Written by contributor Amy Jane Lehan
Michael Sarais is the author of the upcoming novel All of My Friends Are Rich, set to be released June 16th, 2020. I had the immense pleasure of asking him a few questions about his work!
All of My Friends Are Rich is your first published (or soon to be) book, have you always been a writer? When did you first start writing?
I was a voracious reader as a child. I was raised in a very liberal household, so I was allowed to read just about any book I could get my hands on.
When I was 11 years old, I started writing a “teen drama series” in the form of screenplays. (I re-read them recently and they are an absolute train wreck!) I then pursued a degree in journalism, thinking that was going to be the best route for me to express myself through the written word. I always dreamt of writing a book, but I could never imagine myself having enough discipline to write one from beginning to end. Once I actually gave it a try, it came naturally.
How long did this take you to write, from concept to final manuscript?
I’m a major pantser, so I did almost zero work prior to writing the story. My outline was just a collection of words that would help me keep in mind where the story needed to go, but I mainly went with the flow. It took six weeks to finish the first draft, then over three months of developmental editing, beta reading and copyediting. Editing for me is the least fun part of the process!
Are your family and friends supportive of you?
Very much so. My mum is the biggest cheerleader and my best friend often bullied me into writing. I dedicated the book to both of them as they have been my main supporters throughout the process.
Has the overall plot changed majorly from first draft?
It hasn’t! I’m baffled my editors didn’t ask for major changes. A key difference to the first draft is that Leo wasn’t originally an orphan. The whole storyline involving his family came about in the second draft, so that his journey would be more impactful.
In the book you deal with mental health, having it play quite a substantial role in Leo’s downward spiral. Is there anything you hope the reader will take away from this story in regard to mental health?
Telling a story about mental health was my number one goal when drafting the novel. I wanted it to be packaged in a fun and light-hearted way, but I knew there would be aspects of what it means to live with a mental health condition. We are living at a time where mental health is constantly talked about, but there is still a stigma around therapy and medication. For many people these things are vital, and Leo is one of those people. He sees himself as a burden to others, so he never asks for help. If there’s a single takeaway from this whole story, is to seek help whenever those bad thoughts riddle your day-to-day life.
Without throwing out too much of a spoiler, was there a particular scene or part of the book you really enjoyed writing?
I really enjoyed writing the end of the second act of the story. There’s a series of pivotal events that happen one after another and they change the story drastically. A lot of All Of My Friends Are Rich revolves around Leo’s experiences as an amateur escort, which is not something that everyone necessarily has been through, but once the climax comes about, the story becomes more grounded and human, almost subverting the initial premise of the story.
A common idea in the book community is that in order to be a successful author you need to first be a reader. Do you consider yourself to be a big reader?
It is a common idea, although I don’t necessarily agree with it. It surely helps to read books and understanding genres, tropes and various ways to construct a story; however I don’t think that’s the main determining factor of what constitutes a decent storyteller. I am not the biggest reader out there, but I’m a huge consumer of stories. I love films, TV series and videogames. I think my writing style is influenced by all those mediums put together, rather than books alone.
If you had to describe AOMFAR in 5 words, what would they be?
Raw, sexy (sort of!), sarcastic, human and eye-opening. (This was hard!)
If you could bring any fictional character to life (not from AOMFAR) who would it be and why?
I have an unhealthy obsession for crazy characters, so I’d love to meet Amy Elliott-Dunne from Gone Girl. Ahh, to pick that brilliant brain of hers.
Would you rather be a cat with a human face or a dog with human hands for feet?
I think the film Cats is a testament that cats should not have human faces. So, I’d pick the less traumatizing option of being a dog with human hands and feet. Far less nightmare-inducing.
Do you have plans for a sequel or spinoff for AOMFAR?
I have some ideas, but nothing concrete as of yet. I firstly wanted to see what readers thought of my darling characters before committing to a new story.
Finally, can you give a few hints as to what your next book in progress will be about? Similar to AOMFAR?
Absolutely! It’s going to be a slight departure in terms of genre. The book I’m working on is still an adult contemporary, but it will have a “romance” vibe to it. It will follow the different lives of two guys located on opposite ends of the world and the ways they come into contact with each other.
