Grace Sammon returns to the Spotlight to chat about her latest novel, The Reliable Narrator

Author Name: Grace Sammon

Book Title: The Reliable Narrator

Book Genre: Literary Women’s Fiction

Release Date: 5 May 2026

Publisher: UpStream Press

Welcome back, Grace! How would you describe your latest release?

The Reliable Narrator is a literary novel about who gets to tell a story, the generational cost of staying silent, and what happens when a woman who has spent her life disappearing into other people’s narratives finally claims her voice.

What inspired the idea for this book?

I’ve been wanting to write a story about ghostwriting and the publishing industry for a while. It’s a fascinating profession and a rapidly changing industry. But it wasn’t until I understood why Darby hid behind others’ stories that the novel came together for me. When I partnered her history of abuse, with a strong and flawed mother, and an intrepid, yet fatally ill friend, I saw a path forward.

How has your real life (day job, hobbies, etc.) informed your books (or latest release)?

Carl Jung, the German psychologist well known for dream analysis, believed that every person or object in a dream represents some aspect of the dreamer. I feel the same way about writing.

Each of my nonfiction books reflects an urge to help audiences find their voice, and that same impulse runs through my novels and my volunteer work. Whether I’m working with abused and neglected children, underserved school populations, or the dying, I feel an urgency to bring voices forward and help others leave a mark on the world.

In The Reliable Narrator, that impulse comes full circle—finding my own voice and expressing it through the craft I love.

In what ways do you think you’ve evolved as an author since your first book came out?

This is a great question, and one I’ve thought a great deal about since committing to write The Reliable Narrator. With this book, naturally, I knew far more about writing, publishing, and marketing than with any of the other seven.  I felt compelled to apply that knowledge to a solid plan that led from writing to release.  I also felt a deep desire to “polish every sentence,” as bestselling author Barbara Davis states. Elevating the level of writing was very important to me, and I’m pleased with the outcome and the response of my 30 beta readers. Hopefully, your readers will pick up the book, and it will resonate with them, or help them find their voice.

What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?

This one is easy – there are two favorite parts. The pure writing when my fingers tingle and something magical happens in my head, and then letters turn into words that, hopefully, turn into lyric prose as they hit my computer screen. The second favorite part is any direct interaction with readers – learning how the story touched them, challenged them, engaged them. The least favorite part is always the marketing, but that, too, when it manifests in something like this interview, turns into a delight.

What about the writing/editing/publishing process has been the most surprising to you so far (or how has it changed for you over the course of your career)?

One thing that I think is quite curious is the rapid shift in the industry. While an agent and a big five publisher is still the dream of many, and is probably the key to mega-scale success, I see many authors choosing small, more intimate publishing houses, or others leaving their agents and moving to the Indy author route. The delay time from writing “the end” to book in hand can take years, done the traditional way, time then becomes a factor. All of these things, including knowing the industry and your goals for publishing factor in to what happens next.

What advice would you give to writers just starting out?

It’s less advice than a cautionary tale. Writing demands multiple talents beyond the ability of creating great story and captivating prose. It takes a plan, a budget, fortitude for the long-haul, and a network. Knowing your market, creating a network, and developing skills will go a long way in your success, however you define it.

What’s capturing your imagination these days outside of reading and writing?

I want to teach more and do more coaching. I want to spend more quality time with my husband, and I want to figure out how I can get my hands on a pair or ruby slippers so I can, at a moment’s notice, click my heels and visit family.

Can you tell us about what you’re working on now?

Yes! After The Eves, my first novel about a woman who had given up on herself until she meets a group of women of color and colorful women determined to leave their mark on the world, I thought I was “done.” Story told, done. But then, one radio interview led to the creation of two award-winning radio shows and a three-book series on writing, publishing, and marketing.  Then, I took a break, a long break, and regrouped. When Narrator finally arrived on my fingertips, so did the desire to recommit to a life of creativity. I have two radio show concepts in development and am well underway with my ninth book, Honestly, David about a woman who is in love with a pathological liar. The tag line is: Love Changes Everything, Except the Truth.

Where can readers find you?

Oh, please come find me! Invite me to speak to a group, visit via Zoom, or share with your book club. All of the things! Learn more about my other work, watch my book trailers, download book club guides and recipes – all at www.gracesammon.net.

Follow me on Facebook at grace.sammon, and sometimes on Insta at GraceSammonWrites/

Thank you, Grace! The Reliable Narrator is out NOW.

The Reliable Narrator

Darby Small has made invisibility an art. As one of New York’s most sought-after ghostwriters, she tells other people’s stories so seamlessly they forget she was ever there. In an age of AI-generated prose, she is prized for what machines cannot do: capture a voice so authentic it feels lived-in. For Darby, disappearing into other lives is both her superpower and her refuge.

Then comes a late-night message from Phoebe Zaslove, Darby’s truest friend-fearless, magnetic, and now terminally ill. For reasons Darby cannot name, the women have not spoken in a year. But Phoebe is running out of time and makes one final request: Write my story.

Set between the wooded banks of New York’s Hudson River and Albuquerque’s lush North Valley, The Reliable Narrator is a layered, emotionally charged novel about the unbreakable bond between friends, the legacies carried from mothers to daughters, and the truths we bury to survive. As Darby walks Phoebe into the last chapter of her life, she is forced to confront her own traumas, her family’s silences, and the realization that fragments of her truth have been hiding in plain sight in every book she has ever ghostwritten.

With piercing insight and lyrical prose, The Reliable Narrator asks:

What stories do we inherit? Which do we dare to tell? What is the price of silence?

Because some truths aren’t hidden, they are simply waiting to be claimed.

Author Bio:

Grace Sammon is an award-winning author, educator, and radio host whose work centers on storytelling, reinvention, and voice. Recognized in Who’s Who in Education and Who’s Who in Literature, she is the recipient of the 2025 Indies United Award for Inspirational Women in Literature, Media, and Journalism. Her debut novel, The Eves, marked a major career reinvention and earned critical acclaim. She is also the former host of the multi-award-winning radio shows The Storytellers and LAUNCH PAD. Grace is the author of eight books, including the LAUNCH PAD series and the forthcoming novel The Reliable Narrator (May 2026). She lives on Florida’s west coast with her husband and a small herd of imaginary llamas