Hoodie (39 page)

Far away, on the other side of town, a young man walked through the front door of his house, picked up his little boy, cradled him closely, and wept.

About the Author

When I was younger, I wanted to be a singer. That was until I got stage fright right around the age of 14 (which has never gone away) and decided my only option was to consider other career paths. So I started writing at 14 instead and discovered that I really liked it. Maybe it was partly because writing was a solitary hobby for me and a therapeutic one, too.

I never stopped writing during my short career as an English teacher, but I did find that I had little time to devote to it. So maybe it was providential that after I completed graduate school, there were no teaching jobs available. When there are virtually no doors opened to you, it makes decisions much easier. And my decision was to make writing my new full-time gig.

Right now I’m really into writing Mature Young Adult fiction probably because my own high school experiences and part of college were pretty unremarkable. I like to write love stories because who doesn’t like to read them? And realistic fiction is by far my favorite to read and write. I like to drop my characters into raw, gritty stories that involve sensitive themes. And I like my characters to have both redeeming and ugly qualities—all the things that make up who we are as humans. One dimensional is boring, and it’s also unrealistic. Everyone bleeds goodness and wickedness, and my characters are no exception.

I was a teenager in the 90’s but didn’t get into bands like The Smashing Pumpkins until a few years ago. I was listening to Yes and Genesis and other progressive rock bands thanks to the musical tastes of my father. I did, however, represent the 90’s grunge movement by wearing flannel. I have an affinity for Ireland and was lucky enough to visit as a college student. I could eat cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I weren’t into a low-carb lifestyle. I don’t know what I think about small children, so I have two Westies instead. I’m married to a man who doesn’t read fiction and can’t understand why my main characters have to have personality flaws. I live in Georgia where the earth is red. Good for planting, but very messy when it rains.

You can follow me at http://swaldenauthor.blogspot.com and connect with other
Hoodie
fans at www.facebook.com/Hoodiebook.