We chat with author Sadie Turner about Tidespeaker, which is a haunting and lush debut fantasy that follows a girl with the power to command the tides and has her life changed when she secures a job serving a wealthy noble family–only to learn upon arrival that the last person to fill her post mysteriously died, and her new employers are hiding dark secrets.
Hi, Sadie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m the author of Tidespeaker, a gloomy, gothic YA Fantasy about a girl with the power to command the tides who secures a position serving a noble family on an isolated tidal island, only to learn that her best friend drowned there and her new employers are hiding dark secrets. My writing draws on my own experiences as an undiagnosed neurodivergent teen—I eventually got an autism diagnosis in my thirties—as well as various literary inspirations including the works of Jane Austen and the Brontës. When not writing fiction, I write marketing copy, play classic CRPGs, and wrestle with my out-of-control to-read pile! I live in the UK with my family.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was always doing something creative as a child, including making little books out of stapled notepaper. I got my first taste of creative writing at school, when an English teacher tasked us to write speculative short stories. We also read A Wizard of Earthsea, which helped spark my love of fantasy. After that, I burrowed into online fanfiction and play-by-post roleplaying forums, gradually beginning to write longer-form pieces and improve my craft. But I didn’t get past the worldbuilding stage with anything original until my twenties, and didn’t actually complete a full novel until I was thirty.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The first proper thick book was Redwall by Brian Jacques. Before that, I remember a lot of Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High.
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. I was desperate to create my own sprawling fantasy world and publish stories in it. I wanted my own fandom!
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: An older one: The Secret History by Donna Tartt. And a recent one: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.
Your debut novel, Tidespeaker, is out January 6th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Tense. Atmospheric. Lyrical. Twisty. Romantic.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a lush, atmospheric, salt-soaked YA Fantasy full of secrets, subterfuge, political intrigue, and betrayals. It follows Corith, a young autistic water mage, who lands a position serving a forbidding noble family on an isolated tidal island where her predecessor—and best friend—died in mysterious circumstances. It’s got morally grey characters, action aplenty, and a tension-filled forbidden romance. If you enjoyed House of Salt and Sorrows, A Study in Drowning, and One Dark Window, I think you will enjoy Tidespeaker!
Where did the inspiration for Tidespeaker come from?
The first inkling of the book—its setting—came after a visit to a real-life tidal island, Lindisfarne, off the north-east coast of England. We miscalculated the tide times and ended up stranded, during a power cut, for hours! The threat of the tides and the image of the castle on the rock stayed with me, and I knew I had to set a story somewhere like that someday. Corith, the protagonist, is inspired by me as a teen—neurodivergent and unaware of it, struggling with social interaction, and full of self-doubt. And the story as a whole is inspired by Austen and the Brontës: it’s a little bit of Jane Eyre, mixed with a little Mr Darcy and Mansfield Park, all wrapped up in the wild, lonely atmosphere of Wuthering Heights.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved writing the sailing race scene, which comes about halfway through—it’s a rare moment of fun for the characters—but it was challenging, too, since I’ve never sailed! Aside from that, I’m a huge fan of villains, so writing those (and there are plenty in Tidespeaker!) was great too.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
My big challenge was finding the time. I started Tidespeaker when my eldest daughter turned one. I was juggling her, a day job, and trying to get this draft down. I had to develop the ability to jump into my draft and just go in any snatched moments I could. As soon as my daughter dropped off for her nap, I’d be tapping away at my laptop right up until she woke up. Chores could wait!
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It took six years and three manuscripts for me to get an agent and book deal. I began writing seriously, towards publication, when I turned thirty (when I realised that if I wanted to get published, I actually needed to finish what I started!). But I trunked the first two manuscripts I completed without even editing or querying them. Tidespeaker was the first book I thought might be good enough to get me an agent, and I was very lucky—it landed on the right desks at the right times, and I got my agent and book deal fairly quickly.
What’s next for you?
Tidespeaker is the first installment in a duology, so I’m currently hard at work editing the sequel, which will be released in early 2027! Aside from that, I’m about to embark on a new work-in-progress that’s similar to Tidespeaker in its themes, but very different in its setting.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
My to-read pile is truly monstrous, so one of my new year’s resolutions is actually to refrain from buying new books and concentrate on all the ones I own but haven’t got to yet! But I will be making exceptions for some fellow debuts I’m incredibly excited about, including Venetia Constantine’s The Last Starborn Seer, which has been described as a Tolkienesque epic fantasy. Bori Cser’s lush, sparkling Mirrorwoven, which I’ve already read (it’s fantastic!) but NEED to own. And I’m excited for fellow autistic author Ivelisse Housman’s adult debut, ‘Til Quest Do Us Part.
