An interview with Sai Marie Johnson
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We are very lucky to have indie author Sai Marie Johnson as one of our partners, stocking her work here. Find out more about her below from our interview.
A little bit about you, your life, your hobbies, your interests, etc.
"I am a 90% deaf single mother of four children. Two of my eldest sons have a terminal genetic illness that has left them completely wheelchair-bound and unable to move, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. My story is one of incredible suffering and choice to keep pushing onward as a woman who had a raw talent in poetry and writing and who felt compelled to break beyond her barriers in order to give her children and herself the life she felt they deserved in spite of their diagnoses and shortcomings. I have written multiple books, and have risen an LLC as a single woman with my own disabilities."
Info about your latest book and/or the book you'd most like to promote.
""Sometimes life throws you off-kilter so you can find your way."
Ivanka Jessup, known affectionately by those close to her as Ivy, values family over all else. That's why, in the rough times following her brother's death, she's stepped up to help keep her family's ranch running.
Working two jobs; the ranch and a bar where she gets regularly harassed, she toils tirelessly to help her struggling loved ones and find a life for herself. But after she's had enough and stands up for herself, she loses her job at the bar.
A man who comes to her rescue, though, soon gives her a new lease on life. And he happens to be looking for a job on the ranch. That puts the two of them closer than ever.
As the two begin to catch feelings and Ivy finds a new job, the worst happens. Ivy goes missing, subject to the workings of a madman. Will she escape and find the life she's always wanted with Aaron?
The Softer Side of Texas is available on Kindle here."
Any details you'd like to share about what you're currently working on?
"I’ve got several works in progress, but my main focus at present is the sequel to The Softer Side of Texas, Dust Traces Never Fade. I’m around 14,000 words from completion on it now. I am also working on Tarnished Turquoise, the sequel to Simply Scarlet, which recently relaunched at the start of June."
What inspired you to get into writing and what keeps you motivated?
"Anne Rice is the largest influence, but lots of things inspired me to pursue the course of my raw talent – a mentor who read some of my early blog short stories asked me once why I hadn’t pursued this as an avenue of income and that was the real ignition to doing it."
Your opinions on indie vs trad publishing and why you chose the route you did?
"I’m a hybrid author, technically; which means I’ve done both self-publishing as an independent author and been traditionally published, as well. I was with one publisher for seven years before finding my current publisher, but I have also continued indie publishing aside from that because I wanted to have the experience across both thresholds to heighten my chances of success. I’ve never been accepted by a Big Five Publisher or needed to find an agent because I am self-motivated and highly independent by nature. So, it just suited me to submit to small presses as I ventured out to teach myself how to publish, and then I did it."
What challenges have you faced during your writing and publishing journey?
"I am the mother of four children, and I am 90% deaf as I aforementioned. My sons have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and they are entirely wheelchair-bound. I’ve also got Fibromyalgia, and as a single mother I’ve gone through homelessness, seeing my eldest son on life support, and multiple other traumatic events while I was balancing completing college and publishing books."
What advice would you give to someone beginning their writing journey?
"Just keep writing, and learn the 2K a Day writing method; which is to produce 2000 words a day Monday through Friday, and in 5 days you’ll have ten thousand words. If you do that consistently in a month you have 40,000 and you still have weekends for yourself to prevent burnout and reconnect with life. It works well, and keeps you creating so that block doesn’t have a lot of time to creep in since you are actively participating in the craft."
Name an author that inspired you to write and why?
"Anne Rice is hands down the biggest impact and influence on me across the board. I mourned her loss deeply, and for my fortieth birthday last year, I went on a personal pilgrimage to New Orleans to visit her crypt and celebrate her birth city – one of my favourite places on earth."
Anything else you'd like to discuss in terms of being a writer, self-publishing, a fun fact about yourself, anything.
"I am also a screenwriter, and I have a full-length feature film script that I’ve been trying to find investors for after getting great feedback from the Blacklist evaluations – which it’s had two, and also from Buffalo8 who also reviewed it with great marks. I’m a poet, and I own my own writing agency which is where I make the bulk of my income. I’m also about to launch a new Spotify podcast with a fellow author friend of mine, AL Knuckles, entitled Histories of Horror where we will be exploring the darkest corners of true crime, the supernatural, and historical mysteries. Each episode will dive into eerie legends, real-life horrors, and the stories fear leaves behind, new episodes Biweekly."