Carly Reagon, an author from South Wales, burst onto the literature scene in 2022 with her first novel The Toll House. It’s my favourite type of novel, a spine-tingling ghost story with some history mingled in. And for once it was a novel set in Wales, so I was truly hooked.
I met Carly in Llantwit Major at the launch of her second book Hear Him Calling. She was engaging and funny, and had brought homemade cakes with her, making me even more of a fan. After I’d read Hear Him Calling we met to discuss my obsession with her work. No, sorry, I mean we met to discuss her work.
Power and resilience
Carly wasn’t much of a reader when she was a child. She was more into cartoons such as Asterix. But she was a huge fan of Lucy M Boston’s Green Knowe series, and The Box of Delights by John Masefield.
As an adult she fell in love with Vera Brittain’s Testament of Youth, and has read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte four or five times. It occurred to me that Hear Him Calling was reminiscent of Wuthering Heights in its bleakness and brooding dark characters, but set in North Wales rather than Yorkshire. Is there a comparison with Carly’s books? “I suppose there is,” agrees Carly. “While The Toll House was plot-driven, Hear Him Calling is more psychological.”
Carly writes from the perspective of women, but in both her books those women are coercively controlled by men. Hear Him Calling in particular covers a difficult, almost taboo, subject that we don’t talk openly about often. I asked Carly how she felt about writing such scenes.
“Writing about violence against women is hard to get right, but we need to do it as it happens too often. There is a balance when writing, so as not to dull down what is happening.” Hear Him Calling went through many drafts to make the lead character Lydia a stronger woman. Carly feels it’s important, no matter what happens to her characters, that by the end they are seen as strong, powerful, and resilient.
Life-changing ideas
As a history geek, I asked Carly about including period details in her novels. Is there a pressure to get this right? “I read books and research and fact-check as much as possible. But it’s still fiction at the end of the day, so I don’t worry about it too much.”
Carly is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Brown Creative. They don’t take many new writers on to mentor every year, and Carly admits she never thought she’d get a place. But she did and it changed her life forever, especially as it meant she became published. “My agent is from Curtis Brown, and I have an amazing editor. The course also allowed me to be part of a great group of writing friends, and we all support each other.”
Where does Carly get her ideas from? “I can’t just sit and think of something. I usually take inspiration from visiting new places, going to museums, or I might get an idea from reading something. The man-traps I included in Hear Him Calling came about from me seeing one in a museum.” She’s a ‘pantster’ rather than a ‘plotter’. “I just start writing and see where it takes me. You can plan a story arc, but sometimes the characters will take you in a different direction anyway.”
Squeezing it all in
Carly has already finished writing her third novel, is working on the fourth, and has an idea for the fifth. This is on top of being a mother to three children and working as a Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University, teaching in healthcare sciences. (Her research interests lie in how literature and music can promote healthy, meaningful lives). Are there times when she feels either the lecturing has to go, or the writing?
“I love my job. I enjoy working with the postgraduate students in research, and the overseas students make me see things differently. Sometimes I can’t believe how busy I am, but I can work in the noise from my children and husband, so I’m happy to continue with both lecturing and writing.” After the next novel, she does intend to take a much-needed, well-deserved break. Mind you, she is also doing a PhD in creative writing, and learning a language!
In Hear Him Calling, Carly uses a bit of Welsh. She’s started learning it on the Duolingo app. Why now? “I used to live in West Wales and tried to learn Welsh then, but my friends just laughed at my attempts! It wasn’t a priority when I was younger, but the children are learning it in school and I get corrected by them.” Carly lived in North Wales as a child, and is pleased that attitudes towards Welsh have changed.
“When I was in school we could only speak Welsh in lessons, not outside school, which was bizarre.” She likes testing herself and using another part of her brain to learn languages, though we’re in agreement about disliking the mutations. Are there plans to include more Welsh in future books? “Possibly, but not in the near future, as the next two books are set in England.”
Worldly and otherworldly
I took Carly back to a story she told at the book launch. Asked whether she believed in the supernatural, she didn’t think so. But then again she’s had … experiences.
Carly and her sister were returning from school, and happened to look up at the window of their playroom as they approached home. There was a girl standing there. When they entered their house, their mother berated them because they’d left the playroom in a mess. The girls didn’t understand, as they’d tidied it before leaving. But sure enough, the room was a mess – with no sign of the mystery girl.
I asked if she’d ever asked her mother about the girl, or investigated it herself? “No, we kind of forgot about it. I went back to the house a few years ago, but didn’t knock on the door to speak to the new owners. It’ll just remain a mystery.”
I could have talked to Carly all day, but the sooner she gets back to her writing, the sooner we can read her next book. I asked if she had any advice for aspiring writers?
“The industry is extremely tough and competitive, and writing is a labour of love. Only do it if you really want to. Don’t expect to make a lot of money! Get yourself a good writing group, people you trust to give you good advice and honest feedback.”
“Don’t let rejections get you down, it’s normal. It feels personal because you’re so wrapped up in your book, but extract yourself from it. You’re not your book.”
