Author Talk with Sandi Smith ~ Writing and publishing ~ Conversations With Authors

Author Talk with Sandi Smith

Sitting at the Kitchen Table with God. This was my first published novel. One night I woke up out of a deep sleep, and sitting in my head was the title of the story. I loved the title. That sat in my computer for nine months before any words came to me. When the words finally did come, they didn’t stop. I wrote day and night on this book, and I became part of it. The character, Marianne, had lost her husband to pancreatic cancer. She was so angry with God, because she thought that there was an agreement between herself and God that she would be the first one to go, not her Andrew. Andrew had run the home, he had made all of the decisions, and he was her best friend. She couldn’t go on without him. It was not possible. She had no friends, no interests, and she was afraid to leave her home. She had so many regrets from mistakes she had made earlier in her life, and she couldn’t let them go. She lived in fear, anger, and remorse, and it took Marianne a long time to come around to understanding a few things. Even with that, she struggled, but she kept going. She needed to work on her relationship with God, and try to forgive herself.

The Pumpkin Patch was my next published novel. It is a story of many different characters bound together in a web of deceit and anguish because of one miserable, destructive person. Their lives become intertwined as they try to move forward with their lives, and make sense of the terrible pain that has been inflicted on them. They become friends and neighbors, and a strong web of love for each other will hold them together until the web breaks, and time runs out for one person. It is a murder mystery but with a little humor added in and compassion for one another in what is a disastrous situation.

The Polka-Dotted Girl is one of my first children’s book. It is the story of a very unusual girl who was born with polka-dots over her body. She is a special little girl, who has to learn to live with her disability, and make the best of every situation that is thrown in front of her, and she does it with grace and a most special smile. As her mother tells her – “Just remember little Hannah, that in your heart where music lives, you are very, very special, and you have so much to give”. It is a whimsical tale, but a tale of hope and acceptance.

Sarah Bella’s Gift of Gold. This is my most favorite story. Sarah Bella is given a small ball of yarn when she is young, and is told that in the ball of yarn she should save any special memories that she has (photographs, bracelets, a tooth, etc.). She saves and saves, very carefully wrapping every special little memory into her ball of yarn, that soon becomes too big to handle. Could this ball of yarn one day save Sarah Bella’s life? It is quite possible, but, if not, she certainly has some wonderful memories to keep.

Sapphire Rose’s 6 o’clock Show. This story is about the adventures of Ms. Sapphire Rose who is 80 years old. Every day, for so many years, Ms. Sapphire Rose has put a show on for the whole town with wonderful surprises and good times. There is a different show every day at 6 o’clock, and every day people line the streets to watch Ms. Sapphire Rose’s 6 o’clock show.

The Magical Golden Birdcage. There are three different stories in this book. Each story is a lesson learned by each person who becomes the owner of the magical gold birdcage. Do they abuse their new gift that they have been given, or do they try to do something good and help others? It is a lesson well learned for everyone involved.

The Day Dad’s Ugly Chair Went for a Ride. Dad’s ugly chair. I think probably almost everyone has had an ugly chair in their house at one time or another. Well, the mom in this story is very, very tired of dad’s ugly chair, but he will not part with it, so she has to come up with some creative way to try to have him see her side of the story, and that is what she does.

The Adventures of A.R. Achnid. This is the book that started my writing adventure. A.R. is my buddy, although I do not like spiders, I think A.R. is adorable (as long as he stays in this book). A.R. seems to believe that possibly he is human, and he likes to tag along with Harold (one of the humans that he and his family live with). But he has to be very careful. There is someone in the household (Harold’s wife, Beth) who does not like him, or any spider, at all, and A.R. doesn’t quite understand why she doesn’t like him. All he wants to do is be best friends with her. R. goes on ten different adventures in this book (there are ten stories), and he has a great time in each and every one, except for the last story. Things will be changing for A.R., but he never gets discouraged. He just keeps smiling.