Meet Sami Ke, Author of The Courageous Forrest Brothers

Inspiration begins at home…

Since embarking upon my dream to create The Courageous Forrest Brothers series, several people have asked me about who or what inspired me to get writing. My initial answer was, of course, my two sons, aged four and six; my beautiful boys who give me so much joy and fulfilment. Through Sheldon and Milo, I wanted to write about my sons’ brotherhood, to celebrate it, and to  fictionalize all the ups, downs, and challenges that are part and parcel of being siblings so close in age. But when I began to delve deeper into the psychology of my answer, I realised it wasn’t quite so simple. It was complex. It turns out the seed of my inspiration, the genesis for the series, coupled with my wish for a happier and more meaningful working life, came from my unique lived experience of being a sibling; my rock-solid relationship with my older brother Henry. A relationship that is now long-distance; he lives in the UK whilst I live in Hong Kong, but we remain incredibly close. I miss him deeply but I look forward to our conversations, and he is a constant source of love and support in my life. When I became a mom, I knew straight away that I wished for my eldest son to have a younger sibling one day. What better gift could I give him? Seeing the bond between my boys develop and grow has been one of my most treasured experiences. It’s something I could not quite comprehend until I saw it in action. The magnitude and importance of it crept up on me, like a blossoming flower, the changes tiny and impossible to pinpoint; but they are there nonetheless, and the beauty keeps growing. The love siblings experience is a love like no other. Sibling love is a lifelong love; and like all things precious, it must be nurtured. It isn’t perfect, and of course there are hard moments (which there ought to be – sibling relationships are where we learn about conflict, resolution, sharing, how to have constructive conversations and a world more besides) but it is the most powerful of bonds. I am thankful my boys will be able to experience being siblings, as I have.  

My brother’s kindness to me has quite literally changed my life, and one particularly powerful act of his formed the basis of one of my later Forrest brothers stories, Brotherly Bond, written in homage to him. As children, Henry and I were born and raised in Hong Kong. In our teens, our father decided to send one of us abroad to be educated in the US. Knowing how I dreamt of such an experience, Henry encouraged our father to send me instead of him. The gratitude I felt for this selfless act of love has shaped my education, my nature, and ultimately the entire course of my life.

So when people ask me about what inspired me to create The Courageous Forrest Brothers I answer: brothers! My own, and the two brothers I gave birth to. Like a helix, my relationship with my brother interweaves with the relationship between my sons. It’s part of the same thing. Sibling relationships are glorious, complicated and intricate - and I am endlessly thankful for my inspiration.