Interview with RaShelle Workman, Author of Ghoulish Whisper

What can you tell us about your new release, Ghoulish Whisper?

The idea for this main character has been sitting in the back of my mind since 2014 when I wrote my Gods and Paranormals Duology. Harriet was born in 1800 London, England and was a lady’s maid for many years. She grew up knowing she’s one-quarter ghoul and though she’s disgusted by the fact that she has to eat human flesh, it’s a part of her and a ghoul’s gotta eat. This story is set in modern-day Colorado in a fictional town near Cañon City. For those who don’t know a lot about the city and the land around it, there are more than a dozen prisons and one super max prison, known as the new Alkatraz in the area, which gives me a lot of content to work with.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always been an author, even though I didn’t know it until 2003 when I took my first writing class from Judy Baker. She inspired me to finish my first novel. It took me six weeks. And it was a mess. After a few years of refining it, I landed an agent, then a small publisher. It was during this time that Independent publishing became a thing. When the publisher went under, I decided to publish it myself. Sleeping Roses has been on many bestseller lists and reached all the way to #3 in all of the Amazon store.

What’s on your top 5 list for the best books you’ve ever read?

Let’s see. The Sword of Shannara was the first book that opened my eyes to the possibilities of other worlds. It’s a top 5 because I think about that book often and what it meant to me when I was ten years old. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume is another book that opened up the world to me. The story helped me to think and consider my choices and what was important in my life. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. This book was an event in my life. It swept me away and allowed me to experience the elation and consequences of revenge. The Host by Stephenie Meyer. These characters and this story leapt off the pages. I’d never cried so hard while reading a book before. I’d been holding back so much in my personal life and this story cracked me open in a way another book never has. Susan Ee’s Angel Fall was an amazing story that took beings most believed were good and twisted them in such a cool way.

Say you’re the host of a literary talk show. Who would be your first guest? What would you want to ask?

That’s tough. I love getting to know people. Everyone has a story and I love helping people open up and telling me what makes them tick.

What’s your favorite thing about writing?

For me, it’s taking things that weigh heavily on my mind and using my characters to help me work through them. The best part is doing it in a way that doesn’t feel like my personal therapy but just a natural progression of the character. For example, when I wrote my Snow White reimagining, I had teenagers. They had so much stress and so many choices. I worried for them and with them. Snow White was the same age as they were and so I took her on a journey of what it meant to fall in love, deal with heartache, bullies, and other things they have to go through. Of course there were vampires and other supernatural creatures involved as well. But that made it fun and another level of interesting.

What is a typical day like for you?

Wake. Breakfast. Hang with my husband and son. Exercise. Marketing. Lunch. Exercise again. Write. Shower. Dinner. Write. Read. TV. Bed.

What scene from Ghoulish Whisper was your favorite to write?

Probably the last scene. That was the section that had been in my head since 2014 and when I was finally able to get to it, the event just spilled out.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

Remember what’s important. God. Family. Health. Friends.

RaShelle Workman is the author of the new book Ghoulish Whisper.

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