Helen Garraway is the USA Today bestselling author behind the Sentinal and SoulMist series. She’s been crafting the world of Remargaren since 2016, balancing her fantasy realms with a career in tech and product management.
Based in Berkshire with her energetic cat Alfie, Helen raises a glass of red to every reader who joins her adventures.
1. To begin with, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?
I was born in the south of England in a county called Berkshire, not far from Windsor if that helps put a pin in the map. As a child I was a bookworm, my nose was forever in a book, a love I inherited from my mother. Every week we would trek to the library and come home with an armful of new books to read in every genre possible, though my favourite soon came to be fantasy. I enjoyed school, though failed my 11+ and didn’t get into a grammar school, but I did get to go to University of Southampton and graduated with an honours degree in Politics and International Relations.
2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?
If I remember right, at twelve, I wanted to be a marine biologist, as I was enamoured with the idea of swimming with dolphins, by eighteen, I didn’t have a clue and went off to university, and by thirty, I was married with a child on the way and working the 9 to 5 corporate life.
3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?
I don’t remember having any strongly held beliefs. I certainly didn’t know that I would ever write a book.
4. What were three works of art – book or painting or piece of music, etc – you can now say had a great effect on you and influenced your own development as a writer?
My main writing influence was Mary Stewart and her beautiful prose. Her turn of phrase was so easy to read and yet resonated with me, and I wanted to write like that.
Then the fantastical worlds and relatable characters of David Eddings in his Belgariad and Mallorean series. The characters were so distinctive, and trait driven, their actions and reactions really made sense to me. And then Gustav Klimt’s painting ‘The Kiss’ was the first painting I’d seen when I realised there are layers to everything, and what is on the surface is not necessarily the only meaning to be found. I was thrilled to finally go and see it at the Belvedere Palace in Vienna, and the painting is truly magnificent. I could sit and observe it all day, there is so much to parse from all the detail he hid in it!
5. Considering the innumerable artistic avenues open to you, why did you choose to write a novel?
I never expected to write a novel. I had always been a voracious reader but had never put pen to paper. After my divorce, I started to noodle on thoughts, and capture ideas, but I never did anything with them. It wasn’t until my Mum passed away, and my daughter went off to university that I had time on my hands and the words flowed. I expect it was partly cathartic, dealing with loss and an empty nest, but I wrote six books over two years, the Sentinals series. Then I got fed up of reading them on my laptop and thought I’d like to read them as a physical book. So then, I started to explore publishing and the pros and cons of self-publishing versus traditional, and I discovered the amazing online writing community. It was a steep learning curve, and still is, but I enjoy every moment, and now, I have fifteen books independently published.
6. Please tell us about your novel, Sentinals Awaken.
Sentinals Awaken was my debut novel and holds a very special place in my heart. The idea for the story came to me while I was walking through Burnham Beeches, an ancient wood close to where I live. The trees were so old, gnarled and twisted, and I wondered what tales they could tell if they could talk. Then I thought, what if there was someone inside the tree who was awoken, what would they tell us? Welcome to the ancient world of Remargaren where myth and legend come to life. Jerrol Haven is a captain in the King’s rangers, a dedicated officer, though a bit of a loner. He doesn’t work well with others, more eager to get the job done than soothe ruffled feathers. As he discovers treason at the highest levels, and new threats are revealed, he accidentally awakens a Sentinal, one of the Lady’s personal guards who, so the myths say, have been sleeping in their sentinal trees for the past three thousand years until they are needed once more. And so, the adventure begins.
Sign up to my newsletter at www.helengarraway.com to keep up to date with all my news and download two free novellas in the world of Remargaren. Now the Sentinal series is complete with the launch of Sentinals Origins Part Two on December 1st, 2025, follow me to find out what I am writing next.
7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?
I hope readers grow to love my characters, live the emotional ups and downs, the successes and the failures, cry tears of laughter and tears of sorrow, but most of all escape into this amazing world for a few moments, forget their own troubles, and immerse themselves in wonder and adventure. And once you have, please leave a review and let me know who wants an Arifel or a Darian, or maybe even a Sentinal! 😊
8. Whom do you most admire in the realm of writing and why?
I admire any writer who has written a complete book. It is not easy. Writing is a craft, like any other skill, and the more you write, the better you will become. I learn something new with every book I write, and I believe I constantly improve. I support Indie authors by reading their books and leaving a review on as many book platforms as I can, including on my blog on my website if you are looking for some new authors. I also post Indie author interviews so you can find out a little more of their writing journey.
9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?
My life goal is to be able to retire early from the day job and write books full-time. I have so many ideas, but not the time to write them all.
10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?
Write. Write for the joy of writing, because you love it. Writing and publishing are two different things. Focus on writing that story within you first. If you intend to publish, then you need to learn the craft of storytelling and structure, plot and pacing. Readers expect certain elements in a book, so if you are going to put your work out there for others to critique, then you need it to be the best it can be. Invest in an editor. You don’t know where you’re making mistakes until an independent editor reads it and tells you.
Helen, thank you for playing!
Sentinals Awaken
As a three thousand-year-old threat reemerges, only one man has the power to awaken the world's greatest protectors and restore order to the realm. He just doesn't know it yet.
When Jerrol Haven, a captain in the King's Rangers, discovers treason at the highest level, he knows immediately that the knowledge puts his life at risk. And indeed, though he expected the ailing King to shield him, the ambitious Crown Prince sentences Jerrol to death. What hold does the Prince have over his weakened father, and who or what is he protecting?
As Jerrol flees for his life, he is rescued by the enigmatic Lady Leyandrii, a goddess who, according to legend, once saved the land of Remargaren from malevolent wild magic users known as the Ascendants by raising a veil to nullify their power and exiling them. Now, with signs that her veil is weakening and the Ascendants are creeping back into power, she has returned and is in dire need of Jerrol's help. For though he doesn't know it, Jerrol possesses a rare gift: By chance, he touches a revered Sentinal tree and awakens Birlerion, one of the Lady's personal guard who have been sleeping in the strange, tall trees since they were last called to battle.
Aided by Birlerion and an old friend, Jennery, Jerrol begins his journey to help Lady Leyandrii save Remargaren once more. But time is running out: As it was with the King, the old guard Lords are everywhere being usurped, attacked, and assassinated, while their heirs behave strangely and refuse to honour the Lady as Remargarens have done for millennia. Jerrol must unravel the mystery of the Ascendants' return, stop the sinister force that is dividing good families through bloodshed and betrayal, and rescue the King-and his troubles are only just beginning.
Sentinals Awaken is the first book in the saga of Remargaren, a vibrant, ancient world of high fantasy suffused with magic and adventure.
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