In today’s Author Spotlight, Jo Hackl chats with award-winning author John Claude Bemis about his new graphic novel, Rodeo Hawkins & the Daughters of Mayhem. John Claude Bemis is the author of seven middle-grade novels, and a picture book. A former elementary school teacher, John earned his Master’s of Education in Literacy from UNC Chapel Hill and taught fourth and fifth grades for thirteen years. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC-Chapel Hill for his work as an author-presenter in schools and served as North Carolina’s Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature, promoting literacy and the literary arts. A popular instructor and inspiring guide to writers of all ages—kids, teens, and adults— he teaches creative writing workshops and leads retreats around the world. Beyond the creative expression of writing, John is also a sculptural mask-maker, a songwriter, and musician. He lives with his wife and daughter in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
Plus, there’s a chance to win a copy of Rodeo Hawkins & the Daughters of Mayhem if you enter the giveaway. Scroll down for details.
All about the book!
Foster kid Sidney Poblocki is thrilled to learn his destiny is to save the multiverse—until he discovers it’s actually his destiny to destroy it—in this fantasy adventure graphic novel!
Get ready for Mayhem!
When Sidney Poblocki runs away from his troubled home life, he winds up in a whole new world of trouble. Why are interdimensional assassins after him along with every other kid named Sidney Poblocki throughout the multiverse? Will he ever see his best bud Walt again now that Walt’s memory of Sidney has been erased? And what the heck is the deal with Rodeo Hawkins and her ragtag gang of mischief-making girls the Daughters of Mayhem?!
They claim they’re trying to keep him safe, but Sidney isn’t so certain “safe” is even in their vocabulary. As Sidney is swept into a series of misadventures that will change the multiverse forever, one thing is for certain: with Rodeo Hawkins around, his life is about to be filled with a lot more mayhem.
Jo: John, many thanks for answering my questions. Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem takes readers on a rip-roaring adventure across the multiverse. Your main character, Sidney Poblocki, is relatable, fun and witty. Can you tell us about your process for creating him?
John: With all these weirdo characters, my goal was for Sidney to be the most relatable. He’s not talented or exceptional in any way. He’s just a rather sweet guy who wants to belong. He wants to find “his people,” which is hard when he doesn’t know who to trust or why these powerful people are all after him.
The Daughters of Mayhem are pretty mischievous, especially Rodeo! She can get so caught up in mischief-making that she doesn’t always consider how others feel. I needed that yin-yang, sweet-and-salty balance between Sidney and Rodeo.
Jo: Rodeo Hawkins is mysterious and brave and demonstrates girl-power at its best. Can you tell us about your process for creating her?
John: I love a character with a mysterious backstory. Rodeo seems like a kid—and she is a kid, I suppose—but she’s also a powerful cosmic being. If you give an overconfident kid so many powers, they’re not only a danger to their enemies, but also to their friends. By making Rodeo an outrageously big personality, I knew I could get a lot of humor and thrills out of her.
Jo: Your plot is a fast-paced, complex and adventure-filled romp across the multiverse. Can you tell us about your process of writing it?
John: I began this project expecting it to become a traditional novel. But when the first ideas started filling my head so quickly, I had to capture them as fast as humanly possible. So, I decided to start with a barebones draft in script format. Just the dialogue and simple stage directions. But once I got into it, I quickly realized how this story wanted—needed!—to be a graphic novel instead.
Jo: This is your first graphic novel but you have written extensively for young readers. Can you tell us about how your process was different for writing a graphic novel versus a traditional novel in prose?
John: It’s a very different process. With a traditional novel, you’re telling the story entirely with words. With comics, you’re writing a script that the illustrator will turn into the vehicle for the story. There’s less room to explain or even provide direct access to a character’s thoughts. You really have to show, rather than tell.
Jo: Who was your favorite character to write? Why?
John: Rodeo, for sure. While she’s incredibly powerful and fearless, she has major flaws. She’s arrogant. She doesn’t always know how to be a good friend. In fact, even though she’s a good guy, she operates more like a villain. Often, we love villains because they don’t play by the rules and are so uninhibited. Rodeo is definitely that way. It made her hilarious to play with in my imagination and on the page.
Jo: Your story takes us across the multiverse and involves portals and magical items such as the “plunger of truth,” weaponized bubble gum, and the “counter punch powder.” Can you tell us about your brainstorming process?
John: It was simply unleashing all the weirdest, wackiest ideas from my imagination. I had this guiding approach of basing the magic around things that had strong kid appeal like candy or toilet plungers. I let the humor shape the world building.
Jo: What was your favorite scene to write? Why?
John: There’s a scene where Rodeo drags Sidney off to this interdimensional biker bar to get the plunger of truth. It was fun to write because of how rapid fire the jokes are. Poor Sidney is totally bewildered and out of his depth. And Rodeo is at her most absurd and terrifying. I think it’s where it registers for Sidney how legendary Rodeo is as a “cosmic menace.”
Jo: What would you most like for readers to take away from Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem?
John: Just fun. I write to make kids have fun reading books.
Jo: Already your book is a reader favorite. What has been your favorite reader response?
John: I’ve had several kids say to me already, “I wish I was a Daughter of Mayhem.” I always tell them, “You already are.”
Jo: What can readers look for in the sequel, Rodeo Hawkins and the Sons of Disaster?
John: The sequel continues the misadventures of Sidney, Rodeo, and the Daughters of Mayhem as a vengeful enemy sets a trap using Sidney’s best bud from his old life. It’s been so much fun dreaming up new dangers and new hilarity for this wacky cast of characters.
Lightning Round!
No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so. . . .
Favorite cities (besides the one in which you live):
Venice
Favorite musical group or artist:
Johnny Cash
Would you rather be able to speak every language in the world or talk to animals?
Every language. I love to talk to locals when I travel.
Favorite ice cream flavor?
Any combo with chocolate and something weird.
Do you prefer mountains or beaches or somewhere in between?
Mountains.
Favorite childhood TV show?
There was a campy Dungeons & Dragons TV series from the 80’s that I loved.
What is the best writing advice you have ever received?
That classic gem: “Write the story only you could write.” It’s my guiding star with everything I do.
Jo: Thanks for chatting with us John! And now. . . .
For a chance to win a copy of Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem, comment on the blog—and, if you’re on Twitter/X, on the Mixed-Up Files Twitter/X account, for an extra chance to win! (Giveaway ends January 22, 2026 MIDNIGHT EST.) U.S. only, please.
Kate’s life in Baton Rouge, full of friends and family, gymnastics and Girl Scouts, is just plain great. But then, at the age of twelve, she suddenly develops a mysterious shoulder pain that won’t go away . . . and that will change her life forever. It turns out that Kate has one of the rarest genetic disorders in the world, Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva. FOP causes bone to form in places in the body where it shouldn’t, and there’s no cure yet. Kate will need to learn how to live with this difficult new reality, helped by those close to her and by a new pen pal named Amie, who has been living with FOP for years.
Amie Darnell Specht worked in tech support for a large computer company for many years. She and her husband live in North Carolina with lots of pets. She has Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), and this, her first novel, is heavily influenced by her story. Follow her on 
Shannon Hitchcock
