Today we’d like to introduce you to Squall Charlson
Hi Squall, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started making music videos when I was in High School and into college I started producing feature length narratives. I won a student level Emmy for a music video I shot and ended up pivoting to acting.
I’ve been in a handful of movies, tv shows, commercials and more. I was almost a Power Ranger once upon a time too haha.
I moved out to LA a few years back, worked with a bunch of large YouTube channels and ended up meeting my future wife and moving back here in KC.
Here I started my own TV series covering a niche topic with Shout! Factory during the 2020 covid year. Since then I’ve pivoted once again to writing and have written a few short stories and published two (soon to be three), books in my Terror Valley series aimed at Middle Grade readers.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have found it very hard to stay content with who I am or what I’m working on and end up developing new skills or interests as I continue to evolve. It’s been very helpful in the long run and I can draw upon those past experiences to help my current and future.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My book series Terror Valley came to be when I was working in elementary schools. Many of the kids weren’t reading and this was a fun excuse for me to be creative and write with them in mind. It’s Goosebumps without the hokey endings and I try to define a clear message in each story.
I’ve also started getting back in directing and producing music videos, so if you know any local bands, hit me up haha.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
AI is really scary to think about. The amount of time and effort I put into these stories might be done by a computer in the blink of an eye. I feel confident that my author voice will continue to outshine anything a computer can try and come up with. It’s like that SpongeBob episode with the krabby patty cook off, that one single burger still out performs a thousand bland ones.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Terrorvalley.com
- Instagram: Squallcharlson
- Twitter: @squallcharlson
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/squallcharlson.com
