We chat with author Sara Foster about her new pulse-pounding thriller When She Was Gone!
Hi, Sara! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi Nerd Daily readers, it’s a pleasure to be chatting to you! I’m a psychological suspense author with eight published novels, and a brand-new story, When She Was Gone, is hitting stores in April 2025. I’ve been publishing books since 2010 and before that I worked as a freelance book editor. I wrote my previous novel, The Hush, as part of my PhD studying representations of mothers in fiction with young adult heroines.
I live in Western Australia with my family, and when I’m not writing I love snorkelling, bushwalking, travelling and photographing wildlife. We’re also a family of escape room enthusiasts – but not the horror ones!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember. I read early, and I began to write early too – my first epic poem was called Susie and her Green Washing Machine. Sadly it’s a lost classic.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
- The one that made you want to become an author: That’s a hard one! I know I used to dream up my own worlds while reading The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Your latest novel, When She Was Gone, is out April 1st! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Missing persons thriller with heart.
What can readers expect?
When Louisa, an au pair, vanishes early one morning from a remote beach in the southwest of Australia, along with the two children in her care, there is little clue as to what has happened. However, the missing baby and toddler belong to a high profile and wealthy Australian family called the Fishers, which catapults the event into international headlines. Within 24 hours, the police and search teams are joined by scores of media and curious onlookers in the small coastal settlement of Kardanup, along with the worried families of the missing trio.
The detective in charge of the search, Blackwood, is on the verge of retirement after a dream career – leading some of the state’s most intense and difficult investigations, and winning awards for his work. However, his fortunes have varied lately, with both his health and marriage suffering, and this could be the case that derails him. For starters, the Fisher family patriarch, Jock, is determined to take command of the crisis, and won’t listen to advice. And Blackwood’s problems worsen with the arrival of Rose, Louisa’s mother, a former police officer who has her own opinions as to how this situation should be handled. However, after a disturbing piece of evidence is found on a nearby strip of beach, it becomes clear to both Rose and Blackwood that they are all caught in a race against time to bring Louisa and the kids safely home.
All my novels are based around mystery stories featuring strong female characters, and I’m always probing deeper themes below the surface. When She Was Gone is a race-against-time thriller about uncovering what’s happened to Louisa and the children – but it’s also a story about the different forms of violence and control that occurs in troubled relationships, and the contrast between transactional relationships and those built on empathy. Ultimately, it’s a story of redemption, second chances, and the caring and courageous people who put their lives on the line to save others.
Where did the inspiration for When She Was Gone come from?
The inspiration for the themes came from my ongoing desire to write stories that explore nuanced and unusual relationships between mothers and daughters. My characters Rose and Louisa are estranged at the start of the story, but when Louisa disappears, Rose has to step up and fight for her daughter, using her professional skills as a former police officer and hostage negotiator as much as her instincts as a mother.
The plot came from a conversation with fellow crime writer Dervla McTiernan about using Western Australia as a setting for our stories. I like writing about characters who are away from their home environment and my stories often move between the UK and Australia. The morning after that conversation I woke up thinking about an au pair called Louisa.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There are some really juicy characters in this book – and I loved getting stuck into all of them. Jock Fisher, the patriarch of the family, was fun because he is outrageously overbearing and yet he can’t see anything wrong with his behaviour. I also loved writing Blackwood’s supportive Detective Sergeant, Angie Lennard, because she has the ability to bring gentle humour to difficult situations.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The first draft came together in 3 months – but I took a long time editing the book to make sure it was exactly what I wanted it to be. It’s always challenging to get the plot reveals as perfectly paced as possible, but I’m hopeful that I’ve done a good job!
What’s next for you?
I’m writing a thriller set in a small town in the Cotswolds in the UK, which plays with Agatha Christie themes and bookends two Christie plays in the novel. The story starts when one of the lead actors is murdered on his own doorstep, but then cuts to ten years later, just as another play is about to be performed, when the cast realise that the wrong person was convicted of the crime and the real killer has been hiding among them all along. It’s a big challenge, but a fun one!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
I’m excited to get stuck into Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest Hunger Games installment that’s just been released – and I can’t wait for Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and Don’t Let Him In from Lisa Jewell.
