About the Author

About the Author, Dr. Samantha Schinder, PhD

Dr. Samantha Schinder, PhD casts a wide net in terms of experience. She has a BA in Italian literature from Indiana University. She also has a BA in Middle Eastern Anthropology and Language (Persian Farsi), an MA in Terrorism Studies, and a PhD in Homeland Security. Her dissertation was on working K-9s. Before 9-11 she was training to become a concert violinist and was preparing to audition for some of the best music conservatories in the country. After 9-11 she heeded the call to service and has since become a 100% disabled veteran. For a while she was a runway model and then opened her own dog training business. She enjoys showing other veterans how to train their own service dogs. After she sustained a traumatic brain injury and several spinal fractures, she had to retire from skydiving with about 400 jumps under her belt from some perfectly good (and also some very sketchy) airplanes. Now she travels the world. She speaks several languages and enjoys continuing her undergraduate cultural studies through her writing. Her writing is also influenced by her mixed heritage. She has ridden horses from the time she was a toddler and rides at a weekly veteran's horse group. She is firmly of the opinion socks do not intrinsically have to match.

Her writing wheelhouse is magical realism and fantasy. Her published series is historical fantasy—the Deliverance Series by Samantha Schinder. She is also an avid reader and writes full time now. This series and Loud Voices (see below) have been long listed by the Chanticleer Review.

She has had works published in the Nabu Literary Review and the Civil Liberties United Anthology (two pieces).

Her works have also been featured by A Room of Her Own, the Virginia Woolf Foundation and she was a legacy fellowship winner.

Her dissertation, RURAL ENVIRONMENT K-9 TEAMS INTEGRATION: A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY OF DIFFUSION OF INNOVATION, is available on Proquest.


So far her YA fantasy/alternate reality series has four books, Deliverance, Liberty,  Fortitude.  and
Defiance.

She also has numerous novels in various levels of disarray which may or may not see the light of day as well as a nonfiction dog training book.

Member of: Phi Beta Kappa, Gamma Kappa Alpha, The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

Platforms

Loud Voices

A literary magical realism bildungsroman about a nonverbal autistic girl who develops the ability to talk to people through physical touch.

The Drowners

An Iron Age Celtic mythology based slow burn romtasy chock full of adventure.

To Know That the Sun Is There:

Dr. Schinder's dissertation for her PhD was on working police canines just as the subject matter the protagonist is studying in the book is using canines in criminal justice application. She also owned and operated a highly successful dog training business for years. She has trained hundreds of dogs including pets and working service animals.

She is a registered member of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers and an American Kennel Club certified Canine Good Citizen evaluator.

The protagonist also suffers from PTS from military sexual trauma. Dr. Schinder is also a survivor of such and is a 100% disabled veteran.

Sky Woman:

Sky Woman again deals with the healing power of dogs. One of the dogs in the book is Jax, a retired police K-9 and another, Bella, is a Schutzhund champion, both of which are subjects Dr. Schinder has extensive experience. Sky Woman also deals with Mohawk (Kanienke) culture. Her grandfather was Kanienke and though he passed when she was young, she has memories of him telling her the Sky Woman story when she was small.

Both main characters deal with PTS, and Dr. Schinder is intimately familiar with this both in her own experience and through her various veterans groups.

The Secret of Kilchullen Hollows:

Tabitha Shahrani, one of the main characters, has a Persian father. Dr. Schinder has a BA in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures (Persian Farsi language). She has also traveled extensively around the United Kingdom.

Death of a Prodigy:

Before 9-11, Dr. Schinder, still in high school, was planning on auditioning for some of the best music conservatories in the country and was an accomplished violinist. Death of a Prodigy's two main characters are violinists and the plot is centered around music.

How to Not and Other Bad Advice:

Dr. Schinder grew up and is now residing in Ohio (part time because she travels the world). The book is set and makes fun of real places there. Her aunt, uncle, and cousin are all veterinarians. Although the main character, also a veterinarian, isn't meant to portray anyone specific, their experiences play into shaping the plot. The story of the green squirrels and the zombie rabbit are both (mostly) true.

Other:

She frequently does book signings at local bookstores, brings her books abroad with her to gift to readers and booksellers, and does talks at libraries, classrooms, and book clubs. She has an active social media presence talking about writing and reading.

She has frequently been the guest on national and international podcasts and has appeared in magazine articles such as WomELLE.

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