Samuel Hawley

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Samuel Hawley

Goodreads Author


Born
in Busan, Korea, Republic of
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October 2013

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Samuel Hawley has BA and MA degrees in history from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and worked in East Asia as a teacher for two decades before becoming a full-time writer. His nonfiction books include The Imjin War, about Japan's 16th-century invasion of Korea and attempted conquest of China; Speed Duel: The Inside Story of the Land Speed Record in the Sixties; Ultimate Speed, the authorized biography of land speed racing legend Craig Breedlove; and The Fight That Started the Movies, the epic story of how the emerging technology of cinema combined with prizefighting to make the world's first feature-length film. His latest book is a novel about Japan in the closing days of WWII, Daikon, hailed by John Grisham as "a breathtaking st ...more

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Samuel Hawley I research. That's my background (MA in history and author of several nonfiction books). The first step in creating a good book is to research the hel…moreI research. That's my background (MA in history and author of several nonfiction books). The first step in creating a good book is to research the hell out of a topic, to immerse yourself in it. Do enough of it and a story starts to emerge--plot lines, character backgrounds, motivations, and a myriad of details, sights and colors, smells and sounds. I use this approach with my novels as well as my nonfiction books. No matter how active my imaginative might be, it pales next to what has actually happened, to what people have actually done, to events that have actually occurred. The cliche "the truth is stranger than fiction" is in fact totally true.

If you want ideas for compelling fiction, therefore, start by exploring the truth. Start digging by reading history books, biographies, memoirs, newspaper stories. Do that with your mind attuned to identifying interesting material and you will soon amass more story ideas than you can ever turn into books.(less)
Samuel Hawley I've returned to nonfiction with the book I'm working on now. It's a history of how boxing played an integral role in the early development of motion …moreI've returned to nonfiction with the book I'm working on now. It's a history of how boxing played an integral role in the early development of motion picture technology in the 1890s. The title is THE FIGHT THAT STARTED THE MOVIES: THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP, THE BIRTH OF CINEMA AND THE FIRST FEATURE FILM. It’s a little known story that I stumbled across several years ago and thought would be an interesting subject for a book. As with most book ideas, it came from reading, poking around, dipping into this book and that.(less)
Average rating: 4.12 · 2,374 ratings · 419 reviews · 12 distinct worksSimilar authors
Daikon

3.99 avg rating — 1,580 ratings12 editions
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The Imjin War: Japan's Sixt...

4.44 avg rating — 432 ratings — published 2005 — 7 editions
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Homeowner with a Gun

3.97 avg rating — 139 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions
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Bad Elephant Far Stream

4.51 avg rating — 83 ratings2 editions
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Speed Duel: The Inside Stor...

4.61 avg rating — 76 ratings5 editions
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The Fight That Started the ...

4.26 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions
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Ultimate Speed: The Fast Li...

by
4.42 avg rating — 12 ratings3 editions
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I Just Ran: Percy Williams,...

4.27 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions
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America's Man in Korea: The...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2007
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Inside the Hermit Kingdom: ...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2007
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More books by Samuel Hawley…

DAIKON gets *starred* review in Publishers Weekly

The first early trade review for DAIKON is in: a *starred* review from Publishers Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781...
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Published on May 08, 2025 09:44 Tags: atomic-bomb, hiroshima, japan, nagasaki, publishers-weekly, ww2

Samuel’s Recent Updates

" An edition of this book is showing up on my author page, but it's not mine:
How to Train Your Donkey: The Slightly Stubborn Path to Donkey Wisdom
...more "
" A book I didn't write, "How to Train Your Donkey," has been added to my author profile . Author has the same name as me, I guess. Anyway, it's not min ...more "
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Quotes by Samuel Hawley  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“We’re going to be okay. We’re all going to be okay.”
Samuel Hawley, Homeowner with a Gun

“Jeff waited alone”
Samuel Hawley, Homeowner with a Gun

“Hiroshima had been annihilated, pulverized, transformed into a hellscape, complete with lost souls writhing in torment.”
Samuel Hawley, Daikon: A Novel

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message 1: by Mac

Mac Logan Hi Samuel,

Good to meet you. I've been doing some work with high tech company with strong Korean roots. There's much to respect in many aspects of your culture.

Mac


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