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| Sarah England, Author |
Sarah England: bio
Sarah
originally trained as a nurse in Sheffield (UK) and then went on to work as a
medical representative for nearly 20 years, specialising in mental health.
She
had always wanted to write fiction, but did not begin until around 8 years ago,
prompted by a house move and relocation to the South coast. Since then she has
had around 140 short stories published, mostly in national magazines and
various anthologies; and most recently a 3 part detective serial in Woman’s
Weekly.
‘3am
and Wide Awake’ was released in May 2013 by Alfie Dog Fiction - a collection of
25 thrillers, many supernatural or medically based - two of her predominant
themes.
‘Expected’
is Sarah’s first novel - a comedy launched by Crooked Cat Publishing on 28th
June, 2013.
She
lives in Dorset with her husband, Don, and spaniel, Harry.
Book Blurb for ‘Expected’ by
Sarah England
Sam Sweet is a failed
psychiatric nurse from a sink estate in Weston Super mare. Her mother, whose
husband ran off with another woman 20 years ago - although you'd think it
happened only yesterday - has only one ambition and that is to be a
grandmother.
But Sam is terrified of
giving birth. She is easily traumatised and has no ambition to return to the
sink estate and have dozens of children. She just wants a chance to do
something with her life first, to fall in love, to see a bit of the world.
Alas, in a drunken stupor she meets Simon - the psychopathic surgeon, who
promises her a wonderful life and she believes him - because she is a dingbat
and has a lot to learn.
Her latest job is
injecting facial fillers and clients are suing because it’s going lumpy. And
her best friend, also her boss, is sexually jealous to the point of blind rage
because her boyfriend fancies Sam and does little to hide it.
Sam is coping - by
shopping and over eating chocolate. But soon piles on weight and sinks deeply
into debt, at which point Simon the surgeon starts playing serious mind games;
and by the time it dawns on Sam just what a horrific mess she's in - well might
as well pass her the JCB because she keeps on digging.
Then as the company
spirals downwards and all knives are out for survival - a new MD is brought in
from the states – Joel – WOWEE - Madison! Sam and he instantly fall for each
other but...her mother is now going bonkers - has booked the wedding....with
the psychopathic surgeon....oh it's getting worse.......fireworks? You
bet....but that would be telling......
- I noticed in your book blurb you say Sam
is over eating chocolate? How is
that possible? I know of no way
someone can overeat chocolate.
Ha ha – she does her best, Brenda! Sam is overeating because she is
putting on weight and it is mostly with calorie-dense chocolate. Yummy. Just a
pity she can’t get into her clothes anymore….
- Where do you get most of your inspiration
from for your stories? Life?
Yes, most definitely. And the lives of others, and the stories I’ve
picked up over the years. Sometimes inspiration comes when I’m in the middle of
watching a film or reading a book. Ah, I
see I have jumped into your next question…yes just a flicker of a character or
an idea I can see to develop. But mostly, with a medical background, my short
stories in ‘3am and Wide Awake’ for example – are hugely influenced by
experience. With Expected – again, I used to inject facial fillers myself and
worked in a team of sales reps….
- Others’ books? TV shows? Movies?
- Since you are writing fiction, and your
book is in the medical field, have you ever used real life experiences in
any of your writing?
There is a scene in ‘Expected’ where Sam is injecting a facial filler
and it won’t come out of the syringe. The product is too hard. Yes – that
happened to me and I was pressing the plunger down so hard I broke a sweat.
Awful experience. Happily my client was luckier than Sam’s.
- Who is your favorite author? What makes that author stand out from
all of the other authors you read?
Well actually I love Stephen King, because he is a genuinely gifted
raconteur – the stories pour from him. He’s the kind of storyteller who has you
riveted with idea after idea – and with horror often juxtaposed with comedy
too. I write comedy and at the opposite end of the literary scale – thrillers
and horror – so I’d have to say Stephen King. But there are many others I
admire too – like Ian McEwan, who I really feel is the master of literary prose
– superb.
- What is your favorite reading genre?
I enjoy classic literature, historical fiction such as ‘The White
Queen,’ comedy, the supernatural and a really good thriller. I couldn’t choose.
Not too keen on sci-fi, that’s all.
- How many books do you read each month?
I used to read around 3-4, but I’ve been so busy lately, that has
probably dropped to around 2.
- Do you believe the adage that in order to
write well you must read a lot?
Yes – definitely!
- Would you give this advice to anyone else who
wants to write?
Yes there is no way round it – it’s essential. It’s a learning tool. An
education. A pleasure. However, if you are serious about your work then I’d
read in your chosen genre.
- How many edits did you have to do on your
novel, Expected?
‘Expected’ was probably written about 4 times. It then
went on to be accepted by an online company and I edited it again with their
in-house editor. That company then disbanded, and I was left trying to find another
home for ‘Expected’ after 6 months of um…expectation…..Happily Crooked Cat
liked it immediately and I was asked to edit it again. I then did it again once
the kindle version was formatted…. So a fair few times! And every time I picked
up more typos…
- How long did it take you to write your
novel?
Around 3 months or so – but the editing would add another month on to it
each time!
- Is your family supportive of your writing?
I didn’t get to be a writer for a very long time. I had to earn a living
and pay the bills. So I came to my dream quite late in life. As I started
writing magazine stories and earned quite well my husband was happy, but
recently – with the novel – he is not so happy as I’m not earning. He’s
supportive in that he believes I can do it, but I’m not sure he thinks I will
be successful…..
- Are they as excited as you are for your
debut novel?
No! But my mum and dad are buying the book and telling their friends now
– so maybe…. I think with my brother being a professor, you know, I’m not sure
they know how hard this has been and how much of a passion it is.
- Do you have a special place at home where
you write?
I usually jot everything down in my notebook and then type up later in
my/our office. I have to be totally quiet. No music. No interference. Just the
space inside my head. But at the ideas stage I can be anywhere – as long as my
notepad is handy!
- Do you write the same time every day, or
just when you get the chance?
I am totally erratic – sometimes 4-5 hours will fly by and others I
can’t get started.
- Does living on the South coast keep you
from writing? Are you near the
beach?
No – we are well inland near a little saxon town called Shaftesbury. I
am surrounded by farmland and there are no distractions. It’s so boring – even
the cows are bored.
- What distracts you from writing? If anything.
Everything. I have to be totally quiet, which is why living in the back
of beyond suits me!
- What else would you like my readers to
know about your writing and your new book?
Well ‘Expected’ deals with many contentious issues. It’s a comedy in
that Sam Sweet, the main character, spars with her dreadful fiancé, biding her
time while she plans her escape – but she also injects facial fillers, is
terrified of childbirth, and has a background from which she wants to escape.
She feels fat, has low self-esteem, and copes badly – with shopping to debt
level and trying to pretend she can live the life expected of her without
falling apart inside. But she can’t – the serious message – if you like, in a
comedy – is that she must find her voice. And it takes her quite a while…..Yes
there is a bit of my heart in this book! However, I am also fascinated by the
dark side – tarot and the supernatural – so that’s another dimension I work on,
hence the collection of horrors and thrillers in ‘3am and Wide Awake.’ Many of
those are straight from my 20 years working in mental health. But overall I
have to say that my primary goal is to entertain the reader… And I hope that I
have achieved that, and will go on doing so.
Here
are Sarah England’s links.
Website: http://www.sarahengland.yolasite.com
Twitter:
@sarahengland16
Amazon author
page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-England/e/B005P0GDYW/
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/489204.Sarah_E_England
Smashwords: free
download of short comedy: coupon = SP93M https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/328849
***
Links to books:
‘3am and Wide Awake’ – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CLFRFHS
‘Expected’ – http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00DHKI2GY
U-tube video: http://youtu.be/rsvi9yI5S-g
Sarah, thanks for the honesty. I enjoyed getting to know you better.
ReplyDeleteBrenda - great interview.
Thanks Laura! And thanks Brenda too - I've had a blast! xxx
ReplyDelete