Callie Coles is a British novelist whose love of animals, nature and family life in the countryside infuses her storytelling. Callie balances her life as a mother with her passion for writing and horses, sharing her journey through her Instagram and Substack, where she has a following of over one million. In addition to her work as a novelist, Callie has contributed to various publications and collaborated with several leading British brands. Her writing reflects themes of resilience, connection to the land, and the emotional bonds between people and animals, all set against the vivid backdrop of rural life. Tangled Webs is her first novel and the first installment in the Spinning Silks trilogy.

Tell us about Tangled Webs. What inspired this story?

I was invited to ride in a prestigious charity race in 2021. It involved a huge amount of training and riding racehorses. While I was riding through the bustling streets of Newmarket on wild two-year-old thoroughbreds to go and hurl myself up the gallop on the Heath in the middle of town – a town where horses are given priority over everything else – the story came to me.

You’ve spent years telling stories through short-form content. What made you dive into a novel?

There was no other option – I had to write it. It was bursting out of me. The story had taken shape almost over night, it flowed through my dreams. My fingers were itching to write constantly.

Your followers know you through snapshots of your daily life. How does storytelling in a novel allow you to express something social media can’t?

I find that space on the page invaluable. You can’t really lean into prose or weave a proper story in a paragraph or two. You can present a thimble full of life on social media – usually through pictures – but when you’re given the freedom of a hundred thousand words – then you can really get your teeth into something. The palette becomes larger and the end story, hopefully, far more real. Bigger in depth and breadth.

Did your audience know you were working on a novel, or was this something you kept private until it was ready?

I actually can’t remember. I didn’t have it under embargo or anything but I was writing it for me more than anything. It wasn’t until I’d finished and I’d read it to my husband that he persuaded me to think about sharing Sage’s story with a wider audience.

How does the story connect to the platform you’ve built?

I think my page reflects my love of nature and animals. Horses and dogs play a big part of my life. We have eight dogs and N+1 horses (N being the number my husband thinks we have!) and my writing draws on these things. I was always told to write about something I knew about. I’ve tried to stay true to that. I think anyone who is interested in my social media crumbs about ponies and merry bedlam outside in the natural world or the family spending time together will naturally be able to connect with my writing. It’s just a more prolific tangent of my scribbles – but more successfully tightened up by my incredibly talented publishing team!

What does a successful story do, whether it’s a 30-second video or a 300-page novel?

I think the main thing is that it pulls you in. It takes you away from any worries or humdrum. However momentarily. You fall into a different world. Total immersion.

Readers often assume fiction is autobiographical. How do you navigate those assumptions as someone who shares their life so openly?

While my book is entirely fictional and all the characters are made up, I have, of course, drawn from my own life. My relationship with horses. With my grandparents. The feeling of galloping a flighty, temperamental racehorse. They are such fundamental building blocks in my own life that I have relived moments from my past and then woven that memory or experience into a new shape. I do sometimes have to reiterate though that it is most definitely not an autobiography!

Do you anticipate longtime followers will experience the book differently from someone picking it up in a bookstore for the first time?

No, I haven’t ever thought about that. I hope not. I hope the book is enough to stand alone.

Do you see your platform changing with the publication of your novel

Gosh, I’m not sure. The wiles of meta are beyond me. Totally unfathomable. Who knows if anything will change? I don’t anticipate anything terribly dramatic though!

What advice would you give content creators who are considering writing a book?

If you have a story inside you then you must let it out! Good luck and when you’re struggling don’t worry about perfection, just get the words down on the page. You can always change things afterwards.

Tangled Webs by Callie Coles

Sage Deverill has fled her at a crumbling Panamanian estate and taken her young son to the only place she’s ever felt truly safe. In Newmarket, the center of of the racing world in the British Countryside, she is back at her grandparents’ estate. Surrounded by the love of her family, the gorgeous countryside, and the sound of hooves hitting the earth, Sage is back where she belongs with the animals she loves most. When horseback riding one day, Sage meets Rafe Dunbarton, an driven but kind racehorse trainer. Though they start out as friends, both Sage and Rafe feel an irresistible pull towards one another. As Sage enjoys her freedom, her past comes ready to trap her again.

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