Q&A: Sara Driscoll, Author of ‘Shadow Play’
We chat with author Sara Driscoll about Shadow Play, which follows a woman with a side gig offering relationship advice on Twitch learns just how dangerous online anonymity can be . . .
Hi, Sara! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I’m so happy to be here! I’m a retired infectious diseases bench researcher who left science to follow her creative side into a new career. I’m the author of the FBI K-9s thrillers, the NYPD Negotiators thrillers, the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries, and the standalone thrillers, ECHOES OF MEMORY and SHADOW PLAY. I’m also a musician, a cat rescuer, and a proud new grandmother, though how that happened, I have no idea. I’m still 25 in my own head!
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Reading was an integral part of my childhood. Both parents were voracious readers and they started us young, first reading to us every night, then encouraging us to read on our own. So it seemed natural in my preteen years to try my own hand at writing. Funny story—a girlfriend and I used to snail mail each other chapters of the stories we were writing. Decades later, we’re both published authors. Oh, how I wish I’d kept those stories. They would have been dreadful, but I’d love to see them now. There’s nothing wrong with a learning curve!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- The one that made you want to become an author: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Your latest novel, Shadow Play, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Danger lurks within the Internet.
What can readers expect?
Shadow Play is a gripping psychological thriller, highlighting the intersection between our inherent trust in others to be good actors, and those who terrorize by taking advantage of that trust. The social media platform Twitch is highlighted, but, realistically, this same threat could come from any platform as the anonymity of our screens allows some people to truly be their worst selves. It’s a very relevant issue, and, all too often, a threat, in this day and age.
Where did the inspiration for Shadow Play come from?
A few years ago, while I was brainstorming ideas for new thrillers, I had a conversation with my twenty-something daughter. Twitch was her platform of choice, and she suggested a story where a threat came to a streamer through a follower in the stream’s chat. Unfortunately, this is a real issue, affecting social media personalities on every platform, so I thought it was a very timely idea.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Krista Evans was the first character I’ve written who struggles with the crushing weight of a recent loss. In this case, her fiancé, Linc, who passed two years previously following an ultimately unsuccessful battle with brain cancer. This leaves Krista on her own, with the dreams of marriage and children they’d envisioned, destroyed. Two years later, she’s still picking up the pieces and is trying to find her path, though she is buoyed by her brother and parents, and Hailey, her best friend since college. Exploring this loss through Krista’s eyes allowed a different kind of depth to her character.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
My usual challenge is my schedule. Writing and releasing three books a year is a lot of work. I try to stay on schedule by writing 3,000 words a day, 6 days a week, but I inevitably run into trouble on each book at some point. It’s not just the book I’m drafting, but the one I just handed in that’s in copy edits, the one before that which has galley proof pages to review, and the one that’s about to release that needs promotion. I’m lucky I have an amazing editor who oversees all my books and who understands both my schedule and its pressures. James and I have been known to repeatedly pass off books to each other at 3 AM, but we always make the production deadline, even if it’s just by the skin of our teeth.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing CODE OF SILENCE, my next standalone, out next year from Kensington Books. It stars Carla DiSanto, the daughter of an ‘Ndrangheta crime boss, who takes her own destiny into her hands by disappearing without a trace to escape an expected life in the family “business”. Unfortunately, five years later, she’s found and dragged back into the family fold and all its nefarious activities. She’s angry and unwilling, so she strikes a secret deal with Special Agent Morgan Bates of the FBI’s Transnational Organized Crime Section in New York City. Together, they plan to bring down the local organization, and as much of the greater criminal enterprise as possible.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I’ve recently been catching up with the Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne mystery series from Julia Spencer-Fleming. I will have the privilege of interviewing Julia about her new novel, At Midnight Comes the Cry, in October, so before I dive into my ARC, I wanted to revisit the series. It’s just as fantastic the second time around and I can’t wait to read the newest instalment.
You can find Sara on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, and Threads.
