Inspiring the Aspiring Writers

I won’t pretend to know everything or even much of anything, but I’ll accept the challenge to share what little knowledge and experience I have.

Last January, I started a new job at my local community newspaper, a couple of months before my first novel, Shattered, book one of the Forged series, was published. At the time, I mentioned the release of my debut novel to the newsroom, but I didn’t push for any special treatment. I figured if the news cycle was “slow” and they needed a feel-good piece about a local, I might get an article.

Plenty was going on at the time, so no article appeared. No judgment.

A couple of weeks ago, one of the lead reporters, Starla, reached out and asked if I’d be willing to do an interview, not with her but with her intern. Turns out, she’s been mentoring local high school senior Jennifer Samp and figured since the release of Merged, book two of the Forged series, was upcoming, now might be a good time to take care of two things at once: give a nervous teen a ‘safe’ person to interview and give a local author her opportunity to be highlighted (by her employer). And the bonus? YA Dystopian fiction happens to be a topic of interest for the young reporter.

I invited the young reporter, her mentor, and the newspaper’s photographer to my home office to ‘see where the magic happens.’ It was a bit snuggly in the basement bedroom-converted-office with four adults.

Starla let Jennifer lead the interview with only a couple of whispered suggestions to get her started. Her nerves slowly melted away the more questions she asked. I was happy to repeat my answers and gave her clarifications or time to diligently scribble notes—she took several pages.

Our conversation meandered to cover my life, my family, my writing, and my job at the newspaper. We talked about the book and the publishing process. At the time of the interview, I was still working toward publishing Merged by the end of May. I have since adjusted my timeline, based on input from vendors and their workload, to be late summer. ‘Tis the nature of small press publishing, I suppose.

Jennifer was fascinated by the maps and drawings on my wall, so we talked a bit about the story’s locations and my writing process. I pointed out some elements on the cover of Shattered and their importance to the Forged world.

When the camera focused directly on Jennifer, I could see her eyes widen in panic. I encouraged her, “Just look at me. Forget she’s even here. It’s just you and me having a conversation.” That seemed to calm her a bit.

I love the photos that Rachel snapped while we spoke. Aren’t they precious?

This post is public, so feel free to share it. (Someone in your community might be interested too!)

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It took a couple of weeks for the article to appear in the paper.1 They were waiting for a print issue with enough space for both Jennifer’s article and Starla’s reflections on mentoring the high schooler. Last week, I’d arrived at a meeting for my ‘real’ job, and a notice popped up on my phone that I had a congratulatory message from a work colleague who had read the day’s edition and had come across the article. What a fun way to start my work day!

Her series is about “making your way through and finding hope at the end.”

- Local author pens second book in dystopian trilogy, by Jennifer Samp

Jennifer did a great job capturing our conversation and sharing what stood out to her. If you get a chance, you can read the full article here. The reflection piece by Starla is here. It does require a subscription, so if you don’t have one, consider purchasing a day pass to the paper. It’s only $3, and you’ll be supporting locally owned community journalism, an aspiring young journalist, and all the newspaper’s employees, myself included😊.

She chose dystopian fiction because she enjoys reading the genre, and it’s a topic anyone of any age can relate to, she said.

- Local author pens second book in dystopian trilogy, by Jennifer Samp

“Fiction is a way to learn through the imagination. It gives us a safe space to process emotions and thoughts,” Mason said.

- Local author pens second book in dystopian trilogy, by Jennifer Samp

I’ve spent the last couple of days finetuning my presentation on “Tackling ‘Big Themes’ in YA Fiction” for the upcoming The Terroir Creative Writing Festival on May 2, 2026.

I’ve gathered my thoughts on the practical tools writers of any genre can take to translate major themes from abstract concepts into emotionally immediate stories that connect with both teen and adult readers. I’ve collected my examples. Prepared my handout. Created my slides. And talked to myself a ridiculous amount. All to make sure that makes sense and is actually useful.

If you are interested in listening to this talk, purchase a ticket to attend the one-day workshop here. Find more information about the speakers and their presentation topics here.

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