Sara Bennett Wealer: Rival

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Number One Novels: Congratulations on the publication of your first book! Tell me a little about it—what's your pitch?

Sara Bennett Wealer: I like to describe Rival as “Glee goes to the opera.” It’s a high-stakes duet between two girls—once friends, now enemies—who are getting ready to up against each other in a major singing competition. It’s got boys, gossip, music, misunderstandings and an ending people are saying really surprised them!


NON: How did you get the idea for your novel?

SBW: Singing has always been a big part of my life, so I suppose it was only natural I’d write a book about it. Though I grew up in a small town, I was active in a really excellent music department, which could be quite competitive at times. I wanted to capture how wonderful it feels to perform, but also how stressful it can be to know someone else is always there, ready to outperform you. And I wanted to explore both sides of a rivalry, to show how the people we think are our enemies just might turn out to be our best allies!

NON: No two authors seem to take the same route to publication, but almost every author has an interesting story about their journey. How did you get published? Did you use an agent? How did you find out that your book had sold?

SBW: I did it the old-fashioned way. I worked my tail off on my manuscript (which actually was the second I’d written—the third by the time it sold), queried agents (landed one, decided we weren’t a good match, and then found my current one) and did the whole bite-fingernails-while-book-is-on-submission thing. Harper requested revisions before making an offer, which I agreed to because my editor, Erica, was so spot-on with her feedback. And then… I got “The Call.” By the time it came I was so exhausted from the process that I emailed some friends, celebrated with my husband over dinner, then went to bed early!

NON: I think that names say a lot about a person, especially a fictional person. How did you decide on your protagonist’s full name? Did you have any other names that were in the running?

SBW: I actually “stole” Kathryn’s name from a sorority sister with whom I’ve since lost contact. I’d just always thought her name was beautiful, so I modified it a bit and then ran with it. To be honest, I sort of had this girl in my head as I wrote the character—not her personality so much, since we didn’t know each other well, but her look. She was really pretty! As for Brooke, I needed something that felt opposite to Kathryn. I went for a strong, one-syllable name, and I liked the idea that she’d have brothers whose names also started with B. I stole her last name from some dear family friends.

NON: Do you have another book in the works?

SBW: Several, actually. There are a couple of contemporaries that are either complete or near-complete. Then I’ve just started a semi-dystopian AND a kinda-sorta paranormal. We’ll see how those go!

NON: What's your writing routine? Do you write in the mornings, nights, daily, or when the mood strikes you?

SBW: I write in the evenings, after putting my kids to bed. I go down to my living room, sit on the green sofa and write, write, write until around midnight. I try not to let a day go by without writing and/or revising.

NON: What’s your favorite way to procrastinate?

SBW: Watching ballet videos on YouTube! I’m a huge ballet fan.

NON: What’s your favorite non-essential item on your desk?

SBW: I don’t have a desk – I have a green sofa. :) My favorite thing on it is my old ginger cat Schroeder. He likes to curl up with me and keep me warm while I work.

NON: What are you currently reading?

SBW: The Duff by Kody Keplinger and The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney. I usually have a couple of books started at once, and it takes me a while to get through them since I’m so busy with work, mom stuff, and writing my own books.

Title: Rival
Author: Sara Bennett Wealer
Publisher: HarperTeen
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN: 0061827622
eBook ISBN: 978-0061827624