Sarah Penner
Author Interview - Sarah Penner
Author of The Lost Apothecary
“Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.”
Author Interview - Sarah Penner
Author I draw inspiration from: Erin Morgenstern. She breaks a lot of rules, in both a macro sense—her imaginary worlds are impossibly strange and idiosyncratic—but also in a micro sense: grammar, sentence flow. After reading The Night Circus, I felt braver as a writer. She used second-person POV and passive voice quite a bit in that book, and I was inspired to bend a few rules in my own work, too.
Author Interview - Sarah Penner
Favorite place to read a book: On a plane. With a cocktail and a good book, time flies (no pun intended).
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with: Not a book character, but an author—does that count? If so, Glennon Dolye and her wife, Abby Wambach. I'd like to throw out a few life quandaries and see what advice they have for me.
Author Interview - Sarah Penner
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author: I've loved writing since I was child and often journaled in my younger years (even tried my hand at some truly terrible poetry during a few adolescent break-ups.) As for novel-writing? Well, I always loved the *idea* of writing a book, but never sat down with a viable idea. But a few years ago, I was at a launch event for Liz Gilbert. She was touring for Big Magic, a book about creativity and conquering fear. During her talk, she asked us to imagine ourselves one year from now, having taken no forward steps in our goals. We would be in the exact same place, still dreaming, still wanting. I decided I didn't want that; I didn't want to spend the next year thinking about writing a book, and never actually doing it. I began writing my first novel within days of that event.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook: Paperback!
The last book I read: I'm always reading a few books at a time, and I have somewhat eclectic taste. The last few I read were:
Beach Read by Emily Henry (appeals to my occasional need for a light-hearted rom-com)
A Judgement in Stone by Ruth Rendell (1970s crime fiction classic, suggested reading for a summer British crime fiction class)
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker (I'm a sucker for non-fiction, particularly the sciences)
Author Interview - Sarah Penner
Pen & paper or computer: Laptop. If I wrote by hand, I fear I wouldn't get my thoughts down in time. Also, my hand cramps after writing a single thank-you card!
I do occasionally work out plot holes on paper, though. I like to draw boxes, arrows, and diagrams in an effort to see how something might fit together.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with: Julia Beckett in the book MARIANA, written by Susanna Kearsley. Julia falls in love with an old English country house, gets wrapped up in a historical mystery, and starts traveling back in time to the 17th century after she falls in love with a local landowner. I devoured this book!
Author Interview - Sarah Penner
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a: Archivist at the British Library, working with rare books and manuscripts.
Place I’d most like to travel: Oh, so many! I'd love to see New Zealand, Africa, Morocco, the Amalfi coast in Italy, the Egyptian pyramids...
My signature drink: I'm pretty simple. I usually go with a vodka & soda water (and a lime!)
Number one on my bucket list: Live in Europe! My husband and I hope to make this happen in the next few years. I'd also like to spend a month or more volunteering with the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We visited for a day in 2019, and it was so moving.
Anything else you'd like to add: Leaving reviews for books you enjoy is so important. If you've read a book recently, please do consider leaving an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads! Authors everywhere will be enormously grateful.
Find more from the author:
https://www.instagram.com/sarah_penner_author/
https://www.facebook.com/SarahPennerAuthor/
https://twitter.com/sl_penner
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53288434-the-lost-apothecary
https://www.amazon.com/author/sarahpenner
Author Bio: Sarah Penner is the debut author of The Lost Apothecary, coming March 2, 2021 from Park Row Books/HarperCollins. The Lost Apothecary will be available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and translated in eleven territories worldwide. Sarah works full-time in finance with a Big Four accounting firm. She and her husband live in St. Petersburg, Florida with their miniature dachshund, Zoe. To learn more, visit SarahPenner.com.
