Interview with Sarah McKnight
Author of Carousel
Sarah McKnight has been writing stories since she could pick up a pencil, and it often got her in trouble during math class. After a brief stint teaching English to unruly middle schoolers in Japan, she decided she wasn’t going to put off her dream of becoming a writer any longer and set to work. Her books tackle real-world issues such as anxiety, depression, and letting go of the past - with a little humor sprinkled in, too. She’s currently focusing more on her real passion – horror. A St. Louis native, she currently lives in Pennsylvania with her wonderful husband and four cats.
Buy this book
Quick description of the book for a new reader - what should they expect?
- With Carousel, you'll find a gory, slightly campy horror with all fun of a haunted carnival. But there's a lot more just beneath the surface - grief, friendship, determination, love, and loss. Readers definitely get more than they've bargained for with this one!
What was your inspiration for this book?
- Carousel was my strangest source of inspiration to date. I follow a cover designer over on Twitter, Ruth Anna Evans, who makes a lot of premade horrors, and the Carousel cover popped up on my feed one day. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I was flooded with ideas that wouldn't stop and in less than two months, I had a completed novel on my hands.
Which authors do you admire? How have they influenced your writing style?
- Stephen King is a huge one, of course. The way he blends other elements and themes into his horror is a style I admire a lot, and his books always made me want to write horror with depth. Christopher Pike's weirdness and teen drama plus Junji Ito's disturbing body horror have also had a huge influence on me as a writer.
Can you tell us a little about the locations in your book?
- Plum Creek Township and the Plum Creek Carnival grounds of course are all fictional. I wanted small town vibes mixed with a creepy local urban legend that may not be well known outside the area. Basing locations off of real places is too nerve-wracking for me. What if I got a minor detail wrong?? So I stick with fictional towns. It's very rare that you'll find a real place in any of my work.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
- Write, write, write. Don't worry about if it's good or not. Just write and your style will develop organically over time. Don't forget to read a lot, too. I feel like you subconsciously solidify certain writing structures in your mind when you read a lot. Most importantly, join a local writing critique group, and if there isn't one in your area, start one! I can't tell you how invaluable the writers groups I've joined have been when it comes it improving my own writing.
Could you talk a little about your writing process?
- I tend to set myself a daily of 2k words per day, and I'm the type of person who has to start writing in the morning. If noon comes around and I haven't gotten any words down yet, the writing part of my day is basically shot. I settle in at my laptop around 10:30 every morning with a coffee, put on an immersive writing playlist, and let the words flow.
Which character has had the greatest impact on readers?
- For Carousel, people seem to relate the most with Laura. I do too! She was based on me, after all. An introvert who loves horror movies and would rather hang out in the background than draw attention to herself...yes, that's me! People have also told me they relate a lot to various characters in my Life Support series, which I'm especially happy about as that was the whole point of those books.
If the book were to be adapted for TV or film, who would you want in the lead role?
- I'm so bad at questions like these because I admittedly don't pay a lot of attention to pop culture. Honestly, I'd love to be involved in the casting process and give opportunities to highly skilled "no name" actors rather than get big names on board. I do think Yuri Lowenthal would make for a pretty wicked Carnival Man, though.
How have readers responded ?
- So far, people are loving the twists and turns at the Plum Creek Carnival! I think readers appreciate that this is a book that isn't just horror, and that it doesn't go too deep into campy territory. Most of the comments I've gotten have been about how realistic and well-rounded the characters are, and I feel like that always makes for a more immersive read.
Where next? What are you working on now?
- At the moment, I feel like I'm drowning in projects. I'm actively working on a low fantasy Anastasia retelling that hit me out of the blue (never in my life did I think I would write fantasy!). I'm also working on the next book in my Basement Gang series, where Spencer gets his turn in the spotlight. I'm about to get to work on final edits for my Japan-based horror that is loosely based on my own experiences living there as an Assistant Language Teacher, and I'm planning out my next big horror, LIVESTREAM, about a couple of YouTubers who get more than they bargained for with their latest ghost hunt.
