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Tell us a little bit about your new release, The Shore.

The Shore follows the turning points in the lives of several generations of two families living on a remote series of islands as they come into conflict with the landscape, each other, and themselves. It explores the concepts of gender and responsibility, the limits of loyalty, and the complications of relationship over a span of nearly three hundred years, stretching back to 1876 and forward to 2143.

At least, that’s what I think it’s about. Readers are very welcome (and quite likely) to decide that, for them, it’s about something else entirely.

What inspired you to move from rural Virginia to abroad?

I spent my third year of college studying in Britain, and it was the first time that I’d ever really felt at home in a place. In America I didn’t ‘fit’ – I’d been homeschooled, thoroughly insulated from general culture by protective parents, and simply did not know how to interact the way people expected me to. I moved abroad as soon as I could because in Britain anything odd that I do or say is excused by my being ‘foreign.' Now, England probably feels like home because I’ve spent most of my (admittedly brief) adult life here; I’m not entirely sure if I’d be capable of operating in America as an adult, if I tried to move back.

Think back to the release day of The Shore. What was going through your mind?

The morning was spent mostly in the hope that people would enjoy it, that it would impact at least one person in the way that certain books have impacted me, followed closely by relief that it was finished. But I remember very distinctly picking up a copy of the book and flicking through to find a good section for the reading I was going to that evening, and thinking to myself, I bet I could do better now that I’m older…

What are you currently craving?

Ink. There is no such thing as too much ink. And a fountain pen that doesn’t dry up and scratch when I write too quickly. And the time to finish the next book. But mostly ink.

If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?

That’s a hard question to answer. I’d probably have to go with Diana Wynne Jones. There are a lot of writers who are important to me, but her books were the lifeline of my childhood; I can remember where I was and what calamity I was escaping with each one. And the ‘why’ would be to thank her – and then to break the cardinal rule and ask all the questions about her work that I’ve never found the answers to.

What is the one movie that you can quote the most?

It’s a toss-up between Monty Python’s Holy Grail and – especially if all of the callbacks count – The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Where is your happy place?

Probably the local pet shop, as close to the rabbits as I can get without getting into the enclosure with them. I have a terminal soft spot for rabbits.

What was it like going from student to teacher in the classroom?

It was completely terrifying until I realized that my students have no idea how much I really don’t know. By the middle of this first term of proper teaching I had begun to really enjoy it, especially the one creative writing class I got to run. I was a bit surprised by just how much of the material we covered that I learned for the first time – there were lots of things that I should have gotten as a student that I only really understood when it came time for me to explain them to other people.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

It seems to be a reflexive thing. I started making little picture books before I knew how to write, and then started filling notebooks as soon as I could make a pencil reliably do what I wanted it to. It’s the only thing that I’ve consistently done my entire life. From when I was fifteen to about twenty-five lots of well-meaning people suggested practical work I could do, since ‘writing isn’t really a job.’ I spent a lot of time trying to find external justification for my writing, and spent a good while fretting about finding a ‘real’ career path before I realized that being an adult and well-meaning does in no way mean that a person isn’t an idiot.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” Which could be considered more of a personality flaw, depending on whom you ask. A lot of the more difficult things in live that I’ve managed to do have happened in part because people told me I wouldn’t be able to do them – getting into graduate school, moving abroad, even finding a publisher.

Sara Taylor is the author of the new book The Shore.

Connect with Sara
Author Website

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Books brimming with social commentary are our cup of tea. So we were particularly exited to talk to Sarai Walker, author of Dietland, a book that is referred to as "The Feminist Fight Club".

Tell us a little bit about your new release, Dietland.

Dietland takes the premise of a traditional “woman’s novel” or “chick lit” novel and explodes it. (I put these terms in quotes because I don’t like them, but they’re used widely in the publishing industry.) I describe Dietland as a feminist Fight Club, at least in spirit. At the beginning of the novel, Alicia “Plum” Kettle is desperate to lose weight. She’s scheduled for weight-loss surgery so she can shed more than half of her 300 pounds. She believes that only when she’s thin will her “real life” begin. But then she notices a strange young woman following her around and spying on her. Plum is led down a rabbit hole into a world of women who challenge her ideas about what it means to be beautiful. At the same time, a feminist avenger called “Jennifer” begins to terrorize our sexist society.

If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?

Perhaps I’d force myself to spend that hour learning something new, like a foreign language or how to play the cello. Or else I’d choose a major writer I’ve never read and work my way through their oeuvre.

What fictional literary world would you most like to visit?

I’m not really interested in alternate worlds, but I’d love to visit London or Paris in the 1920s. I’m thinking of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast or Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway.

What's something you're truly terrible at doing?

There are a lot of things I’m terrible at, but if I had to choose one thing, I’d choose drawing. I would love to be able to draw well, but I’ve never been able to do it. Maybe in my next life.

What is your favorite local bookstore?

I’ve moved around a lot, so what’s “local” for me often changes. When I was living in London I loved Daunt Books. In New York City I love the Strand Bookstore. I’m particularly fond of Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont. There are many others.

BAM. You're a superhero. What's your superpower?

Does time travel count? My next novel takes place in a different period. It would be very helpful to travel back in time. Much more fun than library research.

What is your favorite line from Dietland?

I particularly like the first line: “It was late in the spring when I noticed that a girl was following me, nearly the end of May, a month that means perhaps or might be.” I like the promise of that line and the hint of change that comes with it.

We have noticed that fat women are often portrayed as comedians in the media (don't get us wrong, we love Rebel Wilson!). Have you noticed a similar trend? What do you think?

Our society is uncomfortable with fat bodies. Putting a fat person into the role of a comedian – either a jolly one or a slovenly “gross” one – is acceptable because fat people are often looked at as sources of amusement and not taken seriously. So while I love Rebel Wilson and Melissa McCarthy and other fat comedic actresses, the kinds of roles they’re offered is extremely limited. Fat women are much less likely to play romantic leads or appear in complex dramatic roles. That won’t happen until our society views fat people as fully human.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

As a writer and a feminist, I often think of something Audre Lorde wrote: “Your silence will not protect you.” When I’m afraid to write something controversial, I often think of her words. Remaining silent might seem safer, but Lorde questions whether that’s actually true.

Sarai Walker is the author of the new book Dietland.

Connect with Sarai
Author Website
 Twitter

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