“I was encouraged to be imaginative and
read, and it was a great childhood for a budding writer because I had the time
and the freedom to go into a world of my own.” – Sarah Waters
Born
on this day in 1966, Sarah Waters grew up in Wales and said that while she did
read, read, read and eventually become a writer, it wasn’t first on her list of
aspirations. “For a long time,” she said, “I wanted to be an archaeologist.”
She
said that she thought she was headed for university at a fairly eearly age, even
though no one else in her family had been. “I really enjoyed learning. I
remember my mother telling me that I might one day go to university and write a
thesis, and explaining what a thesis was; and it seemed a very exciting
prospect. I was clearly a bit of a nerd.” 
While
she enjoys writing historical fiction, she also likes to shock her readers from
time-to-time with some rather graphic details, “keeping them on their toes, so
to speak.” Her most recent book, The Paying Guests, is not only a
terrific murder mystery but a detailed study of life in London right after
World War I.
“I
love research,” Waters said. “Sometimes I think writing novels is just an
excuse to allow myself this leisurely time of getting to know a period and
reading its books and watching its films. I see it as a real treat.”
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