My first series of novels (Hunting Lila) is written in the first person, my second series (Fated) in the third person from two points of view and my new novel (which isn't out yet) is in the first person.
Do you use present tense or past tense most in your fiction, or do you often switch tense for different stories, and why?
I have used the past and present and have also switched within stories.
Pick one of your published stories. What combination of point of view and tense did you use for this story, and why?
First person present.
To what extent is the vocabulary and manner of speech of the narration in this story different from your own everyday expression, and what does this contribute to the story?
In Hunting Lila, my first novel, the vocabulary and manner of speech are quite close to my own. Many publishers have noted how authentic my teenage girl voice is, which always makes me smile to myself.
Did you tell this story with one narrator or multiple narrators, and why?
I told it from one point of view because it was a thriller and thrillers benefit from having one point of view I feel. The reader journeys with the character, knowing only what she knows and what she can discover / uncover. It creates mystery and empathy.
Did you make the narrator of this story a character involved in the main action of the story, or did you make the narrator one which is not a charcater in your fictional storyworld, and why?
Yes, Lila is the main actor of the story around whom the story revolves. All my books have the key action happening to the narrator.
What is one of your favourite fictional stories, in which you think is narration is written well, and how would you describe what makes the narration work so well for you as a reader?
I'm really enjoying reading Snowdrops at the moment. The narration is fantastic. It's written in first person and I'm partial to the Englishness of it (being English), the turn of phrase, the characterisation and the ease of the dialogue. It's very realistic and beautifully described. I really enjoyed One Day for that reason too - the Englishness of it - the knowing I felt as a reader towards characters I recognised, as well as places and people. It was very realistic, fantastic dialogue too and a brilliant concept well executed.
Do you usually provide direct access to the thoughts of characters in your stories? If so, do you usually provide access to the thoughts of one character or multiple characters in a single story or point of view, and why?
Yes - mainly to one, but in the Fated series to three characters (told in third). With Fated I needed to have an alternative view point which one character wouldn't allow. And in the third book of that series I expanded the two view points to include a third, a conflicting view point but of a character who the reader was familiar with from the second book. It's a technique that maggie Stiefvater used in Linger to really good effect.
To what extent does the narrative style of novels you read have an impact on why you read them, and why?
It doesn't really. I like reading and writing first person because it really engages me as a reader with a single character. I like taking a journey with them.
Author website: www.sarahalderson.com
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