Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sams has authored short stories, essays, and poems for both regional and national periodicals.
In 2004, his play Love on the Loathsome Stage was produced at Mountain Community Theater in Santa Cruz County.
In 2018, his short story "Among the Fairies" was published in the anthology Santa Cruz Weird.
Sams and his wife, Sally, are founders of Yellow Tulip Press, which publishes what it calls "curious chapbooks and hysterical histories.
"[2] Regarded as an expert on Lizzie Borden and the Fall River Murders, Sams was the guest speaker at New York City Opera's premiere of the opera "Lizzie Borden.