Today's guest is Samantha Hart, author of the memoir, BLIND PONY. Samantha is here today to answer 20 questions about her life, writing and goals.
1. Are you a morning writer or a night writer?
Something I love to do is fall asleep early at night because
a good night’s sleep for me means that I will have fantastical dreams. Dreaming
is such a catalyst to my writing, so generally, I feel most creative in the
morning. Sometimes I wake up with entire plotlines in my head. Sometimes it’s
only the imagery, but that imagery makes the words tumble onto the page.
2. Do you outline or are you a pantster?
When
I wrote my coming-of-age memoir, Blind Pony As True A Story As I Can Tell,
I never felt bound by an outline as I relayed my memories in the way I
remembered them. After I wrote the basic story, I went back and fleshed out
certain parts of the narrative. So, in a way, the rough draft was an outline.
Now that I have embarked on writing a fictional novel, I would describe myself
as a “pantster.” I allow the story to take place on the page and let the
characters evolve as I am writing.
3. Which comes first – plot or character?
I feel so connected to the characters in my story because there
wouldn’t be a plot without the characters.
4. Noise or quiet when working on your manuscript?
When I sit down to write, I prefer not to be distracted. I
have always been an easily distracted person —bright shiny object, and Sam’s
gone. When I get into my writing groove, I like to be alone and prefer the
quiet with no distractions.
5. Favorite TV show?
After a day of writing, I generally need to decompress and find that watching TV shows amps me up. So, when I’m writing, I usually only like to watch Jeopardy or MSNBC news at night. But like most people, I sometimes enjoy binge-watching shows and find I’m more susceptible to investing the time to do so when I’m not in writing mode. There are so many options these days it’s hard to pick a favorite.
6. Favorite type of music?
When I am cooking, I love to play music. I shift between all
styles of music, usually depending on what I’m creating in the kitchen. I love
to put on French music, or sometimes something spicey. When I was writing Blind
Pony As True A Story As I Can Tell, I listened to many songs that I
referenced in the book. I created a playlist on Spotify that I had on repeat.
7. Favorite craft besides writing?
I grew up on a farm, so gardening is in my DNA. I love to
watch things grow. My husband and sons love the fact that I’m such a farm girl
and decided to raise cochin chickens. Even though my husband and one of my sons
won’t touch them, they love watching them parade around with their feathered
feet.
8. Do you play a musical instrument?
I play woodwind instruments and piano.
9. Single or married?
I
have been married for almost twenty years to my best friend.
10. Children or no?
I have a daughter from a previous marriage and two sons from my current
marriage.
11. Pets?
Our family dog is named Champers, and we have two chickens named Super and
Duper.
12. Favorite place to write?
My home office is my happy place, and it’s where I do all of
my writing. I need that place to go to write. I have an enormous wooden desk,
and I surround myself with photos of my sons, my daughter, and my
granddaughters. It makes me feel grounded and helps me to focus.
13. Favorite restaurant?
My favorite restaurant changes with the seasons. But I think I will always
have Tony’s Taverna at the top of my list because of there are so many vegetarian
options.
14. Do you work outside the home?
I run my production company out of my home office. For
twelve years, I had offices in Chicago and
Los Angeles with fifty employees. Now that I am writing, I work out of
my home office and have discovered I can get a lot more done, and I am less
stressed without the commute.
15. What was the name of the last
movie you saw?
Having worked in the film industry for a good part of my
career, I spent a lot of time going to research screenings and industry
screenings, so now, I prefer to watch movies in our home theater. My husband
and I enjoy turning our sons on to old films, the latest one being Blow Out,
directed by Brian De Palma, which recently received a home media release by
The Criterion Collection. So good!
16. Favorite outdoor activity?
I love to ride horses and hike, which is another reason to
go to bed early, so I can get up early to get some outdoor activities in before
it’s too hot.
17. Pet peeve?
When I was in my twenties, I had so many pet peeves—little
things that would throw me into a tizzy. When my daughter was six years old, I
was a single mom. One thing that got on my nerves was when she left the cap off
of the toothpaste. One particular time she forgot to put it on triggered a
mini-OCD fit, and I began to freak out. She locked herself in her bedroom while
I proceeded to have a work stress-induced temper tantrum which she recorded on
her cassette recorder. When she played it back to me, hearing myself sounding
so crazy was a wake-up call. Don’t stress the small stuff. Pet peeves aren’t
worth the energy.
18. Your goal in life?
I strive to move through my life with as much grace as
possible and remain open to experiencing as many new things as possible,
especially with my family.
19. Your most exciting moment?
My philosophy is your most exciting moment might still be to
come, just around the corner, so remember to stay present. You never know.
20. The love of your life?
I’m lucky because I have the “loves”
of my life—my three children,
Vignette, Davis, Denham, my grandchildren, Andromeda and Ondine, and my husband, James.
Samantha Hart’s career has spanned music, film, and advertising, earning her a reputation as an award-winning Creative Director. Early in her career, Hart worked with top artists at Geffen, including Cher, Aerosmith, Nirvana, and Guns N’ Roses. In the film industry, her marketing campaigns brought prominence and Academy Awards to Fargo, Dead Man Walking, and Boys Don’t Cry while earning cult status for independent features Four Weddings and A Funeral, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Dazed and Confused. With her partner, Samantha built a multi-million dollar company in the advertising industry, Foundation, with over forty employees and offices in Chicago and Los Angeles. Under her leadership, Foundation earned distinction as an early disrupter of the traditional production and post-production models, combining the two under one roof. Samantha currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, director James Lipetzky, and their teenage sons. Her daughter and granddaughters reside in Massachusetts.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
Title: BLIND PONY: AS TRUE A STORY AS I CAN TELL
Author: Samantha Hart
Publisher: Wild Bill Publishing
Pages: 359
Genre: Biography/Autobiography/Memoir
BOOK BLURB:
In her debut memoir, entrepreneur and Hollywood executive Samantha Hart reveals the abuses and traumas that she overcame to build a creative, successful, and love-filled life. BLIND PONY As True A Story As I Can Tell (Wild Bill Publishing) was released on March 15, 2021, and is a 2021 Los Angeles Book Festival award winner.
BLIND PONY As True A Story As I Can Tell illuminates Sam’s remarkable ability to be honest and vulnerable about horrific experiences while infusing her unique brand of humor and being relentlessly hopeful. Her story starts with a heart-wrenching childhood of abuse that she endured by her grandfather, which led to her life as a runaway teen and landed her in 1970s Los Angeles. She navigates various abusive relationships, toxic Hollywood characters, a search for her father, “Wild Bill,” and ultimately finds her North Star.
“Almost no one in my life, including long-time friends and colleagues, knew about the trauma I experienced as a young girl. I always managed to overcome adversity throughout my life, maintain a positive outlook, and do well for myself. But deep inside, I felt damaged. In telling my story now and hearing from readers, I realize there are a lot of “blind ponies” out there. If my story resonates for even one person and helps to provide some hope for healing, it was worth writing,” says Sam.
Sam is currently working on adapting BLIND PONY As True A Story As I Can Tell for TV/film while writing her next book, a novel entitled Starcrossed, and a collection of drawings and stories called When I Was A Muse.
PRAISE
“Unforgettable and raw, Hart’s deeply honest musings will ring true to those who want to understand what it’s like to walk through fire.” Book Life
“…a memoir about overcoming—about facing up to and learning from one’s past without being imprisoned by it.” IndieReader
“A powerful coming of age story about finding strength through rebellion, recovery, and forgiveness.”
Jill Watts, bestselling author/Professor of Graduate Studies at CSU
“Hart is a gifted storyteller….she became a backgammon hustler in Los Angeles, something readers likely won’t find in many memoirs.” Kirkus Reviews
“Excellent writing…I recommend this book to simply everyone.” Dog-Eared Publishing
No comments:
Post a Comment