We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Savannah Hendricks. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Savannah below.
Savannah, appreciate you joining us today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?
My mom passed away when I was fifteen years old. She’d been living with multiple sclerosis for many years and she was, and remains, my hero. Yet, I don’t know if the word hero defines who she was, for me it’s more of what she represented. She taught me the importance of life and the little things. She gave me the drive I have today to make the best out of everything I’m given and to not take the small things, like walking, being able to cook, and clean for granted. As I grew up, I knew I wanted to do something more than simply working for a living, I wanted to make a difference, but I didn’t know what or how, yet. When my mom passed, I remember how the caregivers all told me a similar story about her. They said she was always smiling, no matter what and that made their day. It was something they would always remember about her. So when I decided to follow my path of being an author that was what I wanted to showcase in my books. I wanted my books to make people smile too.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I grew up hating to read. I loathed it, mostly because I struggled with it severely. And what I could read, I couldn’t comprehend any of it. So, it wasn’t until I was about twenty-four that I picked up a book for fun. My reading skills were still poor, but it took finding the right book to drive my desire to better myself forward. So, stumbling into the path of an author was beyond shocking. I was working as a nanny and didn’t feel that I was making much of a difference outside of the children I was caring for. I ended up working for three different families before I decided that I needed more in life. The children’s books I was reading seemed easy to write, so I decided why not. Boy was I wrong. It took me seven years to land my first contract, Nonnie and I, a children’s picture book. I can honestly say I think I “gave up” a hundred times, but I never quit. In the back of my mind I knew my mom would not want me to give up, and even though she was not able to see any of my success, a part of me believes she could. And without pushing myself forward I wouldn’t have excelled as an author as much as I have almost 20 years later. My mom’s diagnosis of MS gave me the plot for my first ever adult manuscript. It was nerve-racking to decide to dive into another genre, especially since so many authors, and publishers said you can’t do it. And while I was working on that very manuscript I lost my beloved English Lab. Looking back, the greatest losses have aided in my personal development as an author. Being able to bring awareness through my stories and give readers heartfelt and humorous books to read across genres makes me the author I am and have always wanted to be. I want readers to understand I’m not writing just any story or putting books out there because I can. Every book has meaning and purpose.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I’m not only an author, I’m also a social worker. Which means I don’t have the ability to write full time. One of the biggest things I’ve had to unlearn as an author is that I might have high hopes and goals, but I can’t get there at the same pace, (no matter how grand my drive for it is). I’ve had to scramble to hit writing and publication deadlines. In doing so I didn’t always put my best foot forward. I tried to accomplish too much at once because of my time constraints. Learning to slow down and realize that if I want to present the best I have to offer that it means not only giving up other things in life but also being honest with myself. I’m my biggest critic. And I’ve pushed myself too hard in the past and my health and well-being suffered. Acknowledging that I can’t do it all and I can’t do it all alone was important to address. When you take the time to pace yourself appropriately your outcome is more rewarding because your end result is grander.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Generally speaking authors are fairly easy to get in touch with, unless they are super popular. For me, although my name may be small, it’s important that I stay connected to my readers. I don’t want to just be another author. I want to be able to relate to my readers. I want to share our stories of every day life together. I don’t want any reader to think that they can’t reach out to me. I love dogs and my readers know this. They share their stories of their pets and their lives with me and I’m so grateful to have the one on one connection with them. They aren’t just readers, they are friends. I don’t want to be just another person they follow on social media either. I want them to smile and laugh at things that I post. It’s important that I bring joy not only through my stories but through every way I connect with others. Even if my name becomes popular, it won’t change my personal connection with my readers because without them I wouldn’t be an author.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.savannahhendricks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savannahhendricks_author/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooksbySavannahHendricks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorSavannah
- Youtube: @authorsavannahhendricks
- Other: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/savannah-hendricks