Liam Samolis's Page

Cold Coffee Press Spotlight Interview With Author Liam Samolis

Message from Author:

Who am I? That's supposed to be a rhetorical question, not a cry for help, by the way...

I'll unbend a little and tell you that I'm a middle-aged man living in Canada, and as I intimated, I'm actively engaged in getting a writing career off the ground. Yes, it's taken me this long to finally start doing something that I feel very comfortable doing, and I'm also keen about preserving some of my privacy, too.

In essence, I'm an ordinary man with an ambition to write. I very much hope that you will join me as I embark on what I hope will be a glorious adventure.

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Quote from Author Liam Samolis’ book: Signs of (a) Life by Liam Samolis

“Liam Samolis grew up in England where he went into the police service at an early age, after barely surviving the tedium of an all-boys’ school.

Moving with his young family to British Columbia, Canada, in 2002 and staying there ever since (surprisingly never getting deported).

Liam is edging the half century mark; determined that impending prostate exams and incipient acrophobia won’t slow him down.

Liam excels in trying to be the best father and husband he can be, as well as a poor fisherman.

A big Teddy Bear at heart, the author has been chased by cows, buxom women, and his own pending mortality, and writes with these and many other life experiences moving his pen.”

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Interview:

What makes you proud to be a writer from Canada? I am not proud to be a writer from anywhere in particular - my location has little to do with my writing at present. As an immigrant to Canada, I feel only tenuous bonds to any one place, although at present the small English town where I spent the majority of my childhood is persistently at the forefront of my reminiscences.

What or who inspired you to become a writer? I have nurtured the desire to be a writer since I was eleven years old, when I first experienced the thrill of entertaining other people with a story that I had written. The dream had lain dormant for many years. The death of my father three years ago prompted me to finally begin fulfilling a promise that I made to myself many years ago. His passing - and how little I knew about him outside of his parental role - inspired me to write my first book for my children, so that they - and their children - may know more of me.

When did you begin writing with the intention of becoming published? My first book was begun as a private project - a kind of extended letter to my family. As the book developed, it began to dawn on me that it may have some worth and meaning to people outside of the family. My decision was finally made after an initial review by an editor, the effusive nature of which convinced me to proceed.

Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and did you use it to your advantage? I believe that the accumulated and very varied experiences of my entire lifetime has played and continues to play the biggest role in my writing, far more than location or other environmental factors.

Do you come up with your title before or after you write the manuscript? As soon as I know what I am going to write about, I devise a title, it helps me focus.

Please introduce your genre and why you prefer to write in that genre? My genre is currently memoir (I have plans to diverge) with a strong humorous thread. I write as myself, and try as much as possible to be myself, rather than creating a fictitious persona. My writing has been described as 'brutally, side-splittingly honest' and that's the way I like to live, and the kind of person I like to be. I enjoy writing about the little things which populate most of our real lives, and which take up much of our thinking time. The small stuff IS the big stuff.

What was your inspiration, spark or light bulb moment that inspired you to write the book that you are seeking promotion for? As I stated above, the inspiration to start writing and the inspiration to write this book were one and the same thing. I want my children and grandchildren to know more about the man than the word 'father'.

What has been your most rewarding experience with your writing process? Without question, the first review of my manuscript by a professional editor. The review was so incredibly enthusiastic, I burst into tears.

What has been your most rewarding experience in your publishing journey? Receiving the printed books in the mail. Nothing beats holding the physical evidence of being a published author.

Have you had a negative experience in your writing career? If so please explain how it could have been avoided? So far, so good!

What one positive piece of advice would you give to other authors? Don't try to proof-read your own work.

Who is your favorite author and why? Bill Bryson: he's funny, intelligent, insightful, funny, a wonderful story teller, talks about the real world, and did I mention that he's funny?

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Signs of (a) Life by Liam Samolis

Much like his beloved – and somewhat decrepit – cars, Liam Samolis (NOT his real name; that was changed in order to protect his wife and children from ridicule on the off chance some of their friends will read his work) is hurtling towards 50 with the brakes failing.

The painful loss of his father leads Liam to look back at his life as he contemplates the legacy he is leaving his own children; resulting in a hilarious, often self-deprecating, and ALWAYS brutally, side-splittingly, honest glimpse at the path that has led him to become the man that he is.

With stories about growing up as a painfully shy child in England, going to an all-boys’ school, and what can only be described as the most uproariously hysterical bar scene EVER written, Liam also recounts his days as a police officer, the births of his children, and saying goodbye to his father.

What began as a legacy to his children will send readers into peals of raucous laughter, likely leading them to tears and other unexpected bodily functions.

If you read one book this year, Signs of (a) Life should be it – nowhere else will you be so moved by a man simply living.

Book Genre: Memoir, Humour

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Cold Coffee Press Book Review for Signs of (a) Life by Liam Samolis

OK, women, here it is!

Finally, a gut honest personal journal written by a man that hits the pages of Signs of (a) Life with both serious and laugh-out-loud stories.

To begin with, Liam speaks of issues that we can all relate to as we stand in front of a mirror and are surprised to see the older, graying image of someone we barely recognize staring back.

Liam states this right off the bat, “Warning: this book contains within it accounts of real conversations which may therefore occasionally include naughty words and rude phrases. I’ve even made up some words of my own. That’s the real world for you.”

Within the 502 pages and 61 topics this author presents his half century of life experiences in a relaxed, well thought out format that lets the readers empathize with him. His stories involve experiences not just a man, but as a boy. Very few men will bare their souls to share experiences of awkwardness while moving from childhood into manhood. Liam shares some of his experiences while attending a single-sex school for boys. He shares his discovery of girls, cars and various medical issues.

Some of the most interesting stories involve his experiences as a police officer in England. The most touching are his stories about the birth of his children. Liam dedicates this book to his children.

I invite you to come laugh and cry with Liam Samolis as we wait to see what happens in his next fifty years of living.

I leave you with this quote from Liam. “Like the vast majority of men; I feel. I enjoy (which, by the way, seems to be an ‘allowed’ emotion), I grieve, I feel sad, I feel hurt. I screw up. At times I am emotionally vulnerable. And there is nothing – to my mind - remotely un-masculine about any of that; feeling is part of living - an integral part. In fact for me, feeling is THE essential part of living. Feeling can never be wrong in principle (because it simply happens without conscious intention) - and neither can displaying or being honest about our emotions. Being overtaken by emotions in a situation where action is necessary could, of course, be problematic, but feeling and showing our feelings is essential in the long term for our personal health. I wonder how much happier many men could be if their emotions were not effectively under lock and key? Hey - that almost rhymes.”

Cold Coffee Press endorses Signs of (a) Life by Liam Samolis as the honest account of a man living his life with all the human emotions that men typically try to avoid speaking about. We were given this book to review in a Kindle/PDF format. The review was completed on October 18, 2015. For more information please visit Cold Coffee Press. http://www.coldcoffeepress.com

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Book Excerpt Link
Amazon UK Customer Reviews
Amazon Hard Copy Print Purchase Link
Amazon Soft Cover Print Purchase Link
Kindle Purchase Link
Friesen Press Purchase Link

Professional Webpage

Professional Blogs
http://www.liamsamolis.com/itzablog
http://www.ageofspreadingmiddle.com

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Twitter: @liamsamolis

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