I'm not even sure exactly how I met this young man, probably somewhere in a GoodReads thread. I read an excerpt of his writing and instantly fell in love. But, I'll leave that judgement to you. So, with no further ado, I give you...
SAM WHITEHOUSE
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| And he's adorable, too. |
Sam, you're a relatively young writer but write like a
seasoned professional. Tell us about your writing background and inspiration.
From
pretty much the moment I realised that books were written by people, I realised
that’s what I wanted to do. From very early on I read, and still do, a lot of
fantasy and immersing myself in these worlds inspired me to create my own. I
wanted more places to explore. I started off writing what I thought were books,
handwriting them and stapling them together. But as I got older and into high
school and my teachers told me I could write (previously I didn’t have a clue
whether what I was writing was good or not) I started my first novel. Reading
it back now makes me cringe, but I still loved the experience and journey of
putting a plot together, filling it with characters, creating a world etc.
Inspiration comes from a lot of things for me, other writers, other books,
movies, landscapes (in particular for Prophecy of Three Quartet, landscapes
helped).
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| Is that Sam?? |
What genre do you
write? Can you sum up your book in 100 words or less?
I
write largely fantasy (middle grade-young adult) but I recently started writing
a science fiction novel, the first in a trilogy, which I am really excited
about.
Inheriting
a responsibility for the fate of two worlds and being hunted by an insane witch
isn’t exactly the life of an ordinary fourteen year old. But what can you do
when your name has been written in a millennia old prophecy? Embracing this
inescapable, potentially deadly destiny is all Simon, Evelyn and James can do
when they discover they have to save a world they never even knew about.
Learning
magic, using time travel, battling terrifying creatures, defeating a power
hungry witch and averting an impending apocalypse. Not exactly the life of an ordinary fourteen
year old.
Share a blurb and/or review of a book you
enjoyed.
Recently
I read Chris Columbus’s (director of the first two potter movies) new book, The
House of Secrets. It caught my eye on the shelf because it had an endorsement
by none other than J K Rowling herself. How could I not buy it? It’s a superb,
fast paced adventure, perfect for anyone missing Harry Potter or who loves
Percy Jackson.
What is your wildest dream for you book and your
future writing?
I
would love to be able to travel around the world, meeting people who have read
and enjoyed something I’ve written. It would be awesome just knowing that
something I’ve written is being read by others. Also I wouldn’t say no to a
movie deal and a spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. But what I most
hope for is just being able to connect with readers, like I did with the
Potter/Percy Jackson books. Future writing… I am finishing editing book 2 and
already writing book 3 of the Prophecy of Three quartet and book 4 is
completely mapped out and ready to be created. I have a science fiction trilogy
completely planned out and recently wrote the first three chapters but at the
moment, University takes up quite a bit of time so I don’t know when I’ll be
getting back to that.
Are there any indie authors that you enjoy and
would be willing to share?
Joseph
Evans’s Seckry Sequence was really enjoyable. Can you call Christopher Paolini
an indie author anymore? Eragon was self-published and I really enjoyed that.
Also the Silo books (Wool) by Hugh Howey, that man is an inspiration to all
indie authors, in my eyes.
Who are your 2 favorite best-selling authors?
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| Yay! Harry Potter!! |
J K
Rowling and Rick Riordan (I didn’t even have to think about this for a second).
Both are geniuses and an inspiration. I grew up with the Harry Potter and Percy
Jackson books and life would be incomplete without both. I cannot wait for the
new Percy Jackson movie, Sea of Monsters, and Rick Riordan’s next book in the
Heroes of Olympus series.
If you could be any character in any book, who
would you be and why?
Percy
Jackson! (Again, no hesitation) Who wouldn’t want to be the son of Poseidon and
have power over water? Plus, he gets to go to Camp Half Blood which is an
awesome place and I had a crush on Annabeth when I was a little younger. I
would have said Harry Potter but being hunted down by an insane wizard isn’t
high on my wish list. Then again, Hogwarts is a brilliant place to live… No,
Percy Jackson, definitely.
If you were doing an interview, what would the 2
most important questions be that you would ask?
What
was the last book you read and what are you reading now? (I don’t know why but
I always ask people this, I just love knowing what kind of stuff they read)
What
is your favourite movie? (Again this is another question I ask all the time,
it’s really interesting hearing how different people’s answers are)
Is there anything else you want people to know
about you?
Last
book I read was House of Secrets by Chris Columbus, I am now reading, or rather
re-reading (for the fourth time) The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan.
My
favourite movies are Jurassic Park or JJ Abram’s Star Trek (really hard to pick
just one). Also, I am a die-hard fan of the TV shows Lost and Fringe.
More Stuff You Should Know About Sam
He was born in Pontefract, The United Kingdom
He writes Fantasy, Children's, Young Adult
His influences areJ.K. Rowling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Steven Spielberg
About this author
So there you have it. I hope you will all check into Sam Whitehouse. I think he's amazing.
What an intelligent young writer who seems to know exactly what he is doing and wants to achieve. It seems like he not only has plans, but also knows how to achieve success. The world needs more young writers who have a full and proper grasp on the craft. Great interview and excellent responses.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Paul. I am very impressed with Sam. I can just see all the teen American girls who love Harry Potter and books going completely nuts over him.
ReplyDeleteOoooh yeah! You're next dude!
:)
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