In Conversation With Sarah Katherine
Interviewed by Sheena, external communications for The Literature Garden.
Sarah Katherine, with a pen name of Katherine Gray, is a 22-year-old independent author from the UK. She has two published books under her belt so far already, and is looking to expand the universe of her second book with a series of interconnected stand-alones in the future. Alongside being a bibliophile, Sarah is also a lover of fashion, pop music and fashion, which you can keep up with on her Instagram page @bysarahkatherine.
In this interview, Sarah and I delve into her background, writing journey and bookish favourites, as well as some advice for the young creatives who want to turn their writing dreams into reality, but don’t know where to begin.
S: Hi Sarah, before we get into your process, books and life, how about you introduce yourself to the lit garden audience?
K: Great! I’m Sarah, I’m 22 and I live near London. I have two independently published books (one of which just turned 4 years old!), work as a freelance book editor, and am a full-time corporate writer.
S: And, as I’ve seen on your page, a third book coming out soon, which is very exciting, and we’ll definitely get into that later. To start off, what was growing up like for you, and what kind of things do you like to do for fun?
K: I was a very quiet, studious, and creative girl growing up; I always focused on my studies but similarly always had some kind of creative outlet. I started writing my first “stories” the second I could write, and I loved to make little handmade gifts for friends/family. As I grew up, these turned into more serious hobbies: reading, writing books (of course!), sewing and crochet. I love to design and make my own clothes – I made my sixth form prom dress! The last thing to note is I’m a very active person; running and the gym are very important to my overall wellbeing.
S: Wow, that’s all so cool! How have you found the time to manage all of these passions, alongside academics, writing and corporate work as you’ve grown up?
K: Haha, great question. It’s certainly a challenge! For me, it’s all about planning and balance – I block out time in my calendar for various activities (writing, editing, making promo content for my books, etc.) and make sure to alternate what I focus on. Routines have also been key in stopping me getting burnt out. I think the best example of this is that I journal every single day in the morning to get out all my thoughts/feelings so I don’t end up overwhelmed.
S: Has there ever been a time where you have gotten burnt out, or have gotten writer’s block, and how have you handled that knowing that you have deadlines to meet?
K: Definitely. I actually get writer’s block quite frequently unfortunately. For me, the thing with deadlines is knowing not to stress; the second you try to force yourself through something, it makes it 10x worse. I always take a meaningful step back from projects to let them breathe.
S: That’s definitely the healthy thing to do! Do you have a daily writing routine or a process when you approach writing a new book?
K: Because I alternate hobbies so much, I definitely don’t get around to writing daily! Instead I literally just write whenever I have time. In terms of an approach to a new book, the biggest thing for me is just following my instinct and going for it. I plan out as much as I can (if you couldn’t tell already, I’m a big planner!), including outlining chapter by chapter, and when I’m happy I have enough of a framework, I just write. I let my first draft be messy, and if the project keeps going, great, but if I’m not feeling it after a bit, I let it go, and try not to dwell on it.
S: Going back to your debut novel, A Silent Curse (ASC), could you firstly give us a synopsis?
K: A Silent Curse is a dystopian mystery, following Evette after she wakes up in a cursed town and spends the next 24 hours trying to escape.
S: How did you come up with the idea and have the motivation to stick with it until it’s fruition?
K: I got the idea for the ending first (which I won’t spoil!), and then it all kind of tracked back from there. I think I was so motivated to finish it because I wrote the first draft in just a month, and the fact that the story came so seamlessly to me was the biggest indicator that I should take it through to publication.
S: And what did that publishing journey look like for you?
K: I’ll admit it was quite a short journey in the scheme of things. After writing the first draft, there were 9 months to get it fully edited and formatted. Alongside editing, I had to teach myself basic graphic design to make the cover; I had to learn how to self-publish; and I had to navigate the world of marketing/networking/self-promo—while it was scary at the time announcing it, I’m so grateful for the community I managed to build and the awareness I raised for the book pre-publication.
S: Wow, that sounds incredibly intense, but must’ve been incredibly gratifying once you made it past that finish line. Looking back, would you have done anything differently, and do you have any advice for young writers who want to self publish but don’t know where to start?
K: Definitely—looking back, I wish I gave myself more time. My biggest advice would be not to rush into anything—there’s no race! Give yourself enough time to plan and execute everything properly. Making sure you’re on top of everything can immensely reduce the stress of self-publishing.
S: Would you say you did that more when publishing your second book?
K: Absolutely. Instead of a 9 month window I had a year and a quarter; I also extended deadlines when I knew meeting the original ones would just make me rush through work that needed time and care.
S: And your second book is also still involved with the mystery/thriller genre, right? What is it about the genre that compels you to write within those worlds, and how does that compare to the media you like to consume?
K: Yes, my second book is a murder mystery. I’ve always been drawn to mysteries and thrillers—honestly for a reason I can’t really explain more than I just adore a good plot twist! And, I think perhaps because I love to plan my books in detail, it goes hand in hand with having to plan out intricate storylines for mysteries where tiny hints and details can be the key to the whole book. In terms of media I consume, I read a lot of books in the same genres—again it’s something about those plot twists! I also love a fantasy, and write in that genre as well; there’s just so many possibilities and I love the freedom of it.
S: Do you have any authors or books in particular that you take inspiration from, maybe that utilise those little details really well in order to craft a suspenseful mystery?
K: I read so much that that’s hard to pin down! But I would definitely say Karen M. McManus has always been a huge inspiration to me in that sense, and Holly Jackson of course does this incredibly as well.
S: Absolutely, I saw Holly Jackson with her little stack of planned out flashcards on my feed today ready to get started on writing her new book, and I for one cannot wait. Speaking of, your new book, Lost Souls Don’t Fly, is coming out soon I hear? I have to say that I love the titles of your books, is there anything you can tell us about why you chose it?
K: It’s actually not coming out soon haha, it’s just my next release, at some point—in short, my next releases are all part of a group of interconnected stand-alones—starting with [Sweet Dreams Don’t Lie]. All their covers will be linked, and their titles have the same format, and they’ll all have little details linked to the others. It started with Sweet dreams Don’t Lie and all the rest were so easy to come up with after that!
S: Where do you see yourself career wise in ten years time? Aside from this future interconnected world of stand-alones (that we all can’t wait for), have you got any goals, book events or milestones you’d like to accomplish in mind?
K: Wow, that’s a good question lol. I actually really don’t think so far ahead any more; over the past year my life, my goals, and my dreams have continued to change so much that it almost makes it impossible to know what I’ll want in ten years time. I prefer to stay flexible and open-minded now! Saying that, I suppose I’d love to do an author signing event and see my books stocked an an indie bookstore.
S: And I’d love to be there, I hope that all of those aspirations come true. I was hoping that we could finish off with some fun book related questions if that’s good with you?
K: Of course!
S: Great! So, first, what book are you currently reading, or have just finished reading?
K: I just finished The Rose Bargain by Sasha Peyton Smith, and I’m now reading The Children by Melissa Albert.
S: What are your thoughts on those? Have you been enjoying them—what do you like and not like so far?
K: I’ll talk about The Rose Bargain as I really have only just started the other one haha. I rated it 5 stars, I loved it, which was so refreshing because I haven’t read a 5 star fiction book for months! I was a big fan of the whimsical elements—the only thing I didn’t like was the predictability.
S: I’m glad! I’ll have to give that one a read—I feel like predictability in mainstream books has especially become more of a thing in the last few years with the rise of social media. What are your thoughts on BookTok and book marketing on socials?
K: I have mixed opinions on BookTok, but overall I think people can be too harsh on it. There are much worse things than loving to read. I also think it’s so hit or miss in terms of book marketing. If your book does well, it does really well, but if you get buried by the algorithm, it can be difficult. It’s a tricky one to navigate!
S: I can’t imagine what it must be like to navigate as an indie author. Have there been any books that you think have been almost glorified as an amazing read on socials and then you’ve read it and been severely disappointed?
K: I guess I never understood the hype about Sally Rooney books—I think the whole missing quotation marks thing went straight over my head—for me, it felt like it was trying too hard.
S: That is definitely a hot take! I’ll be honest, I’ve never understood the no quotation marks thing either, but equally I would say that it was an intriguing read personally. Do you have a favourite character, dynamic or book boyfriend haha?
K: Just in general from every book I’ve ever read ?
S: Yes, I know it’s a tough one.
K: Some of my favourite characters have to be Todd Anderson (Dead Poets Society) and the March sisters (Little Women). [For a favourite] dynamic, I would have to say I love seeing girlhood & sisterhood portrayed; and unashamed to say I have always been a Klaus Baudelaire girl.
S: What an amazing mix, I love them all. Random fact, but the literature garden magazine actually started from the co-editors-in-chief’s love for Little Women. And I just want to give Todd Anderson an eternal hug. Shifting to your books, do you have a favourite character, chapter, moment or line that you’ve written?
K: My favourite moments are when I get to write the title into a line in the book—it’s like my little author signature! In terms of characters, my favourites would have to be the girls in SDDL—their relationship is kind of based off of mine with my best friend, so they’re extremely special to me.
S: I always smile to myself when I see the title written in there, it’s so fun for it all to be connected! And oh I love that so much, I need to give the book a read (as everyone else should!). Finally, who would you say is your books’ target audience, and what do you want readers to get from the Katherine Gray reading experience?
K: That’s actually quite a different answer for ASC and then the rest of my books. For ASC, it’s people looking for a deep, slightly unnerving mystery, and I’d love for them to feel like the writing was almost poetic. But for SDDL and the rest, it’s kind of fun! They may be mysteries but I want readers to feel truly immersed in the story and like the characters could practically be their friends.
S: It’s great that there’s that variety to choose from. I’m absolutely recommending your books to my friend, she’d definitely love ASC especially. Anyway, thank you so much for your time, it was lovely getting to know you!
K: Thank you lovely! It was a pleasure to answer your questions.
Check out everything Katherine Gray here: https://authorkatherinegray.carrd.co
