AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Sarahbeth Caplin

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I've been writing stories since kindergarten. There was never a question of whether I wanted to become a writer, but rather a question of whether I could make a full-time career out of it.

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

I loved LM Montgomery and Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved reading about strong female characters who occasionally got into trouble but triumphed over adversity. 

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel Where There's Smoke?

I was at a very conservative seminary for a year, attempting to earn a Master's in crisis counseling. What I experienced there was the beginning of a snowball effect that caused me to reshape my entire faith: I saw very poor examples of what Christians could be, and I wanted to expose that hypocrisy in a book.

4. What can you tell readers about your other works?

They are all somewhat autobiographical. I also take on tough subjects like abuse and religious identity because those are two issues that shaped me, and I want to encourage other readers with similar experiences.

5. You said all of your works are slightly autobiographical. Was that intentional or did it just happen?

Oh no, it's very deliberate, especially considering my first book is a memoir! I believe in writing what I know, and I'm not above putting real-life dialogue in the mouths of my characters.

6. Usually people don't talk about their tattoos in their bios, but since you did I have to ask: do you have any literary tattoos or plan on getting any?

I only mentioned that because that seems to be something that surprises people when they meet me: I'm very short and baby-faced, and tattoos still have somewhat of a 'rebel' image, I guess. All but one of my tattoos are words (one is in Hebrew) but the longest quote I have is a piece of C.S. Lewis: "Made for another world." I'm considering a quill pen that ends in a sword point, representing the quote "The pen is mightier than the sword." Time will tell...

7. What genres would you like to try your hand at?

I'm dabbling in thrillers for personal reading, but I don't think I have the smarts to come up with one on my own.

8. You say you love Law and Order: SVU and Breaking Bad. Would you ever want to write for TV?

Screenplays are a different kind of writing, but maybe. If anyone ever thought to ask me.

9. Which character of yours, if any, would you want to switch places with and why?

You know, all my characters face some pretty difficult stuff, so I can't say I'm jealous of any of them.

10. Would you like to see any of your work as a film? If yes, which one and who do you want to see play your characters?

I think my newest book, A Stunning Accusation, would make the best candidate for a movie out of all my other books. I think Jennifer Lawrence, pre-Hunger Games (back when she had long, light brown hair) would make a good Adelaide.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

Hopefully sitting at the table of NYT bestselling authors, but realistically speaking, I'd love to be selling enough books that I never have to worry about finding another day job to make ends meet. 

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Good question. I honestly don't know, because my whole life has been consumed by a love of reading and words. I think I'd be doing something in the literary field, regardless.

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

My next novel, A Stunning Accusation, is coming soon from Booktrope: a woman's boyfriend is accused of assault, and she goes on a quest to prove his innocence by interviewing his previous girlfriends.

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

Lauren Winner, Anne Lamott, CS Lewis, Gillian Flynn.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

I don't know how to wink, whistle, or snap my fingers. 
I'll choose peanut butter over chocolate.
I think feet are the ugliest and nastiest of body parts, so I hate flip flops (even though they are all I wear in the summer time, because I hate sweaty socks more) and I don't do pedicures. I won't even let my husband rub my feet. Gross!

Find Ms. Caplin online via:

Official site (has all social media links)