Growing up in Bethesda, Sarah Pekkanen used to wander the shelves of Barnes & Noble, making a little space at the spot where her novel would go one day.
Tuesday she was there promoting her latest book, “These Girls.”
Sarah Pekkanen promotes latest book, “These Girls”
(Ron Charles/The Washington Post) - Sarah Pekkanen signs copies of her new novel, “These Girls,” at Barnes & Noble in Bethesda.
Now an international bestseller, with a glowing endorsement from Jodi Picoult, Pekkanen has a new three-book deal with Atria/Simon & Schuster to bring out a novel every spring through 2015.
A former reporter for the Baltimore Sun, she wrote her first novel at Chuck E. Cheese’s while her three boys ran through rolls of tokens. With no idea how to find an agent, she went to Barnes & Noble and looked for books like hers.
“I read the acknowledgment pages to find out who their agents were,” she said, “then I went home and googled them.”
After getting an encouraging response from Karin Slaughter’s agent, she began to wonder if she’d made a mistake, so she screwed up her courage and wrote a note to the famous thriller writer to ask if her agent was legit. Two minutes later, an e-mail came back: “This is Karin Slaughter’s agent. I answer Karin’s mail when she’s on tour. . . . Don’t worry: I’m checking you out, too.”
Pekkanen turned in the manuscript for her fourth novel last week, and now she’s published in 10 countries (Russia is the latest). There are also discussions underway about making her first novel into a TV show in China.
Screenwriting is her latest interest. “I just signed with a film agent. Nothing may happen,” she says, laughing, “but three years ago, I never thought I’d have a book here, so who knows.”
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