Soul of a Swimmer is the true story about a high school athlete that dies in a school shooting and the legacy he left behind. Why was this an important book for you to write?

Many believe that America has come to normalize mass shootings; often the seriousness of the crime is measured by a body count, and that’s it. No matter the breadth or depth of one’s life, every person who passes on in a mass shooting is worthy of their story being told- they were in the process of dreaming, and living for the future when they died. Few stop and ponder “Who were these people who died? What talent is our society never going to realize?”

This was my first book, and I chose to write about a topic I know well; swimming.

I am a lifelong competitive swimmer, and I implicitly understand Nick. We are of the same breed (so to speak), his passing deeply affected me and indelibly rocked swimmers worldwide. Even though swimming is an individual sport, swimmers share a kinship like no other, and myself and countless other swimmers deeply mourn Nick; a lost member of our school of fish.

Shortly after the tragedy I became acquainted with Nick’s story through several memorials and fundraisers for his charity http://www.swim4nick.com. Nick was and still is a phenomenon. I hadn’t planned on writing a book, but Nick found me and I had to tell his story. It was a pleasure and honor to forever memorialize Nick in this way.

Lastly, I came to learn about the other 16 souls we lost in Parkland. They each were remarkable people; I wish I had the bandwidth to write their stories too.

I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?

By far the prologue was the hardest 2 pages I’ve ever written and probably ever will write. I’m still emotional and often choke up when I think about the interview with Annika, Nick’s mom, which led to the finalization of this passage.

Each interview as hard in its own way. There was always a balance of grief and joy during the interviews. There were lots of tears; yet openness among all of the interviewees. Resounding respect for Nick resonated throughout the interview process.

What is your favorite memory of Nicholas?

During the writing process, every way I turned, there was a remarkable new” favorite” memory. My favorite is when Mitch, Nick’s dad, described Nick secretly teaching his younger brother to drive. Mitch’s facial expressions during this conversation were priceless. The story of Nick comforting his friend Carlos through a family tragedy was profound and unexpected. This is a story which Nick’s parents never knew before I wrote the book.

I love the memory of Nick visiting Daria’s mom, unannounced. I also love the memory of Nicholas consuming most if not all of the “Fika” snacks.

What do you hope is one thing readers take away from Nicholas’s story?

Nicholas Dworet was a remarkable human being. His was a “Life Well Lived.”

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