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. 

CLP Blog Tour: The Undiscovered Novelist

Thanks for coming by for another stop on the CLP Blog Tour for The Undiscovered Novelist! I really enjoyed this novella by Sarah Bridgeton.

Here's the synopsis:

Twenty-seven-year-old Jordyn Simmons has almost everything she’s ever wanted—a sexy live-in boyfriend, an adorable son, and a finished novel she plans to publish. The only two things missing from her life are a publisher for her book and a relationship with her estranged mother, Debra. As Jordyn pursues her novelist ambitions, her world collides with Debra’s, and both women are forced to make decisions that will change their lives forever.

This novella was cute and quick and I really loved reading about Jordyn. She was very relatable and it was a joy to read her story. I felt her successes and disappointments right along with her, which is a testament to Bridgeton's writing. She created a story and characters that I connected with, which was great.

That being said, I was a little confused about how I should be feeling about certain characters. Was I supposed to dislike Debra because Jordyn was having issues with her? Was Tyler (Jordyn's boyfriend) a bad guy just because Debra thought he was? Turns out both of those characters were good people. Tyler was a loving father and boyfriend and in my head he and Jordyn eventually get married - just for them and not because they're "supposed" to. I initially disliked Debra because she seemed to be a negative influence on Jordyn. Then I realized that Jordyn was behaving just as badly and I desperately wished for them to make up. Debra was actually a wonderful character and I'm so glad that Bridgeton wrote from Debra's perspective as well.

I also wish there had been a bit more information at times but I think that came just from the structure of the story. It is a novella after all. I think this would be excellent as a more developed novel. For example, I wanted to learn more about Jordyn's twin sister, Naomi. There could even be a whole other story with her as I felt she had a journey to go on as well and I'd love to find out if she eventually got a husband and/or a baby. What do you think Sarah? I think it'd make a great stand alone story! :)

Also - a quick note: I am incredibly jealous that Debra fell into a job as an editorial assistant. (No, that's not in the synopsis but I'm not really giving anything away.) I want to be reading in a coffee shop and be hired by the head of a huge publishing house who just happened to come in and start chatting to me. Note to self: start reading more in coffee shops...

Overall, I'd definitely recommend The Undiscovered Novelist by Sarah Bridgeton. It's a great read for someone looking for a pick me up kind of story because you learn that things really can work out if you work hard and have the right kind of people around you. I'll be keeping an eye on what Bridgeton writes next and think you should too. Stay tuned for a guest post from Sarah tomorrow when she writes about her inspiration for writing and her story ideas.

Happy reading :)