Meet Spencer
Brokaw. He's not your normal thirteen year-old. I discovered Spencer one day while searching for author blogs on Google. I dropped the sandwich that I was eating and moved closer to my computer screen. Is he really just thirteen years old? I thought. I continued to read, and to my amazement I discovered that he was only twelve years-old in 2011 when he wrote and published his first book titled The Impenetrable Spy. And as if that wasn't neat enough, I discovered that he had just finished publishing his second book early 2012 titled Future Dreamer (The Impenetrable Spy, Book Two). Did I mention that he is only thirteen years old? How neat is that?! What were YOU doing when YOU were thirteen years old???
I just want to say that I think Spencer is an awesome dude. He had a dream, and he went for it. Maybe we can all learn something from Spencer's story.
Well I was so inspired by this young author that I contacted him and was fortunate enough to conduct this interview. When you finish reading this, visit Spencer's website and show your support. Enjoy!
1. Q: Tell me about your
new book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?
A: My new book, The Impenetrable Spy: Future Dreamer (the
second book in the series) focuses on the main character Zack Carter, a
time-traveling CIA agent on a mission to clear his name for a murder he did not
commit. I’ve always liked fugitive movies—The Fugitive, Bourne Identity, etc. It
sounded like a fun book for me to write, and I really liked the way the premise
ties into the first book.
2. Q: How did you get
interested in writing books?
A: One summer when I was 8 my dad suggested writing as a cure
for boredom. Ever since, I’ve been interested in writing and have enjoyed it. I
wrote my first book on the computer at age 10, and followed up shortly by writing
my second book, The Impenetrable Spy which would later be published in 2011 at
age 12.
3. Q: What kind of
research did you do for this book?
A: For Future Dreamer, I ended up doing a lot more research
than I thought I would. I researched Lagos, Nigeria, some places in France, and
future weaponry such as military exoskeletons. It turned out to be a lot of
fun, and I liked showing the knowledge I had learned in my writing.
4. Q: What's a typical
working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily
writing goal?
A: I don’t really have working days to be honest. For me, it’s
every once and a while I get to sit down to write and edit. I only have so many
hours after school, and many days are spent with friends, doing homework, being
lazy and watching my favorite TV shows and playing video games.
If I write on the weekend, it’s normally during the morning
to mid-afternoon, on a school night, I write later in the day—7 o’clock-ish and
on. I don’t set a daily writing goal, but try to do “practice” writings every
once and a while so I’m not as rusty.
5. Q: What is the
hardest part of writing for you?
A: It’s not the writing, it’s the editing! I can’t stand
editing. As the writer, you want nothing more than to just get the book out
there. When you’re editing 2 weeks’ worth of writing for a year, it gets
frustrating.
6. Q: What’s the best
thing about being an author?
A: Getting to meet new people. I joined Twitter a few days
after publishing my first book, and have met countless people. A lot of people
have supported my writing, bought my book, left reviews, and recommended it to
friends. This is the best feeling in the world—to be supported.
7. Q: What are you
working on now?
A: Right now I’m working on a Christmas-Elf-Spy book with David
Kenyon, although I’ve been slacking and am going to be writing a little bit of
it directly after I send these answers to you!
I’m also working on my 3rd book, a spin-off
series from The Impenetrable Spy books.
8. Q: What advice would
you give aspiring young writers?
A: Never give up and keep writing.
9. Q: Do you have any
favorite authors or favorite books?
A: Harry Potter, Bloodwood, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of
Unfortunate Events, Young Bond, Ranger’s Apprentice, and a few others come to
mind. Harry Potter is such a great book and really immerses you in the world.
10. Q: What question
have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that
question?
A: To be honest, I’ve been asked so many questions I don’t
think anything hasn’t been covered. But an interesting tidbit about me is that
I LOVE 80’s music. I can’t stand any music past 2000. Van Halen, RUSH, Def
Leppard, Duran Duran and RATT are among my favorite bands.
11. Q: If you were
writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
A: Title: The Journey of a Young Author. I know, very boring
and cliché!
Blessings,
Casey Sean Harmon
Author
