We chat with debut author Sasha Vey about The Set-Up Girl, which is a feel-good romantic comedy of errors, where the road to love rarely runs straight—perfect for fans of Alice Oseman, Tobias Madden and Sophie Gonzales.
Hi, Sasha! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello The Nerd Daily (and readers)! I’m an Australian author whose debut novel “The Set-Up Girl” is officially out this year. Outside of writing, I love playing piano, starting crafting projects (please don’t ask about my finish rate), and forcing the people who love me to listen to me talk about my most recent research rabbit holes.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always loved thinking up stories, and as soon as I could write I started putting them to paper – one of my earliest writing memories is of being frustrated with the pace of my imagination versus the pace of my pencil on the page.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The first “big kid” book I distinctly remember reading was Animal Farm, which was an experience with a capital ‘E’ for little me!
- The one that made you want to become an author: I can’t say there was a book that made me want to become an author specifically, but Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda was the first series to have a big impact on the stories I was writing.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, which is the second book in a series I adore overall, and can highly recommend.
Your debut novel, The Set-Up Girl, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
A casually queer teen romp!
What can readers expect?
Strong female friendships, queer joy, swoonworthy romance, and a family book club.
Where did the inspiration for The Set-Up Girl come from?
It was less that I was struck by inspiration and more that I began with the idea of one friend setting up another despite having a shared romantic interest. I thought that concept would be a fun jumping off point to explore new and existing relationships – and it was!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I loved fleshing out Amalia’s family and their internal dynamics, with the family book club scenes easily some of my favourites to write. I also loved writing the romantically fraught scenes, because I love both reading and writing will-they-won’t-they angst.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The most challenging aspect of this manuscript was wrapping it up – I always drag my feet writing the last third of any manuscript, it’s the least fun part for me!
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
I’ve spent most of my life writing, so it was less a matter of “just write a manuscript” and more “which of my manuscripts is ready to send out into the world?” It was probably around halfway through writing the first draft of The Set-Up Girl that I remember thinking: This is the one. Luckily, I was right!
What’s next for you?
I’m not sure yet! Watch this space.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
My standout read this year so far has been Blood Over Brighthaven by M. L. Wang, which is a piece of deeply compelling, deeply bleak fantasy. The author I’ve easily read the most from this year has been Georgette Heyer, who founded the regency romance genre and whose writing has made me laugh out loud more than once. My “to read” list is simply too long and so I won’t get into it or we’ll be here all day!
