My name is Samantha Clanton and I’m from Temecula, California, USA. I am an aspiring publishing hopeful who has intervened with Penguin Random House under the Random House and DK imprints. These days, I’m a bookseller at an independent romance bookstore, In Bloom Bookery. My IG account is @samreadsbooks_.

You can find me at home, devouring books left and right, online on Instagram gushing about how much I love books, or vibing in my current role as a bookseller! Also my favorite book quote is “Romance…it’s about more than happily ever afters. More than smut or spice. It’s about people. Relationships, connections. Communication.” – Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia.

 

1. Why do you read?

I honestly can’t think of anything else in my life that fills me with equal parts joy and peace. Don’t get me wrong, I have wonderful friends and family in my life, my fur babies, but books and reading have always been a constant in my life, and as I look back on my younger years (as if I’m way older than my current 28), I see moments of my life that are impactful, of course, but so many core memories of mine are about books. Reading picture books to my younger brother before bedtime, the first book I remember reading, the Scholastic Book Fair (that right there is always an indication of a reader in the works), spending any extra time I had perusing the aisles of my public library or Barnes and Noble, etc. ‘Curling up with tea and a good book’ oftentimes feels like it was written just for me, because I can see myself doing that for the rest of my life and I’m perfectly content with that. The impact of a well written book, regardless of the genre, is truly one of the greatest experiences out there.

 

2. What was the first book you remember reading? Why do you think that memory stays with you?

I was in the third grade and my teacher had us participate in a 30 minute ‘quiet time’ activity, or something to that extent. I remember I went up to her and asked what to do because I didn’t have anything like that. She directed me over to the little library she had put together and had me choose a book from there to read to pass the time. She had a great selection of titles, but what did I end up choosing? The Curse of Camp Cold Lake by R.L. Stine. This cover, for those that aren’t aware, depicts the head of a ghost emerging from this eerie, dark lake. Something about that book really captured my interest on sight alone (I know, don’t judge a book and all, but this was a good judgement call, if I do say so myself). I sat down, started reading, and the rest is history, as they say. That day, I truly became a reader. I think it was the first time I remember being really absorbed by a book, and I remember that I genuinely didn’t want to put the book down and return to the ‘real world’ when that 30 minutes was over. I wanted to get lost in a book–yes, even one as spooky as the R.L. Stine universe–and from that moment on, I had a book on my person everywhere I went.

 

3. What book marked a turning point in your life?

I can’t recall a specific book, but I remember turning from middle-grade mystery/suspense titles to the broader YA genre. Whether that was a contemporary, urban fantasy, paranormal, fantasy, etc., my reading habits just expanded to include more from an upper-level reading tier. I have since leveled up to more adult-centered content, but I still occasionally love to get lost in a YA series—the yearning is often dialed up to 11 since it requires content appropriate for that age group, but sheesh, the angst and yearning is so good!

 

4. Do you track your reading? Why or why not?

Not officially, but I did tally up the audiobooks I read just in 2025, since that’s when I got into that reading experience, and it was roughly 100 books that I was able to consume, not counting any physical books I read, or the NetGalley e-books I was approved to read. I’m incredibly proud of the number, but I don’t give myself a reading goal, because I’m going to spend my time reading regardless.

 

5. Has a book ever felt like it was written just for you?

Not so much a book, but mainly the FMC of a book. It’s often that I find myself connecting with some part of the FMC, and it’s less looks/physical things, but rather emotionally, or with regards to my sexuality.

 

6. If you work in publishing, has that changed how you read?

I interned with PRH for one of their Fall/Spring programs—had the BEST time, 10/10 would make my genie wish the ability to relive that time and/or just extend it for the rest of my days. Everything about interning with the marketing department solidified my desire to work in publishing. It also opened my eyes to the various imprints out there, which in turn helped me take notice of the imprints that I tend to gravitate towards. Because it’s not just romance that I consume, but romance from certain imprints, like Berkley, ACE, Dell/Delacorte, Zando/Slowburn, Avon, Atria, Forever, BloomBooks, DelRey, Wednesday, Alcove, Saga, GalleryBooks, Bramble/Tor, St. Martin’s Griffin, Sourcebooks, Bloomsbury, Orbit, LoveUnderlined, Cosmo, Kensington, HarperCollins, Putman, etc.—and even though I gravitate towards a specific few, there’s always a story (or 5) that a particular group publishes that captures my interest and has me adding that book to my ever-growing TBR.

 

7. Do you think reading is becoming more niche or more essential?

I’d say less niche/essential, but rather, more socially accepted. Working as a bookseller for an indie bookstore, the amount of new readers that come in daily, honestly, makes my reader heart so happy. I think a lot of people want to get into a hobby that feels good or helps you escape, and have begun to realize that.

 

8. What is your favorite book, author, or genre?

…The first part of this sentence is #howdareyou, I cannot be made to answer, I love all my children dearly and you cannot make me choose!! And don’t ask me for a top 5, because as a mood reader, that changes on the daily. An author? Also tough, because there are the ones that shaped my reading habits growing up, and there are also the ones that are my ‘if they write it, I’ll read it’, which grows the more that I read, so alas, I shan’t answer that. But the genre? I can confidently say: Romance <3 Whether it’s contemporary, sports, paranormal, fantasy, YA, LGBTQ+IA, dark, NA, historical—if there’s romance, I’m there!

 

9. What competes most with reading for your attention?

Canva, haha, but only because I use it to create bookish content, so I’m often jumping from my book to my computer because I want to create a mood board or design a book-themed post for my bookstagram. So, if I’m not reading or listening to an audiobook, I’m in Canva creating content for said book.

 

10. What emotion do you most associate with reading?

Happiness that borders on feral-ness due to how much I just love everything about the plot/characters/romance/banter/world-building, etc.