“I have always enjoyed reading, which is one of the main reasons for wanting to write The Newlander. I suppose at one point I decided thatI wanted to write my own book. I began writing the book in fourth grade, and finished in the sixth. It was published about a year later, along with 100 copies printed. In writing the book, I took much inspiration from many science fiction and dystopian authors like George Orwell and Ray Bradbury, as well as post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels like The Road, 1984, Z for Zachariah, and A Clockwork Orange. Personally, I am interested in music, literature, and cinema.”