Introducing: Sara Marchant

Based in the High Desert of California, Sara Marchant is the author of Fairlight Books’ upcoming novella The Driveway Has Two Sides (coming 11 July).

Sara has a MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts from the University of California. She teaches at Mt. San Jacinto College in Southern California and coaches aspiring authors at Pen & Paper writing workshops. Sara is the Founding Editor of Writers Resist – a network of writers who are ‘driven to defend the ideals of a free, just and compassionate democratic society’.

Sara’s work has been published by The Manifest Station, Full Grown People, Brilliant Flash Fiction, The Coachella Review, ROAR, Desert Magazine, The Coachella Review, East Jasmine Review and many other publications. Her novella Let Me Go was included in Running Wild Press’ anthology, and her essay Proof of Blood is part of the All the Women in My Family Sing collection.

In her spare time Sara enjoys gardening, cooking and archery. She lives with her husband, two dogs, a goat, and five chickens.

A short Q&A with Sara can be seen below:

How did you start writing?

My first short story was written in the second grade. It was about the hummingbirds who had a nest outside our living room window, but in the story they were having an argument over sharing household duties. I’ve always liked domestic drama, I guess.

You teach creative writing. Do you think this helps you in your own writing?

Teaching creative writing probably helps most with motivation. Every day I’m telling others what to read and discussing it with them, and then reading and critiquing their writing and I feel like I better walk the talk, you know? My students are super helpful with the viewpoints of other cultures and ages; especially ages! I learn new, and sometimes awful, vocabulary— and about the mindset of these people who have yet to live fully adult lives.

You have written short stories, essays and novellas. How do these genres compare for you as a writer and which one do you enjoy writing the most?

Writing essays and short stories and novellas are surprisingly different for me. The essays seem to come from an entirely other place than the short stories and the novellas. Honestly, I can’t say I enjoy writing the essays—I enjoy them once they are done. The essays are written in first person, my only writing that is in first person. Most of my short stories are either flash or turn into novellas—I’m not good at moderation, I guess! But which do I enjoy writing the most? I think the novellas are the most fun; I write them out loud and sometimes I laugh while doing it.

To find out more about Sara Marchant visit her website, or follow her on Instagram and Twitter.