Just Who Is This Cameron Skocilic?
I’m a 24-year-old Christian author who’s lived my whole life in southern California. Even when too little to write words, my imagination was only limited by my short attention span. Homeschooled entire life, I grew up in a loving household where my siblings were (and still are) my best friends.
I’ve adored stories all my life. Whether reading them on my own, or listening as my parents would read them to us kids, my love and appreciation of the written word was constantly stoked and grown. However, movies have always been my favorite medium of storytelling – especially animation. I’d rewatch old Disney classics until I could recite them by heart, and many of them have had a massive impact on who I am today:
– My sarcasm and sense of humor? Oh, that was Shrek and The Emperor’s New Groove’s fault.
– My tendancy to be over-dramatic and theatrically minded? Lord of the Rings and Star Wars anyone?
– My animated body language and love of physical comedy? Well . . . that one might just be me, but I’m going to blame it on old cartoons like Tom and Jerry, Popeye, and Looney Tunes anyway.
Where Did It All Begin?
Right away actually.
I didn’t know I wanted to write books until after I graduated high school. However, even if I couldn’t write proper words at my age, that didn’t stop my imagination from conjuring epic fight scenes and world-threatening high-stake stories. So, I utilized the only medium I knew how to use at the time . . .
I drew stick figure comics.
How Did I End Up Published Then?
The Lord dropped it right into my unsuspecting lap.
Long story short, thanks to a devotional book my Mom and I went through together called “Do Hard Things” by Brett Harris, I was eventually invited to a little place called The Author Conservatory. There, like some anime protagonist, I spent nearly 4 years training to become an efficient, well-prepared, and driven author, working to hone my craft and make my stories the best versions of themselves they can possibly be.
As part of my final project with the program, I published a short story called “Miracles” in their anthology collection “Voices of the Future Volume 2: Stories of Courage and Compassion.” With this final project under my belt, I now saw that writing could a realistic, fulfilling, and financially viable career choice to support myself and my future family.
Not only had I seen it, but I’d done it for myself!
But Wait – There’s More!
This is all great information, but it barely scratches the surface of my ongoing journey in life – and I want you to be a part of it!
My email newsletter – affectionately called “The Cambleton Crew” for maximum cringe – is the best place for me to reach out and connect to you personally. I write these stories for you after all, so what you think is important to me. You are important to me. After all, without you, I’m just some crazy guy telling stories to the Disneyland posters on my walls. (I also won’t be able to feed my trading card addiction, but that’s beside the point)
In my emails, I talk about behind-the-scenes action on the writing process, the publishing industry, and story craft in general. Whether it’s analytical scene breakdowns, rants about good vs bad writing, or those random off-topic emails that get sent every now and again, I’m always looking for a good conversation, and love to hear other’s thoughts and perspectives on things.
So, what do you say? Willing to give me a chance?