I've pulled together 40ish questions - some bookish, some silly - and have asked authors to limit themselves to answering only 10 of them. That way, it keeps the interviews fresh and connectable for all of us!
Today we are joined by Grace Sammon. Grace is an award-winning author, educator, and radio host whose work centers on storytelling, reinvention, and voice. Recognized in Who’s Who in Education and Who’s Who in Literature, she is the recipient of the 2025 Indies United Award for Inspirational Women in Literature, Media, and Journalism. Her debut novel, The Eves, marked a major career reinvention and earned critical acclaim. She is also the former host of the multi-award-winning radio shows The Storytellers and LAUNCH PAD. Grace is the author of eight books, including the LAUNCH PAD series and the forthcoming novel The Reliable Narrator (May 2026). She lives on Florida’s west coast with her husband and a small herd of imaginary llamas. Learn more about Grace at www.GraceSammon.Net and follow her on Facebook (grace.sammon) and Instagram (GraceSammonWrites/)
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Why do you write?
I’ve been mulling that question over, both privately and with some fellow
authors, quite a bit recently. There
really isn’t one answer. There’s the
simple answer: I love rearranging 26 letters into beautiful, sometimes
heartbreaking sentences. The bigger
answer is far more complex, however, because it entails the whole breadth of
the industry, the writing, the publishing, marketing, and the reader
interactions – all of it. At times, it
feels like an expensive hobby; at other times, it feels like you are touching
lives in meaningful ways. More often than not, I opt to touch others’ lives,
lift up unheard voices, and make human connections through my words.
What’s something that’s true about you but no one believes?
Have you ever played “Two Truths and a Lie,” the game where you tell others two
things that are true about you and one thing that is false? I use it in my
workshops when I ask my participants to share about themselves as a way of
beginning their own storytelling. I usually share three sentences: First, I
have refueled the stealth bomber mid-air over the Grand Canyon. Second, every
book I’ve written, and every radio show I’ve hosted, has garnered financial
reward. And, lastly, I have participated in three autopsies. Can you guess the
lie? Sadly, perhaps, it’s the one about the books and radio shows. They’ve been rewarding, absolutely, but not
always financially. The other two experiences – just, wow!
If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
We all have a superpower and should claim it.
I’m highly organized, have a strong network of friends and family, and
have a pretty deep knowledge of useful and useless information. I’m frequently praised for what I think of as
a rather useless talent: I make amazing charcuterie boards. If I could add a
superpower, I think flying would be nice, but I’d rather like to heal the hurt
and suffering in the world.
Would you and your main character(s) get along?
Sometimes. I write flawed characters,
with the understanding that we are all flawed in some ways. Next to the primary
character in my books, there is usually a strong (less flawed) friend who helps
the character and the plot along.
Sometimes, said friend gets very frustrated and just wants to, honestly,
kick the main character into action or resolution. In my writing, all of my characters are a
little bit of me, the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, like it or not, we all
have to get along.
What is your favorite book from childhood?
That’s easy. BLACK BEAUTY by Ann Sewell.
It was first published in 1877, but I still have the copy my big brother
gave to me when I was ten years old, published in the early 1960’s. I got it on Christmas Day and spent the
entire day reading. It’s the first book
I couldn’t put down.
What’s the single best line you’ve ever read?
At the moment, and I am being prideful here, it’s a line from my just-released
novel THE RELIABLE NARRATOR. I’m not
sure where such sentences come from, but I’m grateful when they come.
It’s the morning after Darby Small and her mother have finally, after decades,
discussed Darby’s childhood and her long-held feeling that her mother should
have done more. It’s an emotionally
intense scene that leaves them both drained. The next chapter opens with:
The next morning, they maneuver around the kitchen like overly cautious bulls
in a China shop of emotions.
Do you read the reviews of your books, or do you stay far, far away from them, and why?
Yes, I read them. Reviews are an
author’s lifeblood. Please leave them. I
cringe sometimes, I question sometimes, but I’m always grateful, and I always
learn from them.
If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?
First, I’d want to understand how I wound up on death row! But, hands-down, my
mother’s recipe for risotto – a dish of cheese and egg yolk-laden, layered rice
and rich Italian meat sauce, accompanied by her veal/chicken rolled dish
stuffed with breadcrumbs, garlic, and onions cooked on a skewer with onions and
bay leaf. A nice Chianti would be nice.
What’s the one thing you wish you knew when you were younger?
To trust myself more. To not care as much as what others thought.
Do you DNF books?
Yes, and this term is new to me. On my DNF journey, I start out skimming and at
least try to get to the end and read the last chapter or two. Too many good
books, too little time.
Out now!
Amazon link
Some truths aren’t hidden. They’re just waiting to be
claimed.
Darby Small has spent her life perfecting the art of
invisibility. As a premier ghostwriter for memoirs, exposés, and self-help
bestsellers, she knows how to elevate other people’s voices while silencing her
own. But when a late-night text from Phoebe Zazlove—her brilliant, infuriating,
estranged childhood friend—shatters the quiet of Darby’s carefully constructed
world, old secrets begin to stir.
Phoebe is dying. She’s written a manuscript. And she wants
Darby to help finish it.
Reluctantly drawn back into a friendship forged at summer
camp and fractured by life’s betrayals, Darby travels between the past and the
present to confront the silence she’s long buried—from childhood trauma to the
cost of hiding in other people’s stories. As the two women navigate the final
chapter of Phoebe’s life, Darby begins to understand the power—and danger—of
being the reliable narrator.
Set against the backdrop of the Hudson River Valley and the
high desert light of New Mexico, The Reliable Narrator is a luminous,
deeply moving novel about female friendship, reinvention, and the stories we
dare to tell when time is running out.
For readers of Dani Shapiro, Claire Messud, and Elizabeth
Strout, this is a novel about truth, voice, and finally claiming your story.
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