Q&A with Stephanie Bramwell Lawes - Author of Thornby Manor

1.       Hi Stephanie, could you please introduce yourself, and your debut novel, Thornby Manor?

Oh HI.  I still can’t believe I’m answering questions for The Debut Digest – pinch me!  It’s such an honour.  My name is Stephanie Bramwell-Lawes, and my debut novel Thornby Manor is publishing on 23^rd April 2026 with Orenda Books.

I have always been book OBSESSED and dreamed of being an author from a very young age.  I’ve worked in publishing for over fifteen years while scribbling away in any spare time I had.  It’s been a (very) long road, but to say I have a novel publishing this year is extremely special.

Thornby Manor is a gothic historical mystery set in Warwickshire, 1891.  Fleeing a traumatic event from her past, Briar Monroe finds shelter at Thornby Manor, a brooding estate above a mist-shrouded lake.  But whispers of a dead wife, an estranged son and locked-away secrets haunt its corridors …

It is a tale of madness, the destructiveness of grief, and the price you pay for the secrets you keep.  The threat of the Victorian lunacy asylum looms over events; I actually live in an old Victorian asylum that was converted into housing in the early 2000s!

2.       Thornby Manor is steeped in gothic atmosphere. What first drew you to this setting and time period?

When I told one of my colleagues that I had written a gothic novel, their response was: “But… that’s like Barbie writing about death!”, which has always made me laugh!  I have taken that – hopefully – to mean that I’m a cheerful person, but I secretly harbour a dark, gothic soul.

Gothic literature has always had my heart.  Some of my all-time favourite novels are Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, The Woman in White, and Rebecca.  I’ve always loved stories where the setting – Manderley or the Yorkshire moors – is a main character in itself, and that is something I really wanted to achieve with Thornby Manor.  Briar refers to the house as a “talisman of darkness” in the novel, and that was definitely my aim.  It is a sinister, claustrophobic presence throughout.

Like so many people, the Victorian era has always fascinated me.  I studied history at university with particular emphasis on the period between 1850-1914.  I’ve always known that I wanted to write about this time, and once I moved into a Victorian asylum the story started to write itself!

3.       Could you introduce us to your characters?

When we meet Briar Monroe, she is at her lowest ebb and seeking a new beginning.  However, when she arrives at Thornby Manor she soon realises that things in the house are not as they seem, and her darkest days may still be before her…

Briar is courageous, astute, and resilient, but her wits are tested by Thornby’s formidable proprietor, Lord Danville.  Lord Danville is wealthy, influential, and hiding secrets of his own.  He is also newly widowed.

When Lord Danville’s estranged son, Gabriel, returns to Thornby Manor determined to investigate his mother’s death, a twisted chain of events is set in motion that will call everything he knows into question.

Gabriel is headstrong, passionate, and tormented by his loss.  He finds an ally in Briar, and as the truth of the house begins to unravel, their bond becomes something deeper and far more dangerous…

In life, we often have a tendency to describe people as being either “good” or “bad”, but I’ve always been interested in characters who exist in that grey area in between.  “Good” people backed into making terrible decisions; “bad” people displaying flashes of humanity.  A person whose fate is shaped by a single moment.

It is a theme that is explored throughout the novel.  How far are we willing to go for those we love?  When the odds are against us, what will we do to survive?

4.       Are there any authors / novels in this genre that influenced your writing?

I grew up reading the Brontës and Daphne du Maurier, who influenced me hugely.  In more modern times, I love anything by Caroline Lea, Michelle Paver, and Laura Purcell, and my all-time favourite author is Tracey Chevalier.  I’ve read everything she’s written many times over, and I still want to read it all again.

5.       As a debut novelist, what was the most surprising or difficult part of writing Thornby Manor, and what do you hope readers take away after finishing it?This is a very good question!  I still can’t believe people might be reading Thornby Manor soon.  It is both a huge privilege and hugely nerve-racking.

Every novel is personal to its author, and Thornby is very personal for me.  I wrote it following a difficult chapter in my own life, and in a way I used Briar’s grit and determination to inspire my own.  So, I would love readers to take away a message of hope; that there is light at the end of the darkest tunnels.To answer the second part of the question – and this is a very boring answer – the most difficult part of writing Thornby Manor was finding time to write it around a full-time job, while also wanting to maintain at least some semblance of a personal life!I am not the most disciplined person, so it really did take a lot of discipline to shut myself away and write on train journeys, lunch breaks, evenings, weekends, etc.  Having said that, I think I’d become quite a happy hermit by the end of it!

6.       How would you describe Thornby Manor in three words?

Haunting. Obsession. Betrayal.

7.       Can you share a quote from Thornby Manor that you love?

“There are moments in our lives that shatter our existence.  A separation of the old life and the new.  A realisation that nothing is as it once was.”

8.       What three songs are on your Thornby Manor soundtrack?

1.)    Piano Sonata No. 14 (the “Moonlight Sonata”) – Beethoven

2.)    Ready or Not – Scala

3.)    And So Is Love – Kate Bush