Sandi Parsons is an avid reader, writer and storyteller. She lives in Western Australia with some problem puppies and many teetering stacks of books. Today we’re chatting to Sandi about her latest book: Salty.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Salty.
From the publisher:
Dara longs to have a best friend, someone she can hang out with. But it seems like Josh, her new assignment partner, will land her in popularity purgatory.
At least their assignment topic is perfect — Ned Kelly’s death mask. Now, Dara can drop words like ‘pseudomedicine’ and ‘phrenological analysis’ into casual conversation.
When ‘Ned’s head’ is stolen, Josh is convinced the culprit is their new art teacher, Ms Isoba.
As Josh hunts for clues to prove his theory, he discovers that Ms Isoba isn’t the only person with a secret.
What’s Dara hiding?
Dara is a collector of interesting words – how did you choose which words to include as Dara’s words-of-the-day to include in Salty?
I researched lots of words before I settled on a handful I wanted to include. As a dog lover, groke (the way a dog stares at you, hoping you will share your food) was always going to be in the story. With my starter words in hand, I started writing Salty. In my second draft, if I felt a chapter needed a “word” that wasn’t in my word stash, I’d hunt about to see if I could find a word that would fit. That’s how I found chork (the sound shoes make when they are wet). Occasionally, my hunt wouldn’t reveal a suitable word, but would give me different word to use somewhere else in Salty.
Do you have a favourite word? Is it one of Dara’s words?
Originally, my favourite word, scurryfunge, (to rush about tidying up on the moments before a guest arrives) didn’t find a place in Salty. When I did a structural edit, some interactions between Dara, Melody and Justine changed places, and scurryfunge slotted into place like it was always meant to go there.
I’m also quite fond of snollygoster (a corrupt politician, or person who is in public service for their own benefit.) It’s a word that rolls off the tongue easily, but there wasn’t a logical place to include it.
How did Ned Kelly and his death mask end up in your story?
The original idea for Salty was a question. Why would a criminal need to hide in a school? After brainstorming some scenarios, the most likely answer was that students could be ‘camouflage” for someone casing a museum. Teachers on excursion have an excuse to take more photos than they need. I included Ned Kelly, because I wanted the thief to steal something uniquely Australian. The death mask was something I could picture Dara getting enthusiastic about, while Josh would turn his nose up at it.
Dara lives with cystic fibrosis. Are her day-to-day experiences at school similar to your own school experiences growing up?
I experienced way more problems with my digestive system than I did with my lungs when I was Dara’s age. So, to some extent, Dara’s experiences do mirror mine. No one with CF ever wants to have someone waiting for them in the bathroom! I wanted to go to friends houses and play after school, but I had to go home to do my afternoon treatments. This meant I was excluded from some friendship groups.
When I was six, my enzymes came in foil packets. They took ages to open, and there was no way to take them discreetly. Everyone would stare. I was ten when the foil packets were replaced with bottles. I would quickly pop them in my mouth hoping no one would notice (they always did). When I was older I turned it into a party trick. If you draw attention to something, you give it less importance. (Dara isn’t that confident yet!)
Everyone with CF has a story to tell about people staring when you cough. Some people have very loud looks! Others will make nasty comments.
What’s the hardest part about writing a mystery?
I wanted to make it clear to the reader from the beginning that Ms Isoba was not what she seemed. (Just like Count Olaf in A Series of Unfortunate Events.) So, my focus was on making Ms Isoba seem like she had fooled everyone while the reader knew she was … probably … guilty. It was tricky!
Salty is out now! You can buy copies online or ask for it at your local library.
Visit Sandi Parsons at her website to find out more about her and her books.
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