http://www.michaelspradlin.com/
When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I think my first hints toward becoming a writer came first from being an avid reader. Growing up in the sixties and seventies, without cable television or the Internet, books were a primary source of entertainment. I think I just naturally progressed from loving to read to thinking that being a writer had to be just about the coolest job in the world.
Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publishing?
I don’t have any of the horror stories that other writers have with the millions of rejections. I’m very lucky. My first picture book The Legend of Blue Jacket was accepted right away. After that I just kept plugging away, got an agent and the rest has progressed nicely.
Tell us a little bit about either your latest or upcoming release. If you could only tell your readers one thing about the story that had to convince us to buy the book, what would it be?
My new novel THE YOUNGEST TEMPLAR: Keeper of the Grail is set during the Third Crusade. It tells the story of Tristan, a young orphan, who is raised by monks. He becomes a squire to a Templar Knight and is taken to the Holy Land. During a critical battle he is given guardianship of the Holy Grail and told to return it safely to England. Along the way he is pursed by Assassins, secret agents of the King, evil Knights and teams up with a young Muslim girl and a young archer from Sherwood Forest.
What, or who, has been the greatest inspiration for your stories?
I’ve never been able to identify exactly where inspiration comes from. I just see stories and write about them. I can be reading an article in a magazine, a biography of a famous person or a novel and say to myself, “there is a great idea for a story.” Then I write about it and if it works, I keep going.
Let’s hear about your family, who I’m sure are thrilled to have a published author among them!
My lovely wife Kelly and I will be celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary this month. We have two children Michael, Jr. and Rachel. Both of my children can write rings around me.
Now for some fun facts. What’s your greatest comfort food?
Probably Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.
If I came to your house and looked in your closet/attic/basement, what’s the one thing that would surprise me the most?
My collection of comic book art.
Everyone asks the question about “if you could be a tree, which tree would you be?” so I want to know: If you could be a color, which color would it be, and why?
Blue. It has a wide palette and is very soothing.
Who is your favorite cartoon character?
By far the greatest cartoon character ever invented is Foghorn Leghorn. This is not open for debate.
Which cartoon character is most like you?
See above.
If you could beam yourself to anywhere in the world (“Beam me up, Scotty!”), during any time in history, where and when would it be—and why?
I would say probably the American Revolution. One of those rare times in history where you see a simply fantastic collection of great minds. Jefferson, Washington, Adams, Franklin, Patrick Henry. It would have been fascinating to see.
So what’s your favorite type of music to listen to? Favorite musical artists? Do you listen to music while you’re writing?
My favorite music is probably classic rock. The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, etc. I don't listen to music when I write.
Do you have any favorite T.V. shows? Movies you watch over and over again? What was the last movie you saw at the theater?
I have a few favorites. The Office, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Chuck, Reaper, those are some of my current favorite. My all time favorite movie is The Princess Bride and I’ll watch it several times a year. The last movie I saw in the theater was Pineapple Express.
You have the chance to give one piece of advice to your teen readers. What would it be?
If you’re interested in writing as a career, you have to write. Writing is a skill that gets better with practice just like any other skill.
One last question. What stories can we look forward to from you in the future?
Well the Youngest Templar is a trilogy so there will be at least two more books there. I have a new novel that my agent is getting ready to shop around and I have picture books in the works on The Pony Express and a baseball alphabet book that is a lot of fun.
Again, thanks so much for joining us at http://www.teensreadtoo.com/!
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