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Nan Sampson – Author

Tag Archives: Samantha Warren

So, an Astrophysicist, a Radio Show Host and a Biologist Walk Into a Bar…

16 Monday Jun 2014

Posted by Nancy Bach in Uncategorized

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Carl Sagan, Casey Kasem, Gerard K. O'Neill, heores, neil degrasse tyson, Paul Sereno, Roger Zelazny, Samantha Warren, Stephen J Gould, visionary writers, visonary scientists

My Heroes

Can you name your top five childhood heroes? And Wonder Woman and Isis don’t count – I’m talking real, flesh and blood people, not comic book superheroes. I can name mine. In fact I can name quite a few more than five. And sadly, many of them have left us now.

I am keenly aware of this after the passing of Casey Kasem this past weekend. Mr. Kasem was a fixture of my youth. First, because he was the host of American Top 40, which I listened to loyally every week. I had a radio on my bike and I would ride around the neighborhood (whichever neighborhood that was – we moved frequently as I was an air Force brat) and listen to the show. Casey was always there, no matter where I was , a constant in a world where everything was always changing. I could always count on Casey to be my radio friend. And of course, he was the voice of Shaggy Rogers from my all-time favorite cartoon, Scooby Doo. I actually did a paper on him for some school assignment, about how he came from a family of immigrants, and following a dream he never let go of, made himself into a household name. But it wasn’t the fame that drove him. It was doing the thing he loved doing. For the budding writer that I was, that was a message that found a home in my heart.

Then there were the other heroes. Carl Sagan, who was taken from us way too soon.  Stephen Jay Gould, who made evolutionary biology fun.  Gerard K. O’Neill who taught me that we already had what we needed to make a home in space.  Roger Zelazny, who showed me that my weird story ideas were no more weird than his.  Isaac Asimov, who was just freaking brilliant in more ways than I can count… Yes, I was an odd child. My heroes were in large part scientists, writers, visionaries. People who saw the world that COULD be, not necessarily the world that was. People who looked beyond what everyone else saw.

Over the years I’ve watched them all fade away, and the world gets a little bit dimmer each time one of them passes.

But I refuse to be defined by loss. So it’s time to find new heroes. Time to find new visionaries, like Carl Sagan’s successor, Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is totally ROCKIN’ the new Cosmos series. But I gotta tell you, it’s been tough for me to suss them out. We are surrounded these days by celebrities but for me, celebs aren’t heroes. So I’ve been finding it hard to hear the voices I’m listening for over all the noise.

I spent a little time feeling old and sad this morning.  We all have those moments. But all of my heroes persevered in the face of defeat and I can do no less. So I’m now on mission to look deeper, search harder, and with renewed intent for the visionaries of today – the pioneers of our tomorrows. And I’ll be sure to post my new list when I’ve nailed down at least ten of them.  Neil is currently at the top of my list, followed in short order by Michio Kaku (seriously, what is it with me and physicists?), paleontologist Paul Sereno and fellow author Samantha Warren (who has more courage and drive than anyone else I know)…

Who were your childhood heroes? Why did they inspire you? How did they shape the you of today? And who are you finding now to inspire you? Share them here so we can all be inspired! Thanks!

Illegitimi non carborundum!

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An Independent Woman

08 Thursday May 2014

Posted by Nancy Bach in Stalking the Wild Muse, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

fiction writing, indie publishing, Massacre at Lonesome Ridge, Samantha Warren, Writing

It is an amazing time to be a writer. When I was young(er), the publishing world had me by the throat. Find your story (but make sure it fit into the neatly defined categories set forth by the books sellers of the world). Then write it and ship it off to every literary agent worth their salt (but ONLY in the city of New York because they were the only ones that were said to “count”). Then pray that one of them would find you in their giant slush pile and agree to take you on. Then pray that he/she didn’t screw you in your contract. Then pray some more that said agent actually believed in your work enough to sell your work to a publisher over sparkling water and poached salmon. And finally, you got the word that you’d sold something… and started sacrificing teddy bears and Cheetos to the Book Store Gods to ensure your book sold enough to warrant getting a contract for a second book. And so on and so on. The only part that was in your control was the writing.

Today, with the rise of indie publishing, it’s a completely different world. Now, if you choose to go the path of an indie writer, your future is really in your own hands. And while this can be incredibly intimidating (okay, terrifying), it is also extremely liberating. A friend of mine recently published an AWESOME short in a genre that didn’t even exist ten years ago (zombie westerns). Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Massacre-Lonesome-Ridge-Samantha-Warren-ebook/dp/B00IRJ4MBY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1399576383&sr=1-1&keywords=massacre+at+lonesome+ridge
Not only is the genre startlingly non-traditional, but it isn’t a traditional “novel” length piece either. Ten years ago, even five years ago, no traditional publishing house would have considered it. Heck, they probably still wouldn’t. But Ms. Warren is not only a brilliant entrepreneur, she’s an amazing writer. She makes it work. And that, my friends, is the truly amazing thing about this brave new world we find ourselves in as writers. We can forge our own path. Create our own genres. Live our dreams on OUR terms.

In June I’ll be publishing my first novel as an indie author. I’m equal parts terrified and thrilled. But the best part is that I don’t need anyone but me to make this happen. Well… okay, me and a bunch of supportive friends, family members, beta readers…

I’ve known my whole life what my special gift was. Now I can use it – without any “authority” telling me it’s not good enough. And that is the most amazing thing of all.

Illegitimi non carborundum!

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