1. What inspires your work?
Creatively, I'm always inspired by the work of others. Amazing books, artwork, music, TV shows, musicals--all of them are the best ways of filling the creative well. Seeing brilliant work makes me want to get to work myself! In terms of the kinds of stories I want to tell, I find myself drawn to earnestness. Characters that feel on the fringes, or who deal with specific, particular challenges, but still can't help but face the world with a vulnerably open heart. Those are the kinds of characters that stick with me!
2. What is your message for young authors?
My message for young authors is that literally nobody else in the world can tell the same stories you can tell. Your experiences and perspective are utterly unique, and whether you choose to put those stories in books, artwork, photographs, music, scripts, or anything else, if you stay true to that core of you, you will have created something special and original without even having tried to. Of course the other part of this is artistic humility, knowing that even though we have unique and important stories to tell, we must also be life-long learners and constantly be ready to grow and develop and learn from those around us, to tell those stories in the most effective possible way.
3. Where can we find out more about your books?
My website is https://www.sarahallenbooks.com/. I'm quite active on social media too, especially Instagram and, lately, TikTok, and love interacting with other creators there!