dailyprompt – Samuel Colbran

Reading is my Passion.

Bloganuary writing prompt

What books do you want to read?

Ever since I was a kid, I have loved firstly speculative fiction, especially fantasy, then books on history and finally mathematics/science textbooks.

This interest stems from my various interests, needing to understand the history and the riches that come from that knowledge. I have used this learning to influence my writing. I love learning what was done before and seeing how it slowly impacted society.

Then it is reading fantasy from these fantastic authors; David Eddings, Raymond E Feist, Robb Hobb, Sarah Douglass, Weis and Hickman combo, Dan Abnett, and most recently Pirateaba, Shirtaloon, JF Brink and Zogarth. It helped me in the past to escape from my depression and abusive stepfather with the constant bullying at school. Now, it helps relax me and learn how others write.

Then there is reading textbooks on mathematics and science; this stemmed from my skill and talent in these areas. If I had been better in the whole university thing, I would have become a physicist or a mathematician. Still, I have a few dozen books on these topics in my bookcases.

I do like other books, but these picks are my passion.

Things that make me happy!

Daily writing prompt

When are you most happy?

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I have been enjoying doing a few of these daily writing prompts. Of all the questions, I thought asking when I am most happy would make my day.

Many things make me happy, from reading to spending time with family and friends. Even writing this answer allows my creative juices to flow.

I will start by finding a new book by a favourite author in a bookstore. There have been times that I didn’t care if I had the money, only that I needed this book. I would then devour it, not stopping until every word was imprinted into my imagination.

Next would be a walk either near water or surrounded by trees. It makes my soul jump in joy to be in my mind. The air was crisp and vibrant. Early morning is my best experience walking on the Broadwater in Southport, QLD. Then it was walking a hiker’s path in a rainforest. The massive trees with vines and foliage hanging from them. Seeing critters running around in their natural habitat makes me joyful.

Then there is spending time with friends or family, from playing Dungeons and Dragons with my nerdy friends to spending time with my eldest sister and discussing things. I am at peace surrounded by those special people in my life.

Finally, creating stories. I have been grabbing ideas from the depth of my imagination, pulling them into the written word. I don’t think I ever regretted the bliss of writing something fantastical that would bring delight into others’ lives.

My weakness is books. What should I do?

Daily writing prompt

What could you do less of?

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This question is a hard one. To look at yourself and reflect on flaws or habits. One thing I do have to admit is listening to audiobooks too much.

I love reading and have fallen in love with audiobooks since I became a caregiver. It allowed me to experience fantastic books while doing all the jobs that being a carer entailed.

Since the death of the person I cared for, I have found that habit has made people around me annoyed as I am immersed in incredible books, like The Wandering Inn, Beware of Chicken, Awaken Online, Belgariad, The Dresden Files and many more.

I could cut it down now, but I am listening to a book as I write this blog. So, I might be a lost cause. Still reminding myself that I have people who want to chat with me, I will curb the need always to be lost in a fantasy world.

My hardest decisions I have made.

Like most people, I have had to make several hard decisions that have shaped my life. I had a few choices that, through hindsight, could have led me on a different path, but I can’t change the past.
My first decision was to move states to run a kitchen. This should have been for only one year, but I stayed for the next twenty years. My boss offered me to move to organise the new kitchen, except when I arrived the manager and the staff thought I was there to fire or be the new manager. This was different, but trying to fix anything was stalled by the other employees and the manager. When the boss came to check out the kitchen, it was still a mess, and I was chewed out by him. I decided to stay at the job even though it was horrible to work there because I moved in with my sister. She had a new baby, and I wanted to stay with my family.
The next significant choice was going to university. After years of working the job, I needed to change direction and was talented in mathematics. This meant I left my job as the university was in a different city. I still wanted to work, but I need help with the travel. The drawback of the university was a social life. Being a chef, you only have a little social life, and that changed when you worked from 50 hours a week to 20 hours a week with full-time study. I then went hard hanging out with new friends, and this caused me to fail my course and get kicked out. It was my choice, and I don’t regret my path, as I also discovered that I am not much of a student.
The most recent one was choosing to become my mother’s carer and becoming an author. I still worked as a chef many years after trying to become a mathematician. This came to a head when I was doing errands for my disabled mother, but she was becoming more dependent on my help. So, I quit my job, and while looking after my mother, I started to write. During the first month of looking after her, I was kicked out by my housemate and lost my girlfriend. It took me months to get over these setbacks. I eventually moved in with my mother and became her full-time caregiver.
I finished the novel and three novellas while caring for my mother. Looking back at all my decisions, I ended up in the best place. Now, I have a new decision to make as my mother has passed away, and I decided to get training in individual support so I can take everything I learned from caring for my mother into a new career.

What are your favorite animals?

I do like a lot of different animals, from cats to dogs to birds, as I had all three when I was a child. Besides all this, I have a few that I love and sometimes think they could be my spirit animal.

First is the bear; I think they are fantastic, but I wouldn’t go up to hug one if I could. My nickname is Brother Bear; I am big, hairy, and cuddly like a teddy bear.

Next is the wolf, as they are majestic, and I love the idea of the pack and how they feel and interact with nature. Yes, they have been the cause of deaths among livestock and human lives, but they have that intelligence that defines them in my eyes.

Lastly is the dog. What not to love about a dog? A loyal companion, a lovable and fluffy animal. When I was young, I had two German shepherds. They were brilliant and loveable, and a few times, they protected me from weirdos and other uncouth people.

Do I trust my instincts?

Yes, I do. There has been many times in my life that something felt off and I have stepped away from the situation.

One time I nearly was caught by the scam about a secret file on your computer and Microsoft was calling to help as they detect it. The file, I found out later, was part of the processing system. At the time I nearly gave them full access to my computer, files and passwords but something was hinky. I’m glad my instincts was spot on as the fallout would have been bad.

Nowadays, being an author makes the few offers by marketing people. I don’t mind it, but they need to research people’s books/blog/personalities to understand how to interpret that into a successful business plan for you. Trying to cold call someone because they used a hashtag or another form of exposure shouldn’t make you trust them. As my publisher said to me before I signed up, trust your gut and do due diligence.

What’s the first impression you want to give people?

A happy man with a kind heart. I prefer to be pleasant to people so that they can get to know me. I use my spare time to learn different topics and chat about anything. And if I need to learn something or someone is much more knowledgeable than me, I love to learn.
Curiosity is one of my traits. Learning about different cultures, subjects, and knowledge is one of my goals. That is what I try to do when I meet people. To be open, funny and willing to learn and listen.