Hi Mark. Tell us about you and your writing background. Did you always dream of becoming an author?
I've always enjoyed reading and had a few stories published in the school magazine. Still, I didn't have the confidence to pursue a writing career. Only after the children left home many years later did I decide to give it a go. I entered a writing competition for a fantasy publisher, and they chose my story. The rest, as they say, is history.
When did the idea for the books first arrive?
The idea for College of Shadows came to me when I was a struggling law student at Cambridge. Returning from some interminable lecture, I remember glancing up at a gargoyle on the chapel roof and thinking: what would I do if I caught it staring back? That rather unsettling thought stayed with me for years afterwards and ultimately became the inspiration behind Cambridge Gothic.
I inhaled your Cambridge Gothic series and recommended the trilogy far and wide. Do you have plans for Ravi, Nick, Giles and Annabel?
The first trilogy covers Nick and Annabel's freshers' year, starting in the Fall term and finishing at the end of the summer term with the May Ball. I have plotted out their second year, but I learnt last time that readers are so desperate to know what happens next that I'll need to have Book 5 written before I publish Book 4! It may be a little while before you see the next Cambridge Gothic book. However, it will involve Ravi, Nick, Annabel, and Giles, as well as two of my favourite supporting characters, Ash and Brian, who will play bigger roles. That's all I'm saying for now.
Your depiction of Cambridge, and especially St John's, makes the setting feel like a character in its own right. How do you approach integrating such a rich historical setting into your fantasy narrative?
I always felt Cambridge would be the perfect backdrop for a gothic mystery. With its ancient buildings, strange traditions, and eccentric characters, it can be hard for readers to tell what is real and what is fantasy, which only adds to the setting's mystique. So yes, I love weaving the more unusual, some might say bizarre, aspects of college life into the tales.
How did your time at St John's influence your writing, particularly the themes and characters in your books? Are any based on real people? I won't tell, promise! 😉
As you say, most of the action from the first trilogy takes place in my old College, St John's – I even include a map with links to actual locations on my website so readers can see the locations from the characters' perspective. It's the same with the depiction of college life: I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. So, the lectures, tutorials, dining in hall, sports, punting, socials etc are all as a contemporary student would experience them (minus the monsters). However, the individual characters are all creations of my imagination, though the mix of state vs private, local vs international, etc., represent what you would find at Cambridge today.
College of Shadows blends fantasy, mystery, and horror. What draws you to this combination of genres, and what do you think makes it resonate with readers?
I love stories where ordinary people are confronted by otherworldly forces and have to pull together to overcome them, e.g. CS Lewis's Narnia series, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Stephen King's IT… Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London, or the TV show Stranger Things. If you've ever wondered how you would fare against an unseen and malevolent entity, you'll empathise with what my characters have to deal with!
Where did the idea for the night climbing come from?
Night climbing – the illicit practice of clambering over college buildings in the dead of night – is real, believe it or not! It began centuries ago when lovestruck Cambridge students took to the roofs of their cloistered colleges to slip past the porters guarding the college gates and meet their sweethearts in town. It later became a popular if perilous pastime of daredevil climbers like Mallory and his mountaineering chums to let off steam during their studies. It continues to this day: stroll around Cambridge, look up and count the number of Santa hats on gargoyles and statues at Christmas time!
Your books have achieved bestseller status in categories like YA Fantasy Mystery and British Horror Fiction. How does that feel?
Surreal, if I'm honest. You write a story and hope people will enjoy it without ever believing anyone will. I find it both surprising and humbling that so many readers do. But what I appreciate the most is when someone takes the time to write a heartfelt review. Reading those is always special and makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Looking back at your career journey—from solicitor to CEO, Bursar to executive mentor, to bestselling author—how do you think each stage prepared you for the challenges and opportunities of becoming a writer?
Honestly, the most important thing they have given me is financial security. Most authors, even successful ones, typically begin with a day job that provides a regular source of income, and fit their writing around that. It sounds challenging, but if writing is what you love, then you'll find the time to do it somehow, and that's probably no bad thing. Writing a novel is hard, and the self-discipline of getting up early or staying up late to get the words down and finish that manuscript is what it's all about.
Can you share what your typical writing day looks like? Do you have a favourite place or routine that helps you craft your stories?
Every day, I get up at 5.00am, do my stretches, have breakfast, and complete the Wordle and NYT mini crossword. Then I cycle to three bakeries across the city, pick up my son's pastry order and deliver them to his coffee shop near the University Library. I stay there all morning and get my writing done (three hours typically) before covering the lunchtime shift. Then I return home and do all the marketing/admin that comes with being an author. I finish by 4.30 when I pick up my granddaughter and take her to the park or read her a book (Winnie the Pooh is our current favourite). After supper, I take what I've written that day, read it aloud to my wife Karina, and make any edits. We hit the sofa around 8.00pm, watch TV (currently on Season 2 of Outlander) and are in bed by 9.00pm.
Why did you choose to be an independent author?
After finishing the manuscript for College of Shadows, I tried to get it published, sending submissions to over 20 literary agencies without success. Then I had a stroke of luck: I bumped into Catherine Matthews from the Self-Publishing Show at a friend's party, and she suggested I try self-publishing. I enrolled on James Blatch's Learn Self-Publishing course, and six months later, my debut novel became an Amazon bestseller.
What's next from the writing desk of Mark Wells?
At the suggestion of our author friend, Rosalind Tate, I'm currently working on a one-off story involving my most popular (and at times infuriating) character, Giles, a scholar and night-climbing adrenalin junkie with a photographic memory and an unhealthy interest in the arcane. I wrote it in the first person to get to know him better, and I hope readers enjoy doing that, too. If it goes well, he may get his own spin-off series!
What advice would you give to new or aspiring writers?
I never know what to say about this because I still think of myself as a complete novice. I'm also conscious that everyone is different, so what works for me may not work for someone else. Still, I've been listening to Lee Child's Maestro programme on BBC iPlayer, and he said something that made a lot of sense. Rather than following the old adage of "Write what you know," he suggested, "Write what you feel," which is what I try to do, and it has worked so far.
Thank you Mark! That was great.
Find out more about Mark’s books, and get a collection of free short stories at https://www.marknwells.com/