Meet S.M. Grady | Award-Winning Author & Small Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with S.M. Grady and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi S.M., what’s the end goal, career-wise?
The overall goal is financial freedom, enjoying what I do for a living, and being able to support causes that I believe in. I expect to gain more knowledge and grow from different experiences over time, and I want that growth to be evident in the work that I put out. By the end of my professional career, I want to be satisfied with the evolution of my body of work and know that I was able to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Scattered Thoughtz started as a blog and a way for me to express myself creatively. I had no idea how to create a website or even what I wanted it to look like, I just knew that I wanted to create a space where I could post stories, articles, or whatever else was bouncing around in my brain. It took days for me to put a site together, and it took even longer for me to work up the courage to push “publish” on that first short story in 2017. I didn’t know how it would be received, or how people’s reception of it would affect me, but eventually I put it out there and I haven’t stopped since.

My website evolved into my self-publishing company. I have since gone from posting all of my short fiction and poetry on my website to publishing novels, novellas, and short stories to online bookstores. Currently, I have four books available for purchase through Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Nobles, and other major digital platforms.

All Falls Down – novel https://books2read.com/AllFallsDown
Memories Between Us – Novella https://books2read.com/MemoriesBetweenUs
Scattered Thoughtz, Vol 1 – Collection of short Fiction https://books2read.com/ScatteredThoughtz
Say His Name – Short Story https://books2read.com/SayHisName

I have also created self-care journals that available for purchase through Amazon. My second novel will be available later this summer.

Once I realized that this was something I wanted to do professionally, I knew I had to invest time in learning the business aspect of it. Creating different worlds and characters comes easy to me, but marketing and growing a business is a completely different skill set that I am trying to master every day.

I write across several genres including women’s fiction, suspense, sweet romance, and romantic suspense. I believe my books are mainstream enough for anyone to enjoy, but my target audience is Black women. I want to create stories for Black women, who, like myself, love to read different genres featuring main characters of all different backgrounds and races, but who would also like to read more mainstream fiction with characters that look like them. I want Black women to see more of themselves in the psychological thrillers, sweet romances, and light hearted beach reads that are so freely offered to others.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A walk on the belt line would definitely be on the list. Depending on how much time you have, you can find yourself exploring different neighborhoods and restaurants all day. I like the food halls that are popping up everywhere. There are lots of dining options conveniently located in one spot. Also, there are usually big, open spaces where everyone can spread out and enjoy their meals inside the hall or outside on various patios. Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market are well known, but Chattahoochee Food Works and Marietta Square Market have some great options too. I like to visit areas where you can park, walk around and enjoy the weather on a nice day, and check out a variety of stores and restaurants. Buckhead Village and Downtown Decatur are two of my go-to spots for this.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
You don’t become an author without having a love for books, and mine is due, in large part, to my mother. She taught me to read at a very early age, and not only that, she taught me to enjoy reading and exposed me to different authors and genres. I could always look forward to regular trips to the library, purchasing a new book from the store, or picking through the boxes of novels that she kept in the house. It was my introduction to the world of literature, and different cultures and worldviews.

I’m not sure I would have pursued my passion for writing without the support of my husband. I knew that I was unhappy in my career and that I wanted to explore my creative side, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it or if it was even possible to make a living doing something that seemed so abstract at the time. He pushed me to take the time I needed to find out exactly what I wanted to do, and how to make it happen.

Website: https://scatteredthoughtz.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/ScatteredThz

Other: https://books2read.com/smgrady – purchase site https://dl.bookfunnel.com/vbg4jkhnij – Invitation to sign up for my newsletter and receive an excerpt of my first novel.