Author Savannah Brown shares her best advice for anyone who wants to become an author

For Savannah Brown, becoming an author has always been a draw.

"I wanted to write since I was little," she explained to Her. "I have memories of being like, five years old and writing books on printer paper. It's just something I've always been drawn to, I'm not sure why." Her debut novel, The Truth of Keeping Secrets, was published earlier this year - and is perfect for The book follows grief-stricken Sydney, who is dealing with the sudden loss of her father. She believes the crash that killed him was anything but an accident - especially after the threatening texts begin, and when June Copeland, homecoming queen and golden child - appears at his funeral out of nowhere. Through her newfound relationship with June, Sydney gets a glimpse of life without the darkness of unresolved grief, and the chance - just maybe - for a fresh start. That is, until it becomes clearer than ever that the secrets won't go away - and that the truth may just bring everything crashing down. "It was definitely a strong beginning image," the author said, on the decision to start the book with the funeral of Sydney's father. And while the first draft of the book began much earlier, she ultimately decided on the start point "I kind of followed the rule that you should always start a little later than you think you should," she said. "Because [the book] starts right at the funeral, when she's giving her eulogy, that highlights her uncertainty of what happened and the sinisterness of it." Discussing the books that inspired her when writing The Truth About Keeping Secrets, it all came down to one genre in particular. "I'm really into contemporary YA," she said. " [Books like] I'll Give You The Sun, Looking For Alaska - that was the first contemporary YA I read that was dark but meaningful, and had a lot to say. And One Of Us Is Lying, I found that really inspiring." Savannah also shared her advice for anyone who is thinking of becoming a writer. "Writing is a very solitary activity. You need to put a love of the craft first, I think," she said. "In writing, there’s no guarantees - it can be a bit demoralising at some points. It can be a lot of work, and you may not see the rewards right away - I finished writing [the book] about a year and a half ago." "It has to come from a love of the craft." The Truth About Keeping Secrets is available to purchase now here. Featured image via Penguin. 

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