5 Questions About Writing With . . . Gabrielle Mullarkey

Gabrielle Mullarkey has just released her fourth novel, The Ones Who Never Left, a gothic chiller to read with the lights on. She’s also written over 3,000 short stories and serials for women’s magazines. As a journalist, she’s contributed features, travel writing and opinion pieces to a wide range of publications. Her writing has been broadcast on radio, adapted for audio download, and won or been shortlisted in writing competitions. She also teaches creative writing.

How do you discipline/motivate yourself to write and do you set daily targets?
I trained as a journalist and that discipline helps when it comes to developing ideas and meeting deadlines. Because I write short stories and serials alongside novels, my daily routine is determined by a story or serial I have to complete, or the next idea I have to pitch. I can be very tunnel-visioned unless distracted by the pressures of daily life. That’s handy because, as a champion worrier, I sometimes find it difficult to switch off from daily demands.

What are the most important qualities required by a writer? Do you have them?
When an idea takes root, you must let it germinate without becoming impatient. Stamina is key when actually writing, it’s the old adage of ten per cent inspiration and 90 per cent perspiration.
I teach creative writing for two local authorities, and meet talented writers who become disheartened by the need to make several revisions to a story. The act of creativity is such an initial joy, it often comes as a shock to discover how much hard work is involved in making a piece the best it can be.
You also have to tread a fine line between self-evaluation and self-belief so that you’re open to learning from others. I like to believe in the democracy of writers (the correct collective noun is a procrastination of writers!): There’s always something to learn from others if you pay attention.

How do you market yourself and your books?
All my novels have been different. I wrote two romances, then a historical crime novel featuring Jane Austen as an amateur detective, and my latest novel is a gothic chiller set in a haunted house. Writers are often told that we need a ‘brand’ and to stick to writing in the same genre. So, while I do love flexing my writing muscles in different genres, I feel I’ve ‘come home’ writing dark subject matter that’s full of psychological chills and jump scares.
While my four novels have been traditionally published, like all writers I do as much self-promotion as possible. On social media, you can find me on X.com, Bluesky and on Substack, where I talk about the inspiration behind my latest book.
I also reach people through the women’s magazines I write for, and through courses and workshops I teach. I don’t impose myself on anyone when teaching (I hope!), but writing course participants are always keen to know what the tutor is working on.
For the past few years, I’ve attended the South Warwickshire Literary Festival. I have an MSc is in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes and, last year, I gave a talk on writing for wellbeing. This year, I judged the festival short story competition, gave a workshop at the event itself and joined the author Q&A panel. I’ve also given talks on gothic literature and teach an annual Christmas workshop on writing a ghost story.
Sometimes I’ve had to push myself out of my comfort zone, but it’s a case of ‘feel the fear and do it anyway!’ Now, if I could just master the diving board at my local swimming pool or driving on the motorway at night…

Which writing resources have you found useful, e.g., books, courses, organisations, websites etc?
I’m a member of the Society of Authors, which offers excellent one-off workshops to members, on everything from narrative structure to mental wellbeing.
My love of Jane Austen inspired my darkly comic detective novel and I’ve always adored ghost stories and gothic literature, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein to Shirley Hill’s The Haunting of Hill House. I don’t try to emulate or be like anyone else. It’s vital that you listen to your own voice.
From a wellbeing perspective, I love to revisit Natalie Goldberg’s book, Writing Down the Bones, which talks about writing as an act of discovery and is chockful of wisdom to help sustain self-belief.

A top tip for other writers?
Be attuned to the world around you. You might get the spark of an idea from reading about a seaweed farm in the Hebrides or overhearing a remark on the bus. I once got a short story out of a stranger exclaiming in public, ‘but we always have shepherd’s pie on a Tuesday!’ Writers are magpies.
Equally, read as a writer, noting how the writer uses imagery, structures the narrative and so on. It won’t spoil your enjoyment of a text, only enrich it.

About The Ones Who Never Left – published October 2025

Disillusioned with London, newlyweds Lucy and Hugh move to rambling Rook House in Yorkshire, unfazed by local claims that the house is haunted. Hugh, as a writer of supernatural fiction, hopes that the house will ‘speak’ to him through its brooding history. Meanwhile, Lucy craves the solitude and scenery that will inspire her to pick up a paintbrush again. But it soon becomes clear that someone – or thing – in Rook House has been waiting for its latest occupants… waiting to unfold a story that’s been whispered down the years but gone unheard. They don’t yet know it, but Hugh and Lucy are the perfect audience. The former inhabitants of Rook House have a story to tell. And if you listen too closely, you end up joining the ones who never left.

The Ones Who Never Left is available in paperback from Spiral Books, Amazon and all good bookshops, including Waterstones.