All about the book Searching for Your Song

Who is Sara Wetmore?

Sara Wetmore is an award-winning romance author who earned her MFA in creative writing at Lindenwood University. She is the author of The Golden Girl, Brush Strokes, and The Christmas Script. She’s also an accomplished writer of creative nonfiction and poetry. But, when she’s not writing, you can catch her reading smutty books and anti-capitalist manifestos or playing guitar.

What is Searching for Your Song about?

An autistic woman at risk of losing what she loves most. A drug-addicted rockstar determined to change. The second chances they give, and the people standing in their way.

LOLA

I gave him up for my whale research. But without funding, it seems my research is ready to give up on me.

When the man I left behind ten years ago reappears to offer his help, I have no choice but to accept.

Despite our painful past, we must work together to raise the funds I need – without old feelings getting in the way.

Except the longer we’re alone, the more the guilt and attraction seem to resurface.

But we can’t be together.

Not with my past.

Not with his lies.

OSCAR

Fame isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. So many superficial people. Unlike them, I actually want to do something good in the world.

Even after all these years, the only cause I seem to care about is protecting whales. Lola’s whales.

Surprised to find her working at the local nonprofit, I refuse to let her go. Not again.

I will do whatever it takes to save the woman I love, if only she will let me.

She may have her coworker’s arm on her shoulder, and I may have the devil in my bed, but surely somehow we can fix this.

I’d do anything for Lola.

Anything but tell the truth.

Interview

What was your inspiration for Searching for Your Song?

The inspiration came from many places, both within and without myself. Lola and her obsession with whales is based on my own neurodivergent special interest. Same with Oscar and his love of music. However, the thing that compelled me to write the story at all was my family’s battle with opiates and heroin. I had to learn that addicts deserve compassion and second chances, and it took me a long time to understand that. I want others to understand that, too.

What drew you to writing?

I’ve been writing since I was able to pick up a crayon. Even as a child, I was drawn to the magic of books and storytelling and would staple sheets of paper together to write and illustrate stories. It became a lifelong obsession, leading me toward earning multiple degrees in literature and creative writing. Now, I write many genres, from romance to nonfiction to poetry, but contemporary romance is certainly my favorite. It has been a healing experience for me.

How did you choose which character to centre the story around? 

The story is centered around two characters, Lola and Oscar, in a dual POV narrative. This is just my preferred way of writing because I like the intimacy of getting in the heads of both of my main characters. But I might argue that while Lola is the primary main character, the story actually centers around Oscar and his addiction. Maybe because subconsciously I understood the ways addiction eclipses everything in its orbit.

What was your process for writing Searching for Your Song?

My process was very structured. I began by plotting meticulously in a spreadsheet, and then I forced myself to write 1,000 words every day until I got to the last line in my plotting document. And while I absolutely believe in the power and freedom of writing bad first drafts, it didn’t stop me from editing as I wrote. It was just easier for me to fix problems when I identified them rather than in later drafts.

What is your approach to world and character building?

Admittedly, I tend to neglect world building, instead focusing all of my energy into developing the inner emotional worlds of my characters. It’s my greatest weakness as a writer and I am constantly trying to overcome it. It’s not uncommon for me to have a detailed summary of my characters’ troubled pasts and then have no mention of the world they inhabit until the second or third drafts. But I am getting better at being balanced.

How would you describe Searching for Your Song?

I’d say that Searching for Your Song is like Daisy Jones and the Six meets The Love Hypothesis. It features a drug-addicted musician and an autistic-coded biologist as its female protagonist.

It’s a spicy and sweet contemporary romance with lots of delicious tension and twists and turns that make it a fast-paced read.

Did you have a favourite moment in the book to write?

Oh yes, I have many. But without giving too much away, my absolute favorite scene to write was the argument between Lola and Oscar in the rain at the marina. It crackles with so much emotional and sexual tension that, even now, I get goosebumps when I think about it.

What was your favourite book growing up?

My favorite book growing up is called “The Secret Life of Billie’s Uncle Myron” by Len Jenkin. Unsurprisingly, it’s about the children of rockstar parents (a constant interest in my life, apparently) who stowaway in the trunk of their uncle’s car only to be swept away on a truly bizarre adventure. To this day, it is the book that I remember most vividly from my childhood.

Do you have a favourite genre to read?

My favorite genre to read is absolutely dark romance. I thought I was a diehard fan of sweet contemporary romances until I got trapped in the world of smut. The plots are just so bonkers and the heat is so spicy that I can’t put them down. I love them so much that I started writing dark romance novels of my own under the pseudonym Violet Harding. All of my time and energy at the moment is going towards writing Violet’s books.