"Each One Teach One" Author Interview: John Claude Bemis

This Spring on Writermorphosis I’m interviewing great Children’s/YA authors and author/illustrators about tips they were given by more experienced authors/illustrators when they first started in the business, and how those tips have helped them and can help us today.

Our first victim (AKA author) is my friend John Claude Bemis. 

John is the author of The Clockwork Dark, a fantasy adventure trilogy that takes place in a mythical America. The first book, The Nine Pound Hammer (Random House, 2009), was described as “a steampunk collision of heroes, mermaids, pirates, and good old-fashioned Americana” by Booklist, and was a New York Public Library Best Children’s Book 2009 for Reading and Sharing. That was followed by the rest of the trilogy, The Wolf Tree and The White City.  His newest book, described as a "futuristic Jungle Book,” is The Prince Who Fell from the Sky.  John is a songwriter and musician who found inspiration for his fiction in old-time country and blues music and the Southern folklore at its heart. A former elementary school teacher, he lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina with his wife and daughter.

So John, tell us.  Which more experienced author gave you good advice that’s helped you in the profession?  And what was that advice?

I’m fortunate to live in Hillsborough, a little historic town in North Carolina that has a disproportionate number of writers.  Walk to the coffee shop or local bookstore, and you’ll likely cross paths with Lee Smith, Jill McCorkle, or Michael Malone.  Not long after I got my first book contract, I ran into literary icon Allan Gurganus (Last Confederate Widow Tells All) at a gallery opening.  After talking a bit, I asked him what advice he had for a new author.  He advised me to buy a ticket to New York and meet my editor face-to-face.  (It’s surprising how rarely authors wind up meeting their agents or editors in-person.)

The heart of his advice was that in our increasingly on-line world, the personal touch makes a huge difference.  Whether that is sending a hand-written thank you note or going to a conference to meet editors, agents, and other authors, this has made an enormous difference to my career.  The relationships I’ve formed with others have furthered my professional life more than anything I could ever do on Facebook.  I treasure my time at SCBWI conferences and Schmoozes, literary festivals, and book readings as opportunities to meet and get to know fellow writers, both published and to-be published.

Thanks John! That does sound like great advice from Allan Gurganus. Building relationships is so important in the publishing industry – and in life. 

Can you say more about how this tip from Allan has affected your work as a writer?

Certainly. The wisdom Allan Gurganus offered me has had an impact on my approach to my creative life.  Writers often work in isolation.  However, we gain innumerable insights to our craft and stories through those serendipitous encounters and casual conversations.  It’s led me to actively get out to schools to meet kids, teachers, and librarians or to get to as many conferences as I can.  From a marketing perspective, face-to-face encounters with readers are vastly more important than anything I can do on-line… and more meaningful.

Well said, John.  I’ve been to a few events where you’ve been sharing your stories and signing books, and I’ve always enjoyed the way you get everyone involved by bringing your guitar and getting us all singing the song you sing about your first book, the Nine Pound Hammer.  Having fun with you seems to make your books “personal” to your readers.  I’ve also been impressed by how you try to spend time with new authors, helping to mentor them.  I know you’ll be on the first pages critique panel at the Raleigh SCBWI/Goalies Author Illustrator Schmooze in Raleigh, NC, on May 20th at 3pm at Quail Ridge Books. 

So, what do you think is great about more experienced authors/illustrators teaching and mentoring those who are newer to the profession?  Why is this important?

I believe one of the biggest mistakes published writers make is spending too much time isolated with others in the industry.  This has the potential to stifle creativity.  When you start thinking too much about sales and what the industry does or doesn’t want, you lose what’s unique and true to your writing.  I look for as many opportunities as I can to be around authors who are newer to the profession and to be around a variety of artists.  It’s the cross-pollination of ideas and the willingness to challenge our assumptions that keeps our imaginations strong.   So, I try to be around aspiring authors as much as I can.  They are a wealth of creative insights!  I relish opportunities such as SCBWI conferences and events, doing manuscript critiques, and teaching writing workshops where I get to meet writers working to be published.  That exchange of ideas and variety of perspectives informs my craft enormously.

I love that perspective, John, that while you’re “reaching back” to help new authors learn the things you know now, that being around their new ideas and enthusiasm also strengthens your own creative process!

Also you mentioned SCBWI conferences.  How have writing conferences, your critique group, SCBWI Schmoozes, or other chances to network and discuss the craft with other writers helped you in your career as a writer.  Is there one particular experience you’ve had that you’d like to highlight?

I have an amazing critique group with Stephen Messer, J.J. Johnson, and Jennifer Harrod.  We began back around 2005, all hungry, aspiring authors.  Now between the four of us, we have six novels published and three more soon to be published.  The fact that we became friends has had the biggest impact on our ability to support one another.  A good critique group requires honest criticism, but it also requires lots of love and encouragement.

Also, I can’t emphasize enough how important SCBWI is to children’s book writers and illustrators.  It’s a wonderful community.  I wouldn’t have my rock-star agent, Josh Adams, if I hadn’t met him and his wife Tracey at an SCBWI conference in Durham back in 2006.  That was another situation where meeting someone in-person made a huge difference.  I knew that Tracey was presenting at that conference, and I sent her a short email saying how much I was looking forward to her talk and meeting her.  I wasn’t pushy.  I kept it professional and friendly.  (I think agents encounter too many people who forget they are people too.)  The rest, as they say, is history…

Your critique group really seems to be a great team!  I know I’ve seen you all sitting together at conferences.  It’s wonderful to have a strong group working together toward the same goal. And what a great story about connecting with Josh and Tracey Adams!

So, now that you have almost 4 books out, would you say that the biggest writing challenge you have now is the same one you struggled with when you first started in this profession? : )

Yes. The greatest challenge I face is having the time to devote to actually writing.  I thought once I was published I would be able to have more time to write, but publicity and marketing takes both time and creative energy.  I still struggle to carve out time in my busy life to simply imagine and work on my stories.

I’m sure that a lot of authors are nodding their heads with you on that one! Time is hard to capture. :)

So tell me, in the time that you have been able to dedicate to your writing, what has been one of your favorite recent projects?

Developing the trilogy the Clockwork Dark was a dream-come-true.  These were the books I always wanted to read but had never been able to find in any bookstore.  I combined epic fantasy with America’s rich folklore and history to create an adventure that captured our country’s diverse and often complicated mythology.  I feel very fortunate every time I meet readers who want to talk to me about their favorite characters and the different story lines.  It often feels like I created something that is no longer mine, but something I share with so many others.

I’m sure that’s true!  I remember when I first read the initial few pages of the Nine Pound Hammer – the scene in the swamp – I was hooked!

Ok, before we wrap up, tell us, what are you working on now?

I’m very excited for the release of my upcoming novel "The Prince Who Fell from the Sky."  It’s akin to a post-apocalyptic Jungle Book, set in a future where humans are gone and animals live among our ruins.  Casseomae is an outcast bear who longs to have cubs of her own.  When a starship crashes in the forest and she encounters the lone survivor –a “Skinless One” as the animals call the legendary humans of old—she decides to protect the child against the ruling wolves who fear the boy as threat to their world.  Along with a street-wise rat and a dreamer dog, they set off to find a safe haven for the boy and try to discover where he came from.

That sounds intriguing, John. I look forward to reading it!  And what a great 1-paragraph synopsis!  We can all learn from that one!

Thanks so much for starting this interview series off with such great tips and thoughts.  We look forward to seeing you at the SCBWI Goalies Schmooze at Quail Ridge Books on May 20th, and likely at the SCBWI Fall Conference after that! I'm thinking these are great opportunities for all of us to implement Allan Gurganus’ great advice. We’ll spend time together improving our craft “face to face!” 

The next "Each One Teach One" Author Interview will be posted  Friday night, May 4th, here on Writermorphosis.

"Each One Teach One" Author Interviews!

Many talented authors have given me tips and pointers as my writing career has progressed. Those tips continue to be an enormous help to me as I keep on trudging. From Author Kathleen Reilly who taught me how to improve non-fiction query letters, to Author Carrie Ryan who shared tips on how far fiction readers are truly willing to "suspend their disbelief" during the course of a book before they kick the author to the curb -- many authors have knowingly and even unknowingly mentored me on my writing journey.

I'm so grateful for that, and for the tips I continue to receive as the journey continues.  And I've heard similar gratefulness expressed by many new writers.

So, now we're going to hear from the "not so new" YA/MG and children's authors!

In the "Each One Teach One" author interviews beginning this Friday, April 27th, and continuing each Friday evening throughout the Spring here on Writermorphosis, experienced Childrens/YA authors will share the good advice that other authors, agents, or editors taught them early in their own careers, and how they used the tips given by those mentors to build their writing careers into what they are today. 

I suspect that if we implement the tips they share each week, our own writing careers may grow stronger every Friday.  It's kind of like a mini-writing conference on a blog. :)

So join me, for the "Each One Teach One" interviews.  Huge thanks to all the exprienced authors who've already signed up to share.  And huge thanks as well to those who went before them, who taught them what they know today. How could we learn this stuff without you?

Our first author is John Claude Bemis, author of 3 MG/YA Steampunk novels, with another great futuristic teen novel, The Prince Who Fell From the Sky, about to be released.

Thanks John, for sharing your thoughts this coming Friday.

We look forward to it!

-Janelle

Raleigh Spring Schmooze - You're Invited!

It's that time of year again - the Raleigh SCBWI Schmooze is coming! Mark your Calendars!

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Click the flyer (above) to read the "First pages" and "illustration critique" submission rules, and to learn more about the event and more about the authors/illustrators on the Schmooze panel.

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For those who can't read small print, here are the Critique submission rules:

You may present one piece of artwork or one first page. First pages should be no
more than 250 words and should fit on a single page. Do not include the author
name; submissions will be anonymous. Submissions should include the title and
genre in the upper right hand corner. The panel will critique as may first pages and illustrations

as they are able to in the time allowed. We are open to submissions in children’s literature only.
Genres include Young Adult, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Early Readers, and Picture books. Please bring your submission to Quail Ridge Books on May 20th at the beginning of the event. For Illustration Critiques – Bring one piece of artwork at the beginning of the event.

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So, those are the rules. : )

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Before I begin posting on writermorphosis the author interviews noted in last week's "each one teach one" post, I wanted to give you all an update about this great event for children's/YA writers and illustrators occurring soon in the NC area!

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The annual Raleigh SCBWI Schmooze is a great event for Childrens'/YA writers and illustrators, taking place again this year in Raleigh, NC. This Schmooze is lots of fun, and a well-attended event every year. Let's pack out Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh with current and aspiring childrens' authors and illustrators again in 2012 -- at 3pm on May 20th!

Find directions at (www.Quailridgebooks.com)

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More info. on the presenters is available at their websites:

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John Bemis: http://johnclaudebemis.com/

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Karen Lee: www.karenleeillustrations.com

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Stephen Messer:http://stephenmesser.com/

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John Bemis and Karen Lee will also be interviewed on writermorphosis over the next month in "each one teach one" posts. So come back here over the next few weeks to learn more about them, their writing/illustrating, and which other writers/illustrators influenced them and helped them learn skills they needed in order for them to get where they are in the profession today. The tips they learned from their mentors can further our own writing and illustrating careers too.

"Each One Teach One"

In Alcoholics Anonymous (the world-wide support group for recovering alcoholics) there is a saying: “Each one Teach One. “ It’s the idea that those who’ve learned and achieved something should reach back to help others who are a little bit behind them on the path.

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This concept is important in writing and illustrating too. Many readers think that the writing life is a solitary life, and that a person who wants to be an author simply sits down at a desk one day and writes a fabulous novel with nothing to help them but a few deep thoughts, a little bit of poetry, some life experience, plus 10 fingers on the keyboard.

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But we all know this isn’t true. Most of us learn from other, more experienced, authors. We are rarely just “born” with the perfect novel (or nonfiction book) in our minds, let alone the skills to put that novel flawlessly down on paper and then market it to an audience who will love and
adore it, and recommend it to all their friends. These things all take training, tips, and
guidance from people who have done it before us.

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So this Spring, on Writermorphosis, I’ll be interviewing various authors/illustrators about the authors/illustrators who went before them and reached back to help, encourage, and teach them. They’ll discuss the wisdom they’ve learned from those mentors – wisdom we can each use in our own writing, illustrating, and marketing. We’ll share the knowledge that was passed down to us -- about writing, illustrating, editing, publishing, and marketing -- by our mentors -- and we’ll
share how those tips improved our own writing and helped us get those novels and non-fiction books into the hands of our agents, editors, and/or readers.

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Before I start posting those interviews, though, I’d love to hear the names of some of the authors/illustrators who have helped you learn something new – and what they helped you with – just the basics, please. Some of you who comment might end up being interviewed here on writermorphosis!

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I’ll start.

Alan Gratz (author of Samurai Short-stop, Fantasy baseball, Something Rotten, and several other great YA novels,) has helped me a lot with knowing how to plot.

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Now which mentoring author or illustrator would YOU like to give a shout out too? Don’t tell us the whole story (save that for later in case I interview you on the blog.) But – whether it’s an author friend, someone you heard speak at a conference, or even someone who wrote a book about writing or illustrating, tell us their name, their books or accolades, and a one-liner describing the aspect of writing or illustrating that they helped you with.

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What author or illustrator has “reached back” to teach you?

Teach a Girl to Read... at topic for our time.

One reason that I love teens and love to write for teens is that teens are brave. Teens are often the ones who are willing to stand up and say the "hard" things; the ones who are willing to stand up and take action. That's why they make such great heroes and heroines.

Here are a few videos of real life heroines living in the developing world today -- and some folks from an organization that's bringing them books, and libraries, and schools. These are some of the amazing young women being helped by one of the many great humanitarian organizations in the world, Room to Read.

Suma was sold by her family to be an indentured servant, while her brothers stayed at home and went to school.



This week, in celebration of International Women's Day, Suma has been invited to perform her song in New York City at the 2012 Women in the World Summit, hosted by Newsweek and The Daily Beast. She will open the summit on Thursday, March 8 and will be on stage again the afternoon of Saturday, March 10 to talk about her experience.

You can watch it live, here:

Watch live streaming video from womenintheworld at livestream.com

"Life without an education is like a book with blank pages."

Grants for Writers, from the SCBWI!

Are you a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators? If you're not, and you're writing for children or teens, I highly recommend joining! The SCBWI is the international professional organization for writers and illustrators of children's fiction and nonfiction. They advocate for us professionally, connect us with other writers for help and commeraderie, and even offer links to help you join writer's/illustrators group health insurance. The SCBWI offers professional writers/illustrators' conferences all over the U.S. and the world each year. These are great for both professional writers and newby's. The first person to join SCBWI over 40 years ago was the late, great Sue Alexander. The second was the amazing Jane Yolen. Droves of other great names in writing and art have followed after that.

The SCBWI also offers Grants for Writers and Illustrators --tidbits of financial support so that we can keep doing what we're doing. But of course, you have to apply.

There are quite a few. Here's info. on several of them:

1.) The Jane Yolen Grant for Mid-list Authors - helps an author raise awareness about their current work in progress. (Nominations Due Sept 1st.)

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2.) The Martha Weston Grant - is for published book authors who want to work in a new genre. (Applications due between May 1st and June 1st).

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3.) The Don Freeman Grant - is for illustrators (*Applications must be received no later than March 15th).

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4.) The Amber Brown Grant - helps a school to bring an author to visit and speak. (Applications due by April 1st).

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5.) The Work in Progress Grants - are for new, unpublished authors in various genres. (Applications due by March 15th).
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And the Barbara Karlin Grant - supports a picture book author. (Applications due by March 15th.)

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So, if you're a member of the SCBWI don't forget that Spring is the time to apply for many of these grants. And if you're not a member, check out the website, and consider joining.

Best of luck to all the applicants this year. May wonderful books, authors, and illustrators "win."

When the Good News isn't for You.

"Call me!" the email said. "I've got good news!"

It was from my critique buddy -- one of my really close, truly bonded,
seriously professional writing friends. We've been in a active critique
group together for over five years. We go to all the conferences together -
every year. We share each other's lives, the good and the bad, the ups and
downs with kids and husbands, the query letters, the rejections. We've critiqued
each other's manuscripts - all 170+ pages of each version, through multiple
revisions. We've shared our writing dreams - since the beginning, when we knew
nothing - about the profession. :)

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We've each had our little successes along the way on our writing journey - a contest win here, a nod from an agent there, some publications of shorter works...little candles to light our way.
But the published novel on the bookstore shelf which we are both sure will be our first novel of many -- well, neither of us has quite achieved that goal yet. But we're close! We're darn close! We know it! We can taste it! This is our time! We're each other's biggest champions, urging each other on. We're "running neck and neck" on this journey to publication.
Or we were
Until five minutes ago.
When she finished talking to

that agent, or that editor.
And now... I ... am behind.
Doggone it!
So I pick up the phone to call her
-- so excited. I want to hear all about it! It's what we've dreamed of.

Forward motion!
Right?
Yes.... right.
Well, no, not exactly.
It was supposed to be "us" -- US together!

Signing those first books. Toasting our success as novelists.
And now I'm playing catch up. Grrrr.
She's standing on the podium and I'm
still a few laps back in the pool.
But I'm still so happy for her.
Right?

And she's excited I'm about to call
her. Right? I mean, why wouldn't she be?
She emailed ME, to talk to ME.

She just can't wait for that phone
to ring. She wants to tell me everything.
She's glad she's on the podium. I'm sure she is.
Why wouldn't she be?

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Have you had an experience similar to this one yet in your writing career? If not, you will. : )
It happens to all of us.

Once you've been in a critique group long enough someone, or even multiple someones,
will start having more or less "success" than you for a period of time. Someone will get an agent before or after you, or their first book contract, or their 17th, or that coveted award that every children's writer you know was vying for. And then what happens? The dynamics in your critique group can go from great to a little bit tricky about two seconds after the news is announced. Perhaps some of those who didn't "win" that award or contract feel jealous. After-all, you were all neck and neck until then, right? It was just luck, really, that she or he got that contract before you did. Right?

The person on the “podium” can feel nervous that others in the group will be jealous. Others in the group can feel hurt, and sad, left out of the limelight. We’ll all be on one side or another of this imbalance of success at one point or another during our careers.

But what should we remember?

We’re all still who we were before that imbalance occurred.

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And if we all keep writing and critiquing and submitting, that imbalance is going to change repeatedly. She may be "ahead of you" now, you may be "ahead" of her later, it’s a process. But it’s not about “ahead or behind.” It’s a journey that we’re all on together. We’re all on the same road, helping each other along. We’re still crit buddies, helping each other, attending each other’s book signings, calling to congratulate each other when those calls of good news do come in, picking up our buddies who may have fallen into a writing funk, being honest with each other, moving each other’s writing forward, moving as a group -- onward, toward each of our next levels of success. And
as a group we a strong. It’s not about him or her or me or you - alone.

We help each other. This buddy's agent may later want a submission of my manuscript; That Buddy's editor may be looking for a writer with just your skills, and he, your crit buddy, can recommend you.

If someone in your group has success, celebrate it!

Success for one opens doors for the others!
Success for one reminds the rest of us that we’re close, darn close, doggone it! Because we’re writing on parr with him or her as well, no doubt. Our time is coming!

Success for one reminds the rest of us to put “butt in chair” and get that book finished, or those revisions done, or those query letters sent – because there ain’t no success without a finished book and submissions being made, my friends! Butt in chair, I say, my mateys!
But success for one is success for all of us!

Congrats to those who’ve had “success” this year, and congrats to the rest who will soon have success of their ownl! For all the critique groups around the world -- Go team!