SINKING by Sarah Armstrong-Garner

I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at Barnes and Noble's B-Fest, and the way she pitched her novel SINKING made me want to read it immediately:

Jocelyn washes up on the shore of eighteenth century Ireland, alone, naked, and missing all of her memories. Taken in by a lonely old woman full of plots and schemes for the lovely yet enigmatic creature, Jocelyn knows only one thing. She longs for the sea with every ounce of her being. Yet it tried to kill her.

Aidan Boyd loves two things. His ship and the sea. When Jocelyn is thrust upon his vessel in the midst of his superstitious crew, he finds himself intoxicated by her--willing to give up everything for her. He soon finds he cannot live without her.

But something holds Jocelyn back. The whisper of another's love. The embrace of water. Does she belong to this world? Or could Jocelyn possibly be from the sea?

Sarah also answered some interview questions:

In addition to novels, you also write screenplays. What do you like most about each medium and why?

They are both amazing and both their own animal. With a screenplay it is all visual and the blueprint to a movie, which I love. I know when writing a screenplay that one-day many people will have a part of making my story come to life. With screenplays the less description the better and with novels you want all of your senses alive. With novel writing I am able to dig deep into my character’s mind and feelings and describe them on the page and with screenplays I am not. I find it refreshing to switch between both mediums. It’s like turning a picture upside down. I see something new in my stories every time.

And I'm betting that's why SINKING has such a delightfully complex premise. At the beginning, Jocelyn is left with no memories. In what ways did her character grow as you wrote her, and were there times she surprised you?

There were many times when she surprised me. At more than one time Jocelyn was writing her story and I was just reading it. This story is about self-discovery and origins. It is about pushing to the limit and not breaking. And that’s was Jocelyn does. She pushes past her fears and leaps into the unknown, hoping she will find answers. With every leap and struggle, Jocelyn finds a piece of what she’s lost and also what she will have to give up.

Very well put. I can't wait to watch her journey within the world you've created for her, and I love the way you pitched her story. What advice, if any, do you have for authors looking to spruce up their pitching skills?

Make it simple. If you can’t grab someone’s attention in one sentence then rework your pitch. If they are interested in your story then tell them more, but keep it simple and short.

Great advice. What are some of your current projects?

Right now I’m working on DRIFTING and RISING, the next two books in the Sinking Trilogy. When they are done I’ll be writing their screenplays to go with them.

Wonderful! I can't wait to see how the intricate story-building in SINKING will continue to grow and change.

You can learn more about Sarah by following her on Facebook and Twitter, @SarahTwyla, to get faster updates on her novels, screenplays, and projects.

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