MARYSVILLE — Marysville’s Katherine Whitmore created her recently released first novel, “Rhythm of Redemption,” during a dark time in her life.

“I had a slightly different voice back then,” Whitmore said. “Because of what was happening to me, this dark voice just came out. I’m big on villains. They’re people too. They shouldn’t just be evil.”

“Rhythm of Redemption” centers on Daniel Shaw, a selfish teenager who is reborn as a gargoyle after his death. According to Whitmore, her work has been inspired by the strong characterization of writers such as Paul Zindel on “The Pigman.”

“I’m very invested in people,” Whitmore said.

Whitmore has always been drawn to supernatural stories that mix reality and fantasy, ever since she started telling stories with her sister at a young age.

“We used to write scripts together and imagine them as films,” Whitmore said. “I started doing more character development on my own, and eventually it led to doing books.”

Her appreciation for antiheroes stemmed from her familiarity with storytelling formulas and her desire to subvert readers’ expectations.

“My writing doesn’t explain everything,” Whitmore said. “You won’t get all the information from the story. I want readers to fill in the blanks on their own, because that makes it more unpredictable and allows them to give it their own meaning.”

Whitmore credited her dad with helping her complete the novel.

“My dad and I worked as a team to edit it,” Whitmore said. “I’ve never finished writing that fast.”

“Rhythm of Redemption” is available online at Amazon and at www.createspace.com/3439857.