Interview with Sam Young

http://www.samyoung1.webspace.virginmedia.com/

First off, thanks so much for joining us for an up-close and personal interview for TeensReadToo.com! My name is Jen, and I’ll be your server toda…oh, wait, wrong job! Anyway, thanks so much for taking time out of your writing schedule—which I’m sure is busy!—and answering a few questions for your readers and fans.

Let’s get some of the typical interview questions out of the way first. When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always loved books, ever since my mum bought me a Santa sack full of pre-school books when I was three or four but I knew I wanted to be a writer after I read THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE when I was seven or eight. It was just so magical and was really the first book to take me away into another world entirely. I was so excited by the idea of creating my own little magical worlds that I began writing when I was ten or eleven and just knew that being a writer was the job for me.

Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?

Having always been a little shy about my writing it took me a while to get up the courage to send my work off to a publisher. I guess I must have believed that little bit more in LUNARMORTE and decided rather than getting an agent I would send samples of the novel off to publishers in the UK that accepted unsolicited manuscripts. Like most writers I got my fair share of rejections but last Autumn I received a letter from Pegasus' Elliot Mackenzie asking to see the rest of the manuscript. The wait was nerve-wracking but finally in January 2010 I got an offer of contract. Yay!

Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?

My latest, and debut, release is the first novel in a trilogy titled LUNARMORTE. LUNARMORTE is about a war between two factions who are the children of the ancient Greek gods and seventeen-year old lykan, Caia Ribeiro, who is destined to bring their 2000 year old war to an end. One thing about the story to convince you all to buy the book? There are some really HOT guys! Lol. In all seriousness, I think LUNARMORTE truly has something new to say about supernatural folklore and hopefully is a refreshing addition to YA fantasy.

What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?

My greatest inspiration has been the ancient Greeks and their rich and wonderful mythology that is so full of possibility it makes me giddy!

Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!

OMG proud indeed! It’s a little embarrassing for me as I’m not great at receiving compliments. There’s my mum, Elaine, and my dad, Alexander, and there’s my big brother, David, who is the worst of the lot for bragging to people! OK, maybe not the worst. My aunt Carol just might have the honor of being THAT person. We also have an immortal goldfish in the family. He’s been around forever, doesn’t have a name (I don’t know why!) and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care whether I’m published or not – probably because we didn’t have the decency to give him a name.

Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?

That’s easy…Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food.

What are the first three things you do when you wake up in the morning?

Switch off my alarm (ugh), fall over a pile of books (need more bookshelves!) and stumble into the shower.

If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?

Probably the lack of anything surprising! As a fantasy writer I really should have more cool stuff tucked away just so I have a good answer to questions like these. One day, however, I aim to have a big antique wardrobe full of fur (faux) coats in my attic.

Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?

Green. I love green, especially Victorian and jade greens, it’s such a relaxing colour and helpful for the writing process.

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

Are we including Disney Pixar? If sooo…Dug the dog in Pixar’s UP! He makes me laugh so much.

Which cartoon character is most like you?

Mushu from Mulan – we have the exact same sense of humour. Is it possible to have the same sense of humour as a cartoon? Maybe I should be worried.

If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?

I’d love to go back (briefly…and mostly for hygiene reasons) to the end of the 13th century and meet Sir William Wallace and Sir Robert the Bruce – I love the history of the Scottish Wars of Independence. Ooh now I’m stuck…I also love the history of King Leonidas and his 300 (or so) of his Spartans who fought of the Persian army. I’ll have to think on that one a bit longer.

So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?

I love all kinds of music – from rock to pop to indie to musicals. My favourite artists include Muse, Biffy Clyro, the Killers, the Kooks, Paramore and many, many more. Music is a huge part of my writing process…it’s often been the source of inspiration for a scene or piece of dialogue.

Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?

My favourite tv shows are Grey’s Anatomy (slightly obsessed with that one), Entourage, Glee and Rules of Engagement. I’m a massive movie buff, got too many dvds to count, but movies I watch over and over again? Ah the Harry Potter movies – they’re like comfort food to me. Also Good Will Hunting, the Bourne Trilogy and Kill Bill. I’ve seen those movies too many times to count. As for the last movie I saw at the theater…wow I haven’t been to the theatre in ages, it was Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (which I loved).

You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?

Step out of your comfort zone. If you’re stuck reading a certain genre of books take a chance on something new (like I did with classical literature). The same goes with music or movies or art…or anything really. That way there’s more opportunity for inspiration to strike.

One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?

The second and third novels in the LUNARMORTE trilogy are first in line for the future and an urban fantasy series spin-off. I also have a fantasy novel in the works that is set in a world all of my own making that I’m really excited about since my imagination can just run wild!

Again, thanks so much for joining us at TeensReadToo.com!

Thanks TeensReadToo!