Sarai Walker: Subversive but Fun
In this interview, author Sarai Walker shares her motto, what doesn’t get talked about enough in publishing, and more.
Sarai Walker is the author of Furious Violet, The Cherry Robbers and Dietland, which was adapted as a television series for AMC. Her work has been published in more than a dozen countries.
In this interview, Sarai shares her motto, her thoughts on different writing genres, what doesn't get talked about enough in publishing, and more.
Name: Sarai Walker
Literary agent: Alice Tasman
Book title: Furious Violet
Publisher: Harper
Release date: July 28, 2026
Genre/category: Literary thriller
Previous titles: Dietland and The Cherry Robbers
Elevator pitch for the book: Furious Violet is about a 49-year-old true crime writer named West, whose late mother was a Sylvia Plath-like poet. As the novel begins, West becomes the victim of a stalker, who claims she is their mother—but she’s never had children.
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What prompted you to write this book?
I wanted to put my own spin on a thriller/suspense novel. I like to experiment with different genres. My first book was a political coming-of-age story, my second novel was gothic and historical, and Furious Violet is something quite different. I think writing the same kind of book over and over again would be boring. With a thriller/suspense novel, it’s more plot-driven. I loved having that built-in structure to drive the narrative. The fun part was infusing that with really strong characters and exploring ideas related to literary obsession, true crime, motherhood, and non-motherhood.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
When I start a novel, I have a general idea of what it’s about, but I can only truly figure out the story and my characters as I write all of it into existence. Furious Violet is pretty close to my original conception, but it certainly evolved throughout the process, which took four years in total. I started right after I finished going through the copyedits for my second novel. It took me about five months to really find the voice of my main character, which is always my way into a story. I finished writing the novel in about three years, although there were some gaps during that time when I wasn’t writing very much. Then the publication process took almost a whole year, including edits, copyedits, proofreading, etc.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
With my third novel, it really hit me that publishing never gets any easier. Unless you’re a big bestseller, you’re not guaranteed a publishing deal for your next book. I’ve had friends publish one or two novels and then not be able to get another deal. It’s difficult to sustain a publishing career over time, and this reality isn’t something that’s discussed enough. There’s tremendous focus on that first book, but not what comes after.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
There are always lots of surprises when you’re writing a novel, at least ideally. If you aren’t surprised by your characters, or unexpected twists and complications in the story you’re telling, then you might be doing something wrong. You don’t want a lifeless, static novel. It should come to life as you write, and this means that it’ll continue to surprise you, irritate you, infuriate you, and delight you.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
“Subversive but fun” is my motto as a novelist. I want readers to be absorbed in the story, to want to know what happens next, but I also want to tell stories about women that are surprising, that break the rules, that make readers think differently about their own lives and the world we live in.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Persistence and discipline are key and often make the difference between being successful or not. Also, you should ideally have a motivation for writing beyond publishing. You have to ask yourself if you’re willing to spend years of your life writing a book that might never get published. If the answer is yes, then go for it—there’s nothing more exhilarating than creating a whole world on the page.
