Why I Write
By Gail Waterhouse
I’ve always been a problem solver.
If something puzzles me, I won’t let it go. I’ll be up late Googling it, reading articles, diving into forums, trying to piece things together. I’m fascinated by patterns, codes, hidden meanings. The things that sit just beneath the surface. Maybe that’s why crime and the paranormal have always pulled me in. They’re cryptic, psychological, and full of things that don’t quite add up – until they do.
Writing gives me a way to explore those questions. To play detective, scientist, and storyteller all at once.
I’ve always had a curious mind and a love of stories. I devour them constantly – especially through TV, film, novels and audiobooks. There’s rarely a quiet moment in my day without a story playing in the background. Whether I’m walking the dogs, cooking dinner, or working in the garden, I’m always absorbing a new plot, character, or world.
That constant exposure to story has shaped how I write. I see everything cinematically, my scenes play out like a film reel in my mind, full of close-ups, atmosphere, and tension. But I also write through the senses. I want to feel the story as I write it. The cold bite of the wind. The metallic tang of blood. The way someone’s voice changes when they lie. If I can’t feel it, hear it, or taste it, it doesn’t make it to the page.
But more than anything, it’s the psychology of crime that fascinates me.
What pushes someone over the edge? What trauma sits quietly behind the choices people make? What secrets does a person carry, even from themselves? I’m drawn to the darker corners of the human mind, not to glorify them, but to understand them. To pick them apart. To ask: if I were in that situation, what would I do?
And then I twist it further. Add the unknown. The supernatural. The idea that not everything in this world is what it seems.
The paranormal side of my writing gives me permission to explore the what ifs.
What if a memory could be stolen through blood?
What if a vaccine created something more than immunity?
What if death wasn’t the end… but a transformation?
My writing is where crime meets the uncanny. Where grief meets power. Where truth hides in unlikely places.
One thing I’m especially proud of is using real places in my work, particularly places I’ve lived in or visited. I’m proud to live in North Yorkshire, and I love showcasing the beauty, history, and atmosphere of the area. Whether it’s a moody moorland setting, a misty woodland trail, or the eerie quiet of a coastal village at night, there’s something powerful about writing a story into a landscape that already feels alive.
I don’t write because it’s easy. I write because I have something to say, about fear, identity, survival, and what it means to live on the edge of the unknown. Writing is how I make sense of the world, and how I make peace with the parts that don’t.
This blog will follow me through the creative process, behind the scenes of the worlds I’m building, the characters I’m obsessed with, and the dark corners I keep going back to. If you’re into mysteries, supernatural twists, or just want to know how stories are born, you’re in the right place.
Thanks for being here.
There’s so much more to come.
Best wishes,
Gail