I began writing back in 2003 after taking a writing course and began the first draft of God’s of Athenia back in October 2003. During this time I worked at a Sainsbury’s supermarket and would write all my idea’s on till roll. When my shifts came to an end my pockets were always filled with till roll paper. From 2003 to 2019 I had completely re-written the first book of the series four times and even had a four year break from writing in-between that period.

As a person I am a massive Lord of the Rings Trilogy fan and I think they are the greatest movies ever made. I am also fan of the Matrix trilogy, original Star Wars Trilogy, the My Hero Academia, Dragonball Z series and most 80’s pop culture. Today I prefer Anime & Manga over any media produced today because I find the work of the Japanese to be most inspiring and exciting.

Gods of Athenia: Book of Souls, is the first of a 4 book story Ark. I have finished the second instalment and I have been writing the third instalment since 2020 and I would like to say that I’m making good progress. As a Japanese comic book fan I am also hoping to one day have this story professionally illustrated in graphic novel form, Well that’s the dream.

Describe yourself in five words

I’m a very creative person

What fact about yourself would really surprise people?

I was the best artist in my primary school at the age of 6. The head teacher told a story about a genie and eagle and everyone in the school had to draw both a genie and eagle and they all went up on the main hall walls. Teachers and students all had to vote for their favorite illustration and my eagle won.

How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

I try and stay focused on the task ahead and ignore any negativity.

What scares you the most?

The deep ocean. I don’t like what I cannot see.

What makes you happiest? 

Being around my family. I’m passed the age of always going out and having late nights, I prefer nights in or going out to a restaurant with my family.

Why do you write? 

Because not only do I enjoy it, I love to express myself creatively. I have a story to tell and if I don’t write the story will not write itself. I have had breaks from writing in the past (one break lasted four years) but since 2015 I have not stopped.

Have you always enjoyed writing? 

Yes but as a child, teenager and young adult I was an illustrator, writing became my life from the age of 22. I have always been more natural with a pencil than with words but over time my writing has become everything and I hardly illustrate anymore.

What motivates you to write? 

Gods of Athenia is a four book series and as of now, the first one is released and available.  The manuscript for part two is complete but and I am almost half way through the manuscript for part 3. I am very determined to finish all four manuscripts without fail.

What writing are you most proud of? .

Completing my first novel, I have re-written it so many times because I was never fully happy with the finished version. Now to see it finally produced was an amazing moment. I am very proud of it.

What are you most proud of in your personal life? 

As a family man, my son, he’s only 9 and the greatest treasure in my life.

What books did you love growing up? 

As a child I enjoyed George’s marvelous medicine and Matilda, as an adult Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

What do you hope your obituary will say about you? 

That I created a fantastic book series.

Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live? 

I grew up in Highbury N5 which is in North London, I moved to N7 for a while also. The area is historic but I have lived in Enfield on the boarder of Hertfordshire since 2001.  As for life experiences I grew up in the 1980’s which was a very creative era, the cartoons, TV shows and movies were fantastic in those days and as a child I was always heavily inspired by what I was watching.

How did you develop your writing?

I took a writing course back in 2003 and at first my writing needed a lot of work, the first finished version of my manuscript in 2005 was binned straight away. To improve I kept writing and kept reading, I believe the more books you read will help you as a writer.

What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

All have their difficulties, but if you want to get published the traditional way that is by far the hardest in my opinion.

What marketing works for you? 

At the moment I am new to marketing so I am trying various things, like social media, being on websites and hopefully podcasts soon. I also have my own website I put together, nothing flashy but here is the URL: http://www.samwrightnovels.com.

Do you find it hard to share your work? 

When my work was unfinished yes, but now I’m trying to get my book in front of as many people as possible.

 Is your family supportive? Do your friends support you? 

Yes, both family and friends are very supportive. I’m blessed. I have lots of friends and family that pre-ordered the novel, I just hope they enjoy it.

What else do you do, other than write? 

I love Japanese Anime; I think the Japanese are amazingly creative and the best story-tellers in the world. I also love video games but cannot play like I did 10 years ago; as I’ve gotten older my playing time has greatly reduced. I like to watch football when I can also.

What other jobs have you had in your life? 

I started off working in a supermarket and during my time there was when I would write all my original ideas on till roll. By the end of my shift my pockets were full of ideas. Up until 2005 I had no direction with my work life but that year I found a sales roles and have I been doing sales ever since. Do I like it? Not as much as I use to, but I’ve also been a Life Insurance Advisor which was a very enjoyable role.

If you could study any subject at university what would you pick? 

Animation.

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Japan.

Tell us about your family? 

My wife and I met when we were young and we married in our early twenties. My son who is now 9 loves video games and already wants to be a game designer. My brother is seven years younger than me and extremely talented in everything he does and my brother-in law is very successful in his career. 

How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?

My PC, I only write on laptop if I go on holiday. In the beginning I would type up all my ideas onto my PC from my till roll but now if I have an idea I use Apple Notes.

How much sleep do you need to be your best? 

As much as I can get, I rarely have late nights these days.

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?

My wife for her continued support and my late mother-in law who always supported me.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you? 

Writing full time, I don’t need to be a world-wide success to be happy, if I could get up and write everyday as a job then my dreams have come true.

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign? 

I agree and at the moment my marketing is mainly targeting all other writers and avid readers. However I am hopefully launching a campaign in January and I want to target young teenagers and adults.

Tell us about your new book? Why did you write it?

It started out as a graphic novel in 2001, after reading Lord of the Rings and a few Harry Potter books I decided that I wanted to write it instead. Gods of Athenia: Book of Souls is about the journey of four unique beings, each of them have a special ability. More than fate has brought these four together and what they don’t know is that they are being hunted by dark powerful aliens across the galaxy.

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?

Peter Jackson (Director of Lord of the Rings)

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax? 

By watching My Hero Academia, Dragonball Z or movies / TV shows based in 1980’s. I also enjoy reading Manga novels and occasionally I’ll play a video game.

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?

I want them to feel excited when reading it; I want them to be eager to read the books that follow.