Conversations with Samantha J Bryant

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha J Bryant.

Hi Samantha J, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I decided to be a writer when I was still a little kid, imagining myself as Jo March from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I wrote poetry and stories throughout my childhood, and earned a minor in Creative Writing alongside my English major when I got to college.

“Being a writer” wasn’t simple, though–at least not in the way I meant it: as a vocation. I also needed things like rent and food money, and it takes discipline to maintain a creative practice in the midst of capitalism. So, though I never stopped writing, I never really quite became a writer either.

Some of the roadblocks were external, and I had some serious mental health struggles with Postpartum Depression after the birth of my second child. I turned to my creative life to process all these feelings.

The next thing I knew it was my birthday again and I was going to be 42. I guess lots of people have a crisis birthday–you know? the one that makes you question how you’re using your time? Mine was 42 because of Douglas Adams. In his Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the computer Deep Thought told us that the meaning of life, the universe, and everything was 42. So, I took that as my cue. Now or never!

So I committed to a daily writing habit and started finishing things and submitting them for publication. That might sound simple, but it was a complex negotiation with the day job, family responsibilities, and personal discipline. But it worked!

My first professional short story publication came only a year after I made this commitment, and my first novel a year after that. I always tell people it took me a while to hit the ground, but when I did, I hit it running.

My Menopausal Superhero series took me ten years to write. It’s complete now with five novels, two novellas, and a collection of shorts. When I finished the series and found myself at loose ends so to speak, with no contracted deadline looming for the next book, I realized I could write and do anything!

That’s when I decided to go indie. Self-publishing has come into its own in the years since my first novel came out. The infrastructure and tools are there to let a person put out a quality book that is indistinguishable from a traditionally published book, and I decided that this was my moment to try it.

So, I finally started my LLC, Dangerous When Bored and brought out a short story collection in October 2025 as my learning project: Stories from Shadow Hill: Thirteen Weird Suburban Tales. Even though I had learned a lot about “how the sausage is made” in my years of traditionally publishing, there was still a lot to learn. But I found I loved it. So, I quickly moved to publish three more books, my GenX romances. I rapid-released Not Too Late, Acid Reign, and Ready or Not in April, May, and June of 2026.

And so now, here I am, settling into writing the next book while balancing promotion and sales for all my previous work. There’s a reason I called my blog Balancing Act!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve had it pretty lucky, I think. I’ve found a lot of support from friends and family and some excellent mentors along the way. Most of what I had to overcome was myself–developing discipline, learning to focus amidst the various pulls of family and personal life, balancing money-making with writing life.

I had some of the usual struggles: divorcing and remarrying, dealing with losses of people I’ve loved, the capitalist grind, a few health scares. Besides finding my way through the fog of postpartum depression, I also had a later-in-life diagnosis of ADD, which clarified a lot of my previous struggles for me. But all those ordinary problems have been the fodder of story and have made me who I am, so I wouldn’t trade in even the difficult times.

I’m happy with where I am now, and feel hopeful about the next stage of my writing life.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a very multi-genre gal. My published work includes my Menopausal Superhero series which intermixes superheroic action and excitement with women’s journeys and humor, about 30 short stories in magazines and anthologies which run from “a little dark” to “fully horror,” and, most recently my GenX romances, which center people in their 50s finding love. I’m currently writing a Gothic romance, researching a historical fiction trilogy, and working with a developmental editor on a women’s issues novel.

I joke that I’m monetizing my ADD.

Multi-genre is hard to market, so I do best at in-person events, where I can show people what “Dangerous When Bored” actually means.

I don’t know if there’s one thing that connects ALL of my work, but there are overarching themes like centering older characters, exploring different kinds of friendships and love, and an underlying feeling of hope (even in the horror).

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My mother has been a huge influence in my writing life. She shares my love of books and story and has always supported my creative endeavors: watching every terrible little play I wrote for my sister and me to perform and finding something kind to say about even the most cringe-worthy poems or stories.

I’ve found inspiration in my grandmother and great-grandmother, both fierce and fascinating women in their own rights.

There’s also that first grade teacher, Mrs. Alsdorf, who crouched by my desk one day when I was practicing my handwriting by copying Emily Dickinson’s poems and whispered that I could write my own poems, too, if I wanted to. My bestie in middle school tried to write a tennis romance novel with me. I found a great creative community in my undergraduate years and have found or created a writing circle in all the places I’ve lived: Kentucky, Alaska, Kansas, North Carolina.

My critique groups and partners keep me honest, helping me figure out why something isn’t working when I’m struggling and being there to cheer me on when I find success. My husband and children make room for my writing life in our home (including all the books!) and our lives and let me know that they’re proud of what I’ve done so far.

My dogs keep me balanced–knowing when they should help hold me on the couch so I can focus and when they should encourage me to get out for some fresh air. They’re excellent writing coaches, especially for critters who can’t read.

Pricing:

• $15-30

Contact Info:

• Website: http://dangerouswhenbored.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthabwriter
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samanthadunawaybryant
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-bryant-08842616/
• Twitter: https://x.com/samanthabwriter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SamanthaJBryant
• Other: https://wheretofind.me/@SamanthaBryant