In this episode I talked with my friend S.D. Smith. Sam is the author of the beloved Green Ember series. He also wrote the book Jack Zulu and the Waylanders’s Key with his son, Josiah. And he most recently wrote the book Mooses with Bazookas and Other Stories Children Should Never Read. I loved this conversation with Sam. We have a lot of fun together because he is a story teller and I love stories! Here are some highlights from our talk: *The book that turned him into a reader around the age of 15 was Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. *Some of the other books that were read aloud to him by his mom and his teachers and shaped him as a storyteller were: The Chronicles of Narnia Little Women The Box Car Children God’s Smuggler *As an adult, Sam has loved and re-read the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O Brian. *My favorite part of our conversation was when Sam gives a message to all parents, but especially to Dads about connecting with their kids through stories: “kids just want attention and time. They want their dads so much! They’re desperate for their dad’s attention. So if you’re a dad and you just make up a story about something you care about, it’s going to be really, really fun for them. They love it when you care. They love it when you try.” *And if you can’t think of your own story, take a note from my husband and re-tell movies and books to your kids. You can change the names if you want and your kids will be none the wiser. Until they grow up and watch the movie and figure it out. Then you’ll all get a great laugh over it! *I love Sam’s motto for life: Modesty, fidelity, and audacity. *Sam shared he’s chasing joy by taking walks, which he finds to be an opportunity to pursue connection, creativity and beauty.” *You can find Sam on Instagram, on his website and in his books!  Don’t forget to subscribe to this podcast, and I’d be so very grateful if you leave a 5 star rating of the podcast and also a quick review.  Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. Thank you for listening and being part of my team. I love you guys! Greta