Sam’s interview

1. When did I begin to write? I’m not sure…I’ve been making up little stories for as long as I can remember. I learned to read early and had a very active imagination. Harry Potter made me fall in love with reading, and I guess what made me want to be a writer. I loved the idea of living in a fantasy world - my own imagination - forever. I remember when I was sure I was going to be a writer, or at least pursue writing. We had to write something for my class in sixth grade. Because of Harry Potter I loved descriptive writing, and I had a lot of fun writing a story with as many descriptive words as possible. Now that I’m thinking of it…that might have been the assignment. Anyway, my story was top 3 in the class. My teacher even stopped my mom in the parking lot during pick-up to tell her how good the story was and how good the description was. I’ve been chasing that high every since!

2. Excellent question. If I said happiness…would that make sense? I feel good after a couple hours of writing. And I don’t just mean I feel accomplished or productive, it goes deeper than that. It’s like my soul has been replenished. Like what was once insatiable is now sated. I guess that is what writing gives to me: if feeds my soul in a way nothing else ever could.

3. My ultimate writing goal is to craft a novel as intricate and detailed as one by Jodi Picoult. I want to examine the world around us, to make it make sense. For me and for you. I want to write a book you can’t put down, a book you will think about for weeks, months, maybe even years to come. And if I can throw in a twist ending that leaves the reader speechless, well that’d be a huge bonus for me.