Sarah Krasnostein is pretty impressive. She won the Victorian Prize for Literature and the Prize for Non-Fiction in the 2018 Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, the Dobbie Literary Award and the Australian Book Industry Award for General Non-Fiction for her first book, The Trauma Cleaner. Then, there’s the doctorate in criminal law… She was born in America, lives and works in Melbourne and New York, manages her young family and still seems quite sane!

She has really been a delight to get to know over this last year. Her commitment to her craft and her subject matter is genuine and considered. She is incredibly thoughtful and respectful in her work and towards others and is always inspiring to watch on panels and lectures.

Where are you working from today?

A tiny cafe near my house where they make coffee better than I ever could.

What are you working on?

My notes for my sessions at the upcoming Melbourne Writers Festival.

How’s it going?

Challenging but good!

When you get stuck, what do you do?

Ideally, make a cup of tea or go for a walk because those are the times when ‘doing it harder’ isn’t going to do what we want it to. However, I’m a working mum and my writing time is limited so I’ll usually shift the focus to another part of the project that I feel might come a little easier.

Who sees your earliest draft & at what stage?

No one! Never! (Joke. It’ll be my husband or my editor. Usually at the point that I can call something a first draft without laughing too much…)