“The writer who cannot distinguish truth from a peanut-butter sandwich can never write good fiction.”
– John Gardner, The Art of Fiction
Sarah Reck is Assistant Director, Marketing, with the Audience Engagement team at Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. She lives, works, and writes in Pittsburgh, Pa. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and MA in English from Chapman University and did her undergraduate work at Lycoming College. Her cat, adopted in June 2021, is called Clark; he has 24 toes.
More About Me
Previous Professional Work
+ Digital Marketing at the History Center
+ Design with Hyacinth Girl Press
+ Past Roles & Experience
Volunteer
+ Political Organizing (Swing Left, Pete for America)
+ Baldwin-Whitehall Friends of the Theater Arts
“Being involved in politics, in any way, is an act of hope.”
— Pete Buttigieg
The Fun Stuff
- Podcast: Heroes of the HalcyonI joined the Heroes of the Halcyon podcast for a Sublight Lounge episode, all about the Galactic Starcruiser.
- Best Books I Read in 2020These are six of the best books I read in 2020.
- Playlist: The End of the WorldA special playlist curated for the end of the world, featuring R.E.M., Prince, U2, Linkin Park, Johnny Cash, Bastille, and more.
“The belief that and should not be used to begin a sentence is without foundation. And that’s all there is to it.”
— Bill Bryson, Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words
My Writing
Short Fiction – “Doesn’t Always Turn Out the Way You Planned”
a Bridgerton & While You Were Sleeping story, featured in Issue 4 of Alice Says Go Fuck Yourself, the Fan Fiction issue
“Careful there,” came a deep voice as a large body steadied her from behind. The crosswalk changed and the crowd around them began to move forward. Somehow, Penelope managed to turn around. “Thank you,” she said in a short breath. She looked up – and up some more – until she said his face. “Oh good lord,” came out of her mouth. The man was ridiculously handsome. In a very familiar way, like maybe he looked like a film star (or actually was one) or like she’d seen him in passing several times before.“
Flash Fiction – “On the Tracks”
featured in the October 2017 edition of Ghost Parachute
“Mick is a rough-and-tumble sort of kid. He smokes a pack a day that he steals from the drugstore while his buddies knock over the magazine racks so the pretty girl behind the counter screams at them and chases them all out with a rolled magazine. He likes to tell stories from the train yard, where he lays spread eagle on the gravel beside the tracks and puffs smoke at the clouds.”
Current Projects
I’m currently 50K words into a historical fiction work that is somewhat based on the life of my maternal grandmother.
Past Projects
Completed novels (unpublished):
+ “The Rules of Summer Camp” (YA contemporary)
+ “Swept Away” (YA speculative)
+ “First to Find” (YA contemporary)
+ “Birthright” (YA steampunk)
+ “In-Between & Ever After” (YA contemporary/speculative)
Unfinished novels:
+ “No More Sinned Against” (contemporary fiction)
Making History Blog
Enjoy several posts I wrote for the Heinz History Center’s Making History blog.
Contact: sarah at sarahreck dot com