so, who and why do they stand out for you?

The Lord of Spiders is this season’s Hector Mandego. Mandego was the throwaway character in the first Vanguard book that became one of my favourites. As such, he’s become a main fixture in the storyline now. Will the same happen with The Lord of Spiders? I’m not sure. The Hallows is a standalone, so we’ll have to see. In terms of my favourite character, it is hard to pick. When I wrote the Lord of Spiders, I was paying homage to the classic Bond-style villain but with a twist of the fantastical. I like to think of him as the love child of Blofeld and a Guillermo Del Toro creation. Everything is so poised and smooth but utterly abominable. He’s a predator wearing the mask of civility. I enjoyed writing the relationship and interactions between Cam, Daff and Forget-Me-Not. They all sync up with each other as a team and appreciate each other’s failings and foibles. It’s a sort of brotherhood, and it was nice to write those healthy relationships into the story.

You’ve featured in (and in one case produced) a number of short story anthologies (Skybreaker, The Anatomy of Fear, The Advent of Winter), so I’m assuming you enjoy the short story format. What do you like most about writing short stories, and how does this differ from the experience of writing novels? Is there a format you prefer?

I enjoy writing short stories – if I have what I think a good idea! It’s waiting for the inspiration to strike that poses more of a problem. Short stories are more of a challenge. I don’t ever plan for a story to be any particular length. I sit down with the idea and wait to see where it takes me. I find short stories easier when I write stories that lean more towards horror.

So, what are your plans for Vanguard? When can readers expect a conclusion to that series?

I am working on the third book now. Storyline-wise, I have almost all of it planned out. Whether this will be the last in the series or not, I’m not sure yet. I want to tell the whole story without suffering from middle book syndrome, so it’s about finding the natural break points and how they fit into one or two more books. There are a lot of reveals and explanations to come, particularly around Vanguard’s past and Carmen’s future. It will also be a real turning point for Vanguard because up until now, he’s lived his whole life according to other people’s machinations. Sooner or later, there’s going to be a straw that breaks the donkey’s back. We’re also going to see several changes in the power structure of both D’Orsee and the Black Zone. Some people are going to rise. Some people are going to fall. In book three, the gloves are off, and nobody is safe.

You’re the self-described ‘DM/boardgame nerd’ at www.pagechewing.com. How did that come about?

Last year, when I retreated from social media, I started looking for a new place to talk to people and hang out. I joined the Page Chewing forums – it was exactly what I was looking for – a fun, safe place to chat about books, films and other cool things. I ended up as a judge for the year-long short story contest on the forum and started to rebuild the confidence I had lost. I wanted to DM some RPG sessions, so I floated the idea of running a regular session past Steve (Page Chewing’s founder), who was more than happy for me to run with it. We run Dice Chewing about twice a month. We have a party of regular adventurers who play every session and are currently a few games into our first proper campaign, but it is very much open to anyone. You can join the party for a one-off session or as a guest NPC. It’s low pressure and no stress. I know how intimidating it can be to start playing RPGs, especially with people you don’t know – so I wanted to create a place where people could have a go without any experience necessary. We play 5E now, but we might start introducing different systems in the future. I have written a one-shot/short campaign guide based on The Hallows, which is available to download for free from my website. I thought it would be a fun addition to the book, where people can RP in the same world.

That sounds like a lot of fun and, having recently joined the Page Chewing gang myself, I can confirm it’s a really friendly, safe place to hang out.

Thanks so much for giving up your time to answer my questions. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we finish?

I think it would be remiss of me not to take the opportunity to thank the kind-hearted and wonderful people who make up the writer and reader communities – if you’re reading this, you’re awesome and you make doing this worthwhile.

Thanks again, Holly. The Hallows goes on sale on 22nd March 2024 and you can find it on Amazon and Goodreads. Here’s a bit more about the book:

The Hallow serum was once sacred to the Auld Bloods. Used to gain access to their lost ancestral powers, now it is regulated and administered by the powerful Providence Company. Evolved from the echelons of the Auld Church, the company exists to maintain the balance between faith, science and politics.

But keeping the peace between humans and Auld Bloods isn’t easy. Taking Hallow comes at a price. Providence Company Assessor Cam must deal with backstreet bootleggers, burnt-out addicts and floating nuns that won’t stay on the ground.

When a string of Auld Blood deaths appear to have been caused by a corrupted batch of Hallow, Cam begins to suspect all may not be as it seems. Bodies are piling up. Someone is hiding something, and the consequences are becoming monstrous.

You can find out more about HL Tinsley and her other works at her website at https://www.hltinsley.co.uk/, which also includes all her social media links.