Guest Post: Sarah Bridgeton

I want to thank author Sarah Bridgeton for stopping by Books Etc. today! Earlier this week I reviewed her novella The Undiscovered Novelist as part of a CLP Blog Tour. (If you missed it you can check out my review here). I was curious to find out what Sarah's inspiration was for both writing in general and for her story ideas. Below is her response. I really enjoyed learning more about her process and I hope you all do too!

My own experiences inspire me. The good, the bad and the humiliating! Despite my best intentions to keep it impersonal, I always start with my own agenda. Eventually, I get sick of writing about myself and my imagination takes over. The process goes like this. First, take an event, usually something deeply personal, and use it for a story idea. Once I have an idea, my imagination spews it into a story.   

The Undiscovered Novelist is about a naive writer trying to break into the publishing industry. As a writer, I could definitely relate to it. I was totally clueless about how the business worked when I set out to find a publisher for my first manuscript. Once I figured it out, I thought it would be a great setting. And the best part was I could give it a different ending. It left plenty of room for my imagination.

Then I created my heroine.  

At first, she was just like me—an ordinary stay-at-home mom. But that became old rather fast. Who was my heroine? Well, she was definitely a mom. Motherhood is a major theme in my story. So I had the beginnings of my heroine, but she still needed some backstory and a personality. I had such fun imagining a young, stylish, former New Yorker who loves books and literature. Jordyn is a delicious character. Ambitious and hard-headed, she’s the girl I wish I had been when I was twenty-seven.  

I am also inspired by the places I write about. New York was my inspiration for The Undiscovered Novelist. With many publishers based in New York, it only seemed appropriate to use it for a backdrop. I live in Tampa. Can you get any different? I’m used to quiet beaches. Not city streets or crowded subways. I fell in love with New York while writing this story.

About Sarah:

Sarah Bridgeton never thought she would become a novelist. She has always loved books, but in college she majored in Economics. After college, she held a variety of jobs in the insurance and health care industries. She left the workforce to be a stay-at-home mom when her daughter was born. When her daughter started preschool, she decided to write a novel.

She currently resides in Tampa with her husband, daughter, and two cats. When she’s not reading, writing, or taking care of her family, she likes to exercise.