Sasha Butler
As Soft As Dreams - Historical Fiction.
Represented by Katie Fulford from Belle Lomax Agency as a result of Cheshire Novel Prize Showcase 2022
Sasha Butler grew up in Birmingham, England, where she now lives. She studied English at the University of Nottingham and works in marketing.
When the world shutdown in 2020, she started writing her first novel, As Soft as Dreams, a historical novel set in the midlands in the Elizabethan era. She has always been drawn to social history and understanding how people navigated their lives in landscapes so different – and yet, sometimes so similar – to the present.
To help write the novel she completed some online creative writing courses with Curtis Brown Creative and the British Library and joined a local writing group. Sasha is newly represented by Katie Fulford at Bell Lomax Moreton after Katie Spotted Sasha’s excerpt on The Cheshire Novel Prize Showcase.
What made you enter the Cheshire Novel Prize?
I was looking for first novel competitions as I had just (about) finished the third draft of my novel and wanted to submit to places to build my confidence in pushing my work ‘out there’, with no expectation that I would get anywhere. CNP’s kind offer of feedback for all entrants was amazing, and I thought that regardless of what happened I’d have some professional feedback to work with.
What did it feel like when you were LL and then SL?
I couldn’t believe it! I was so shocked – when the longlist was announced and my title was on there, I had to check three times that I’d read it right! I think writing, by its very nature of being inside your own head for so long, can make it difficult to gauge how other people will respond to your words, so to make the longlist felt very surreal. I had written off getting to the shortlist and was on holiday upon some castle battlements in Naples when I received the call. It made what was already a good holiday infinitely better!
What was the reaction from those around you/family and friends?
My family and friends were so kind and supportive. They have been with me from day one, ever since I started writing this novel and have patiently listened to my doubts and plot struggles whilst continually cheering me on. I’m really grateful to them.
You were unrepresented when you entered the Cheshire Novel Prize, can you say what’s happened since?
As a result of being shortlisted for the CNP and being part of The Cheshire Novel Prize Showcase,and immediately after the Prize Lunch, I had a lot of full manuscript requests from agents, including my now agent, Katie Fulford from the literary agency Bell Lomax Moreton. She was the perfect fit for me and my book and I am so lucky to have her in my camp! It has been an absolute whirlwind, and I never in my wildest dreams – excuse the cliché! – thought I’d be able to say I had an agent. It’s definitely been a pinch me few weeks. The position I am in now is all down to the exposure CNP gave me and the hard work and amazing support from Sara Cox (CNP founder).
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
I knew I wanted to write an historical novel, and I knew that the main premise would hinge upon a love story (I’m a sucker for a romance). I’ve always been interested in Tudor England and bought a book about Elizabethan England in May 2020 to see if the period could provide a context for my story ideas. From that moment I essentially, unwittingly, committed myself to musing about 16th Century England for the next 2+ years of my life! The rest evolved as I was writing the first and second draft.
What’s it about?
It begins in 1577 and follows the life of Eliza, who is in love with her lower status childhood friend, but her violent and controlling father wants her to marry a gentleman. The novel centres on a love-triangle, and (I hope!) explores love and its many forms; how love changes over time; betrayal and human capacity for forgiveness. It’s also about the pursuit of artistry, the impact of growing up with violence, and explores how particular events – and moments – in a lifetime can ripple out across the years.
What’s your writing routine?
For a while, during the pandemic I worked part-time, which meant I had two working days a week to write. On those days, I treated it like a job and wrote from 9:30am to 5:30pm, aiming for 2000 words a day when I was writing the first draft, and then working through chronologically as I edited. I am much less rigid when I edit with how much I should do each day, as it varies so much. Since moving back to full time work I usually write in the evenings or in the mornings on weekends, or do short sharp periods of heavy editing and then have some time out.
What’s next for you?
I’m working with my agent on editing my manuscript to get it as polished as possible, in the hope that we can then start approaching publishers. It’s a whole new world for me, so I’m excited to see what the next steps are.In the background I am story-hunting, by which I mean I am slowly collecting ideas for a new novel – I love the ideas and initial research phase when everything seems a possibility.
What are your favourite books and why?
Such a difficult question! But gosh, I absolutely love Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, The Secret History by Donna Tartt and The Binding by Bridget Collins. Although these books are all quite different, they are all sweeping novels which transported me to a different places and eras, gripped and moved me, and have stayed with me ever since. These books remind me how powerful words can be.
Any tips for writers intending on entering the competition?
Do it! You have nothing to lose. Even if you’re not sure, you only need to submit the first few thousand words to enter. I think entering competitions can give you a deadline to work towards which can be really helpful. And you never know what could happen! Sara Cox has been so supportive throughout the whole process; it’s been such a wonderful prize to be a part of.