Samantha wouldn’t know until adulthood that the Wright brothers would become a part of her own inventive journey in writing and publishing. Samantha recalls her fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. McLaughlin, as having the greatest impact on her as a reader.
“Mrs. McLaughlin loved children’s literature, and her enthusiasm certainly reached me,” Samantha says. “I loved reading so much as a kid, and I owe that in great measure to her.”
Samantha went on to attend the University of Denver, where she studied journalism and creative writing, graduating in 1989. She now lives in Asheville, N.C.
“I didn’t discover my love of writing until college,” Samantha says. “A creative writing class sparked that interest. Then, one college summer, I attended an extension class in writing for children at Harvard University. That experience helped me hone in on writing for children.”
It would be awhile before Samantha focused her attention on creative writing. She attended the University of Tennessee, receiving a master’s in information science, and worked for a time in competitive intelligence and marketing research. She also spent several years working as an editor at a science publisher.
“In 2000 or so, I realized it was time to focus on writing,” Samantha says. With her husband, Todd, a scientist, she co-authored two books on science for children: “Mutants, Clones and Killer Corn” and “Giant Anteaters.”
She says they had the typical writer’s experience of numerous rejection slips but eventually found a publisher that focuses on children’s books for library distribution.
Now Samantha writes full time on her own, focusing on historical nonfiction for older readers. That’s where the Wright brothers come in: She remembers being fascinated with their history and says, “I love the idea of introducing historical events and figures to young readers for the first time.”
After attending a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference, Samantha connected with an agent and has since been able to place three books of nonfiction for young readers, including “Byrd & Igloo: A Polar Adventure,” about polar explorer Richard Byrd and his dog, Igloo, for middle-grade readers; and “Ghosts in the Fog: The Untold Story of Alaska’s WWII Invasion,” for young adult readers. Her next book, forthcoming this fall, is for young adults, “Lincoln’s Spymaster: Allan Pinkerton, America’s First Private Eye.”
For those interested in writing for younger readers, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators has a Central and Southern Ohio chapter: www.ohiocensouth.scbwi.org.
Learn more about Samantha and her work online at www.samanthaseiple.com.
Events and News
• OnLiten, a locally based online training company, will offer a summer fiction writing class, "Voice and Point of View," led by local author Katrina Kittle. The class will run Thursdays, May 28 through June 18, 7:30-8:30 p.m. For course details and registration information, visit www.onliten.com/workshops.htm.
• Books & Co. at The Greene will offer these events and signings:
o Sunday, May 17, 2-3:30: Free Writers’ Mini-Workshop, sponsored by the Antioch Writers’ Workshop, on “Great Beginnings” for all types of writing, led by Mary McCarty, who writes a column for the Dayton Daily News.
o Tuesday, May 19, 7 p.m.: Demetrius Minor, a former White House intern and television and radio personality, will discuss his book “Preservation and Purpose: The Making of a Young Millennial.”
o Friday, May 22, 7 p.m.: Andrew Knapp and his dog, Momo, will share Andrew’s book “Find Momo: Coast to Coast,” which features photos of Momo in clever hiding spots all over the United States and Canada.
• A Literary Life shout-out to local author Trudy Krisher, whose nonfiction book "Fanny Seward: A Life" won the Silver Medal for Best Regional Non-Fiction from the Independent Publishers Association. Learn more about Trudy's work by going online to www.trudykrisherauthor.com/.
About the Author