Perhaps it is no surprise that Simon Stephenson is a former Pixar screenwriter – when I read his debut sci-fi novel, “Set My Heart to Five,” I kept thinking “They should make a movie out of this.” What is surprising is that he was originally a physician, inspired by watching the TV series “ER” as a child. The whole time, through medical school and his early career, he was also writing, until one day he realized that what drew him to “ER” was actually the storytelling, not the medical setting.
Simon’s conversion to full-time writer had a tragic impetus – his first book, a memoir titled “Let Not the Waves of the Sea” tells the story of the loss of his brother in the Indian Ocean tsunami. “Set My Heart to Five,” like our conversation, is light-hearted, but with deep and thoughtful undertones.
Simon’s conversion to full-time writer had a tragic impetus – his first book, a memoir titled “Let Not the Waves of the Sea” tells the story of the loss of his brother in the Indian Ocean tsunami. “Set My Heart to Five,” like our conversation, is light-hearted, but with deep and thoughtful undertones.
In life and in art, I feel like there is this constant balancing act between cynicism and sentimentality.
Connection is why we’re here. We are hard-wired to connect with others, it’s what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.
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