Sam Rawlins Answers Questions

Q. Could you tell us something about your own journey in becoming a writer?
A. I’ve long been a believer that God directs all of us to what we are to become in life, that is if we listen. I listened to what those thoughts were telling my brain as a young boy. I started writing small stories by time I was ten and progressed from there.

Q. When did you think about becoming a professional writer?
A. After returning from the Vietnam War, I leaned into that possibility. From all I had seen, images were seared into my memory. I knew I possessed the potential of achieving something.

Q. Did you tap into those memories?
A. Yes, I wrote A Return To Meadow Wood. I drew from not only my experiences, but many interviews I had with other Vietnam veterans who had suffered from PTSD.

Q. What about your book, Young Lincoln of New Salem?
A. Being a history buff since I was a small boy, I had the benefit of many decades of research into Lincoln’s life. I had read many letters, diaries, and eye-witness accounts, many of which were thought lost. Going back to original source material, I used those accounts rather than the many iconic legends that are out there.

Q. What about your new book Naomi’s Journey Into The Light?
A. Much of this book was inspired by being an eye-witness to the last moments of life in young men who had given the last full measure. Toward the end, they’d be looking at me and then suddenly focus on something beyond my field of vision. I would ask, “What are you looking at?” They would answer, “I see Jesus.” This has occurred many times, in my life. In the war, and later when friends and loved ones were dying in hospice care. The look I’ve seen in those faces are truly reflections of what their souls were seeing.

Q. Those experiences must have affected your life?
A. Yes, profoundly, in so many ways. I have become a much more spiritual person as my life has progressed. So, it was only natural I would one day write my new book. There is no question in my mind, there is life beyond this life. This is one book I believe will be a faith-renewing experience for all who read it. I say this, not because I wrote it, but because God inspired it to my mind. It’s His message to everyone that reads it.

Q. This is what you believe?
A. If one seeks answers, God is out there with the answers for a better life. Jesus answered I am the way, the truth, and the life. For those wanting to know about the existence of the afterlife that God has promised us, if one has not started to ask questions, one might start their own spiritual journey with Naomi’s Journey Into The Light and go from there.

Q. Anything else you think readers will get from it?
A. I hope they will be feeling God’s love the way it’s expressed in this story. I hope the way the spirituality is woven throughout, makes it much more meaningful to the readers. Through this book, I like to think I’m helping someone find answers to troubling questions, bringing that person a measure of peace in one’s life. In doing so, I feel like I’m doing something positive as a writer. It’s helping others in this way I feel like I’m not only giving, I’m getting something back. It’s all part of a purpose-driven life as a writer.

Q. What else has being an author done for you?
A. It has evolved into a deeply satisfying life I’m enjoying living. Comforting readers, some who have suffered loss, has opened a door where I can reach into their hearts, encouraging and inspiring them in an uplifting, healing way.

Q. What advice would you give to someone who wants to write an inspirational or faith-based novel?
A. Write about what moves you. Go beyond the surface in character development, digging deep, making your characters as real as possible having all the flaws and worries that life presents to people. Real human emotions will come out of this process. Doing this will make your story become a stronger, more powerful book. Over time, you will develop a writing style that is natural and that your readers will like.

Q. If a new writer wants to go a step farther and add a spiritual element in their story, such as in your new book, any thoughts?
A. A spiritual book, to me, has a far greater impact when you feel the writer has welcomed God into their own life. This type of writer has a mind filled with positive thoughts of faith. Most readers can tell it as well, when they read a spiritual book. I would say to anyone who is contemplating writing this type of book, open up your mind to the presence of God in your life. With Him there, you will become powerful enough to accomplish anything.

Q. Any closing comments?
A. Become more positive in your thoughts, living a purpose-driven life. You will never regret it.