SANDRA McLEOD HUMPHREY CELEBRITY AUTHOR INTERVIEW

“QUEEN OF THE WEEK”

CELEBRITY AUTHOR

SANDRA McLEOD HUMPHREY

Welcome! Let me pour you a cup of Raspberry Zinger tea and we’ll  get started. Please help yourself to a zucchini bread and cream cheese sandwich and a raspberry scone and we’ll get started. We have one of your favorites – lemon meringue pie for dessert.

Where do you live? Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hi, Nancy, I live in a suburb of Minneapolis with my husband, one geriatric white German shepherd, one 6-month old Aussie puppy, and one cat who’s convinced he’s a dog. We used to have two horses and a pony, but as the kids grew older, we traded the horses in for a pool. I was a clinical psychologist for 31 years and worked primarily with young women with character disorders: borderline personalities, anorexics, bulimics, etc. and retired in ’92 to begin my second career as a writer. My writing career is what I refer to as “The dessert of My Life.”

Are you a traditionally published or Indie author?

I’m traditionally published. My primary publisher is Prometheus Books, but I’ve also had two books published by CSS Publishing, and my newest book coming out later this year is published by Royal Fireworks Press.

What are your hobbies?

When I was younger, my favorite hobby was exhibiting at horse shows—English Pleasure Classes, Horsemanship Classes, and Hunter Classes. Now that I’m older, I prefer activities where I can keep both feet on the ground. During the summer, I swim half a mile every day and our Aussie puppy RAZZ (short for Razmatazz) and I have just begun her second set of obedience classes. She’s doing well and is obviously more “with it” than her owner. I finally had to give up using the clicker because I couldn’t coordinate all my body parts to click the clicker in sync with my verbal commands and reward her behavior all at the same time. As I already mentioned, she’s doing really well—me, not so much!

Tell us about your current book. What was your inspiration?

My most recent book They Stood Alone!: 25 Men and Women Who Made a Difference is a collection of  brief biographies of  25 men and women who refused to conform to the societal beliefs and expectations of their time and, by stepping out and away from the crowd, they changed their world and ours as well.

While doing my school visits, I met so many students who had already given up their dreams and no longer had any personal aspirations. I wanted to restore their hopes and their dreams by showing them that one person can indeed make a difference. Each of  the 25 men and women in my book made a unique contribution which changed and shaped the course of history, and they were not afraid to take a risk even when it meant standing alone.
They Stood Alone!  received the 2011 Mom’s Choice Gold Award for Young Adult Nonfiction and was the 2011-2012 DIY Book Festival Winner for the Teenage category. The Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) also selected it for their annual list of best selections for young adults in the nonfiction category.

How did you become a writer? When did you start?

I’ve always loved to write and back in college my Spenserian Stanza about Endymion won a national award. I was majoring in English at the time, but I wasn’t sure what I would do with a degree in English, so at the last minute, I switched my major to psychology. I did no more creative writing for 30 years, but I think I can safely say that I was the only psychologist who “enjoyed” writing up diagnostic assessments and court reports. When I retired in ’92, I began writing short stories for children’s magazines and also began writing the first book in my What Would You Do? series.

How long did it take you to finish your first book?

It actually took two years because my first publisher asked me to rewrite it for a younger readership which I did. Then, as luck would have it, the editor retired and I had to begin looking for a publisher all over again.

Where do you like to write?

My husband and I share a study and my desk and computer are between his desk and the door, so every time he goes in or out of the office, I have to get up and let him by. If I had my druthers, I would have my own little office with plenty of windows (which someone else would wash)  and where my creative juices would just bubble over!

Favorite author(s)?

I have so many favorites, but some of my favorite favorites include C.S. Lewis, Og Mandino, Judy Blume, Joan Bauer, Jay Asher, and Jodi Picoult.

How many books have you written, so far? Do you plan to write more?

I have eight books published so far and my tween problem-solving book Making Bad Stuff Good is scheduled for publication by Royal Fireworks Press later this year.

Would you like to share a link where we can purchase your books?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_9?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sandra+mcleod+humphrey&sprefix=Sandra+Mc%2Cstripbooks%2C207

What about a link to your website?

My website: http://www.kidscandoit.com

Sandra, it’s been such a pleasure to have you for tea. It was an honor to meet you and I wish you all the success with your books.

Sandra McLeod Humphrey is a retired clinical psychologist, a character education consultant, and an award-winning author of eight middle-grade and young adult books.  She’s also the recipient of the National Character Education Center’s Award for Exemplary Leadership in Ethics Education (2000) and the 2005 Helen Keating Ott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Literature. You can learn more about her books by visiting her Web site  at www.kidscandoit.com.
Connect with Sandy at:
FB Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/KidsCanDoIt/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sandra305
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/SandraMHum/videos

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