Introductions

Hello everyone! My name is Sam Gross and this is my blog.

I'm a recent college graduate and a southern California native, soaking in the sun while trying not to stress about the future. So far, only one of those things has been successful.

The name Starry Eyed in Starry Skies came from a rather pretentious obsession with the stars. I've always been a fan of space and the mythology behind the story of the stars, so the name seemed to fit. I've only had a few comments on the pretentiousness of it, and a few complimentary, but I've been using it for other things for so long that I'm too fond of it to change.

The quote beneath my website header is from Jack Kerouac's On the Road. While not a particularly good read (second-hand frustration is strong with this text, although it did pioneer understanding for the beatnik generation and is practically dripping with suppressed homosexuality), Kerouac's quote has stayed with me through the years. Probably for the same reason as my blog title.

As selfish as it seems to write it, I suppose this post should give a good idea as to who I am and why it matters what I have to say. I'm an avid reader and a slightly more/less avid writer (depending on the day). I'd love to be a YA published novelist, and I like to think I'm getting closer, as the only thing left to do in order to reach that profession is to get my novels published. It's been a dream of mine since I was a child.

As previously stated, I'm a recent college graduate from Concordia University Irvine, with a Bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. I've been featured in the university's literary magazine, The Aerie, for the 2015, 2016, and 2017 publications. I was a student writer for the college online magazine, Study Breaks, and several of my articles are available online, though one of my articles is in the printed September 2016 issue.

During my time at Concordia, I spent a semester studying abroad at Oxford University in England. It was an unforgettable experience, and if you'd like more information on my time there, I ran a weekly blog from the various countries I visited.

Thus far all I've done is promoted my own writing, which is largely who I am, but I guess I should mention some other more interesting things about me.

I compete in National Novel Writing Month every year--wait, that's still writing related. Let me try again. (More on NaNoWriMo later...)

I have a family that I adore. My younger sister is one of my best friends, and she's currently studying to become an engineer. Our mutual love of space is one of our connections, as well as an overlapping interest, a rare occurance given her proclivity toward aerodynamics and mine toward Pride and Prejudice. She helped me pass pre-calculus and AP biology, though, so even if I don't understand what she does, I can appreciate it.

I've live my whole life in Southern California, just north of San Diego, so I'm obligated to mention that I love the beach, and it's true.

I love movies and plays (bonus points if they're musicals). There's something about a story with songs that truly convey the deepest abilities of human emotions.

Some of my literary idols and inspirations include Gail Carson Levine (who wrote Ella Enchanted and my favorite, The Two Princesses of Bamarre), Scott Westerfeld (author of the Leviathan series), and Rick Riordan (who wrote the Percy Jackson series and many others).

I've admired Levine since I was a child, and I attribute my love for words and desire to be a writer to her books. Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg will forever hold a place in my heart as the book that taught me to keep dreaming.

I started writing little stories when I was eight or nine, and just never stopped. Let's hope that this blog will reflect that, as well as commentary on society, popular culture, literature, and maybe some fiction drabbles, just to keep my writing muscles strong.

Let's have some fun, and remember to keep writing.

Sam

Literary Recommendation: Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles

Movie Recommendation: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

#aboutme #summer #reading