📚 A Bookish Chat with 'Blind Pony' Author Samantha Hart @samanthahart #Interview

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

Welcome to The Writer's Life! How did you come up with the idea to write your book?

I came upon a journal in my attic where at twelve years old, I penned the words "This is a story about me, nobody special." Intuitively, I knew I was responsible to my younger self to write this book, a memoir—a coming-of-age narrative intersecting rebellion, recovery, forgiveness, and redemption. Ultimately, I wrote the book so that I could reconcile the demons of my past, and in doing so, move forward with my life.

When I look back on my life, I don't know how I found the grace and grit to survive. If I had told my 14-year-old self that I would go from mucking horse stables to photographing Hugh Grant for the Four Weddings and A Funeral marketing campaign or that I would own and run a company with over 40 employees, I wouldn't have believed it. But through it all, I found the fortitude within myself to thrive.

How would you describe your book’s ideal reader?

Blind Pony As True A Story As I Can Tell is dark in places, but it also has a sense of play. I think the ideal reader likes to read memoirs and can feel empathy for the characters.

What part of the book was the most fun to write?

I enjoyed writing the scene where I attempt to connect with my father, Wild Bill after I run away from the farm. It sets up so much of what is to come in the later chapters.

How did you come up with the title?

I named the book after a pony I was given by my grandfather, Princess, who was blind in one eye. That pony became a metaphor for the way I felt—damaged. My grandfather began abusing me when I was five years old and continued to do so until I ran away at age fourteen.

What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?

The fact that I became a backgammon hustler when I was seventeen, playing against men twice my age, might surprise people. There are many twists in turns in the book people might find surprising, but I think the fact that I survived is surprising overall.

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

The best advice I can give a first time writer is to stick it out. Keep going. I have always been an easily distracted person —bright shiny object, and Sam's gone. So I had to train myself to stay focused and committed. When the pandemic hit and my company shut down, it afforded me a unique opportunity to have fewer distractions and allowed me to finish my book. Now that I've gone through the process, I am excited to get up and write every day.

How do you use social media as an author?

Whether my own social media channels or those of influencers and reviewers, social media has helped me get the word out about Blind Pony As True A Story As I Can Tell. I don't know if it would have been as successful as it has been without it. However, books had large followings before social media. The most important thing is the book. People will always discover a good book.

What other books are you working on and when will they be published?

I am currently working on two different books. One is a coffee table book that is a collection of drawings from the male gaze and words from the female gaze entitled When I Was A Muse. The other is a novel whose working title is The Capricious Life Of Charlie Lane, which I hope to release in the spring.

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose?

If I could spend a day with a popular author of my choice, it would be Margaret Atwood for so many reasons, the least of which is that she is a national treasure.

Finally, what message are you trying to get across with your book?

I never dreamt that what began as a catharsis for me would end up touching so many people. I have learned that I'm not alone in some of the painful experiences that have happened to me, and that makes me proud I dared to tell my story. If I can help one person have the courage to step out of their comfort zone and strive to live a better life, it was worth writing it.

Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?

It's been humbling the way readers have received my book. It's something I never expected and has been a lovely surprise in my life.

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