An Interview with T.G.Campbell
- authorvalpenny
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
I am pleased to chat with author T.G. Campbell to the blog today to discuss her books and writing. Thank you for featuring me on your blog, Val. It is always a pleasure to discuss my books and writing.
T.G. Campbell writes gripping crime mysteries set in nineteenth century London with the case being investiged by the members of The Bow Street Society. The Bow Street Society is a fictional group of amateur detectives, operating in Victorian London.
What inspired you to write your most recent book?
The most recent book I’ve written is the 7th volume of my Bow Street Society Casebook series of short story collections called The Case of The Devil of Daventry & Other Stories. It comprises of five short stories featuring the Bow Street Society, a fictional group of amateur detectives, operating in Victorian London. Each of its civilian members has been enlisted for their unique skill or exceptional knowledge in a particular field derived from their usual occupation. Members are assigned to cases, by the Society's clerk, Miss Trent, based upon these skills and fields of knowledge. The members assigned to the cases in this volume include an architect, illusionist, horologists, and even a botanist.
I have a keen interest in urban legends and the paranormal, so this was a strong source of inspiration for this collection, particularly for The Case of The Cavalier’s Chair and The Case of The Devil of Daventry. I love the atmosphere of the BBC’s A Ghost Story for Christmas, and I wanted to recreate this in The Case of The Devil of Daventry, so it begins with an unnamed man digging a grave and ends with an unsettling discovery. For The Case of The Hotel Hustlers, my inspiration came from seeing a simple newspaper rack mounted on the wall of a coffee shop. For me, inspiration can come from almost anywhere!
Who is your favourite character in this book and why?
In the short story The Case of The Botanist’s Betrayal, I introduce a new Bow Street Society member called Mr Oluwatoyin Glenroy. Born in Jamaica but now living in London and working as a stable hand at the livery where the Society keeps its cab and horses, he’s a keen amateur botanist and former sailor with the British Royal Navy. He’s my favourite character in The Case of The Devil of Daventry & Other Stories because not only is he my newest creation, but he also has a rich history, charming personality, and great chemistry with his friend and former shipmate, fellow Bow Street Society member, bodyguard and firearms expert, Mr Callahan Skinner. They’re completely open with each other and have a mutual respect for one another. Yet, Mr Glenroy more than proves his worth as both a botanist and Bow Street Society member in this story, and that gave me tremendous enjoyment whilst writing.
What was the first piece you had published?
The first piece I published under the Bow Street Society brand was the first in the main novel series, The Case of The Curious Client. The very first piece of writing I had published, though, was a poem called Love that I’d originally written for my A Level English class. It was published in an anthology called Affectionately Yours. I still have a copy of the anthology, but only a limited number of copies were published at the time, so I don’t think many others have a copy, too.
Do you have another story planned or in progress? When can we expect to see that?
Yes. I’m currently writing the 8th novel in the Bow Street Society Mystery series and have the plot of the 9th novel planned out. I intend to release the 8th book in 2026. I can’t describe too much of the plot without giving spoilers, but the basic premise is the Bow Street Society is commissioned to investigate a woman’s household when she tells them she suspects she’s being poisoned by someone within it. Throughout the series, there is a main plot arc about a conspiracy surrounding the identity of the true founder of the Bow Street Society, as well as a few characters sub-plots, so this book also develops these further alongside the main mystery.
A new Bow Street Society Casebook short story called The Case of the Vanquished Ventriloquist will also be serialised in my monthly newsletter, The Gaslight Gazette, from January. I’ll then write 4 more short stories throughout 2026 and release them as the 8th Casebook volume in November / December.
Who is your favourite author?
I have lots of favourite authors so I can’t name just one. They are: Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot novels), Raymond Chandler (Phillip Marlow novels), and Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe novels) from the golden age of detective fiction, and Chris Speck (North Burton Trilogy) , John Bainbridge (William Quest novels), Anne Bainbridge (Inspector Abbs novels), and Julie Anderson (Clapham Trilogy) from modern times.
What do you like to do when you’re not planning or writing your next book?
Over the past year or so I’ve rediscovered my love of reading in a big way. I love discovering new authors (the lesser known the better) and returning to my favourites. I also enjoy playing video games, with story-based games being my go-to format. My family all clubbed together and bought me a PlayStation 5 for my 40th birthday, so I’ve been playing Silent Hill 2 Remake, and the remastered Tomb Raider series. I’ve lots more titles waiting to be played, though, and I hope to start streaming on Twitch.tv in 2026.
When did you know you wanted to write novels?
I loved watching detective dramas, such as The Bill, Daziel & Pascoe, Taggart, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, etc, growing up. I also loved reading Agatha Christie’s books and wanted to join CID in the police to investigate and solve cases. Unfortunately, due to a degenerative, hereditary eye condition, joining the police wasn’t an option for me. Therefore, I chose to write about them instead, and my first writing project was a screenplay loosely based on The Bill and Midsomer Murders.
Do you write in other genres?
I attempted to write an epic fantasy once. The less said about that, the better!
What do you like most about being an author?
I know it sounds a bit cheesy, but I love bringing the joy of a good story to my readers. Growing up, I would obsess over my favourite TV or book series, and I can remember how much those plots and characters meant to me. If I can bring the same level of enjoyment and meaning to my readers, then I feel I’ve achieved my main aim as an author.
Do you have a specific routine for writing? Is there a special place or particular tool you use?
I try to write every day (even if it’s a few paragraphs). Otherwise, I find it difficult to get back into the world of the book and the mindset of its characters. I edit as I write, and I’ve found this sped up the process for me, compared to writing a whole first draft and then going back to edit it afterwards. For planning the plot of my books, I use the storyline tool on the Writers Café software. Said to have been used by the writers of Eastenders, it’s designed for scriptwriters, but I find it incredibly useful for my books.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Get your book professionally edited before publishing it. This includes developmental edits as well as proof reading. Also, if your book is set in an historical setting, please do your research. If you then decide to make changes for artistic reasons, please make this clear to your reader. Nothing pulls me out of a book faster than inaccuracies in a book set in the nineteenth century. Having done a lot of research into the period myself, the smallest inaccurate detail can appear ten feet tall in my mind.
If your book were to be made into an Audiobook, who would you choose to read it?
I’m currently working on the audiobook of The Case of The Curious Client. My good friend and fellow writer Richard A. Boxshall has recorded the narrative. Yet, due to the number of characters, I’ve also got a Canadian voice actor to record Dr Weeks’s dialogue, a British male voice actor to record all of the male characters’ dialogue, and a British female voice actor to record all of the female characters’ dialogue. We’re nearing the end of the recording and the samples I’ve put together so far sound amazing. I hope to release the audiobook in 2026.
Where can we find out more about you and your books?
My website, www.bowstreetsociety.com, is where you’ll find information about all of my currently published books, the Gaslight Gazette, my monthly blog, my monthly “In Conversation with…” web series on YouTube (featuring Val Penny), and more. I also have a fan group on Facebook called The Bow Street Appreciation Society that your readers are welcome to join. Finally, I can be found as Bow Street Society on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, X, and Threads.
The Author
Tahnee Georgina Campbell wrote her first crime fiction story at the age of sixteen as a gift for her best friend. At only 40 pages long it fell considerably short of a “novel” but it marked the beginning of a creative journey that would eventually spawn the first of the Bow Street Society mystery novels; The Case of the Curious Client. During that time she attended the University of Winchester where she acquired her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Studies and wrote a dissertation on the social and cultural importance of the works of Agatha Christie.
The Bow Street Society is a fictional group of amateur detectives, operating in Victorian London, that feature in the murder mystery writings of award winning crime author, T.G. Campbell. Each of its civilian members has been enlisted for their unique skill or exceptional knowledge in a particular field derived from their usual occupation. Members are assigned to cases, by the Society's clerk, Miss Trent, based upon these skills and fields of knowledge.
The Case of The Curious Client won a Book Award with Fresh Lifestyle Magazine, an achievement she is extremely proud of. She's written a monthly feature for the magazine ever since. Her features cover a range of topics from Hidden London to every day life in Victorian era London.
Subscribers to the free, monthly, Bow Street Society newsletter - the Gaslight Gazette - are first to read new Casebook short stories. Sneak peeks of upcoming releases, deleted scenes from published works, and news about upcoming book signing events are also included.
The Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BowStSociety
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/TG_Campbell