Guest Appearance with author Gail Waterhouse

I am so excited to welcome Gail Waterhouse to the blog today as part of the Blood Becoming: Halvyn Dawn tour! After reading this book, I was so curious how she managed to blend a grounded, believable police procedural with the more speculative, supernatural side of the story, and it turns out the answer involves a retired detective, a very patient coffee shop, and a whole lot of research. Here’s Gail to tell you all about it.

From Crime Scenes to Vampires: Researching Blood Becoming.

One of my favourite parts of writing is the research. I can begin by looking up one small detail and, several hours later, find myself reading about something completely different but far too interesting to ignore. Some discoveries enter the story; others are quietly filed away for another book.

Writing Blood Becoming: Halvyn Dawn meant researching police investigations, forensic evidence, genetics, vaccines and future scientific possibilities. Set in the North East of England in 2046, it follows DCI Eleanor Moore as she investigates a series of unusual deaths. Although the story includes vampires and human hybrids, I wanted the police investigation at its heart to feel authentic.

Fortunately, I had expert help.

A friend of mine is a recently retired detective from my local police force. His wife is also a retired crime scene investigator, so between them they have an extraordinary amount of experience. Calling our first meeting an interview makes it sound rather formal. In reality, it was more of an enthusiastic interrogation.

We met in a coffee shop and became so absorbed in the conversation that we talked for more than two hours. It was only afterwards that I realised I had ordered one drink and a slice of cake for the entire session. The staff were impressively patient.

I wanted to understand what happens when a body is discovered, who attends the scene, which department takes the lead, what evidence is collected and what an investigating officer would realistically be allowed to do. Every answer seemed to create three more questions.

I have watched more police dramas and crime programmes than I could count. Television is not always a reliable guide to police procedure, but it is excellent at sparking ideas.

Because the story is set in 2046, I have some creative freedom. Police procedures, forensic technology and surveillance methods will inevitably evolve. This allows me to imagine developments that do not yet exist whilst keeping them believable. I am not trying to predict the future perfectly, only to create one that feels plausible.

The scientific side required a different approach. The origins of the vampires and hybrids draw on both folklore and science. I read science magazines, articles and academic material on genetics, viruses, vaccines, inherited characteristics and human evolution. Some ideas influenced the plot directly, whilst others shaped the wider world of the series.

Mixing vampire blood with a vaccine to alter human DNA is certainly a leap, but this is fiction and, within my world, it works.

My son has a strong interest in scientific theories and often introduces me to new discoveries. Our conversations about genetics, medicine and technology regularly spark ideas. He brings me the science, and I begin wondering how it might develop over the next twenty years or what could happen if it took an unexpected turn.

A close friend and neighbour, who is an experienced nurse, checked many of the biological and medical elements. Her feedback helped ensure that even the more unusual concepts were grounded in enough reality to feel possible.

My background as a Design and Technology teacher also shapes how I approach speculative fiction. Creativity and problem-solving are central to the subject. I enjoy starting with an idea, examining how it might work and finding a way to make the pieces fit together.

Not every scientific element can be fully justified or proven. Sometimes I begin with genuine research and speculate about where it might lead. At other times, the science needs to bend slightly to serve the story. For me, plausibility matters more than proof. I want readers to recognise enough reality beneath the fiction to wonder whether some part of it could one day be possible.

My interest in research grew stronger while completing my master’s degree. Even now, a passing comment in a documentary can send me straight to Google. We have developed a productive working relationship.

Only a fraction of what I learnt appears in the novel. Research should support the story rather than overwhelm it. The world of Blood Becoming: Halvyn Dawn is a grounded version of our near future, but one in which supernatural beings hide in plain sight and manipulate society to serve their own interests.

Against that backdrop, the characters must still feel genuine, relatable and emotionally real. For me, the most rewarding part is combining police experience, emerging science, folklore and imagination whilst keeping the people at the centre of the story believable. Ultimately, the authentic detective investigation anchors the novel, allowing the supernatural to meet reality in a way that feels convincing.

-Gail Waterhouse, author of Blood Becoming: Halvyn Dawn

Reading this actually explains so much about why the world of this book felt the way it did while I was reading it. That grounded, procedural feel sitting right alongside something so mythic and folklore driven was one of my favorite parts of the reading experience, and now I understand just how much real research and how many real people, a retired detective, a nurse, a very patient coffee shop staff, went into making it feel that believable. Thank you so much for sharing this, Gail, and for writing a world that made me want to know more even after I turned the last page.

Learn more about Gail and her work at gailwaterhouse.com.

Shop The Book: Blood Becoming Halvyn Dawn
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Synopsis:

DCI Eleanor Moore is drawn into a series of brutal killings that defy explanation. As she follows the trail of evidence, she uncovers links between the crimes, the vaccine, and a shadowy conspiracy determined to control the future. The investigation becomes painfully personal when Eleanor realises a member of her own family may be entangled in the very secrets she is chasing.

Blood Becoming: Halvyn Dawn is a paranormal crime thriller set in 2046, where the aftermath of a contaminated vaccine has altered humanity in ways no one yet fully understands. Hybrid beings walk among us, their true nature hidden until violence drags them into the light.

Praise for Blood Becoming: Halvyn Dawn:

“Highly compelling with many unexpected twists.”
~ Natalie Key, Female First

“It had everything you’d want in a really good paranormal crime thriller — suspense, mystery, great characters.”
~ Aysha Awan, ARC Reader

“Thoroughly enjoyable… a storyline that rattles along with characters you want to know.”
~ Richard Wolstenholme, Waterstones reviewer

“I loved Eleanor. The two sides of her. The detective but also the mom and the wife who has lost her husband.”
~ Goodreads reviewer

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Thriller, Police Procedural
Published by: Troubador Publishing
Publication Date: April 22, 2026
Number of Pages: 363

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

Author Bio:

Gail Waterhouse is a UK-based author of crime thrillers with a speculative edge. With a background in design, and an MA in Creative & Media Education, she writes grounded, character-driven stories that blend police procedural realism with darker, thought-provoking themes.

Her work explores near-future worlds shaped by scientific change and human consequence, where the line between the natural and unnatural begins to blur. Inspired by conversations about climate change and humanity’s future, her stories examine what we might become when survival demands evolution.

She lives in the North East of England.

Catch Up With Gail Waterhouse:

GailWaterhouse.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @gailwaterhouse
Instagram – @gail_waterhouse_author
Threads – @gail_waterhouse_author
TikTok – @bloodbecoming_author
Facebook – @Gail Waterhouse – Author

 

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Gail Waterhouse. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

The giveaway is for:    2 x $25 Bookshop.org Gift Cards