Sarah Wyland

Long Story Short

I’m Sarah, indie romance author, marketing professional, Tennessee Vol, Pure Barre instructor, dog mom, coffee addict, and hopeless romantic. I wrote my first story when I was five years old. It was about a princess and a horse. So were the next several dozen I wrote in Ninja Turtle-themed notebooks. I begged for a typewriter for my eighth birthday and my parents somehow found one. It was a big, brown clunky thing and I loved it. Typing came naturally for me, like I’d been doing it my whole life. I typed short stories – about princesses and horses – after school every afternoon. In third grade, while my classmates were learning how to type, I typed out an entire retelling of Aladdin. I got in trouble for not following directions. I’ve been writing stories when I was supposed to be doing something else ever since. 

My debut novel, Off The Record, was published in January 2024.My next book, title TBA, will be available late summer 2024 and a Christmas novella will follow in November 2024. Here’s to chasing big dreams and telling new stories.

The Long Story


I’m Sarah. 

I come by my love of storytelling honest. My dad tells epic stories, a skill passed on to him from his dad, my Papa Jim, and so on. Storytelling is, essentially, the family business. I’m just the one that chooses to share those stories on the internet and in books. 

I have tried a lot of things over the years. I grew up in a tiny town in the mountains of rural Virginia, left for college at the University of Tennessee. Then it was off to Nashville for a couple of years, working my first big girl job in marketing for a major brand while moonlighting as a music journalist. I headed back home to Charlottesville for my next marketing gig, kept the music thing going for a while, and fell in love with fitness while I was at it. Charlottesville is where I became a barre instructor. I hardly ever say no to an opportunity, so when the chance to open my own barre studio presented itself, I jumped on it and moved down to Chapel Hill, North Carolina – with another marketing job to boot. 

A lot happened during my three years in Chapel Hill. I opened and closed that barre studio in under a year. My mom died. There was a pandemic. And I reconnected with my life-long love of writing which sent me towards pursuing a career in writing for television. I got into a few competitive film school MFA programs, started my MFA during said pandemic, and then it was off to Los Angeles. 

I didn’t love Los Angeles and two years into a three year MFA program, I headed back to Nashville where I planned to stay a while. Except God laughed and sent me back to my beloved Knoxville which is where I am now, working for UT and loving every minute of it while I teach Pure Barre and publish romance novels as an indie author.  

I released my debut novel, Off The Record, in January 2024. My next book is due out in late Summer 2024 and will be followed by a Christmas novella in November 2024. And I cannot wait for what 2025 has in store… 👀

Fun Facts About Sarah

  • Full Name: Sarah Katherine Wyland 
  • Favorite Book: The Found and The Fury by William Faulkner and Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell 
  • Favorite Movie: Steel Magnolias 
  • Favorite TV Show: Friday Night Lights and Parenthood
  • Favorite Song: “I Go Back” by Kenny Chesney 
  • Favorite Candy: Gummy Bears or Sour Patch Kids 
  • Favorite Season: Football 
  • Celebrity Crush: Zac Efron 
  • Dream Occupation: Bestselling Author and/or Sports Color Commentator 
  • Mountains or Beach: Beach 
  • Coffee or Tea: Coffee 
  • Go-To Comfort Food: Popcorn with M&Ms 
Writing
Writing

My Best Writing Advice

Bysarahwylandadmin

It’s not uncommon for me to be asked for writing advice via Instagram DMs or even through email. I’m flattered that people think I am a source for writing advice when I feel like a newborn author. I’m always happy to share my experience, though, and thought I’d document some of my best writing advice…