Please enjoy my interview with one of the top review and preview magazine for the romantic reader and writer, Affaire de Coeur.
Ms. Sammie Ward
She Does It Her Way
There's no quit in this lady. Determined, knowledgeable, savvy, she decided to do it her own way and by herself. Meet, Ms. Sammie Ward.
Adc: Was there a specific experience or person that started you writing?
MS: No. I was an avid reader of romance novels. I thought I'd like to write a novel. In 1996, I was in between jobs, so with time on my hands, I began working on In The Name OfLove.
Adc:What made you decide to write about ethnic characters?
MS: In my opinion there are no other stories to write. I love writing about African-American characters who are larger than life.
Adc:Do you feel that the boom in African American writers is a fad, (exploitation) or a nother renaissance?
MS:Not a fad at all. African-American writers are here to stay. African-American books are the new entertainment, and sales are going through the roof. I believe it's because African-American readers love reading about their own culture. Whether the story is told from the mainstream or the streets (called urban) point of view, the books are hot.
Adc: How do you classify your writing? Is it romance, something different?
MS: I love to write. I love writing from different genres; so it's difficult to classify my writing. For instance, In The NameOf Love and Love To Behold are romance novels. The novel Seven Days, scheduled for release in September 2005, is a romantic suspense.
Adc:What themes or issues do you want to address through your writing?
MS: I attempt to tackle different themes and issues. Nothing is off limits as far as I'm concerned.
Adc:Are there any aspects of y our work you want to improve?
MS: Just to become a better writer. I feel there's always room for improvement.
Adc: In the Name of Love (where did the title come from—the old Supreme song?) held some serious secrets. What persuaded you to take on this level of conflict? (the question of parentage).
MS: No, I know the song, but it has nothing to do with the novel. Nothing persuaded me. The characters of Derrick and Shari bounced around in my head for a while before I put them on paper. I knew they would break up and get back together, but I needed a conflict to move the story along. I began kicking around ideas and came up with "secrets." I also wanted to show the importance of family. Derrick stepped up like a man when he discovered he'd fathered a child out of wedlock. I felt it was important to show that not all men dodge their responsibilities.
Adc: Your characters are real to life; were they influenced by people you know? If I knew your friends, would I be able to match them to a character in your book?
MS: All the characters are fictional. But I'm lucky enough to have a Camilla/best friend in my life.
Adc: Lady Leo Publishing is your own publishing company, is it not? What made you decide to become self published instead of going to a major house?
MS: Lady Leo Publishing is my company. Like most writers, I was hoping to get picked up by a major publishing house. I had an agent shopping around In The Name Of Love. While she was shopping around the manuscript, I was asked to write the novella,Love To Behold for a major publishing house. Both were rejected. I was disappointed. So disappointed that I asked the agent to stop shopping around the novel. I believed in both manuscripts. So, I formed LadyLeo Publishing and released both novels. I'm proud to say both are doing well.
Adc: How many books have you done?
MS: Three. In The Name Of Love, Love To Behold. Both were released in March 2005. Seven Days will be released in September 2005.
Adc: What are the drawsbacks of self-publishing?
MS: The biggest thing for me because I decided to self-publish through my own company was financing. In self-publishing you pay out of pocket everything normally done by a traditional house. I pay for advertising, book covers, distributing, editing, printing, promoting, and traveling. Second, you have to worry about being taken seriously as an author. Most people tend to believe that because you self-publish you're not a serious author.
Adc: You also write health articles…what are your qualifications for writing these? How do you balance the two types of writing?
MS: I've been in the medical field twenty years. I've worked in clinics, hospitals, and outside in an army setting. So, I've been doing this for quite some time. When I get an assignment, I do research on my own to gather questions. I work in a hospital; so it's easy to interview doctors, nurses, and other professionals. Writing fiction and nonfiction gets overwhelming at times, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Adc:You were a short story writer; what made you expand into novels?
MS: I'm still a featured short story writer for Black Romance and Bronze Thrills Magazine. The magazine gave me my break buying my first short story; so I'll be writing for them for a long time to come. My goal was to always write novels. I kept getting rejected. So, I took a break. A friend of mine recommended writing short stories to get more experience. I did. After the magazine bought my first, second, and third short story, it gave me confidence to do what I always wanted to do; write a novel. So, I went back and revised In TheName Of Love. The rest is history.
Adc: A reviewer wants to know if you will make What are Girlfriends For into a full scale novel.
SW: (laughing) I get asked that all the time by readers. "What Are Girlfriends For?" was written as a short story. To be honest, I don't have plans to expand it into a full scale novels but with the overwhelming response, I may have to reconsider that decision.
Adc: Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you live, are you married? Do you have a vocation in another area? What about children? Do you have any? How do you significant others feel about your writing?
SW: I was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. I now live in Silver Spring, MD. I have two children, a son, and a daughter. My family is in awe about my writing career but very supportive.
Adc: Outside of your family, where does your greatest support lie?
SW: GOD.
Adc: I always want to know what advice an author has for someone who wants to crack the field. What do you say?
SW: Don't talk about it, be about it. I run into people all the time who say to me, "I want to be a writer," but never do anything to make it happen. This is a career that you have to have a passion for because there is a lot of work involved. It involves writing every day, even when you don't want to. Learning as much as you can about writing as well as the business side because it's a business. In the long run it's very rewarding. The feeling you get when a reader tells you how much they enjoy your work is PRICELESS.
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