I have mostly been terrified of listening to scary stories around a campfire. We camp a lot as a family and at night my dad would try and tell us scary stories. This made eating s'mores difficult. The story would start with something like... 'and the old man who lived in these woods...' I would then run back into the camper terrified.

My dad and grandpa were in the army and as a country singer you're constantly playing at military bases all across the country and meeting soldiers and their families and hearing their stories.

I didn't want to travel. I didn't want to leave my family. I heard all these stories from Dad about not having Edward around when he was young and I didn't want that to happen.

When I was little we had a Golden Book that had all these Disney characters in one portrait on the first page. My dad used to read from it every night. We'd play this game of find Pluto or find Donald Duck. He'd read us stories and do all the voices. Those are great memories.

I never saw any of my dad's stories. My mother said he had piles and piles of manuscripts.

When we read stories of heroes we identify with them. We take the journey with them. We see how the obstacles almost overcome them. We see how they grow as human beings or gain qualities or show great qualities of strength and courage and with them we grow in some small way.

I wouldn't compare myself to any past Idol contestant because I don't feel like I am like any of them. Maybe stories are cool but my story is different from most people's story. I don't like to compare myself to other people I like to just be me.

Orlando's a part of me. The next guy's a part of me. And the next guy's a part of me. That's all I'm trying to do is tell cool stories that people can relate to.

I'm finding as I get older that I'm not much of a believer in redemption. I mean I believe in redemption in real life - redemption does happen and it's cool when it does - but I find myself getting leery of my desire for it in stories (especially my own).

As a kid I did want to be an old-timer since they were the ones with the big stories and the cool clothes. I wanted to go there. Now I guess I want to bring that with me and go back in time.