Author Interviews

“More Deadly than War:” Interview with author Kenneth C. Davis

By on July 20, 2018   /   Author Interviews  

I am delighted to share my conversation with middle-grade and bestselling author Kenneth C. Davis. Kenneth is well known for his book of Don’t Know Much About® History and other books in the Don’t Know Much About® series, but on this occasion, we focused on his most recent book, More Deadly than the War, which was published in May 2018.

I wanted to talk with Kenneth about his book because it commemorates the 100 years of one of the most devastating historic events that have affected the entire population of the planet. More Deadly than the War turned out to be a fascinating story that is about much more than just how a deadly disease killed millions of people.

What is More Deadly than War about?

The book is about the Spanish flu, the worst disease outbreak in modern history, which happened 100 years ago. The stories and voices of the people caught in this chaotic period in history tell us about what it was like to live in a time much like a zombie apocalypse scenario. This worldwide epidemic coincided with the last year of World War I, and the consequences of this coincidence were so dramatic that the entire world almost stood still. Corpses were piling up in hospitals. Doctors had never seen anything like it and didn’t know what to do. Business and life in general slowed down to a crawl. People were terrified and blaming each other. I found most terrifying that it can happen again.

If the Spanish flu had so much influence on world history, why most people don’t know much about it?

 One hundred million people around the world didn’t make it. There were 675,000 Americans who did not survive the Spanish flu. To put it in perspective, more Americans died from the flu in about one year than all the U.S. soldiers who died fighting in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined. One of the reasons this story was forgotten is because many people thought that it was so terrible, so awful and tragic that they didn’t want to think about it, or talk about it, or write about it. They just wanted to forget it.

You were not deterred to tell this story. What inspired you to write this book?

 In a way, writing this book was a lucky accident. My editor had a bad cold, and mentioned that her grandmother had died of the Spanish flu and that she knew very little about this worldwide epidemic. I began researching and found an amazing story that connected science – the flu – and history – World War I – in more ways than I had anticipated.

This was a detective story because I had so many questions I wanted to answer about it. Where did this flu come from? How did it affect so many people? How did it affect the war? How did the war influence the spread of the flu? I discovered that all these things were completely interconnected and for me it was very important to show those connections. When you look back in history, you find that disease has been incredibly important in every phase of civilization, but we tend to push it to the side. “That’s science, that’s not history,” some people say.

Without giving anything away, tell us, of all the things you learned when you were doing research for this book, what surprised you the most?

 It surprised me to learn the tremendous consequences the Spanish flu had on the war, and the influence the war had on the Spanish flu. As a historian, I understood the causes of World War I, how dreadful the fighting was, and why America eventually got involved. But, I really didn’t understand the enormous effect that this pandemic also had on the war and that the two of them went together.

What else will readers discover in More Deadly than War?

Readers will discover how a real, end-of-the-world scenario can happen when two major powerful events come together; in this case a serious, easily spread disease and a merciless war. These catastrophic events transformed the world and taught us important lessons. The real reason we study history is to make sense of the world and to learn from it both the mistakes we made and what we got right.

For instance, in 1918 there was a lot of propaganda, the ultimate form of fake news. In World War I, Germany was the enemy to the U.S. Propaganda made Americans think that the Germans were causing the flu pandemic by poisoning the water or medications, which was not true. So, the idea that fear, ignorance and propaganda can influence what we think and how we behave, is an important part of this story.

Kenneth C. Davis. Photo by Nina Subin

Let’s learn about you a little bit. How did you become an author?

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed reading both fiction and nonfiction books. I have always been very interested in biographies and history because they are about what real people did.

In middle school, I was stronger in English and history, not surprisingly, than I was in math or science, and I always enjoyed writing. Even though I loved to read and write, I never had the idea that I could be a writer. Fortunately, I was put in a position later on where I realized that I could do what I loved, to do research and to write and to talk about it, and actually make a living from it.

Becoming a writer was more of a lucky accident than evolution of my part. I was half way through college where I was a liberal arts and English major. I thought that I was in a track to become a teacher because I have always enjoyed being in front of a classroom speaking to a group of people, sharing information. But, then, I took some time off from college to work in a bookstore. Someone I was working with read some of the articles I had written for the college newspaper and she said, “You should be writing books, not selling them.”

That woman was so smart I married her. True story. My wife and I have worked together very closely for more than 40 years. She is a journalist and editor, a publisher in her own right, and our careers have been built completely around the book business and our love of books and the impact that they can have on people. And that is such an important idea. It’s wonderful to read books for pleasure or to escape to another world, but books also can shape who we are as people, our attitudes, and our lives. They also can change the world. I think that the highest calling for a writer is to fulfill a mission to bring people very important messages, and I hope that in my own way my books have done that.

Well, More Deadly than War has certainly opened my eyes about how a deadly combination disease and war can be, and I hope this amazing story can help us all prevent such a thing from happening again. Thank you very much for your time!

 

Thank you!

Follow Kenneth on Twitter and YouTube

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Marcus Emerson’s The Super Life of Ben Braver

By on July 16, 2018   /   Author Interviews, Giveaways  

I’m thrilled to have indie author Marcus Emerson join us here at The Files. Within the indie community, Marcus is a bit of an inspiration. His books often top the charts and his Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja series has over 2,500 Amazon reviews! I knew it would be invaluable to have him here as there’s much to learn from his success as an indie author.

My name is Chase Cooper, and I’m a 6th grade ninja. It’s my first day at a different school and the only person I know is my cousin, Zoe (but she might be a little too cool for me). I was just another scrawny kid until a group of ninjas recruited me into their clan. It was a world of trouble I wasn’t prepared for, which is why I kept this diary (or “chronicle” as my dad would call it) – to warn other kids about the dangers of becoming a ninja. They say history is destined to repeat itself… well, not if I can help it. Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja is a funny thriller that’s entertaining for kids, middle school students, and adults.

 

Amie: Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Marcus! We’re so excited to have you here. Your publication journey is inspiring and I’m excited to share it with our readers. So let’s start with the basics. What inspired you to want to write MG books?

Marcus: It started with Recess Warriors – I wanted to create a comic book, but I wanted to create a comic book that I wouldn’t have to hide from my 3-year-old (at the time) daughter, so that meant no realistic violence, foul language, or anything of the sort. I was working on it for several hours a day at the kitchen table, and she would constantly sit with me during that process.

Once that was finished, I realized that MG was where my heart was the whole time so I just kept going. I can’t see ever writing anything outside of that.

Amie: I believe writing is a calling. Once you find your genre, it almost feels like a betrayal to write outside of it. So you wrote Recess Warriors and had a finished manuscript. Why not find an agent or publisher? Why choose to self-publish?

Marcus: I love working, especially on creating stories. If I could, I’d work all day on just that and nothing else, which was the reason why I chose to self-publish. I wanted to tell stories, and I wanted people to read my stories so I got to work and put them out. I was never against finding an agent or against traditional publishing – I just wanted to work without thinking about anything but the work, and self-publishing allowed me to do that.

Amie: There’s a lot of waiting in traditional publishing and, understandably, there can be some lag time between book releases, so I can appreciate the desire to create and publish on your own timeline. Indie authors tend to sell mostly ebooks. Are your sales mostly digital or physical books?

Marcus: I’m selling a lot more physical books these days. I’m definitely not an expert on why that’s the case though. I suspect more people like having physical copies in their hands? Personally, I do. I’ve probably bought a handful of ebooks in my life, but I’ve got a thousand physical books on my shelf.

I like a book where I can jot notes down on the paper, tear out pages and pin them up for reference, stick post-its in the margins, fold an edge to mark my place, to toss on the couch and know it’s waiting for me when I need it, and to stack on my bookshelves as beat up trophies.

My first love is actually comics, and nothing beats a physical comic book in your hands.

Amie: Unlike other indie authors who write for older audiences and can market directly to them, middle grade readers don’t always purchase their own books.  How were you able to reach this younger audience?

Marcus: Amazon.com takes care of all that for me. Parents shop the site, see that my books are popular or are recommended in the “customers also bought” section. I really don’t do much (if any) marketing at all.

Amie: That’s great! Amazon is essential to the indie author. Diary of a 6th grade Ninja is your first self pubbed middle grade book, correct? Ninjas are always popular for this age group, particularly boys. Do you think this has had some influence over the popularity of your books? 

Marcus: Correct. NINJA was my first self pubbed book. Ninjas are timeless. I’m 37 years old, and I grew up loving the Ninja Turtles, and kids today are still growing up loving those same turtles. I’m sure being part of pop culture definitely helped my books connect with young readers. 

Amie: I’m a *little* older than you but I recall my siblings watching TMNT. I can definitely understand the timeless kid appeal. From here you went on to write additional series, including The Super Life of Ben Braver. Was this also self-published? How did the popularity of your Ninja series affect the follow through sales of your other books? 

Ben Braver is an ordinary kid. All he wants to do is finish his summer watching awesome TV shows and eating his favorite candy. But when some kid screams for help, Ben, like his favorite comic book heroes, tries to save the day. Let’s just say it ends badly. But it does lead him to a secret school where kids with super abilities learn to control thier powers. Ben’s never had any powers—and never thought he could be special. So when he’s offered a spot at the school, Ben realizes this is his chance to become the superhero he’s always dreamed of.

Marcus: BEN BRAVER is not self-published. It’s published through Roaring Brook Press. It’s been out for a few months now and the response has been great, but I’m not exactly sure if the success of NINJA has anything to do with it.

Amie: You’re now represented by an agent. Tell us a bit about how you found your agent. Why’d you decide to seek representation?

Marcus: So one day I got an email from an agent (Dan Lazar at Writers House) who had read DIARY OF A 6TH GRADE NINJA. He thought the book was really fun and wanted to have a phone call with me. At the time, I was buried in my own work, writing and drawing another book in the NINJA series, so his email kind of slipped my mind.

Fast forward to several months later when I started getting inquiries from foreign countries about publishing the NINJA series in different languages. Foreign taxes and laws and all that was too staggering for my brain to understand, so I emailed Dan back for advice, which he generously offered, and I’ve been working with him and the awesome folks at Writers House ever since.

Amie: Fantastic news on both to your foreign rights interest and to your representation! Since some of your books have now been picked up by a publisher, what are your marketing plans? How have they changed?

Marcus: My marketing hasn’t changed too much, except that I’m trying my best to maintain a social media presence. It’s kind of exhausting for me and inevitably leads me back to burying myself in work because that’s what I love anyway.

Amie: Tell us a bit about your transition from indie to trad and what that’s been like.

Marcus: Self-publishing is a lonely process, for me at least. I outline alone. I write alone. I edit myself, then my wife edits, and then a third person edits. I make the final draft alone. I draw alone. And then I release the book quietly and wait for fans to start reviewing. This process takes 2-3 months per book.

Traditional publishing is much more friendly and a team effort. I outline with my editor and her assistant. I write a first draft. I work on illustrations while they edit. We have phone calls about the first draft and then I work on the second draft based on those notes. I work on covers with designers and the sales team while the second draft is edited. I sharpen the third draft. The book is laid out by the designer. We sharpen the layout until it’s nearly perfect. The book gets printed as an Advanced Reader Copy. The book is sharpened further until it’s perfect. The final book is ready and printed and released. This process takes almost 2 years, and I have a wonderful team of people at Roaring Brook Press working hard to make sure the book is the best it can be.

Amie: What do you like most about being an indie author? What’s the worst thing? Will you continue to self-publish?

 Marcus: Most? I get to write what I want. Worst? The stress of writing what I want. There’s nobody to tell me “That’s a bad idea,” or “This part sucks,” or “This part is almost good.” I’m extra hard on my self-pubbed stuff because of that.

I think self-publishing will always be there for me, like my own playground for story telling experiments – nothing major – just small ideas and thoughts.

Amie: Any other books you’re working on?

Marcus: Right now I’m working on the sequel to Ben Braver (actually I’ve been working on it for the last year and a half).

Amie: Spaghetti and meatballs or bean burritos? Snow pants or swim trunks? Dinosaurs or unicorns?

Marcus: Bean burritos! It’s like a meal wrapped in a blanket. I can’t walk while eating spaghetti and walking while eating is very important to me. It’s the most important thing of all.

Swim trunks, because snow pants make too much noise when you walk in them, and I don’t need all those people looking at me when I’m eating my burrito.

Dinosaurs! Because how cool would it be to strap a saddle to one and fight crime while riding it?? But on the other hand, it could be pretty cool to fight crime on a unicorn, too. This question is too hard. Pass.

Amie: Haha! These are the best answers ever! I can’t help imagining you in noisy snow pants, eating your meal-wrapped-in-a-blanket while fighting crime from the back of a unicorn. Thanks for the visual. And thanks so much for joining us at The Files, Marcus. Best of luck to you with Ben Braver as well as all of your other titles. 

 

Marcus Emerson is the author of the hit Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja   series, The Super Life of Ben Braver, and Recess Warriors. His career   started in 2nd grade when he discovered Garfield. He grew up playing   Super Mario Bros., watching Thundercats, and reading comics like   X-Men, and Wildcats. He lives in Iowa with his wife and children.

If you’d like to win a copy of The Super Life of Ben Braver just fill out the rafflecopter form below. We’ll select one lucky winner!

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South Asian Awards for Children and Young Adult Literature : Author Interview with Uma Krishnaswami

By on July 11, 2018   /   Articles, Author Interviews, Book Lists, Cross-Curricular, Fiction, For Kids, For Librarians, For Parents, For Teachers, For Writers  

APALA is a professional library organization dedicated to cultivating Asian Pacific American leadership through mentorship and professional engagement, advancing social justice, and providing opportunities for dialogue and networking to promote the needs of Asian/Pacific American professionals and those who serve Asian/Pacific American communities.

Every year, the association (APALA) honors and recognizes individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literature and artistic merit. This year, author Uma Krishnaswami won the award in the children’s literature category for her book, “Step Up To The Plate, Maria Singh”.

 

Today at MUF, Uma talks about her award, her writing life over the years,  and some of the key diversity issues in children’s and young adult literature.

 

Congratulations on the APALA award, Uma! What was it like winning the award for Step Up To the Plate, Maria Singh?

Uma: It’s a tremendous honor. Writing is such a solitary occupation. Even after all the work that goes into writing a book and nurturing it through successive revisions, through the editorial process and all the way to publication, you never know whether anyone’s going to pay attention to it. A book isn’t complete until readers have read it, and children can’t choose a book until some adult has first placed that book on a personal or library shelf. So the APALA award was a tremendous vote of confidence for my book. I’m deeply grateful.

 

In your interview at Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Cynsations Blog, you mention that there is a groundswell movement with organizations like We Need Diverse Books and independent publishers like Lee & Low Books, Cinco Puntos Press, and Enchanted Lion to draw attention to diverse books as well as international and translated books. What are some initiatives that make these organizations and publishing houses effective?

Uma: Lee & Low was founded with a mission of diversifying children’s books, long before diversity became trendy. Their blog called early attention to the diversity gap in children’s publishing. Cinco Puntos is more specialized with its roots on the border of the US and Mexico, and they too have beautiful books like All Around Us by Xelena González and Rudolfo Anaya’s Elegy on the Death of Cesar Chavez.

To me, WNDB represents the next generation of writers and activists pushing for change. They are doing terrific work. They offer grants and awards for writers, retreats, internships in publishing, mentorships, book giveaways and they have been a powerful force in the movement to diversify not only books for young readers but the range of voices engaged in the creation and publication of those books. They are fierce and committed and they remind us that we can’t get complacent.

 

To what extent does incorrect representation of culture in diverse children’s books harbor the danger of inauthenticity and marginalize people of color?

Uma: I think it’s about complexity—being aware of how easy it is to resort to a stereotypical depiction of characters or a simplistic view of history. We have to be willing to do the work as writers to go beyond that, whoever we are. And we have to be respectful of the people we’re writing about, and aware of what our relationship is to those people. We have to know where our own boundaries and limitations lie. That is the best way to get around issues of inauthentic work. I’ll give you an example. There was a time when it was considered fine for a white writer to write an array of books, each set in a different country, each using a particular “foreign” culture as the driving plot element. So you’d have books getting rave reviews (we’re talking back in the 1990s) with, say, spunky girl characters, and all the settings would feel like tourist videos. The reviewers never got that, so who would even know, right? Well, young readers from those places, or from immigrant communities with roots in those places, would know. Of course they’d know. And they’d want to duck their heads under their desks when those books were being praised in classrooms. This certainly happened with books set in South Asian countries, written by well-meaning writers who’d never set foot in the region.

It’s changing. Publishers are more aware of the pitfalls of writing culturally specific books. But we can’t take our eyes off that target of diversity because it will keep moving and there will always be pushback.

 

From your experience of writing and teaching at Vermont College Of Fine Arts for many years, do you think the lack of adequate diverse representation in children’s and young adult literature is part of a broader set of issues relating to inclusivity?

Uma: Absolutely. Until diverse voices get included at every level—in student bodies and faculty at writing programs and retreats and conferences, and at every level of publishing—publishing and marketing and distribution choices will continue to be made with a narrow view.

 

What are some common misunderstandings and incorrect assumptions about South Asian characters in North America? How do you see South Asian literature developing in the US in the foreseeable future?

Uma: I wrote about that years ago, but to tell you the truth, I haven’t studied a bunch of books lately to see if those trends persist. Do Americans still think Indian kids go to school on elephants? I have no idea.

But as to your second question, relative to literature for young readers, I see some very exciting new work coming out from talented writers. I’ll mention just a few: Sayantani DasGupta’s middle grade novel, The Serpent’s Secret. Book 2 in that series is out next year. It’s a wonderful mashup of mythic fantasy drawn from Bengali traditions, rollicking adventure, and utterly contemporary kid sensibility. Ahimsa by Supriya Kelkar is historical fiction set against the backdrop of India’s independence movement. Nidhi Chanani’s graphic novel, Pashmina, takes on immigrant identity and the silence between a mother and a daughter with a fresh and genuine energy. I think what makes these books ring so true is that they come from deep, personal roots. In each, the author cares deeply about context and worldview, culture and connections. And so each is complicated, as all cultures are, but they’re not explained by the text. In each, the story comes first.

Not so much what I see but what I’d like to see: more YA, more humor—oh please, more humor! More stories for younger readers. Chapter books. Fantasy. Fewer oppression tales about girls fighting unjust societies.

 

What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out as a writer?

Uma: What a good question. I had to think about this.

At first, I often felt misunderstood. Early on, someone once asked me why I didn’t just write about “regular” kids instead of always focusing on kids with Indian connections—as if that was somehow “irregular!” And the opposite as well—a few in the Indian community were affronted that I’d put a divorce into my first novel, Naming Maya, as if that reflected badly on us as an immigrant group or something. So I sometimes wonder if it would have easier if those criticisms hadn’t cropped up. But I don’t think so. They gave me something to push against, and in all they strengthened my resolve to keep going.

If anything, I wish no one had given me any advice at all. Much of the advice I did get about conflict, character development, story structure, and so on never fit any of the stories I was writing, which led to a lot of wasted time while I tried unsuccessfully to make my stories fit into boxes that weren’t built for them. In the end I did best when I dumped a lot of it and paid more attention to my own instincts.

To learn more about Uma and her books, visit her website at https://umakrishnaswami.org/.

 

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