Episode 75 - Guest Interview with Derbyshire author Sarah Ward
We are back in the writers’ room and we have a guest in our hot seat this week, Derbyshire author Sarah Ward
Sarah is the author of four contemporary crime novels set in the Derbyshire Peak District. The Daily Mail described her debut novel, In Bitter Chill, as a ‘Tense, well-told story of loss and family secrets’. Sarah’s published her Gothic thriller, The Quickening, using her middle name, Rhiannon Ward, and was a Radio Times book of 2020. She published the Shadowing in September 2021 and that was a Daily Express book of the year.
Sarah is also the writer of the Doctor Who audio drama The Unwilling Assassin for Big Finish and The Perils of Nellie Bly, featuring the Fifth Doctor. Besides writing, Sara is an experienced Board Member of the Derby Book Festival and the Crime Writers Association.
Pete and Laura ask Sarah:
Tell us about yourself and your journey. How did you get started with writing?
Can you tell our listener more about your novels, and your audio drama work?
We’ve got lots of questions we’d love to ask you, but we want to start with point of view. We know point of view is important in our writing. How do you decide who should tell the story?
What advice can you give to our reader to allow them to write from an authentic and consistent point of view?
Sarah, we are really interested in talking about how you’ve found the experience of writing under a pen name. Can you talk to us about this experience and explain why you made this decision?
Would you recommend writing under a pen name if your genre/ style is significantly different? Did you face any challenges?
We loved seeing a glimpse of your research reading list for The Quickening. Can you tell us more about your writing process? Does this change for every book?
Setting also plays a huge part in your work. How do you create such vivid settings? Is this part of your research process, too?
We have lots of indie authors who listen to our podcast, and authors who are keen to learn about marketing their books. Can you talk about how much marketing you are involved with? Do you have any advice for our listener?
What’s next for you, and how can our listener find out more about you and your work?
You can find Sarah:
At her website - https://crimepieces.com or Twitter or Facebook.
We want to hear from you! info@derbyshirewritingschool.com
Thanks for listening!
