Sally Hepworth

You know, some people say they didn't dream of that, but I did.

I had big dreams.

And when, like, how long had you had those dreams?

Well, I suppose as soon as I got my foot in the door and I started to get published, you know, why not dream big?

I mean, I didn't know that I was going to make it, but you have to kind of aim for something.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I guess to write a novel, you're doing the hard work, right?

Like everyone who's written one, to get in the game, you have to do the hard work.

And then there's the magic of, you know, are your books going to resonate?

Are people going to buy them?

Are they going to, in some cases, hit at the right time that...

that's going to become popular.

Sometimes that retroactively happens these days and books take off years after they've come out.

I don't know why, but I really do feel so fortunate to be, while also allowing that, you know, I've done the work and I do think that I'm past imposter syndrome.

I think I'm good at it now.

I suspect probably started to come after a little bit of outside affirmation.

Yeah, I would like to say it was internal.

I think by the time I wrote my fifth book, I remember that was the mother-in-law was the book that kind of broke out, as they say.

And then each book since then has kind of built on it.