Nov 11, 2019
We pick up right where we left off this week in a 2-part interview with author Sarah Jane Marsh and the draft of her debut book, Thomas Paine and the Dangerous Word.
In this episode, Sarah shares the rest of what would become a six year journey to publication. A rebel herself - just like Thomas Paine - Sarah managed to find an agent who embraced her manuscript in its unconventionally long format. Together, they found a home with Disney Hyperion for what would become an 80-page, 2500 word picture book.
After the sale of her first book, Sarah got busy writing again which is why she has another book, Most Wanted: The Revolutionary Partnership of John Hancock and Samuel Adams, coming out next year. The publishing world might move slowly, but our evolving view of history has been shifting dramatically these past few years. Sarah doesn't shy away from addressing some of the more controversial topics her revolutionary history books might raise including the direct line from slavery to the Black Lives Matter movement and the fact that the celebrated colonization of America was really the invasion of an indigenous population.
Sarah also shares candidly why its rare for a writer to make a living from their craft. Writing will always be her passion, but she's also found a way to transition from PTA-mom-with-an-idea to working in a paid position for a local non-profit that focuses on the critical poverty and mental health needs of her community.