Book that influenced me:

There are lots of books that have influenced my writing over the years – other thrillers and plenty of non-fiction crime books – but I am going to pick Beneath the Skin by Nicci French (a writing duo who are absolute masters of the genre in general). It is a classic psychological thriller with plot, pace, action and intrigue. But it also has characters who you genuinely care about – three ‘normal’ women trying to go about their ‘normal’ lives in the midst of a killer. It also has a great sense of place, again with that emphasis on normal life, and set in London like my books.

Song that influenced me:

My choice is Naughty from the musical Matilda, but it’s for a roundabout reason so bear with me. When I was considering whether to sign up to the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course, I was struggling to get past the percentage chance of becoming an author. I’m not a mathematician, but it didn’t look good. Then my friend’s 10-year-old daughter went for an audition for the part of Matilda. Then another. Eleven auditions later, she was offered the part, and had an amazing twelve months on the stage. If she could succeed, then why not me? I signed up for the course and the rest, as they say, is history.

Film/TV that influenced me:

I love a good psychological thriller TV series or film, but I think I am most influenced by true crime on TV. It reminds me that while I write fiction, someone may have gone through something similar, so I always need to be respectful of that in my writing. It can also make me feel better if I worry my plot is becoming too outlandish – because ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ is definitely a thing!

Person that influenced me:

When I was a teenager I started reading books by Lynda La Plante. Until then, the only thrillers I’d read had been written by men. I devoured Widows, Entwined and Bella Mafia before moving on to the Jane Tennison books. It was the first time that I thought that maybe one day I could do that too. So I think Lynda La Plante influenced me a lot, even if it did lay dormant for a few decades.

Place that influenced me:

I can’t write a book without having a place to influence me. I have lived in south-west London for 22 years and I really love it, so it was an honour to be able to bring it to life in my books. In my first book, A Mother Never Lies, both my main characters walk the local streets a lot and I made sure that I walked every route so that I had the same experience they did. And on my publication day, I went to all the major landmarks in the book – from Battersea Park to Wandsworth prison! My current WIP is based in Morzine in the French Alps, which is my other favourite place in the world, and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with my readers.

Author bio:

Sarah Clarke has worked as a copywriter within the marketing industry for 25 years. But her dream was always to write a novel, and in 2018 she enrolled on the Faber Academy Writing a Novel course. Over the following 12 months, Sarah wrote what would become her debut psychological thriller A MOTHER NEVER LIES.

Sarah signed a 3-book contract with HarperCollins HQ Digital in March 2021 and her debut published later that year. Sarah’s second book EVERY LITTLE SECRET came out in February 2022 and her third book MY PERFECT FRIEND will be published on 23rd November. Two more thrillers are forthcoming from HQ to be published in 2023 and 2024.

Sarah lives in SW London with her husband, two teenage children and stubbornly cheerful cockapoo Mika.

My Perfect Friend blurb:

Beth has the perfect life. She has constructed it carefully over the last eighteen years. But one night she makes a choice that risks everything.

When Kat sees an article about that night online, buried memories begin to surface. She and Beth were friends once. Things ended badly then, but now she has a chance to make them right.

Kat introduces herself to Beth. Not as her old friend, but as a stranger. Beth has no idea Kat isn’t who she says she is.

But then neither is Beth.

Social media details:

Twitter: @SCWwriter

Instagram: @sarahclarkewriter

Facebook @sarahclarkewriter

Website: sarahclarkeauthor.com