Guest: Sylvia Ramsey - A Passion for Writing

I am honored to host author Sylvia Ramsey today and have her talk about her journey as a writer. It's an inspiring story and one I know you will enjoy.

Sylvia Ramsey

Writing has always been a passion of mine. I began writing news and feature articles for a small town newspaper in Southeast Missouri at the age of nine. Because of the nurturing and encouragement by the news editor, I developed a love and a need to write.

Poetry has always been a very special and personal experience  whether writing her own, or reading works of another poet. Creating poetry has provided me with insights and an understanding of how to navigate the many peaks and valleys that are traveled along life's pathway. I was especially delighted after Pulse Points of a Woman's World was published and nominated for the Georgia 41st. Annual Author of the Year Award.

Ideas and Stories:


The ideas for stories all come from my life experiences and knowledge I have gained along the way. The book, An Underground Jewell, spawned from a short story that was written about a Christmas Eve in the distant future when life on earth had changed drastically. That story was written in 1989. The idea to create a novel originated because I let imagination loose to wonder about the possibilities of this story.


I first began by creating a character who would write the story, and the reason why she wrote it. At that point, I began to develop other characters and a plot. I finally began writing the book. At one point, I had to stop writing because my husband became very ill, and I became his caregiver. At the same time, I was diagnosed with T3 bladder cancer. To add to the delay, my computer crashed and I had to start over. I was lucky that I had part of it printed out. After my husband died, I began writing again. Finally, 20 years later, it was finished and published. 

Now, I serve as the Vice-President of the American Bladder Cancer Society because I know the importance of support for those who have experienced this cancer, and how important it is to create more awareness around the world. Because I truly believe in this cause, all of my royalties go to the American Bladder Cancer Society

I am currently working on two books; one is a collection of short stories that may be titled, Squirrel Tales and Other Stories. The other book is a fantasy book that is a more adult story that was more or less spawned by the children’s book.



What is your most recent published book?


Merchild Land is a newly released children’s picture book. It is a perfect bedtime book for small ones that is illustrated with soft pastel illustrations of the ocean, seabed, beach, and merchildren. They explore the sea, clean the seabed, gather shells to put on the beach for children to find, and when evening comes they sail the on moonbeams in the sky to visit magical places while they dream.


How did the book originate?


The idea for this book originated, “In my earlier years of teaching, my eldest granddaughter rode to her school with me, and she always wanted me to tell her stories about mermaids. Later, I wrote a poem about childhood and mermaids (which I have included in the back of the book), and that was the beginning of the book. I wrote it for my granddaughter, who is now grown, but I wanted her to have something to share with her children. The color scheme is related to my childhood, and a book that I had as a child that has been kept and cherished over the years. My wish is that this book will be one that some other children will want to keep and cherish.”


What experiences have you had since the book was published?


Recently, I visited the Cancer Center at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA, and I discovered that several of my children’s books had been placed in the children’s section of the center. What an honor! Maybe, for just a few moments when the book is read to them, they will escape the nightmare in which they live.


Do you have any other published books?

I have two other books published. One is a book of poetry, Pulse Points of a Woman’s World, that evolved over the years. Many of the poems in the book had previously been published in literary magazines. The book is divided into four-sections which are: Youth, Love, Reality, and Wisdom. The poems in the book are illustrated.



The other book, An Underground Jewell, is an espionage/mystery novel set in a possible
near- future. The story revolves around the power of language and how it can change the way a society thinks and acts. One reader's review said: "An excellent read for all. Though a fiction it smacks with a lot of truth of what the future may bring. As one reads, it becomes rather apparent that this could all happen, and the last page says it all. I enjoyed reading and had a hard time putting it down." 

The story is set in the near future when man is living as much underground as above. All things are controlled by a central computer system. There is no such thing as "printed" material, it is all digital. The main character in the story, Elizabeth Jewell a sage and well-known author, finds herself caught up in a plot of intrigue. She decides to become her own sleuth to clear herself of all accusations, and in the process discovers there are multitudes of mysteries to solve.


Thank you, Sylvia, for sharing your journey with us. You have inspired all of us