From Model to Novelist: Sara Stamford's Creative Journey
With her new novel The Lost Souls released October 8th, author and former international model Sara Stamford is entering an exciting new chapter in her literary journey. Sara made her fiction debut with The Honeycomb Diamond and has since continued to build a creative life shaped by writing, international travel, and her philanthropic work supporting mental health and women’s empowerment. Dividing her time between Los Angeles and Paris, she brings to her writing the perspective of a woman whose career has taken her through very different worlds, from international modeling to the literary world. As The Lost Souls prepares to meet its readers, we caught up with Sara to talk about her journey from modeling to fiction, her work beyond the page, and the experiences that continue to shape her.
Miami Living (ML): You’ve moved through some fascinating chapters: from an international modeling career to becoming a novelist, while now dividing your time between Los Angeles and Paris. Do you remember the moment when writing first began to feel like something you wanted to pursue seriously alongside everything else you were doing? What was happening in your life at the time?
Sara: I think it happened during a time when I was looking for something that felt completely mine. Modeling had been such a big part of my life, but I wanted a different creative outlet. I’d always loved reading and writing, and once I started working on my first novel, I realized how much I loved it. It just naturally grew from there.
ML: You made your fiction debut with The Honeycomb Diamond. What do you remember most vividly about the experience of bringing your first novel into the world?
Sara: It was a really special moment for me, and it also made me realize that writing was something I wanted to continue pursuing. I was locked in my apartment for days and weeks, just writing and living my characters’ lives. I’d go to bed dreaming about the next chapter or the next page I was going to write. It’s fascinating to see how the characters come to life on their own. It’s like a ball of yarn. You pull on one thread, and it just keeps rolling and rolling, and suddenly a whole new world unfolds before your eyes. I love adding the suspense and emotional intensity, those moments of uncertainty, betrayal, tension, and vulnerability that keep you turning the page. Your imagination takes control, and voilà, the novel is complete.
ML: You’ve said that your years as a model taught you that rejection isn’t personal. How did you come to understand that, and how does that perspective show up in your life today?
Sara: You know you can walk into a casting thinking you’re perfect for it and still not get the job simply because they’re looking for a different look or vibe. At first, I definitely took rejection personally, but over time I learned to move on and not let it affect how I see myself. A “no” simply means it wasn’t the right fit for that particular project at that particular time. That’s it. There will always be other opportunities.
ML: Your new novel, The Lost Souls, follows Elizabeth as she leaves her quiet, ordinary life for Hollywood and becomes involved in a friendship that begins to blur the line between connection and self-loss. What can you tell us about how this story came to you?
Sara: Some of the characters are inspired by people I’ve met over the years, and a lot of the story comes from things I’ve experienced or seen myself. So while the book itself is fictional, there’s still a sense of truth behind the characters and what they go through. Writing The Lost Souls was definitely an emotional process, just because the theme is so human and relatable when you’re exploring things like loneliness, friendship and betrayal, joy and deep sadness.
ML: You intentionally write your female characters as imperfect: complicated, driven, and resilient. What made it important to you to portray women in this way?
Sara: I love exploring that contrast in my characters. I’m interested in women who are ambitious and imperfect, who make questionable choices, reinvent themselves and sometimes surprise even themselves. For me, that’s where the most interesting stories begin, when the perfect image starts to crack and you discover what’s really underneath.
ML: Mental wellness and women’s empowerment are also important parts of your philanthropic work. What first brought you to this work, and what have you learned from being involved in it?
Sara: Mental health affects all of us in different ways, and I think books can be such a powerful tool to explore feelings that aren’t easy to put into words or talk about openly. Through stories, we get to step into someone else’s world, see things from a different perspective, and sometimes even recognize parts of ourselves in the characters. I learned that empathy is very important. Sometimes, simply knowing that someone understands you can make you feel a little less alone.
ML: You’ve described self-care as a daily practice centered on sleep, movement, and quiet time. What does that practice look like in your own life these days?
Sara: These days, self-care for me is really about creating a little more balance in my life. I try to prioritize getting enough sleep, exercising every day and giving myself some quiet time without constantly being on my phone or thinking about work. I’ve realized that I need those moments to reset and recharge. I also try to listen to my body and recognize when I need to slow down instead of always pushing through.
ML: And as The Lost Souls has just made its way into the world this October, what are you most looking forward to about sharing this particular story with readers?
Sara: I’m most looking forward to seeing how readers connect with the story and the characters. There are so many themes in The Lost Souls that I think people can relate to: friendship, betrayal, loneliness and simply trying to find your own path. I also love that everyone will take something different from it. Some readers might connect with Elizabeth, while others might recognize parts of themselves or people they’ve known in Anna or some of the other characters. One of the most exciting parts of being an author is that once the book is out, it no longer belongs only to you. It becomes part of the readers’ experience too.
Download or buy The Lost Souls on Amazon.