An Interview with Sarah Scally
Sarah lives on the south coast (UK) and, until last year, worked for the NHS. She now writes full time … Well, sort of; in between drinking coffee, eating snacks, and getting distracted on social media and Canva!
Sarah is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association (RNA) and to date she has published three books in The Happy Wanderers series. The first two books, The Postcard in the Window and It Started with a Shoe, were longlisted in 2025 for the Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) prize in the self-published category.
Sarah also writes short comedy sketches collaboratively with two friends, and these sketches have been performed at various locations across the south of England.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
The Postcard in the Window started as a radio play over ten years ago now. My local arts centre ran a competition to mentor two people to write a 45-minute radio play and have it recorded professionally. I couldn’t believe my luck when I was chosen as one of the winners. I really enjoyed the process; I loved writing the play and importantly receiving the feedback, which is always difficult to get on any work. When we were happy with the script, I worked with the actors and sound effects to produce the final recording – it was all very exciting. But what I hadn’t banked on was that once I’d developed the characters, they would continue to pop into my head! I found myself imagining more scenarios for them, more tricky situations for them to get out of, so I noted them down and kept writing.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
It did take me a while to get the title. The radio play was called The Happy Wanderers, so the book started as that. Then I realised that I had more material than I needed for one book, so decided that the series would be called The Happy Wanderers … but what to call the first book? I considered New Members Welcome and The Simonton Wanderers but nothing felt right. I then thought about the inciting incident, as this book really gets going when the main character, Eddie Maguire, who is a sixty-five-year-old widow, spots a postcard in the window of a local shop and she decides to act on its information. I thought that sounded quite intriguing, so decided to go with it!
Describe your dream book cover.
I like covers that are bright and give hints of what will be inside the book without being too obvious. For The Happy Wanderers series, I used the same designer to produce all three covers. I was clear that I wanted to include small motifs on the cover (for example, the walking boot, a signpost, dog paw prints etc.) and then I repeated these inside. I’ve already started to think about the cover for my sci-fi comedy, and would like to do something similar to suggest at the storyline inside, whilst having something bright and eye-catching on the outside.
What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?
After writing three books in The Happy Wanderers series, I wanted to change my focus and explore something different for a while, before returning to write book four. I’ve chosen to go in a very different direction with my new project as it’s a female-led, sci-fi comedy novel. I’ve therefore been researching about alien sightings and abductions and subsequently falling down rabbit holes about Area 51 and the UK equivalent. The internet is a wonderful thing, but I suddenly realise I’ve lost an hour reading about something I’ve never heard of before!
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I’ve always scribbled down ideas, but location for me is a big part of my writing. I seem to find a location and then think about the story from there, as if the location is a character that wants to get involved. The first novel-length idea that ever came to me happened when I visited the Isle of Skye over thirty years ago, and I was taken by the remoteness of the island and its dramatic landscape. The story is still unwritten, but I think about it a lot. The sea, coast paths, countryside, woods, and forests always feature in my stories and that’s regardless of whether it’s a romantic or sci-fi comedy or, in the case of the Isle of Skye idea, a crime novel.
What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?
I would encourage myself to just write and get words down on the page. I used to overthink about it, trying to make sure the plot was perfect and that I had all the answers before I put pen to paper, but now I realise that I can’t edit what’s not there. I now try to get the story out first, however roughly, and then I can go back over it (a lot of times!) to refine it, add in fine details and characters if needed, and adjust the plot line. I am still a ‘plotter,’ so I like to know where the story is heading and the ending, but now I am more relaxed and able to acknowledge that the first draft is simply me telling myself the story … in preparation for the many edits to come!
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I hope that my readers simply enjoy my book and find it to be an entertaining, humorous read that leaves them uplifted by the end.
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