Writer Wednesday: Meet Sydney Scrogham!

Sydney ScroghamIt’s Wednesday, and you know what that means – it’s Writer Wednesday! Today I’m thrilled to have fellow Shenandoah Valley Writers author Sydney Scrogham join me. Sydney’s debut YA fantasy novel, Chase, hit the shelves August 1st, so this seemed the perfect time to get to know her and her work a little bit better.

Sydney doesn’t do things half-measure, so she decided to answer all seven questions I threw at her, rather than just picking a few. Woot! More for us to enjoy, so sit back, relax, and hang out with us for a few moments.


What inspires you to write?

​Memories, and more specifically, heartbreak. Nothing makes me want to write more than being in pain. That sounds awful, doesn’t it? But when life doesn’t deliver happy endings all the time, rewriting happy endings in a story is healing for me.

Which type of romance do you love most, and why?

​Regular guy and girl with NO triangles or squares or anything else with more sides. I like to see strong personalities become something better when they’re together. It makes the chemistry sizzle off the page for me.

​Name two things people don’t know about you:

​I met my real-life version of Chase​ while I was in college, long after I’d finished writing the first draft. You bet I was shocked (and no, he wasn’t interested in dating…). Second, as more of a writer’s life thing, my favorite position for writing is lying on my tummy in front of my laptop.

What fellow romance author do you recommend reading, and why?

​Susan May Warren. I nabbed an ARC of When I Fall In Love and I was hooked from chapter one. Warren took the cheese out of Christian romance for me – the hero actually said, “I want to make babies with you.” (I was cheering – I hate it when Christian romance isn’t done well, but Warren nabs it in the Christiansen Family Series​.) And those were the most realistic characters I’d seen in years.

What one piece of advice do you wish you’d had when first starting out?

​Don’t take the first deal that’s offered to you. Figure out what you want, and don’t compromise anything until you get it.

​What’s your favorite romance novel of all time, and why?

Hm… This doesn’t qualify as a romance, technically, but the relationship between Sean and Puck in The Scorpio Races (MaggieStiefvater) is STILL on my mind months after I’ve read the book.​


Chase Cover Sydney ScroghamAnd now . . . Chase

Two worlds will collide under one reigning Promise.

He’s chosen to die.
She’s destined for Snix skin.

Financial strain from her mom’s lost job means Lauren has to sell her horse.  In a desperate attempt to keep her beloved animal, Lauren pursues an escaped genetic experiment worth a ten thousand dollar reward—a bright red horse.

With the red horse in sight, Lauren disappears into Agalrae and comes face-to-face with Chase, a man raised by Alicorns. Lauren wants to return home, but the Snix, Chase’s enemy since birth, has other plans. The Snix confronts Lauren with an ultimatum:  Kill Chase for ten times the red horse’s reward money, or sacrifice the lives of her mother and horse.

Forced to stay in Agalrae until she decides, Lauren wrestles with possible outcomes.  But she can’t hide the truth from Chase forever.

When destiny splits, which path do you follow?

Find Chase here:


​Sydney Scrogham has been a horse owner writing novels on the side for the past ten years. She actively writes for Flash! Friday and Porsche Club of America e-Break News. When she isn’t writing, Sydney can be found at the barn with her horse, Snowdy. Apart from Snowdy, Sydney’s inspiration for writing includes spending time with God, watching ABC’s Castle or Marvel movies, Breyer model horses, Bionicle Legos, and taking long walks in the middle of nowhere.  Sydney’s driving passion is to see people revive and chase after their dreams.
Want to connect with Sydney? Find her on her blog, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter!

Woot! Congratulations on your new release, Sydney, and thanks so much for joining us!

Chase Your Dreams Through A Flop: Sydney Scrogham on her New Release

Debut Author Sydney Scrogham joins us to talk about her new young adult fantasy book, Chase – which premieres TODAY!

Chase Cover Sydney Scrogham

Two worlds will collide under one reigning Promise.

He’s chosen to die.

She’s destined for Snix skin.

Financial strain from her mom’s lost job means Lauren has to sell her horse.  In a desperate attempt to keep her beloved animal, Lauren pursues an escaped genetic experiment worth a ten thousand dollar reward—a bright red horse.

With the red horse in sight, Lauren disappears into Agalrae and comes face-to-face with Chase, a man raised by Alicorns. Lauren wants to return home, but the Snix, Chase’s enemy since birth, has other plans. The Snix confronts Lauren with an ultimatum:  Kill Chase for ten times the red horse’s reward money, or sacrifice the lives of her mother and horse.

Forced to stay in Agalrae until she decides, Lauren wrestles with possible outcomes.  But she can’t hide the truth from Chase forever.

When destiny splits, which path do you follow?


The End of a Dream

Everything you’ve ever wanted can dissolve within a few words.

I was up before the sun – a usual morning balancing horse work and college classes.  This is the only time of day to make sure everything is good in the realm of email, and maybe I’ll get lucky and have a cancelled class.  Oh, wait, there’s a message from (my small press at the time, whose name I won’t mention).

“Dear Ms. Scrogham…”

That can’t be good.

Indeed, it wasn’t good.  It was the email that knocked me off of platform I’d been wobbling on, claiming, “I’m an author.”  With one single email, not even a written letter, I was informed Chase was no longer scheduled for publication. 

This news was even more devastating after preparing three and a half years for publication.

Make a Decision

There comes a point in our lives where we have to decide if we’re going to honor the desires that cry out within our souls.  I call those desires dreams.  I lost Chase’s traditional contract a little less than a year ago, and it created an identity crisis, but I’m at a point now where I can say I’m glad it happened.

Why?

Because I needed that flop to force me to decide whether or not I was going to follow my heart and be a writer.

Koehler Books

I decided to fight for Chase by rewriting it from scratch.

That was a long National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) for me.

But about three months later, I had another book deal.  This time, I had a hybrid offer with Koehler Books.  If you’re unaware, that means I’m splitting the cost of publication with the publisher.  The best part about this for me is that I get to be molded into a professional.

The small press I’d previously been with wouldn’t’ve offered me that kind of experience.

Why Should You Care?

If you’re reading this right now, you’re breathing.  (Duh, right?)  But there’s a cliché phrase that really applies to this moment.  Put your hand over your heart.  Feel that?  It’s called a purpose.

Even though it’s Chase’s release day, I’m not shoving it in your face with the expected, “Buy my book!” plea.  (Although it’d be awesome if you nabbed a copy.)

Right now, in this moment, it’s more important to me that you allow yourself to dream again.  I’m standing in a place where the impossible became possible.  The same thing can happen to you.  Dare to hope.  Dare to fight for the desires deep in your heart. They are there for a reason.  You are still on this earth for a reason.

There’s more for you.  It’s calling.  Will you answer?

August 1, 2015

Today is the day Chase meets the world.

There was a time when I never thought it would happen.

But it’s happening.  Right now.  And I’m consumed with the strangest mix of terror, euphoria, and “WHEW, it’s done.”

If you get the chance to hold this book, feel the weight of its struggle sink into your hands.

But there’s more to the pages than that.  Chase is a story that takes off from the first chapter.  You won’t be bored for a second as you’re whisked away into Alicorn (also called a “pegauni”) culture, seen through the eyes of a young man named Chase.  His knowledge of the world crumbles around the edges when he meets another human being for the first time.

You get a front seat for every moment in the scheme for Chase’s murder, the bareback gallops through the sky, and innocent first love.


Want ChaseFind it here!:


Sydney ScroghamSydney Scrogham has been a horse owner writing novels on the side for the past ten years. She actively writes for Flash! Friday and Porsche Club of America e-Break News. When she isn’t writing, Sydney can be found at the barn with her horse Snowdy.  Apart from Snowdy, Sydney’s inspiration for writing includes spending time with God, watching ABC’s Castle or Marvel movies, Breyer model horses, Bionicle Legos, and taking long walks in the middle of nowhere.  Sydney’s driving passion is to see people revive and chase after their dreams.  To learn more, check out her blog at http://www.sswriter.com or tweet @sydney_writer.