Woohoo, A New Silver Pen: Samantha Tan!
Huge congratulations to Samantha Tan from Wilmington, DE who hit Silver Pen — meaning she’s written >15,000 words on her NaNoWriMo project. As a part-time teacher and a part-time assistant for a human rights organization, she’s planning to go to grad school for Clinical Psychology in the future. Meaning Grade A Human + Grade A Writer. Congratulations, Samantha!
Feel free to leave Samantha a message on her Twitter, Instagram, NaNoWriMo, or Malala Fundraiser page. I’m sure she’d love to hear from you!!
Keep reading to learn more about her and her NaNoWriMo project!
What is your favorite book and/or author, and what draws you to them?
Oh boy, I can’t choose just one book or author! But if I were to choose, it’d be Rainbow Rowell. Fangirl was one of the first few books I read for fun in college, and I felt like I was reading my own freshman year experience. It gave me the courage to write about my own experiences, eventually leading to my current NaNo project!
Is this your first book? If not, what was the first book you ever finished writing? Tell us a little about it.
Yes, this is my first book!
What’s the working title of your NaNoWriMo17 project?
The Unlikely Tale of Emmaline Sun
Give us an elevator pitch of your project.
I wanted to write a “chosen one” story, but I really wanted to include an honest portrayal of mental illness. It’s based on the theory of multiple intelligences with a magical twist. The Nine Goddesses of Intelligence bestow powers to ordinary humans who train at one of the four Universities around the world and use their powers to keep the world turning. Emmaline, a teen struggling with social anxiety and a family secret, is given some of these powers. She embarks on this journey to learn how to control her powers and how to forgive, all while uncovering the greatest threat to the Goddesses’ rule. Will Emmaline harness her powers or will she succumb to the fear of failure?
Share your favorite line/short paragraph from your book so far.
At the beginning of senior year, Ms. Brown asked me how I imagined my future. In that moment, I saw a blank space, shrouded by clouds; it was always clouded by fog. Other people had hopes and dreams; I had a vague idea of living without knowing where my life would be. I always thought this fog would eventually clear when I figured out what I wanted to do for a living. It would come to me in a dream or in a lightbulb moment. Maybe I’d get struck by lightning and inspiration would visit me then. Now, like the sunrise breaking up the morning fog, I could see a future. I’d be damned if I let it slip by for the fear of messing up.
How did you hear about the Mighty Pens?
Twitter!
What inspired you to join the Mighty Pens?
I really wanted to raise money and awareness about The Malala Fund, but I was kinda scared about doing NaNo. I figured joining the Mighty Pens would be doing something for a good cause, as well as doing something I was utterly terrified of!
Yeah! Congrats again, Samantha. Keep on writing like the boss you are!