Sarah Beth Durst
Author Interview - Sarah Beth Durst
Author of The Lies Among Us
From the award-winning author of The Bone Maker and The Lake House comes a haunting novel about sisterhood and grief, where difficult truths must contend with the corrosive power of unchecked lies.
After her mother dies, Hannah doesn't know how to exist without her. Literally. In fact, Hannah's not even certain that she does exist. No one seems to see or hear her, and she finds herself utterly alone. Grief-stricken and confused, her sense of self slowly slipping away, Hannah sets out to find new purpose in life -- and answers about who (and what) she really is.
Hannah's only remaining family is her older sister, Leah. Yet even Leah doesn't seem to notice her. And while Hannah can see and hear her sister, she also sees beautiful and terrible things that don't -- or shouldn't -- exist. She learns there's much more to this world than meets the eye and struggles to make sense of it all.
When Hannah sees Leah taking the same dangerous path that consumed their own mother -- where lies supplant reality -- she's desperate to get through to her. But facing difficult truths is harder than it looks...
Author Interview - Sarah Beth Durst
Author I draw inspiration from:
V.E. Schwab -- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
I loved the scope and the style of this book. It has such gorgeous prose and wonderful characters. And that ending! She absolutely nailed the ending.
Author Interview - Sarah Beth Durst | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Under a skylight, with a cat on my lap. Extra points if it's snowing outside.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I'd like to be stuck with an incredibly competent character who could fix the elevator. Perhaps Murderbot from the Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells? They'd have it fixed in under five minutes, all the while making endearingly snarky comments about humanity and/or explaining the plot of their favorite TV show.
Author Interview - Sarah Beth Durst | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I've always thought of books as magic -- they're these little rectangles that can make you feel, think, dream, change -- and I wanted to be a part of that magic. But I didn't realize that a person could become a writer until I was ten years old.
I remember the exact moment: I was with my dad, and I was worrying because I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life -- after all, I was double digits now, getting up there in age, clock was ticking, my mortality loomed... So I asked my dad, "What do you think I should be when I grow up?" He took me seriously and said, "Well, you're creative. You could be an architect, an interior designer, a writer, an investment banker..."
I stopped listening at the word "writer." Until that moment, I hadn't realized that an ordinary person could become a writer. I suppose I thought writers were simply born that way, or sprang fully formed out of Zeus's head. I'd certainly never met anyone who was a writer. But as soon as he said the word, I latched onto it and never looked back.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I love hardcovers because of how substantial they feel in your hands, how nice the paper turns beneath your fingers, and how easy the font is to read. I dislike that you can't put twenty of them in your purse and carry them wherever.
I love ebooks because you can do exactly that.
And I love paperbacks because they remind me of the joy I'd feel as a kid whenever I was allowed to buy a new paperback when we were out running errands. It felt like being gifted an entire new world.
The last book I read:
I recently read NETTLE AND BONE by T. Kingfisher, and it was lovely and creepy and phenomenal. It's a fairy-tale-like story with so many quirky bits that it's delicious.
Author Interview - Sarah Beth Durst | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer. I type faster than I can write by hand. I'm not sure my writing process would have survived the days of quill and ink or even a typewriter. I tend to do a LOT of drafts.
I think of it this way: I build a book as if I were building a person from the inside out. First draft is the skeleton, how it all hangs together, what shape does it make -- is it a human or is it a marmot or is it a velociraptor. Next draft I add the muscles, refining the plot to make it move. Later the lungs so it can breathe. The heart so it can feel. And lastly the skin, the eyes, the nose, the mouth -- those are the final words, the precise details that bring it all to life. I do twenty to thirty drafts per novel before it ever reaches my editor. Not all of those drafts are major, of course, but in each one I am inching closer to the final creature that is the finished book.
I absolutely love the revision process. For me, that's when the story really comes to life. It's all about choosing the right details. When you write, you're trying to create this moment of shared telepathy, a shared dream between the author and the reader, and it's the details you choose that cast the spell to make that shared dream possible.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I think I'd be friends with Jane Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. She'd be a lovely low-drama friend (especially post-wedding to Bingley), plus she has a snarky sister who'd be a lot of fun at tea.
Author Interview - Sarah Beth Durst | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I've never wanted to be anything but a writer (except when I was five, I wanted to be Wonder Woman, which didn't really work out). I suppose in an alternate universe, I'd love to be a marine biologist. I think dolphins, whales, and all underwater creatures are fascinating. But I couldn't be a marine biologist in this life -- I don't like boats, and I hate swimming underwater. So, writer it is!
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I love the full skirts of the 1800s, but I think I'd be much happier in the type of clothes worn in ancient Greece. Actually, I'd probably choose whatever era had the best pockets.
Place I’d most like to travel:
New Zealand. Every photo of New Zealand I've ever seen makes it look absolutely gorgeous, and I love a beautiful view. Mountains. Oceans. Sunsets. As you'll see in The Lies Among Us, I love to describe sunsets -- there's a character who insists on watching sunset every evening, ideally from the beach or the top of a lighthouse.
My signature drink:
Hot chocolate. I love hot chocolate, especially hazelnut hot chocolate. In winter, you'll often find me at my computer, working on a book while drinking hot chocolate (and often eating cheese).
Favorite artist:
In music, I love Enya (such excellent writing music) and Taylor Swift (every song she writes is its own novel -- such a brilliant storyteller).
In painting, I love Monet. When I was in college, I used to stop by the campus art museum on my way to class (even though it wasn't always on my route) and just stare at the Monet for a solid several minutes before proceeding with my day.
I also love Deborah Fisher (ceramics and fabric), Memory Bradley (fiber art), Ruth Sanderson (painting and etching), Terri Windling (drawing and painting), and Brian and Wendy Froud (puppetry).
Number one on my bucket list:
Oddly, I can't think of anything. I just want to write more books!
Writing makes me happy, even when it's difficult. When I write, the world feels balanced -- I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. There's a glorious satisfaction to crafting a string of sentences that bring a scene to life, to creating characters that feel real even if they never were, and to telling stories that didn't exist before.
Anything else you'd like to add:
This book, The Lies Among Us, is a real departure for me. It's stylistically and thematically the most complex book I've ever written, and I really loved working on it. It's about mothers and daughters, about grief and lies and finding your purpose. I am so excited for it to be out in the world!
Find more from the author:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahbethdurst
X: https://twitter.com/sarahbethdurst
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahbethdurst
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sarahbethdurst.bsky.social
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@sarahbethdurst
About Sarah Beth Durst:
Sarah Beth Durst is the author of over twenty-five books for adults, teens, and kids, including The Bone Maker, The Lake House, and Spark. She won an American Library Association Alex Award and a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award and has been a finalist for the Andre Norton Nebula Award three times. Several of her books have been optioned for film/television, including Drink Slay Love, which was made into a TV movie and was a question on Jeopardy! Sarah is a graduate of Princeton University and lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her two children, and her ill-mannered cat. Visit her at www.sarahbethdurst.com.
