Rebecca Templeton: 'I wanted to write a twist on my favourite fairy tale'
BY Maya Fernandes
16th Apr 2026
In this interview Rebecca Templeton, author of the debut historical fantasy Lochbound, shares her advice for maintaining narrative balance.
'The key for me was to keep sight of each character’s motivations, how they might conflict with those of another character, and how that conflict could be used to drive the story through its twists and turns.'
We caught up with Rebecca to discuss her time studying with us, her fantasy recommendations and her approach to creating immersive settings.
Lochbound is a dark reimagining of The Little Mermaid, set in eighteenth-century Scotland. What first sparked the idea for this story, and how did the setting and folklore shape your interpretation of such a well-known tale?
I knew I wanted to write a twist on my favourite fairy tale, and the majesty, beauty and superstition of Scotland seemed like the perfect setting to breathe new life into the story. Scotland’s legendary mythical creatures formed the initial spark for my reimagining, in the form of the Loch Ness monster, and it then seemed natural to set Lochbound in the atmospheric, moody Highlands and build the story from there. I wanted to create a world that was as much a main character as Iris, Henry and Duncan, and drew a lot of inspiration from Scottish history, including its dark and complex relationship with witchcraft.
The novel unfolds through three perspectives – Iris, Henry and Duncan. How did you approach structuring these viewpoints, and what advice would you give writers trying to balance multiple POVs without losing narrative momentum?
Iris, Henry and Duncan all have their own struggles which shape their perspectives and which naturally limit their part of the story to their own experiences and emotions. I wanted to use each chapter to weave through threads of information from different character perspectives that would then all pull together at the end for the resolution.
I built the plot and arcs around each of their personalities, and each chapter POV was written with the information and desires that the character had at that moment in time – thus making them all unreliable narrators to a certain extent – before the next POV added another piece of the puzzle and raised unanswered questions. There were a lot of colour-coded post-its involved during the drafting stage! The key for me was to keep sight of each character’s motivations, how they might conflict with those of another character, and how that conflict could be used to drive the story through its twists and turns.
Many aspiring fantasy authors struggle with building fully realised worlds. What’s your process for building an immersive fantasy world grounded in a real historical setting, and what should aspiring writers focus on to make their worlds feel believable?
Research, research, research! I have entire notebooks crammed with Scottish history, and I used this to infuse my own fantasy world with real historical setting. I found that focusing on the little details really helped make Kilmara feel believable: the way people might have behaved in the social context of the period, the everyday items they might have used, their superstitions which shaped their daily lives. All of these intricacies laid the foundations for me to build in the fantastical elements in a way that still remained true to its Scottish roots.
What are some recent fantasy novels you’ve enjoyed?
Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity and The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow are recent favourites of mine.
You studied with us on our online Writing Your Novel – Three Months course. How did your time with us shape your approach to writing?
It taught me to focus on a character’s journey. The CBC course helped me to draw upon my characters’ thoughts and feelings in order to drive forward the plot. I also learned to get everything down on the page and refine later instead of getting weighed down in making a single line perfect before moving on – that way madness lies!
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met on the course?
Yes, I have a lovely group of fellow CBC writers who I stay in touch with, and who have been a wonderful and irreplaceable support through my writing process.
And finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
I am working on a new novel at the moment and am deep in the messy first draft, in which the possibilities are endless, and I can think of nothing other than my characters – it is the best part!
Get your hands on a copy of Lochbound, out now from Sphere (Hachette).
Rebecca was a student on our online Writing Your Novel – Three Months course in 2021.
The books linked in this blog can be found on our Bookshop.org shop front. Curtis Brown Creative receive 10% whenever someone buys from our bookshop.org page.