Samuel was raised in a small town in northeast Pennsylvania (population 379) and now resides on remote Orcas Island. His writing has been compared to Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy and been praised by the NY Times, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, Esquire and more. His novels are intriguing studies of human nature and portray how the simplest twist of fate can alter and shatter lives. His central characters are flawed but deserving of redemption.

Internationally, his novels, The Guilt We Carry (Une Question de Temps) and Deep Winter have been translated into French by Gallmeister Editions. German publisher Polar Verlag released The Guilt We Carry (Die Schuld) in January 2024, and will be translating Deep Winter (2025) and Come Away From Her (2026).

Samuel is currently working on his next novel that is set in the 1700s and centered on a German Mennonite family of settlers grappling with a murder committed by one of their own children. It’s Bad Seed meets The Revenant.