Huntley’s Unique Approach to Psychological Thrillers
Jessica Huntley discusses her transition from soldier to author, her writing process, and how her life experiences shape her dark, twisty psychological thrillers with complex characters and relatable mental health themes.
Jessica Huntley is a remarkable force in the world of psychological thrillers, seamlessly blending her diverse life experiences into her writing. As an ex-British soldier and personal trainer, she brings a unique perspective to her novels, crafting stories that are as intense and gripping as they are insightful. Her ability to weave tension and suspense into her narratives is unparalleled, drawing readers into dark, twisty worlds filled with complex characters who often grapple with relatable mental health challenges. With thirteen books to her name, including two trilogies, three standalone thrillers, and a co-written horror project, Jessica has established herself as a prolific author whose works are both self-published and traditionally published by Inkubator Books and Joffe Books.
Jessica’s novels are a testament to her talent for creating addictive stories that captivate and challenge readers. Her characters are memorable and multifaceted, often reflecting the nuanced realities of mental health disorders. Her dedication to authenticity and depth is evident in every page, as she meticulously researches and develops her characters to ensure they resonate with her audience. Whether exploring the eerie atmosphere of a haunted house or the long-term effects of trauma on a community, Jessica’s writing is both thought-provoking and thrilling. Her ability to surprise readers with unexpected plot twists while maintaining a coherent and engaging narrative is a testament to her skill as a storyteller. As you delve into this interview, prepare to be inspired by Jessica Huntley’s journey and the creative process behind her captivating works.
Your transition from being a British soldier and personal trainer to an author of psychological thrillers is intriguing. How have your past careers influenced the way you write tension and suspense in your novels?
I was once told as a young writer that I needed more life experience to write believable books. As a soldier, it not only provided me this experience, but also gave me the strength and confidence I never knew I had, as well as tested me to the breaking point. I know what it’s like to be under pressure, to be put into uncomfortable and difficult situations, so I hope this experience helps create the tension and suspense in my novels. As a soldier myself, bringing my experience into my book, Jinx, was a very cathartic process and I hope readers will learn and understand more about soldiers, especially female soldiers, and what they sometimes have to go through.
Being a personal trainer taught me perseverance and people skills. Every exercise I gave my clients to do, I did it with them in mind, and the same thing goes for my books. I write books with my readers in mind. I hope this comes across!
In Don’t Tell a Soul, you explore the idea of escaping one form of hell only to find yourself in another. What inspired the character of Elle, and how did you develop the eerie atmosphere of Vera’s house to enhance this theme of false safety?
Elle was a character that developed over the course of writing and developing the book with help from Inkubator, my publisher. She’s sort of inspired by me as a teenager. She’s a bit naïve and prefers to spend time by herself. I wanted her to grow over the book too, as all my characters tend to do.
I always love reading about eerie houses and find old places fascinating, so although Elle arrives hoping for a fresh start and a place to hide from her father’s abuse, she finds herself in this house that has a lot of rules and empty rooms. Vera doesn’t want her to explore the house, which for an inquisitive teenager, is going to be a big ask. In a way, the house is a character itself, similar to Vera. It’s almost like the house has control over her too and I liked this idea and ran with it. Vera mentions that the house has ghosts and that she’s trapped within its walls, unable to leave. This is more metaphorical, but I think it really works to tell the reader what’s happening to both Vera and Elle in the house.
Mental health plays a significant role in your books, with characters often dealing with disorders that many readers can relate to. How do you approach writing these complex psychological aspects while ensuring they resonate authentically with your audience?
It’s always at the back of my mind as I write, ensuring the mental health aspects are as relatable and believable as possible. It was tricky to do with the My…Self Series due to the nature of having split personalities; one seemingly bad and the other good. However, the series itself develops throughout and in the end the two personalities/characters become one and are neither bad or good.
Where possible, I speak to people who have the mental health disorder; insomnia, agoraphobia, and anxiety. For those where I don’t know someone with the condition, I do a lot of research using official journals and NHS websites. I spend a lot of time developing my characters, honing their personalities and traits. It really feels like I get in their heads. I’ve suffered with various forms of mental health over the years too, so I use this in my books, some of the experiences I’ve dealt with myself, which I hope makes it even more real and relatable.
Your books often contain shocking twists and dark, twisty narratives. Can you walk us through your creative process when crafting these unexpected plot turns? How do you balance surprising your readers while keeping the story coherent and engaging?
While writing my self-published books, I mostly just write without doing any sort of planning, so the twists often don’t show themselves straight away. Often, they jump out at me as they would if I was reading. I always like to keep my readers on their toes. In each book I write there’s always at least one “what the hell!” moment. Sometimes, my characters surprise me by going in a different direction than I planned, so I may have to go back to beginning and re-write a part of their narrative.
However, with my traditionally published thrillers, I spend time with the team to develop and plan the stories, although a twist or two does appear when I least expect it, despite sticking to a plan!
In The Darkness That Binds Us, the sequel to The Darkness Within Ourselves, you delve into the lingering shadows of a tragic past. What drew you to explore the long-term effects of trauma and tragedy on a community, and how do you maintain suspense across a series?
So, the funny thing with The Darkness Series is that it was never supposed to be a series. I wrote The Darkness Within Ourselves as a standalone, but my readers kept asking me when the next one was out. It took me two and a half years before I thought of a way to continue the book as a series, but I’m so glad I did. However, I used some new characters to breathe some new life into the series. The community of Cherry Hollow has always been shrouded in mystery and darkness and the town was fueled by the tragedies of the past, something I really wanted to highlight and explore. I managed to link the different books and make it all work out, which I’m really happy with. Each character reacts differently to the trauma, and this is something that’s true in real life. Not everyone reacts the same way and I really wanted to explore that in these books. I find it fascinating, and it really brought the characters to life. I cared about them as I was writing them.
Given the intense and sometimes disturbing themes in your work, such as mental illness and violence, how do you manage to keep a healthy balance between your creative writing and personal life? Do you have any routines or practices that help you disconnect after writing dark scenes?
Not exactly. Yes, I do write about a lot of dark stuff and difficult topics, but as soon as I step away from my computer, I can disconnect from the story and characters. The only times I’ve struggled to do this is when I wrote a scene in My True Self and another in My Real Self. Both scenes involved saying goodbye to a beloved character and it felt like I was saying goodbye to someone I loved. I took a break after I’d written it, but it did make me cry.
Other than that, I don’t find it difficult to disconnect at all. My husband does question me though, asking how I can write and come up with such dark stuff!
