Cranebrook mum Samantha Blok has always had a love for reading, now she has flipped the script and successfully debuted her first novel.
Described as a gothic romance, The Haunting of Rosehill tells the story of Evelyn Ward who feels suffocated by the regency society of 19th century England as she discovers superstition and chilling secrets, mixed with some romance.
Blok’s debut novel was something she has always dreamt of completing and finally has made it happen.
“I always wanted to write,” Blok said.
“I work in policy… it can be a very boring job, and I needed a creative output.
“One day, I just started writing this story and it was literally the first time in years that I had started writing again and I fell in love with it.”

Blok chose to self-publish her debut novel, meaning she had creative control over all aspects of her work.
“I had to teach myself a lot of skills like formatting, how to edit an e-book and editing to industry standards,” Blok said.
“There is obviously disadvantages as well because if you go through a publishing company, they will do all your marketing and design, but you can lose your creative freedom if they want your book to fit into a certain genre or market. There is not a lot of room for niches and for listening to what readers want.”
Recalling the feeling of seeing her debut novel printed for the first time, Blok said it was a surreal moment.
“I didn’t think about that moment. I just remember opening the packet and almost scream crying at these books!” Blok said.
“I didn’t expect to be so emotional that it has my name, and it is a book that I’ve written.
“It was that dream come true moment where I’ve always wanted to be an author, but I never really thought I would do it. It shows me that I’m capable of it and it can be done.”
While promoting The Haunting of Rosehill, which is now available for purchase, Blok has been working away on her next novel The Heir of Ravens.
“The next one is a standalone companion novel to this one. You can read it right after if you wanted to, or you could read it as a standalone,” Blok said.
“It follows one of the characters from the first book who… is a beloved character. I fell in love with her, and I thought she needed her love story. She needs to find happiness and have her own journey.
“It’s set about five years later and it gives nothing away from the first book.”
The Haunting of Rosehill can be purchased through Amazon at https://amzn.to/4jOtGxl or follow @samanthablok.author on Instagram for updates.

Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.