In a literary world that’s full of wild, twisting thrillers, crafting a riveting narrative is no easy feat. Luckily, Sara Foster appears to pull it off effortlessly. We were recently fortunate enough to connect with her and talk about her latest release, When She Was Gone, which is now available wherever books are sold! With several other compelling stories under her belt, such as The Hidden Hours and You Don’t Know Me, Foster is a master at weaving suspenseful tales featuring strong female characters.
Digging into the specifics of contemporary thrillers and the more realistic dangers that characters must now face in these stories, we have an exclusive interview with Sara Foster and the tangled web she weaves throughout her latest mystery thriller release.
*Minor trigger warning for discussions of domestic violence.
RelatedThe Thrill Is Real: Review of When She Was Gone by Sara Foster
When She Was Gone is quite the nail-biting, twisty thriller – I loved it! Do you generally have the full plot and mystery reveal mapped out before you start writing, or is it something that can shift and change throughout the process?
First of all, thanks so much – I’m thrilled you loved it! I usually have the concept, the main characters and a general sense of the ending, but I really work on the plot and finesse it all during the writing. It’s always been something of a dream that one day I’ll come up with a fully fleshed-out plot in advance, but sadly the process is usually a lot messier than that!
The novel digs into multiple aspects of domestic abuse within relationships, not only that of physical violence. How important was it for you to highlight all aspects of domestic abuse that can occur in relationships, such as manipulation, gaslighting, and verbal abuse?
I really wanted to represent how different forms of violence and control link to one another – that there is a path towards violence that begins with a set of beliefs and assumptions from the perpetrator (in relation to both their self-perception and their ideas about others) that is partially or completely disconnected from reality.
I wanted to show how different kinds of power struggles can lead to different abusive situations, and the ongoing, long-term effect that has on the person who is targeted. The story looks at how hard it is to break free of these cycles – but there are also characters in the story who are learning to free themselves, or at least thinking about what that looks like.
RelatedYour Next Thriller Reading List: Jacqueline Faber’s 5 Favorite Books
The dynamics between the characters in the story painted such a rich and diverse narrative. Were there any specific character relationships that were your favourite to write, and any that you had more difficulty with?
I have two favourite relationships: the first is the relationship between the two detectives, Blackwood and Angie, because they absolutely have each other’s back but still enjoy having a dig at each other too.
And the second was my central character Rose and her former brother-in-law Charlie, who are reconnecting and finding they still have a lot in common even in these awful circumstances.
As for the hardest relationship? That’s tricky, but maybe Rose and Blackwood because there was a lot going on in the investigation that made them aggravated with each other, but I love them both and so I wish it was easier for them to like each other!
Enjoying this article?
Subscribe to our weekly newsletterDo you prefer writing a thriller of this nature from multiple pov’s? How do you find that it adds to the story?
I love writing from different perspectives! I only intended to have Rose and Blackwood’s perspective in the book, but more characters kept chiming in at different points so in the end I went with it! It often enriches the story to be able to examine what’s happening from different angles, perspectives and points in time.
Writing multiple points of view is my natural home – I need to have a good reason to do a single perspective in a book, but I did do that in one of my novels, Beneath the Shadows, because it highlighted the character’s isolation and confusion and worked for that story.
RelatedDeception On The Beach: Review of The Ends of Things by Sandra Chwialkowska
Finally, what do you hope that readers take away from When She Was Gone?
I want to give readers a story that they can get lost in, that keeps them on the edge of the seat, where there are characters they love and a few they might love to hate, and that the experiences the characters are going through pull the reader in.
I want to give them interesting, complex scenarios so they can enjoy figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of the characters’ attitudes and responses. And I always try to leave readers with a sense of reconnection, restoration and possibility beyond the final page of the story, even if some circumstances aren’t fully resolved.
Sara Foster continuously delivers heart-pounding thrillers that tackle real-life issues for people globally. We have no doubt that she’ll continue to provide mystery lovers with many incredible additions to their libraries for years to come.
We want to thank Sara Foster for taking the time to answer our interview questions ahead of her new book launch and Blackstone Publishing for making all of this possible!
