About Me
My full name is Samuel Franklin Sandoval and I am Salish and Navajo (Native American that is). I was born in Santa Fe, NM on May 7, 1973.
My Family
My parents Joanne Bigcrane (Salish) and Tony Sandoval (Navajo) met at the
Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in the early seventies. After I was born, my sister Melanie followed in 1975 and my brother Antoine in 1977. In 1995, I met my
wife, Sarah Anne
and in 1999, we welcomed our son Mars Emilio Maximilliano Sandoval.
They live with me in Montana.
Education
I attended Dixon Elementary School (1979-87), St. Ignatius High School (1987-91),
Salish-Kootenai College (SKC) (1991-93), and the
IAIA (1994-97).
I've been a good student (not the best, but not the worst) and returned to SKC. After several years just piddling around at SKC, I took time off and got a job (more on that below).
Art
Since my parents were students at IAIA, I was passed (educationally and genetically) their
artistic talents, which includes drawing and painting. My mother is an artist, into sculpting, drawing, painting beading, doll-making and collage work. My father is primarily a painter, but draws and sculpts as well. I learned to draw and paint, but although I am really good at both, it's not the career I've chosen.
Writing
While attending the IAIA, I discovered writing. I've actually been writing stories since I was in second grade, wrote some poetry, but none of this came to fruition until 1995, when I started my novel, Thanxgiving. I completed it a year later, and since then wrote a sequel, called X-Mas. I am currently seeking an agent and/or publisher for my books. I have three stories published in the anthologies Not the Last Word and Voices at
Dawn.
Teaching
Since I attended school in Santa Fe, I've been training myself how
to use Photoshop 6.0. I started with version 3.0 and kept up to
date with the new releases. Somehow, word escaped that I can
operate Photoshop with some ease. Since I'd been instructing students
in the Intro to Photography class how to use Photoshop 4.0 LE, the
college asked me to teach Intro to Photoshop. I'm completed the
first quarter of this class and enjoyed it immensely. I
be taught it again next quarter from March to May as well as a
"surfing the internet" class. Elsewhere, I
taught Photoshop and Web Design for Adult Education classes. As I mentioned above, I took time off from school and got a job at our Tribal Preservation office as a Multimedia Technician/Specialist. My co-worker and have thus far completed two projects and are gearing up for another. Why did I really leave SKC? That's another story for another time.
Goals
Despite my literary ventures, my main goal is to become a film director. There are books
I'd like to see made into movies and some of my stories I'd like to see brought to the screen. Film directors are more familiar to me than sports stars and musicians, and I can discern the differences between director's styles. Though I write and paint and draw, I prefer to be called a film maker than an artist or writer (though they can all be one in the same).
Hobbies
Aside from plotting world takeover, expounding my literary wit and formulating cinematic exploits, I read, build model kits, paint, draw, watch movies, cook, and go to college. And sleep. I sleep a lot. The most recent interest to pique my curiosity is HTML and web building. I dived right into building my website without even know what HTML is, and quite frankly, I like it.
I teach it now for Adult Education Classes.
P.S.
One thing I'm proud to say is that I am drug and alcohol free. I don't drink alcohol, don't do drugs, and don't smoke In fact, I am so against alcohol, it became the subject of my novel, Thanxgiving. Thanxgiving is not only a vastly entertaining story, it is my manifesto, of sorts.
Other facts
Height: 5'9". Weight: 195 lbs, plus or minus. Waist: You really don't need to know that. Eyes: beautiful brown and two of them. Hair: Yes. Cranium circumference: 21". Number of fingers: 8. Number of thumbs: 2.
