Launch: Camille Booker’s The Woman in the Waves

INTERVIEW BY MALLY BECKER

Camille Booker is an award-winning author, editor, creative writing teacher, literary judge, and PhD student. Her creative writing interests include gothic historical fiction with morally grey female protagonists and unique Australian settings. Her doctoral thesis aims to explore how contemporary novels are embracing the figure of the witch to reveal power structures in society. Camille Booker is the featured author for Molly’s Cottage Reading By Candlelight Book Box for the month of March 2025. 

How would you describe The Woman in the Waves and its themes?  

The Woman in the Waves is a murder mystery in a sleepy seaside village with unexpected twists and romantically charged tension. It explores powerful topics, such as the impact of WWI on men and women in the post-war years, and urgent themes of motherhood, women’s secrets, and battles with mental illness.

What inspired you to write your story?

The plot, the characters, the themes – all of these elements originated from the setting. I was inspired to write my story while I was living on the south coast of New South Wales, in Wollongong, the only town in Australia with two lighthouses. I began with a vague idea about a lighthouse and a spooky mermaid, and the story slowly grew from there.

Set in 1921, your historical mystery explores the grittier side of the Roaring 20s with characters who sometimes struggle just to get by. What made you want to explore the darker side of this time period?

While I was writing the book, I binge-watched Peaky Blinders, so I think this influenced the darker, grittier, tone. But I also wanted to write a horror novel, with underlying themes of haunting pasts, so of course it had to be less Great Gatsbyand more Boardwalk Empire.

Your main character, 19-year-old Missy Green, works with her father on his fishing trawler. Did you find records of other women working on fishing boats during this time period?

My research only led me to the women known as ‘fishwives’ – those who worked at the harbour, to clean and sell fish. But because Missy has grown up without a mother to teach her any of the traditional female roles, I wanted to stay away from the idea of a fishwife, and instead created a female character that wasn’t necessarily feminine in the stereotypical way: she wears trousers, she smells of fish, she doesn’t take much care in her appearance. But still, she possesses a vulnerability that hopefully readers find compelling and endearing. She’s not a typical historical fiction heroine. She’s gutsy but flawed, curious but cautious.

Most gothic tales take place in old houses with dark hallways and haunted histories. In The Woman in the Waves, the sea and its creatures create that dark, gothic sense of danger. How did you use setting to move your plot, define your characters, and/or create suspense.

I used some simple literary techniques to inject a hint of menace. I tried to make the coastal setting even more eerie through vivid descriptions of the weather and other sensory details, and my characters are all tight-lipped and mysterious, with hidden secrets and past trauma. I used first-person, unreliable narration to restrict the readers’ viewpoint, and foreshadowing to create suspense and intrigue. Recurring motifs and symbols (the octopus and the lighthouse, for example) are also used to reinforce themes, create the gothic mood, and keep readers engaged.

Your descriptions of the sea and the New South Wales coast are stunning! Do you have a personal connection to the area you write about?

Yes of course! I lived in the Illawarra for seven years and raised two young children there. We spent much of our time along the beautiful coastline, and this is where a lot of inspiration for the novel came from. I drew on the First Nations’ Dreaming Story of the Five Islands, of Mimosa the mermaid, her father, The West Wind, and her sisters. The Story of the Five Islands belongs to the Wadi Wadi people of the Dharawal nation. I am sincerely grateful to the traditional owners of the land for sharing their spiritual story which has brought a deeper meaning and connection to the place in which this novel is set.

Who’s your favorite secondary character?

Flea brings a levity to the novel and breaks some of the heavy tension. As a comedic reprieve from all the darkness, I think he allows Missy (and readers) to experience a shift from the foreboding tone of the book.

What was the most surprising thing you discovered in researching your mystery?

The fact that a period of prohibition in Australia actually took place (between 1911 to 1928). While not as severe as the prohibition laws of the United States, there was a period during the early twentieth century that alcohol was banned in the city of Canberra. Not long after the Federal Capital Territory was formed, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, King O’Malley, passed the first ordinance that stated liquor sales be banned. Thus began Canberra’s seventeen-year dry spell, which was brought to an end by the ‘thirsty pollies’ in 1928.

What inspired you to start writing historical fiction?

Historical fiction has always been my favourite genre to read. I love the romance of the past, learning about history through fiction and becoming immersed in another world. I was inspired to start writing historical fiction because I wanted to challenge myself to create this experience for readers.

What one piece of advice do you have for new writers interested in penning historical fiction?

It’s easy to get caught up in research and historical accuracy when writing historical fiction. If we write with a fear of getting something wrong, we can drown the story with facts and details. While time and place can serve as a muse, don’t forget to focus on the characters. Your characters are at the heart of your story, and it’s through your characters that your readers will experience the time and place in your novel. We’re storytellers, after all, not historians.

What’s the last great book you read?

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley.

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