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Sarah Dunn was the executive story editor for Spin City. She lives in New York City and The Big Love is her first novel.
Sarah Dunn was the executive story editor for the hit TV series Spin City. She lives in New York City and The Big Love is her first novel. Here she talks exclusively to Penguin Online on everything from being in love to her greatest fear.
Who or what always puts a smile on your face?
The man I live with, who is the funniest person I know.
What are you reading at the moment?
Play it Again, Sam, the stage play, by Woody Allen.
Which author do you most admire?
Right now, I’m feeling like a very slow writer, so I admire anybody who could really churn books out. Trollope?
What’s your earliest memory?
My father, in the backyard, using his golf clubs to pitch big white mushrooms into the neighbor’s yard.
What is your greatest fear?
It’s a toss-up between death and dying.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a much better person than I actually am.
Have you ever done something you’ve really regretted?
I can remember a really unfortunate haircut in junior high that completely ruined my chances with a dreamy boy named Andrew Heartsfield.
How do you spoil yourself?
I buy myself books and fresh flowers.
What is your favorite book?
Anna Karenina.
Who do you turn to in a crisis?
I turn to my mother, although she’s not that good in a crisis, she tends to get hysterical very quickly.
What makes you angry?
Being lied to.
Have you ever had any other jobs apart from writing?
I was a waitress for a while, a very bad waitress – I was always sweating and nervous and I could never remember the specials. I broke a lot of plates.
Are you in love?
Yes, I am.
What’s your worst vice?
Sloth.
What are you proudest of?
Well, I’ve got to say my book, right?
What inspired you to write The Big Love?
Hard to say. I’m not sure I believe in inspiration. What kept me going was some sort of insane doggedness I’d never noticed in myself before.
Where do you write?
I write at home, in my apartment, in a spare room that also houses the cats’ litter box, which keeps me from taking myself too seriously.
When was the last time you cried?
I watched Cold Mountain in a hotel room last month and I couldn’t stop bawling.
One wish; what would it be?
To be twenty-two again.
Did you enjoy school?
Not nearly as much as I should have. I wish I’d had more fun and learned a lot less.
