First-time author Sabrina Falk is excited to announce the debut of her new adult fiction novel, Not Far from the Peach Tree. The story follows the life of 22-year-old Abigail Hartley, a young woman with not much going for her. When tragedy strikes the Hartley household, Abigail sets out, alongside her younger sister, to uncover the answers to years of family secrets that have just begun to surface.
Published by Peasantry Press, Falk’s novel is set to hit bookstore shelves on February 1. The book launch will follow on February 2 at 7:00 p.m. at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg.
Falk is no stranger to the limelight. Her husband Matt Falk has made a name for himself on the national entertainment scene. While Matt’s career was getting jumpstarted, Sabrina has been hard at work on her own creative endeavours.
Seven years ago, Sabrina put pen to paper and produced the first pages of a novel she says was inspired by while her life was in limbo, living away from home and far from family and friends.
“I had lots of time on my hands, so one day I started writing just to keep busy,” says Falk, an English Language Arts scholarship recipient. “I never even pictured myself as a fiction writer. I didn’t think I was much of a storyteller, but I guess I was wrong. As far as I can remember, it was an idea that came to mind as I was falling asleep one night.”
The story took a full five years of writing and editing before it was ready to send out to prospective publishers. It took another two years for her manuscript to finally be accepted by Peasantry Press. Through it all, her husband Matt believed in her and encouraged her to keep going.
“At times, I wasn’t sure if the book would ever get finished, or if it was any good,” Falk says. “And I felt crazy for committing so much time to it, but I couldn’t bear the idea of it not being something after all that hard work.”
Falk says the publisher has been really supportive throughout the process and she’s feeling pretty lucky to be chosen from amongst the hundreds of manuscript submissions they receive in a year.
“I got a few nibbles and a lot of rejections before I finally got an acceptance letter from Peasantry Press,” adds Falk. “And not only were they willing to publish my work, but they were really excited, which is one of the greatest feelings. They made every part of the publishing process so easy. And they crafted the most beautiful cover for my book. You can really feel the warmth and whimsy in their design.”
While Falk’s book ventures into events and circumstances that were relatively foreign to her own life experiences, she admits that there are a lot of elements she can relate to in terms of small-town living and interesting family dynamics. For the most part, she says, writing became an escape for her vivid imagination—although the book’s main character resembles herself in many ways.
“I definitely relate with my protagonist, Abigail, most of all. She’s not me, but her struggles with anxiety hit close to home. I’ve always been a quiet, introverted type with social anxiety. I can get really in my head at times, so it was kind of cathartic writing that out.”
With a storyline that revolves around a young adult and her preteen sidekick, the book could well be viewed as catering to the young adult demographic. But Falk is confident that the theme, which demonstrates the power of forgiveness and the strength of family, is ubiquitous enough to interest readers of any age.
As a young mom with an active toddler, Falk intends to focus her energy on her son for the time being, but she believes that another book is just waiting to be written. For now, she hopes that readers will find something of value to take away from her novel.
“I would love for people to know that it’s okay not to have your life figured out. Life is challenging and messy, but there’s always a reason to hold onto hope.”
