SARA FOSTER
Sara Foster is an internationally published, bestselling psychological suspense author living in Western Australia. Her latest novel, When She Was Gone, was released by Blackstone (US/Can) and HarperCollins (ANZ) in 2025, and is available in bookstores now.  
 
Sara has previously published seven novels: the near-future acclaimed thriller The Hush, and suspense thrillers You Don’t Know Me, The Hidden Hours, All That is Lost Between Us, Shallow Breath, Beneath the Shadows and Come Back to Me. Her novella, The Deceit, was first released as an Audible Original and is published by Blackstone in the US and Canada.
 
Sara is passionate about writing strong female characters and often incorporates contemporary cultural themes into her stories. She graduated from Curtin University in 2023 with a Vice Chancellor’s Commendation for her PhD work on maternal relationships in dystopian fiction with young adult heroines. Two of Sara’s novels have been optioned for television and You Don’t Know Me was turned into a chart-topping podcast drama by LiSTNR.
 
Sara writes a dedicated newsletter for her readers, called Story Matters, and posts about writing and creativity on her substack Resilient Author.

 

Discover Sara’s books

Click on each cover for more details and links to purchase. 

HUSH US book cover
'Dark, compelling and truly memorable. Foster is one of my favourite writers.'
Dervla McTiernan onYou Don't Know Me
‘This book has it all: a gripping opening, characters I cared deeply for, a compelling mystery and heart-stopping pace. I couldn’t put it down. This is Sara Foster’s best book yet.’
Natasha Lester onYou Don't Know Me
‘You Don’t Know Me proves yet again that Sara Foster is a writer at the top of her game. A compelling story of secrets, lies, and heartache.’ 
Emma Viskicon You Don't Know Me
'an enthralling mystery full of secrets determined to resurface ... will keep readers guessing till the end.'
Jane Harperon The Hidden Hours
'Classic suspense but with a wonderful modern edge'
Hannah Richellon All That is Lost Between Us
'Gripping, touching and close to my heart. I was hooked from start to finish.'
Favel Parretton Shallow Breath
'This vividly written novel will leave you breathless and as chilled as the starkly beautiful North Yorkshire moors, where this compelling story unfolds.'
Heather Gudenkaufon Beneath the Shadows
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GALLERY

  • Best idea of my year so far is to reread this wonderful classic in the name of research while I’m recovering from a broken ankle. Happy times! I loved these stories so much as a kid and we’ve loved watching Anne with an E as a family. Did you know author Lucy Maud (L.M.) Montgomery lost her mother when she was a toddler, was raised by her maternal grandparents and wrote eight novels about Anne along with over 500 short stories (not all about Anne, she makes appearances). Do you love Anne too?
  • Not the planned start to 2026! I’d love to have an interesting injury story, but nope, just slipped off a kerb carrying some cushions to the car and fractured my ankle in a couple of places 🤦🏻‍♀️ Not allowed to walk right now, and missing my beach walks a lot. On the upside, I definitely have some more time to work on my book!
  • If you’re interested in what it’s like behind the scenes of writing for a living - or if you’re a published writer looking for a source of support and information - then I write fortnightly on Substack for my subscribers - on everything from craft to industry resources - and I’m back with loads more to share in 2026. The writing industry feels as precarious as it is precious, and Resilient Author is a space where I talk about my 25 years of industry experience, as both an editor and an internationally published novelist, in order to support authors - both current and emerging - in navigating the many challenging aspects of a writing career. My first post of the year last week was on how to reclaim time for your writing this year. Tomorrow my first post for paid subscribers (who get an extra post each month) goes out - about resilience and reality - with a 4-page PDF giving you some sobering stats but also lots of encouragement (I’ll ALWAYS provide lots of encouragement!). If you’re writing for publication, no matter what stage of your career, I’d love you to join me this year! I’m really invested in this work, I’m proud of what I’m building (I’ve been writing here for over 2 years now), and there’s lots more to come! And if you belong to Resilient Author already and enjoy my posts, I’d really appreciate it if you could share this among your writer friends. (Check my stories or bio for joining details) #resilientauthor #writersofig
  • Discipline will be my next read after Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah’s appearance at the Adelaide Writers Festival was shockingly cancelled by their board due to ‘cultural sensitivities’. Censorship like this has no place in the writing community and this is a cruel, scapegoating attack on a woman who looks to have endured so much already for speaking out about the genocide in Palestine. I am looking forward to sitting with Randa’s words and learning more about her work in general. My thoughts are also with the other authors and festival workers affected, because many authors are pulling out of the festival in solidarity. Spotlight moments at prestigious festivals are rare and writers work for years to get a chance like this. To put them in this position is gut-wrenching. And some festival organisers who do not agree with this decision will now be targeted as racists, and are doubtless watching an event they cherish become the opposite of what it should stand for - i.e. inclusivity and a free-flowing dialogue of sophisticated thoughts and ideas. I’m so sorry. My heart is with all those who are targeted because of their culture or faith, whatever that may be. @randaafattah #AWW
  • So good to kick off the year with some fascinating book research today. People often ask me how I research my novels and part of the answer is I’m lucky enough to know a number of police officers and people who do super interesting jobs - which often gives me a great start. This is my friend and neighbour Stu, ex-police force and very generous with his time. In 90 mins I learned a lot about DNA testing, arrest procedures, scene contamination and so much more. My novel is going to be heaps better thanks to Stu! 🙏🏻 🙌🏻 #novelresearch #crimefictionresearch
  • When you get a dog and wonder if the cats will accept her and then find them like this ❤️❤️
  • My hubby was convinced I couldn’t safely deliver my pavlova to our warm and windy park gathering in Perth with some friends last night so of course that made me even more determined to do it! 😜 We did get a little sticky by the end but it was worth it. 😝 Happy New Year from me and my family to you and yours 🥳
  • Last post and author notes for the year - and last few days of my paid subscription offer for 2026! Will add links to stories 😄
  • Covers help - part 2! Help me choose my new book covers! Some of you saw part one of my book cover rebrand process a few weeks ago, when I had five amazing covers to choose from. The votes went resoundingly to a cover that was stunning but sadly we decided it was also too horror/thriller to truly represent the inside of my books (which I’d term more as aiming for hearfelt, intense psychological suspense!). And the other choices were also deemed by some as too cold of thriller ish for my books. So we have had another round of working on this, and have these two for your consideration! I’d love to hear your thoughts and which one you prefer (some of the handwritten typeface may change) - thank you! PS I’ve managed to put the options in the wrong order - so please check the Option number is right for the images you’re choosing!

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