Sarah Flocken
Author Interview - Sarah Flocken
Author of Be Well
Summer 2009: Brand-new college graduate Ann Ward has sent out nearly three hundred job applications, but nobody will employ her. The last thing she wants to do is leave Los Angeles, return to her desert hometown, and live in the shadow of her fame-hungry televangelist father–and it's starting to look like that's her fate. Thankfully, Ann's luck turns after a humiliating failed job interview, when she meets the magnetic founder of upscale holistic wellness collective Sagebrush. She's quickly drawn deep into the privileged, demanding world of Sagebrush, inventing Anneliese - a dubious new persona - to fit in.
But when her funds run out and her lies blow up, Ann must choose between facing reality or doing whatever she has to do in order to get the future she wants. Both a "funny ha-ha-" and a "funny oh no" read for anyone who survived the Great Recession, Be Well explores just how easy it is to believe in something unquestioningly–and lie to ourselves and others–when everything feels uncertain and the future isn't guaranteed.
Author Interview - Sarah Flocken
Author I draw inspiration from:
The authors whose vibes I love the most are Mona Awad (especially BUNNY), Ottessa Moshfegh (especially MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION and EILEEN), and Leigh Stein (SELF CARE and IF YOU'RE SEEING THIS IT'S MEANT FOR YOU).
But I also have to shout out the amazing authors who read and gave early blurbs for BE WELL, all of whom I will shout from the rooftops about forever: Jessie Gaynor (especially THE GLOW); Candice Wuehle (MONARCH and ULTRANATURAL); Nicolas DiDmomizio (BURN IT ALL DOWN, A MURDER MOST CAMP, and many others); Deborah Hemming (especially GODDESS); Holly James (especially THE BIG FIX and ALIAS AGENDA); and Charlee Dyroff (LONELINESS & COMPANY).
Author Interview - Sarah Flocken | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
At night, in bed, before I go to sleep. Some days, it's the part of the day I look forward to the most.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I'm claustrophobic and still really nervous every time I get into an elevator (I just hide it well). So whoever I need to be with has to be someone deeply calming and/or able to get us out of there. Most of my favorite book characters are probably deeply annoying to be stuck in an enclosed space with, so I had to think hard about this.
I would have to go with Lauren Olamina from Octavia Butler's PARABLE OF THE SOWER. She survived a post-apocalyptic landscape and got a bunch of people to follow her, and she seems like she would be very calculated and no-nonsense about everything, even if she has hyper-empathy.
I imagine the whole scenario would start with me trying to fake confidence and make awkward small talk, and then devolve into me freaking out the longer we went without help. Lauren (this is Earthseed leader Lauren) would probably listen to me, and then give very succinct orders for me to follow. We would find a way to climb out through a ceiling tile and into the elevator shaft, then on to the next available floor. Then I would probably follow her to northern California.
Author Interview - Sarah Flocken | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I don't have a conscious memory of it, and there's no single moment I knew. But I always knew that I wanted to write books and have people listen to me when I talk. I think there was a moment in college wherein I was really *feeling* something while reading a book at 3am for my English class, and I wanted to be able to create this feeling for other people.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback: Durable, able to stack easily, makes for good decor. My jerry-rigged ergonomic laptop setup at home is three hardcover books stacked together. Not my favorite though, because they're heavy and take up a lot of space.
Paperback: Definitely my favorite. Easily packable in a tote bag or luggage, but still a physical book.
Ebook: Kind of a backup to paperbacks for me, but really a lot better for traveling, since I don't have to haul multiple books in my luggage.
Audiobook: Confession - I'm not a huge audiobook listener. I like to re-read words and sentences that I really like, and it's annoying to skip back over and over again in an audiobook track. But I also know that it's the only way some people can enjoy a book, because of the way their life is right now (small children, a job with a lot of driving, etc.)., and it makes books more accessible for people with visual impairments. So I say long live the audiobook.
The last book I read:
At the time of this questionnaire, it's ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong. It's beautifully written, and so stark in its portrayal of what the main character's Vietnamese immigrant family went through, especially his mother and grandmother. I hope it gets taught in future high school English classes.
Author Interview - Sarah Flocken | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Computer all the way. My handwriting is terrible. I tried to do that thing where I carried a notebook with me to write down ideas, but I would forget to do it all the time, and avoid it because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to read back what I wrote later.
For ideas, I use the notes app in my phone. For drafting, I use Scrivener, which is fantastic.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I would probably want to be best friends with Emily Forrest (from Anna Dorn's EXALTED), but be too intimidated by her. Realistically, I would actually enjoy being best friends with Jane Dorner of THE GLOW by Jessie Gaynor. We could relate *so* hard to each other as PR people who have both have had to write some, um, interesting pitches in our day. I've never had to write one about absurd sex toys, though. Jane has.
Author Interview - Sarah Flocken | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I am a public relations professional by trade, actually. I own a business called SLH Communications - SLH stands for "sound like a human," and that's exactly what I aim to help all my clients do in our AI-addled age. If you're curious about what I would be like as your PR person, you can check out www.slhcommunications.co (yes that's .co, not .com).
Favorite decade in fashion history:
Honestly, I'm loving the return to bike shorts, baggy t-shirts, and general athleisure right now. The kids are alright in that department.
However, aspirationally, I do love the 1980s aesthetic - bright colors, big and chunky, dramatic silhouettes. And lots of synthesizers in the music.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Right now, it's Antarctica, because most people haven't traveled there. Otherwise, I'd like to finally go to Argentina or Chile, because we were supposed to do our honeymoon there, and then the pandemic happened and postponed our wedding, and then life happened and we went other places.
My signature drink:
Alcoholic: Used to be a whiskey girl, still love anything bitter and a little spicy.
Non-alcoholic: Don't make me choose between tea and coffee. But I do love them both. I'm a beverage goblin, and usually have at least 2 on my desk at any given time.
Favorite artist:
One of my tattoos is the sailboat image from Paul Klee's "Possibilities at Sea," so clearly I love German Bauhaus paintings. I also grew up with a lot of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera prints in my house/the houses of relatives, so that's a style I love. I nerded out so hard in Mexico City.
My husband is also a truly talented painter, and his oil paintings and watercolors are all over our house. It's pretty cool.
Otherwise, geez, how much space do you have? I'm lucky enough to be friends with a lot of creative people. You name the medium (film, theater, music, whatever), I can probably tell you about someone who's pretty incredible at it.
Number one on my bucket list:
I want to try paragliding sometime, because we leave easy driving distance from the Torrey Pines Gliderport. It looks like so much fun.
Anything else you'd like to add:
In addition to being an author and PR person, I'm also an improviser, comedian, and pun contest host (yes, it's a thing). I host Pundemonium! San Diego's Only Pun Competition, a monthly comedy pun contest show in San Diego. It's so silly, and a major highlight of my life. Competitive punning is also a thing nationwide, and I've competed at the O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships in Austin, TX (you're looking at the 2024 MVP). You can follow @sandiegopundemonium on Instagram to learn more.
Find more from the author:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahflockenwrites/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sarahflockenwrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahflockenwrites/
Substack: https://sarahflocken.substack.com/
About Sarah Flocken:
Sarah Flocken
Sarah Flocken is an author who writes unhinged fiction for the silently enraged. BE WELL is her first novel. She is also a public relations professional, comedian, improviser, and pun contest host (yes, it's a thing) with performance credits worldwide. Los Angeles will always hold a piece of her heart and blood pressure, but San Diego is the place she calls home.
