This week’s installment of Ten Questions features Margie Sarsfield, whose debut novel, Beta Vulgaris, is out today from W. W. Norton. The novel follows Elise and her boyfriend, Tom, as they leave their Brooklyn apartment for Minnesota, hoping what they earn from the sugar beet harvest will cover their rent back in New York. Amidst grueling labor and financial stress, Elise begins to observe strange things: intimidating calls, a mysterious rash, and fragments of a threatening voice coming from the beet pile. When Tom and other colleagues start to disappear, Elise is left to confront the weight of her past, the anxieties of her future, and the ominous but alluring siren song of the beets. Author Kathryn Harlan describes the novel as “sharp and atmospheric eco-horror that slices into the gruesome strangeness of industrialized agriculture.” Harlan adds: “With Margie Sarsfield’s compelling cast and heady, urgent prose, Beta Vulgaris is a fever dream hungry to consume you.” Publishers Weekly gave Beta Vulgaris a starred review, deeming the novel an “ambitious and delightfully bizarre debut.” Margie Sarsfield was the recipient of the 2019 Calvino Prize. She earned her MFA from Ohio State University. Her work has appeared in Salt Hill, CutBank, the Normal School, Seneca Review, Hippocampus, and elsewhere. She lives in Reno, Nevada.
Margie Sarsfield, author of Beta Vulgaris. (Credit: Margie Sarsfield)
1. How long did it take you to write Beta Vulgaris?
The first draft took about six months, but I spent another three and a half years revising and editing. From first scene to final product, it was a four-year process.
2. What was the most challenging part of writing the book?
Pacing. I knew my starting point, my ending, and the major beats in between, but shaping that into a full novel was a challenge. At times, it felt like I wouldn’t have enough material—only to then end up with a draft that was far too long. The final version is about thirty thousand words shorter than the first draft.
3. Where, when, and how often do you write?
I love writing in bed—though my neck and spine might disagree. I like being able to go from sitting up, to lying on my stomach, to sitting cross-legged, to lying on my side over the course of writing a single scene. I’ve tried writing during downtime at work, but it’s hard to tap into a creative headspace in an office. I mostly write on weekends and at night if I have the energy. I try to write something every day, even if it’s just a journal entry.
4. What are you reading right now?
Abundance (Graywolf Press, 2021) by Jakob Guanzon. It’s breaking my heart—I love it.
5. Which author, in your opinion, deserves wider recognition?
Alison Rumfitt. Her horror is extreme and transgressive, which probably limits its audience, but I wish more people were talking about her. Brainwyrms (Tor Nightfire, 2023) is phenomenal.
6. What is the biggest impediment to your writing life?
My day job. Writing takes energy, and after a full workday, it’s too easy to use whatever’s left on mundane but necessary tasks. I admire writers who juggle a job, kids, and still write daily. Sometimes, just needing to walk the dogs is enough of an excuse for me to skip a writing day.
7. What’s one thing your agent or editor told you during the publishing process that stuck with you?
My agent has been a fantastic resource and a great cheerleader. Lately, we’ve been focused on marketing and promotion, and she reminded me that there’s no “right” way to release a book. It’s good to push your boundaries, but ultimately, my first responsibility is to myself—celebrating the book in ways that feel authentic and fulfilling, rather than performing for an imagined audience.
8. If you could go back in time and talk to yourself before starting Beta Vulgaris, what would you say?
“Add more worms. There’s no such thing as too many worms.”
9. Outside of writing, what other work was essential to the creation of Beta Vulgaris?
The novel was inspired by my own experience harvesting beets as a broke twenty-something. Early in the drafting process, I went back to the beet harvest for research, which helped me capture details I’d forgotten. Driving around Minnesota, taking in the landscape, was invaluable.
10. What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever heard?
It’s simple, but reading your work aloud is one of the best ways to edit on a sentence level. Nothing makes a clunky sentence more obvious than saying it out loud.
