Worcester’s Briana Sasso Releases Second Novel, The Harp
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Sasso is nearing the end of her third year of teaching for the Worcester Pubic Schools. She is a graduate of North High School and Worcester State University. GoLocalWorcester was able to catch up with Sasso and discuss her new novel.
Your new novel, The Harp, is released right on the heels of your first novel, Elisabetta. How did you work so quickly to finish your second novel and what inspired you to get writing again immediately?
As soon as I finished my first novel I knew that I wanted to write a second. I don't know where the idea came from for The Harp. It just happened to pop into my head one day and I decided to run with it. I began in July, took about a six month break, and then picked it up again and wrote it within a few months. I have always enjoyed a personal sense of accomplishment, the rush of knowing that I created something.
How was the writing process different for you this time around?
This time I took a lot more time to edit and revise. The first time, I was so eager to be published that I rushed through that part a little bit, which left the writing probably less mature than it could have been. The Harp was also a different type of story that required a lot of bits and pieces throughout to match up, so it lent itself to needing more attention.
The Harp and Elisabetta are two different kinds of stories but both tell the tale of a young woman learning her way in life. What can you tell us about how you relate to such characters and what traits of your own do you directly reflect in these women?
I would say that writing "what you know" is both the easiest way to write and the most challenging. I think that I have taken on these roles as narrators because I can easily identify with them, or have identified with them at other points in life. I think that while we all love fairy-tales, we identify more with the struggles that our characters face than their successes. Something that I was raised to value is strength of character. I want to encourage my readers, particularly young women, to embrace themselves for who they are and to stand up for themselves; to not be afraid to change and to help change the world around them. I also make sure that my characters have that "heroic flaw" as well, because no one, not even a character in a book, is perfect. This might not always make my characters likeable, but it definitely makes them more realistic.
As both a teacher and an author, how do you find the balance between preparing every day for your students and writing?
Teaching is a line of work that never gets put on hold. Even if you physically put down your papers, your books, your lesson plans, your mind is always racing about this or that regarding your day or the next week. It is a profession that can consume every hour of your day if you let it, and still that wouldn't be enough to be able to sit back and say, "Okay, I'm done. I've done all that I can." And so I find that you have to make time for the other things in life that bring you joy or for other goals that you want to accomplish. There will never be "free" time in which to do these things. My tasks that I need to complete for my kids always come first, but I do set aside some quiet time to devote to my writing. It isn't always easy. Sometimes I'm too overwhelmed with work to think about my writing, which is why I took a six month hiatus while writing The Harp. Otherwise, it probably would've been out a lot sooner!
For those that have yet to purchase the Harp, how would you describe the story and what elements of the novel will attract a reader to it?
The Harp will attract more readers than one would think. I know several people who have put it into the same category as Hunger Games and Divergent and the like, but it also has a deep message that I feel is important for readers of all ages and points of life to hear. I would say that anyone who watches the news and contemplates what our future will look like would enjoy The Harp. If you are worried or concerned about the state of our society, you will be interested in reading.
The Harp can be purchased on Amazon.com, or by clicking here: The Harp. The G Bar at 62 Green Street in Worcester will be hosting The Harp release party and signing event on June 13 at 4 PM. Copies of The Harp and Sasso's first novel, Elisabetta, will be on sale.
Related Articles
- Worcester’s Briana Sasso Finding Success with First Novel
- WPI Grad Releases First Sci-Fi Novel ‘Through the Black Hole’
- Central Mass. Authors Receive National Acclaim for Inspiring Book
- Acclaimed Author Leah Hager Cohen to Give Reading at Holy Cross
- ‘Lunch Lady’ Author to Hold Online Auction for Worcester Art Museum
- Up Close With Worcester Journalist/Author James Dempsey
- Q+A: Author Dean Starkman on The Watchdog That Didn’t Bark
- National Best-Selling Author Julianna Baggott Named Jenks Chair at Holy Cross
- Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Junot Diaz to Speak at Quinsigamond Community College
- Clark University to Hold Book and Author Dinner
- Clark University Discussion to Feature Best-Selling Author Bohjalian
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It