Discover the journey and insights of a bestselling author who crafts thrilling tales of mystery and suspense
Rachel Amphlett discusses her journey from diverse creative roles to bestselling author, her passion for crime fiction, indie publishing insights, and becoming a private investigator to enhance her storytelling authenticity.
Rachel Amphlett’s journey to becoming a USA Today bestselling crime author is as multifaceted and intriguing as the characters she creates. Before she turned to writing, Rachel’s diverse experiences included playing guitar in bands, working as a TV and film extra, dabbling in radio, and serving as an editorial assistant in publishing. Now, with over 30 crime novels and short stories to her name, she crafts gripping tales of spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins. A dual citizen of Australia and Britain, Rachel is a keen traveller and an accidental private investigator, a role she embraced to add authenticity to her amateur sleuth stories. Her passion for crime fiction and spy thrillers is evident not only in her writing but also in her reading habits, which she discusses in this insightful interview. Rachel shares her thoughts on the advantages and challenges of indie publishing, the impact of other authors on her career, and the serendipitous path that led her to become a qualified private investigator. Dive into this conversation to discover more about the creative mind behind some of today’s most compelling crime fiction.
Rachel Amphlett graces the cover of Reader’s House Magazine this month, and for good reason. Her remarkable ability to weave intricate plots with rich, dynamic characters has captivated readers worldwide. Amphlett’s works are not just stories; they are immersive experiences that transport readers into the heart of mystery and suspense. Her dedication to authenticity, as evidenced by her qualification as a private investigator, sets her apart in the crime fiction genre. By featuring her on our cover, we celebrate not only her literary achievements but also her inspiring journey as an indie author who defied the odds to carve out her own path in the publishing world.
Rachel’s novels, such as the gripping “Detective Kay Hunter” series and the thrilling “Dan Taylor” spy series, have earned her a devoted following and critical acclaim. Her ability to blend suspense with emotional depth keeps readers on the edge of their seats, eagerly turning pages. Amphlett’s commitment to her craft and her innovative approach to storytelling make her a standout figure in contemporary crime fiction. Her works are a testament to her talent and passion, and we are thrilled to share her insights and experiences with our readers in this exclusive interview.
What do you read when you’re working on a book? And what kind of reading do you avoid while writing?
I read a lot of non-fiction articles in relation to whatever research rabbit hole I’ve disappeared down when writing a book. These are often forensic related, especially in relation to latest developments within different fields of expertise. It all depends on the story.
I tend to avoid reading crime fiction when I’m immersed in a story of my own – I find it too distracting, and crime fiction has always been a form of escapism for me, so it acts as a bit of a carrot when I’m in the final throes of my own story and chasing a deadline 🙂
What genres do you especially enjoy reading?
I’ve always loved spy thrillers and crime fiction so these are my “go-to” reads. I really enjoy historical crime fiction too – especially CJ Sansom’s Shardlake series.
What book are you planning to read next?
The Year of the Locust – Terry Hayes’ follow up to I Am Pilgrim. I bought it as soon as it was published but due to a deadline I’m having to save it until I’ve finished my current project. I can’t wait to read it.
What books and authors have impacted your writing career?
My grandad loaned me his copy of The Eagle Has Landed when I was 11 years old, and that sent me off down the path of reading spy thrillers. It’s still a favourite genre of mine. I’ve learned a lot from reading other crime thriller authors’ works over the years while honing my craft, particularly Lee Child, Michael Connelly and Robert Crais who manage to convey a cinematic quality to their settings and characters while making it look so easy.
What kind of reader were you as a child?
Voracious – I could read before I started school and ran out of books very quickly because I was reading ahead of my classmates. I’ll be forever grateful that there was a decent school library – and a well-stocked public library – in the town where I grew up to continuously fuel my imagination. That, and access to my grandad’s crime fiction collection.
What advantages does being indie offer over being trad-published? Any disadvantages? What specifically made you choose the indie route?
I was told when I started out that “no-one is interested in reading thrillers by female authors” and “vampires are big this year, not spies” so that sent me off down the indie publishing route. The numerous advantages include not handing over a chunk of royalties to publishers and agents, and the freedom to licence my IP wherever I can without constraint. The disadvantage for some might be the business side of things – but I’m lucky that I love that aspect as much as the creative side of being indie.
Have any of your books been trade published or have you sold any rights eg translation, large print, audio, to third parties? If so, why did you choose to go trad in this respect?
I’ve licenced my rights to traditional publishers for foreign rights in several countries – I don’t speak the languages so it makes sense to licence out rather than arrange for the translations myself. I don’t licence out any English language book formats such as audiobooks or large print – that’s something I do “in house”.
Tell me about how you ‘accidentally’ became a private investigator and how it will help develop future stories.
That all started in early 2020 – in fact, that year has been responsible for some of the most exciting projects I’ve done during my writing career including the Case Files: short crime fiction story podcast.
I knew I wanted to write an amateur investigator story (which is still in development, a.k.a. going around in my head) and although I was fairly confident about murder investigations from a police point of view after writing so many books in that genre, I didn’t have the comfort of knowing much about private investigators.
I stumbled across an online course that was reasonably priced and spent my afternoons working through the material to the point where, about halfway through, I had the opportunity to do a quiz to test my knowledge to date.
Well, that turned out to be an online exam and before I knew it, I had an invitation to go to London to sit the formal exam for a BTEC Level 3 in Private Investigation. There were a few hiccups between 2020 and summer 2022 to actually get there what with Covid and other matters, but I passed the exam and became a qualified PI in August 2022.
What was very apparent from the course are the limitations imposed upon investigators when it comes to data protection and privacy issues – I like to make my crime fiction as realistic as possible, the same as I do with my spy thrillers, so having more practical information about what my protagonist can and can’t do is essential.
From studying the course, I can now concentrate on creating a story where the protagonist has defined obstacles to overcome – both from a practical investigation point of view, and from whatever the antagonist throws at them.
Now I just have to write the story…
What has led you to write short stories?
I started out writing short stories and having some success with those prior to writing my first novel. It was a way to test the water again with creative writing as what with playing guitar in bands for seven years and then moving to Australia, I hadn’t written anything in years.
Those early stories had more of a speculative fiction atmosphere about them – I love Rod Serling and Richard Matthieson’s writing, as well as Stephen King’s short stories where he asks “What if?”. Roald Dahl is obviously an influence too, and although I was too young to watch Tales of the Unexpected when it was on TV in the 80s, I remember the music well and have read the stories since then.
I returned to writing short stories in 2020, more as a palate cleanse after writing the first three books in my Mark Turpin series one after the other, and tied that in with undertaking some online writing craft courses with some mentors of mine in the USA.
That served to dust off some old writing skills and also pushed me out of my comfort zone but it had the advantage of lifting my writing to another level when it came to writing novels too.
Plus, I get to bend the rules a bit with the short stories – the bad guys don’t always get caught, and I get to play with some different characters every time that might lead to new ideas for longer length works.
And it’s fun.
