Dust and Mud was the winner in the Popular Fiction category of the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Sarah Mattern.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The novel’s title is Dust and Mud, and it was published in September 2020.
What’s the book’s first line?
The book’s first line is from a memory of the main character’s childhood: We were a cloud of bubbles sinking under the desert sun.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The book is about a young woman, Ellie Dray, who goes to prison for an ecoterrorist bombing at her university. Her prison sentence is commuted and she’s invited to start a farm on the property of the man injured in her attack. The story alternates narrators and weaves back and forth in time from Ellie’s childhood growing up with her twin brother Kyle and their reserved politician father, to their time in college where their activism grows, to after Ellie’s release as the characters are rebuilding their lives. The book explores how people can come together to heal themselves and the planet.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I always had a vague dream of writing a book, but I studied and worked in environmental science, then went into multimedia design and started a design business. Creative writing felt far away from my daily life for a long time. In my late 30’s, I felt compelled to start a new challenge, so I picked up Alan Watt’s 90 Day Novel. At the end of his book’s three month program, I had a very messy first draft. I showed the draft to a good friend, and she told me to keep going. It took me five more years of writing and rewriting in my spare time to get Dust and Mud to a place where I felt it was readable. I didn’t have many expectations about the novel’s publication, but I’m glad people have found it and seem to enjoy it so far.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
The main character in my novel, Ellie Dray, is a bit wistful and naïve when she’s younger. After she goes to prison, she has secrets. As one of the other characters observes when he meets her after she’s released from prison, “Did I really think she’d still be full of bright-eyed hope and whimsy? That she’d throw her arms around me? I’d have settled for her to at least seem somewhat happy to see me.” Ellie reminds me a little of the fictional TV character Veronica Mars (minus the teen noir)—a character that’s cheerful and hopeful in flashbacks, but hardened and distant after a tragedy.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
I think someone should read the book if they’re looking for a read that’s a little offbeat and ultimately inspiring. I think the characters’ engaging voices and relationships will draw readers in, and the touches of mystery, romance, and magic will make the read enjoyable.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
I wasn’t very strategic when I published my novel. When I felt like I was done, I designed a cover and pushed ‘publish’ on Amazon. I’ve since done a good round of edits and taken a self-publishing class. So, I think the best and hardest parts are entwined: it’s easy to be fast and flexible as an indie, but there are many gaps of knowledge to fill in along the way.