Distinctly Montana Magazine

Creating Sneed Collard III is a name that… was awfully hard to take as a child. "Sneeze. Snot. Snidely Whiplash." You get the idea. Fortunately, the name works well as an author. Writing for children is like…nurtur- ing and growing the best parts of myself. Children look at the world through fresh eyes, and writing for them helps me do that, too, whether I am writing an animal book such as Teeth, a mystery such as Hangman's Gold, or a sports-history book such as The World's Famous Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. a new Sneed at the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale The most amazing creatures I have written about are… those that most people have never heard of. Think tropical animals, invertebrates, deep sea critters… When I need some solitude, I… What is solitude? I think I used to understand that concept before I became a parent! The one thing I am most passionate about is… being a dad. My father always reminds me… that life is short, so I might as well go for it. The last dream I had was about…. I can't remember, but you can bet it was pretty weird! Nobody knows that when I write… I take breaks to play BookWorm. If I had it to do all over again. The one change I would make in my life would be… learning how to floss properly. My last really good laugh was when… I heard my daughter belly laugh while watching Despicable Me. western The thing I am most sure about when it comes to kids' reading is… that sharing a story with a child is magical. When I'm in the mood to be social I… break out a game such as "Ten Days in Africa" to play with the kids. If I was writing a story about my life I would title it… either "Planting Oak Trees" or "Attack of the Parasitic Flesh-Eating Worms," whichever would sell better. Junk food? My favorite is… chocolate, though I don't really consider that junk food. As far as pure junk food, maybe Cheetos. The one thing about myself I need to improve on is… Only one? If so, I'd say I need to have more patience with myself and continue to enjoy each moment more. My favorite genre of reading is… mystery/thriller, followed by good narrative nonfiction. It's no accident that I write mysteries such as The Governor's Dog is Missing and Hangman's Gold that take place in Montana. tradition. Design-builder If you ask me about science I will tell you… that if the public knew half of what scientists knew, we would be making vastly different decisions from the ones we make now. I doubt that I will ever… buy a jet ski. The three words I hope people use to describe me are… funny, awesome, & creative (courtesy of my 10-year-old son). w w w. d i s t i n c t ly mo nt a na .co m 406-580-7906 www.blueridgehomesinc.com 71

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