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I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t into reading. While Afton spent a lot of time with friends and participating in after-school activities, I was the dork who disappeared behind a book. I remember being a sucker for those cheesy princess books (you know, the one’s that came with the little plastic sparkly ring?) at the school book fairs, and over-indulged in Goosebumps, even though they gave me nightmares.

But for some reason, I don’t remember feeling hungry for more until I read such books as The Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, the likes of which I had never seen before. They instilled within me a desire to always read, to always have my head buried in a book (as my sister so lovingly described it). For, as wonderful as life can sometimes be, it seems that much sweeter when I can escape from everyday troubles just by turning pages stained with ink blots.

English was always my favorite class throughout my educational years, but it wasn’t until the latter years that I realized that writing had become a passion of mine. When assignments came across my desk asking me to create something special, or different-to use my imagination, it was as easy as opening a doorway in my mind. It was an escape; one that I have learned to utilize and to lean on to this day.

Never did I consider writing a novel until a friend of mine sent me some chapters of a book he was working on. It was in a rough state, but I could see so much potential in those pages. After giving my feedback on his work, I decided to take a swing at it for myself. For all of the doubt you hold inside (constantly berating you, as it does so for me), you have to yell back, “Why the heck not?”

Afton and I decided to take a creative writing class, and that seemed a new beginning for me. I seemed to flourish in such an environment as this: one which encouraged my strangest, most outlandish thoughts and ideas, prompting me to capture them and display them on printed page for all to see. It is a hard step, baring yourself like that, but a necessary one if you are to get yourself out there.

Since that initial writing class I made the decision to pursue writing professionally, going on to graduate from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor of Arts, with a creative writing emphasis. I learned a great deal during my studies which helped to shape my writing, chipping away at the roughened block of wood that it was.

For my sister and I, it has long been discussed that we should try our hand at publishing. With our joint love of reading and writing, we wish to help others with that similar love, with that similar hunger. We want to help satiate that need for the written word, but never to quench it. As I learned at a young age, the need to write and to read will only grow. I hope that we can help your need grow, as we set out to publish our first magazine as The Hungry Chimera. Welcome, and enjoy.