Sarai Walker: Subversive however Enjoyable

Sarai Walker is the creator of Furious Violet, The Cherry Robbers and Dietland, which was tailored as a tv sequence for AMC. Her work has been printed in additional than a dozen international locations.

In this interview, Sarai shares her motto, her ideas on totally different writing genres, what does not get talked about sufficient in publishing, and extra.

Name: Sarai Walker
Literary agent: Alice Tasman
Book title: Furious Violet
Publisher: Harper
Release date: July 28, 2026
Genre/class: Literary thriller
Previous titles: Dietland and The Cherry Robbers
Elevator pitch for the guide: Furious Violet is a couple of 49-year-old true crime author named West, whose late mom was a Sylvia Plath-like poet. As the novel begins, West turns into the sufferer of a stalker, who claims she is their mom—however she’s by no means had kids.

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I needed to place my very own spin on a thriller/suspense novel. I prefer to experiment with totally different genres. My first guide was a political coming-of-age story, my second novel was gothic and historic, and Furious Violet is one thing fairly totally different. I believe writing the identical type of guide again and again can be boring. With a thriller/suspense novel, it’s extra plot-driven. I cherished having that inbuilt construction to drive the narrative. The enjoyable half was infusing that with actually sturdy characters and exploring concepts associated to literary obsession, true crime, motherhood, and non-motherhood.

When I begin a novel, I’ve a common concept of what it’s about, however I can solely actually determine the story and my characters as I write all of it into existence. Furious Violet is fairly near my unique conception, however it actually developed all through the method, which took 4 years in complete. I began proper after I completed going by means of the copyedits for my second novel. It took me about 5 months to actually discover the voice of my essential character, which is all the time my method right into a story. I completed writing the novel in about three years, though there have been some gaps throughout that point once I wasn’t writing very a lot. Then the publication course of took virtually a complete yr, together with edits, copyedits, proofreading, and so forth.

With my third novel, it actually hit me that publishing by no means will get any simpler. Unless you’re an enormous bestseller, you’re not assured a publishing deal to your subsequent guide. I’ve had pals publish one or two novels after which not be capable to get one other deal. It’s tough to maintain a publishing profession over time, and this actuality isn’t one thing that’s mentioned sufficient. There’s large concentrate on that first guide, however not what comes after.

There are all the time numerous surprises once you’re writing a novel, at the very least ideally. If you aren’t shocked by your characters, or surprising twists and issues within the story you’re telling, then you definately is perhaps doing one thing improper. You don’t desire a lifeless, static novel. It ought to come to life as you write, and which means it’ll proceed to shock you, irritate you, infuriate you, and delight you. 

“Subversive but fun” is my motto as a novelist. I need readers to be absorbed within the story, to need to know what occurs subsequent, however I additionally need to inform tales about girls which might be shocking, that break the principles, that make readers assume in another way about their very own lives and the world we dwell in.

Persistence and self-discipline are key and infrequently make the distinction between being profitable or not. Also, you need to ideally have a motivation for writing past publishing. You should ask your self in case you’re prepared to spend years of your life writing a guide that may by no means get printed. If the reply is sure, then go for it—there’s nothing extra exhilarating than creating a complete world on the web page.