About the Author: Sarah Dass
What would you like readers to know about you?
I was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. At the age of eight years old, when I ran out of Nancy Drew novels to read, I tried to write my own. That was my first attempt at writing a book. My debut, WHERE THE RHYTHM TAKES YOU is a YA contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION, inspired by my childhood growing up in a seaside hotel. My most recent YA novel, WHEN THE VIBE IS RIGHT is a MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING-inspired enemies-to-lovers romance set behind the scenes of Trinidad's Carnival.
What music do you listen to (if any) when you write?
I can only write in silence. I’ve tried writing to music, but it’s too distracting. I also tried writing to ambient sounds like rain or a snowstorm, but it just makes me sleepy.
What books or authors inspired you to become a writer?
There are so many! TheA Series of Unfortunate Eventsbooks come to mind first. The Lemony Snicket narrator has a voice that is so strong and distinctive it changed the way I thought of writing. It helped me understand whatvoiceis. I saw how language could be manipulated to bring out character and humor, not just give a play-by-play of the story.
About the Book: WHEN THE VIBE IS RIGHT
What is your book about for those who haven’t read it?
There are two things Tess Crawford knows for sure:
• She’s destined to be a great Trinidadian Carnival costume designer like her renowned uncle, Russell Messina, and will one day inherit leadership of the family’s masquerade band, Grandeur.
• Her classmate, the popular social media influencer, Brandon Richards, is the bane of her existence. Everything about him irks her, from his annoying nickname for Tess (Boop) to his association with David, her awful ex.
But when the future of Grandeur nears the brink of collapse in the face of band rivalry, Tess finds to her chagrin that she must team up with Brandon in a desperate attempt to revive the company.
As Tess and Brandon spend more time together, Tess begins to wonder if everything she thought she knew might not be so certain after all. . . .
Set in lush, gorgeous Trinidad, this is a novel about finding love in the most unexpected places.
What has been your inspiration for writing it?
WHEN THE VIBE IS RIGHT is a loose retelling of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, which is one of my all-time favorite stories. I’ve wanted to write a retelling of it for ages. As far as I’m concerned, Beatrice and Benedick’s story is the ultimate enemies-to-lovers romance.
What was your favorite scene or part of your book to write?
I love any time Tess and Brandon interact. I enjoyed writing their banter and their gradual shift from enemies to reluctant allies to lovers.
Where can your book be purchased?
Anywhere books are sold!
To the Future Writer:
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write a book?
Write the book you want to read! Not only will you have to read it many,manytimes as you move through publication, but if you genuinely enjoy the story and the process of writing it, then you’re more likely to finish it in the first place!
What’s next for you? Any events, upcoming pubs, etc.
Next year (2024) I’ve got IT WAITS IN THE FOREST to be published by Disney / Rick Riordan presents. I’m very excited about it! It’s my first supernatural thriller, inspired by Caribbean folklore. It’s about a teenage girl who gets swept into a string of strange murders that takes place on her island home.
Where can we find you:
Twitter- @SarahDassAuthor
Instagram- @sarahdasswrites
What’s on your TBR list?
Her Good Side by Rebekah Weatherspoon
Nightmare Island by Shakirah Bourne
Manslaughter Park by Tirzah Price
Something Like Possible by Miel Moreland
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury