A Slice of Cake With... Sydney Scrogham

This week I am delighted to have a slice of cake with Sydney Scrogham. 

Born and raised in Virginia, Sydney Scrogham has always loved horses and books. She has been a horse owner for 14 years and moved to Indiana to be with the love of her life whom she met on Twitter! While in Indiana, Sydney taught horseback riding lessons to individuals with special needs. She now lives in northern Alabama with her family where she writes under the watchful ownership of a miniature dachshund. 

What kind of stories do you write?

Once upon a time, there was a young girl who loved crafting expert stories with engaging plots, characters, and hints of true love throughout all the land. But victory would not come easily—dastardly villains reared their heads to consume the hero’s heart until, at long last, victory was in sight. With one final act of bravery (an opportunity to be true to themselves and embrace who they really are) the hero conquered all evil to win the day. And if the ending wasn’t happy, it wasn’t the end.

Can you describe your writing why?

I did start writing as a “young girl” as the previous answer described. There’s always been a story inside of me. I love following it until the end to uncover the truth bomb nuggets that hide along the character journey like gems waiting to be polished. But those life-changing gems aren’t just for me—they’re for the world. Writing is like an act of love unto myself and others. If I discover something that’s setting me free, then I want to put it in story form for others to experience living in that freedom, too.

Share with us your favourite passage from the book you enjoyed writing the most

Once a year, blood-thirsty astrorses land on Earth’s farming moon to raise their young. Jedediah Easton never thought twice about competing in the Astrorse Races until his daughter Sage enters to try and save his farm. The only problem is Sage is a paraplegic rider, and Jedediah will do anything to protect his daughter.

Drawn to him for safety and financial problems of her own, Jedediah’s ex-wife Elizabeth steps back into the life they tried to build together. A warrant for her arrest hangs over their heads. They race time to train a wild astrorse to compete for the winner’s purse while dodging the dangers of an uncivilized universe.

Together, they must fight for what matters to them most—a chance that the Astrorse Race prize money will redeem their debts and grow them back together as a family. To The Moon And Back is a fast-paced story of hard work, reconciliation, and second chances.

Tell us about your latest project

What happens when a horse-loving child of the earth marries a rocket scientist? Okay, that sounds like a pretty fun book in and of itself, but that’s what happened to me in real life—and the result is an epic space western with killer astro-horses. At first, I thought it was just going to be a one-off, but no. A series is calling. I love all the different elements of faith, family, diversity, and how one young woman’s risky relationship with a killer astro-horse can change the world. I’m halfway through the second book right now and hope to publish early 2021. (Spoiler alert: There may or may not be a pandemic influence in this next one—how can a writer live through COVID-19 and not throw all that experience into a story somewhere?)

What is your favourite cake?

Chocolate chip cookie cake, for sure (with loads of icing), but if we’re going more traditional textured cake… Give me the good old-fashioned yellow cake with chocolate icing, accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A great choice! You can find out more about Sydney and her books at her website sswriter.com.

All her books are available on Amazon.

Join me next week when I have a slice of cake with Christopher Long.

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Claire Buss is a multi-genre author and poet, completely addicted to cake. Find out more about her books on her website clairebuss.co.uk. Join the discussion in her Facebook group Buss's Book Stop.