An Interview with Author Donna L. Sadd

Bio:  Donna Louise Sadd was born and raised in New York, spent 16 years in S. Florida and now has three years under her belt in beautiful Central Texas Hill Country. 

Words have been her life.  Ms. Sadd was a copywriter and moved up to assistant to the president of a New York advertising agency, then spent decades marketing her small businesses and those of others using well-crafted words.

Ms. Sadd originally got the idea of writing her first children's book while spending time with her young nieces one day. They wondered why her newly-adopted little dachshund Lucci (pronounced loochy) never gave smoochies, and she started rhyming verses while sketching the beginning pages of the children's picture book, LUCCI THE NO SMOOCHIE POOCHIE. They had a ball, and Donna later finished the story and illustrations for her family, and had the book printed and bound just as it is available now on her website. 

LUCCI- THE NO SMOOCHIE POOCHIE is a cute little story that the kids in your life will enjoy. Thanks for taking the time to read it!

***FREE on Amazon on 8/30 and 8/31!!!*** http://www.amazon.com/Lucci-The-No-Smoochie-Poochie-ebook/dp/B006V4XCO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326122062&sr=8-1

http:// DonnaLSadd.wordpress.com

http://www.twitter.com/DonnaLSadd

http://www.donnalsadd.com

http://www.facebook.com/DonnaLSadd

Please give a warm welcome Donna L. Sadd on her first visit to Unwritten! She won this interview on one of the 20,000TH Hit Giveaway Events. Donna was so very generous to offer up a few copies of her book to the giveaway. You might find a copy or two left over there, so go grab one: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2012/08/20000th-hit-giveaway.html  

Ms. Sadd, can you tell us more about the real Lucci and what you do when you're not writing cute children's books?

Lucci was such a good little boy. He was only about a year or two old when we adopted him and his tiny sister Zoe. He was my staunchest supporter and could always be found right by my side. Like a true dachshund, he protected me fiercely. He lived a long life full of love, adventures and plenty of smoochies.

When I’m not writing children’s stories, one can find me tending to my burgeoning clan of now 10 animal family members, taking part in writing challenges to improve my skills, and building my authors ‘platform.’ As a new author, the latter activity takes up much of my time. I just adopted another rescue dog and every morning he and the other 3 dogs accompany me on my ‘farm’ chores cleaning up after and walking my three beautiful pet goats, Daisy, Dixie and Dot, down to the valley where they browse and everyone else runs and plays. My story ideas run wild in the valley as well.

Have you published any other books, and/or do you have anything else in the works?

LUCCI is my first published book and I have been hard at work on another picture book called FARLEY HORSE©; it’s a story about a pig!

Have you written or do you plan on writing in other genres besides children's?

My old-time love is poetry, Haiku especially. I love words and one has to find perfect words to construct a powerful haiku poem. I recently got an absolutely wonderful idea for a YA chapter book and am doing research and working on the outline now. I’m so excited about it I can hardly sit still! 

Self-publishing is becoming more popular by the minute. Did you consider or try traditional publishing first? Will you try to publish through a publishing house in the future, or do you think you'll stick with the indie route?

I did not consider traditional publishing first for LUCCI, and fell into self-publishing quite by fate. My mother passed away last year and I found myself at a crossroad. One day while reminiscing over a box of my mom’s possessions, I found the bound copy of LUCCI that I had gifted her. She had constantly prodded me to publish it, so I did just that-for her.

I certainly would try the traditional publishing route for my YA chapter book as I believe the story, if I write it well, will be gobbled up by the masses and having a publisher market and distribute one’s book certainly helps. Yet, having the freeing feeling of knowing I can offer it myself unbinds me of having to worry about any story that I write ever having to sit on a shelf unread.

You may have heard rumors, but I subject all my interviewees to a most terrible random question. This is yours: What was the first pet you remember from your childhood?

The first pet I had as a child was a silver toy poodle that my parents gave me after I had my tonsils out when I was 5. Her name was Tippy.

Ms. Sadd, would you be so kind as to share an excerpt of your work?

Here’s an excerpt of LUCCI- THE NO SMOOCHIE POOCHIE
 Pg. 13

“He would wrangle, and twist and grumble when kissed.”

Pg. 14

“But we kept giving him smoochies. We would persist!  

Pg. 15

 “Not one day would go by. Not one day would be missed. Our little Lucci would be kissed and kissed.”

Thank you so much for allowing me to interrogate you, Donna! I wish you much success and hope you can return.

It was quite painless Mysti; thank you for interviewing me. I am grateful to have been a part of your fantastic 20,000 Hits Celebration Giveaway, and I’m sure your next 20,000 hits will happen in no time. Much success to you as well Mysti!