Sarah Forester Davis - Young Love, Dangerous Family Secrets and Countless Plot Twists

Sarah is the author of the mature, young adult novel, Confession. She is a travel addict, coffee lover, Mom to 4 kids, 1 dog and 4 cats, wife, and a beach bum. When she's not writing, she is chauffeuring her kids around and planning her family's next epic adventure. She lives a wanderlust life, and spends numerous months out of every year traveling. Her laptop goes EVERYWHERE with her, because her characters don't sleep and inspiration pops out at her all the time. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about Confession.

Please give us a short introduction to what Confession is about.

Confession is a story about young love. Soulmates who got torn apart by their families, who reunite after a tragic event happens. They are then thrown into a mystery that involves secrets from the past, secrets that their families have kept hidden all this time. They find themselves caught in the middle of this dangerous game, only trusting each other as more and more skeletons come out of the closet.

What inspired you to write about two teenagers who knew that they were soulmates?

The story of Bodhi and Eva literally came to me one day while driving along the beach in Flagler. I wanted to write a story that made my readers believe in true love.

Tell us more about Bodhi Bishop. What makes him tick?

Bodhi is extremely protective over Eva. But he is also protective over his friends. If anyone mistreats them, it sets off a wave of emotions. When he lost Eva for three years, he found himself in a dark place. I would say during that time, if anyone was to mention her, he would downward spiral.

What makes Eva Calloway so special?

Eva Calloway is a girl after my own heart. She's a wildcard who has spent the last three years doing everything to keep Bodhi safe, and by doing that she's lost a bit of herself. When she finally has the courage to stand up for herself, her wild side suddenly emerges. She's a force to be reckoned with especially with Bodhi by her side.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I am an expert travel planner. My family and I spend most of the summer traveling around the US, and I plan all our trips from start to finish.

Why did you title this story "confession"?

Confession got its title because throughout the book, Bodhi and Eva have moments where they confess certain things to each other. It's a game they used to play as kids. Bodhi would tell Eva a "confession" and Eva would try to top it with a more outrageous "confession". As they got older, their confessions became more serious, and more about their relationship.

The story contains a couple of plot twists. Did you plan them all out before you started writing, or did some of them just "happen" along the way?

Most of the story I knew already, but there were certain plot twists that happened as I was writing, almost as if the characters decided this was the route we needed to take.

Readers describe this as a page turner. How did you pull this off?

It's funny, because in my mind, Confession plays out almost like a Netflix series. Every few chapters ends like an episode, with a cliffhanger. Most of my readers agree that when those cliffhanger moments happened, they had to continue reading to find out what followed next.

Your characters feel real and relatable - were they inspired by people you know?

Yes and no. Bodhi and Eva aren't based on anyone I know personally. One of Bodhi's friends is an actual person I know, as well as a few of their family members.

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

Absolutely! Eva especially! There are moments when I'm writing where I find myself yelling at her to calm down, but I keep writing because THAT is Eva. She is unpredictable and the more I write about her, the more I see that, even if that's not how I originally wanted her to be. She has mind of her own for sure.

Family secrets play a huge role in this story. What, do you think makes family secrets so intriguing?

Confession is nothing but family secrets! They're intriguing because as they're playing out, you might be angry they were kept from the characters. But the more you dive into the story, the more you realize these family secrets were kept hidden for a reason.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

My writing habits would probably make other authors frown. They are not typical. I write the best from the passengers seat of my Suburban while we are traveling, or waiting in the drop off and pick up line at the school my kids go to. Most of Confession was written this way. I can actually tell you the exact random town or city I was traveling through when certain plot twists were written! Currently I write in numerous spots. My laptop goes EVERYWHERE with me.

What are you working on right now?

The sequel to Confession!

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

I'm very active on social media. I respond to my readers questions and messages every day. You can find me on Instagram at SarahForesterDavis. I also take part in a lot of local book clubs which have been a ton of fun! I spend a lot of time in Flagler Beach where Confession takes place, and I recently did a scavenger hunt at all the local spots I mention in my book. My followers were able to run to these spots and find signed copies. I also drop off signed copies in Little Free Libraries all over the US. I share on social media where I drop them off, and readers are able to find them. It's been very rewarding. I have a website as well that gets updated daily. www.SarahForesterDavis.com.