Today’s post is another interview, this time with Sarah Manvel, author of the novella You Ruin it When You Talk from Open Pen. She’s also taking part in the BFDay21 Festival, which takes place this evening and tomorrow in London, which this post very handily coincides with (wow, it’s like we planned it!). So have a read of this interview and, if you’re in town, get yourself down there!
You can follow Sarah on twitter here, and check out her event happening tonight here!
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get into writing?
I’ve thought of myself as a writer since very early childhood so I can’t honestly answer this question. The first short story I wrote as the self-defined beginning of my writing career was around age 7 or so; it was called “The Secret Key,” about a kitten who discovers pirate treasure. I feel confident mentioning this in public will never be in any way embarrassing.
What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
I don’t tend to have a favourite genre as it varies by mood. When I am upset I read thrillers (Patricia Highsmith is terrific for this); when I am bored I read romance (mostly because 99% of the romance books I read tend to be the opposite of romantic, and it’s useful to analyse that); when I am happy I read literary fiction (as that’s generally a bummer), and when I am sad I lie on the floor and think about the next book I’m gonna write. I think you have to write the book before you can categorise it, though.
I love a good trope. Done well they are really relaxing. The trouble is that they are surprisingly difficult to do well.
How do you get inspiration for your books and what’s your writing process? At what point do you let other people read your drafts and who are they?
Very little is more boring than discussing writing process, although I can obviously do it at great length [10-page summation of my genius redacted]. But for three years two friends and I have run a writers’ workshop which meets; being part of that kind of community is incredibly useful, not just as a writer, but also as someone who can always use more friends.
My inspiration? Revenge.
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
Francesca Lia Block builds easily-pictured worlds through exact descriptions, Marguerite Duras mined her personal experience for a wider universal truth, and Suzan-Lori Parks pays precise attention to language as the main ingredient for showing character.
And for something that is also very important to us & what we put a lot of emphasis on when blogging. What does ownvoices LGBT representation mean to you?
I spent my teenage years heavily involved in zine culture because in the pre-internet dark ages of my youth it was the only way to connect directly and without adult interference with the world outside my immediate surroundings. (Although due to the number of communiques I received from prison, I’m afraid I must confirm this is not an unmixed delight.) The gay zines I read were eye-opening to me and I still remember how scared and happy I was when I went to my first gay bookstore (Lambda Rising, Washington DC, RIP). Literally on opening the door I felt a great sense of peace realising that there was somewhere I was welcome exactly as I was, even if it wasn’t my school or my town. I bought myself a copy of Orlando with a big pink triangle on the cover that day, which I still have.
Of course, as a bisexual I am not always terribly welcome in the LGBT community; in my experience my identity as an immigrant is much more visible. But life at the intersection means you get to see further in different directions than people who spend their time on one street. As a reader I like reading about lives very different to mine; as a writer, I try to remember the curious 15-year-old I once was (even though it’s a hell of a lot easier for curious 15-year-olds to find their own community now). There is a different, sharper flavour to authentic experience – which is not to everyone’s taste – and it’s important that art which tells a story from the inside receives its due.
What’s one piece of advice you would like to give your younger self?
In the immortal words of Janis Joplin, get it while you can.
If (when!) your books were to be made into movies, who would you like to direct them?
If Desiree Akhavan wants to film another story of a bisexual American in London she’d be more than welcome. Although I’d be curious to see what Massy Tadjedin could do with it; I was very impressed with how she manages the ebbs and flows of a romantic relationship and how the sexual connection between people is not the same thing.
If you could have dinner with one member of the LGBT community, dead or alive, who would it be?
Lorraine Hansberry. Her death cost us so much that it’s hard to think about.
Is there a famous franchise or simply a movie/TV show you’d like to be able to write for?
I’m gutted Netflix is adapting The Sandman without me.
Rec us some great LGBT books you’ve read recently!
My publisher, Open Pen, has a really sharp eye for outsider stories of many kinds, including specifically within the LBGT community, and I am not just talking about mine; their upcoming novelette Here Is Where by Morgan Omotoye is also super gay.
But if you want something longer, may I propose Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar; Skiptrace by Antoinette Azolakov; The Slide Area by Gavin Lambert; The Persian Boy by Mary Renault; Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto; The Night Watch by Sarah Waters.
Although I do wonder now if I ought to write “The Extra Secret Key,” about a kitten who discovers pirate booty. Writing a lesbian cat-pirate romance novel couldn’t get weird, could it?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Manvel is an Irish-American film critic who lives in London. Her first book, You Ruin It When You Talk, was published by Open Pen in 2020.
Follow on Goodreads | Order You Ruin It When You Talk
