SARA DIVELLO
Sara DiVello is a PR executive-turned-author. In her PR career, she provided media training to help her clients give confident, dynamic, compelling interviews. When the pandemic descended, she took the interviewer seat and launched the Mystery and Thriller Mavens author interview series, now streaming in collaboration with Murder by the Book, a woman-owned, independent bookstore. Sara has hosted over 160 authors, including celebrities Dean Koontz, Patricia Cornwell, Jeffery Deaver, Tamron Hall, Karin Slaughter, Ruth Ware, Lisa Unger, and many more stars, as well as debut authors. Sara also founded the Mystery and Thriller Mavens Facebook Group, which is free and open to all, for readers to submit questions for Sara’s author-interviewees, enter giveaways, and dish about their latest reads. Sara is the author of Where in the OM Am I? One Woman’s Journey from the Corporate World to the Yoga Mat, NIEA-winner for Best Memoir, selected by SHAPE Magazine as a best book, and named a must-read for anyone considering a career change by Working Mother. Kirkus Reviews praised her as a “…fresh…sympathetic voice…hilarious.” Sara has appeared on CBS, as well as in Forbes, the New York Times, ABC, CNBC, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Her articles have been published by Marie Claire, Elle, Redbook, Dr. Oz, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, and more. Sara is the proud dog-mom of her beloved rescue mutt, Pelu.
SESSION: Interview Hacks: How to Give Author Interviews that Connect With, Engage, and Excite Readers
Most authors have never been trained in how to give interviews and may even fear them. Yet as writers, we MUST be able to give good interviews—in-person or on-screen—if we want to maximize our readership. This session will deliver must-know tools on how to be authentic, engaging, and exciting to viewers in a live or virtual audience, whether in a one-on-one interview or in a group discussion. You will learn how to craft a sound bite, distill your book into a memorable one-line “elevator pitch,” and overcome mic fright. You will discover what makes an interviewee stand out and what makes audiences lose interest fast. Most importantly, you will learn how to be the author they remember. With the world on Zoom, these skills are more important than ever in helping writers achieve their goal of selling books. This session is appropriate for writers at every stage of the publication process—you don’t need to be published to start working on these skills!