Sharon
van Ivan lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her two cats, The Duke and
Earl. She was born in Brooklyn New York
and couldn’t wait to move back to New York when she grew up. Her parents divorced when she was a baby and
she lived with her mother in Akron, Ohio, until she returned to New York in her
early 20s. There she studied at the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts and was a working actress for many
years. But she was always writing. Her debut as a playwright was when she was 10
years old and living in Sacramento, California.
She wrote about the hardships of a young girl in Mexico. The play was so good, it was presented to the
whole school. Sharon was mortified and
did not write again until high school.
Then when she had a writing assignment, she would dream about it the
night before, and write it just before class.
She was an A student in English.
Not the most popular person in school, however.
Growing
up with an alcoholic and, therefore, mentally ill mother and a mostly-absent
father (plus a slew of stepfathers) was a challenge that Sharon met head-on –
as she had no choice. Later in life when she did have a choice, the patterns
had already been set and she followed a similarly disastrous road until she
found show business, a great psychiatrist and the love of her life, the
renowned realist painter, Charles Pfahl.
Thank you for your time in
answering our questions about getting published. Let’s begin by having
you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen Juggle and Hide?
Sharon: I had to get rid of the
childhood demons that had been plaguing me most of my adult life. I wanted to share my struggle with others who
might have gone through some of the same horrors I experienced.
Is this your first book?
Sharon: Yes, it is.
With this particular book, how
did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you
choose this method?
Sharon: I went with a small
independent publishing company: Cygnet Press.
Timothy B. Anderson, the publisher, was terrific. Aside from being very knowledgeable, he agreed
to use my late husband’s painting – also entitled Juggle and Hide – as the cover.
(My husband was Charles Pfahl, a well-respected realist artist.) Other
publishers would not give me that kind of consideration. They wanted final
approval on the cover, and I couldn’t deal with that.
Can you tell us a little about
your publishing journey? The pros and
cons?
Sharon: When I first finished
the memoir, my friend, Joan Schweighardt – a very good writer who had also had
her own publishing company for many years – sent my book around to a few people
she knew. Although I got good responses,
no one asked to publish
What lessons do you feel you
learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing
industry as a whole?
Sharon: Oh, it’s changed so
much over the past few years. It’s
changing right this minute. I think independent publishing, self-publishing or
going with large publishers are all fine ways to go. It just depends on where your book lands
first. And I prefer the personal contact and attention of working with an
independent publisher, someone I can actually meet with in person and discuss
problems that come up during the publishing process.
Would you recommend this method
of publishing to other authors?
Sharon: I think it depends on
the author. If s/he were willing to give up all control and depend on someone
else entirely, I’d say go with a big company.
Otherwise, publish independently or with a small press.
What’s the best advice you can
give to aspiring authors?
Sharon: Write. Don’t worry about the rest.
