ReadWonder: An Inside Look #159 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with John David Anderson

(Author of One Last Shot)

*Welcome to my favorite feature of my blog.

*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)

*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)

*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)

*Season #FOUR (Summer/fall of 2018)

*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)

*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)

*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019)

*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

*Season #NINE (Fall 2020)

*I'm excited to be back for season #TEN with brand new interviews/authors.

*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the SECOND interview in which I'm calling Season #TEN.

*Thank you to John David Anderson for being the One-Hundred Fifty-Ninth author I've had the pleasure of interviewing. I truly appreciate it.

*Here is my Review of the Novel..

One Last Shot

One Last Shot

by John David Anderson

(May 5, 2020)

How did you come to know Malcolm?

For me, at least, every new novel is a mystery, a chance to meet new characters and figure out what drives them, what makes them shake in their shoes, what they wish for when they blow out their birthday candles. For Malcolm I only knew at the start that he wanted his parents to be happy and that he felt he couldn’t live up to his father’s expectations. Also, he hates baseball. From there I just let him evolve alongside the conflicts of the story, and I was happy to see him grow and change.

What do you think is his most admirable quality?

Malcolm’s most admirable quality is his concern for others, though it doesn’t always come out given the kind of shy, introspective kid he is. Of course this also manifests itself as an overwhelming desire to please, to make others happy, which can—when taken to extremes—be emotionally unhealthy for him. I think that’s something a lot of young readers can relate to.

Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
I can imagine a hundred ways that Malcolm’s story might have gone—for example, the decision he makes during the tournament at the end of the book could have gone very differently—but that’s not the story I set out to tell or the character arc I chose to paint. I suppose I could say that I wish I’d written it better, but that’s only because I believe no piece of writing is ever perfect, only finished. I could tinker with sentence structures and diction and metaphors for eternity, but then I’d never make a deadline 😊.

What do you think Malcolm can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?

I hope a lot. Find a good friend to confide in, that helps. Don’t worry if you talk to yourself—it’s normal, we all do it (but if you get in an argument, make sure you win). But I think one of the biggest lessons Malcolm learns is that his parents’ happiness is not all on him. Yes you should be giving and empathetic and kind and he should strive to do his best, but if you spend all of your time trying to make other people happy, you can lose sight of what makes you happy. A lot of Malcolm’s journey is him learning to be comfortable with who he is.

How did you research Malcolm and the circumstances he found himself in?

I was born. I played Little League baseball (poorly). I listened to my parents argue every night. I struggled to make friends. I lived inside my own head. I drank slushies. I yearned to find something I was good at and I did my best to avoid conflict. That’s basically it. I think all of my novels have an autobiographical edge, but this one especially.

Most of the outside research I did was actually on miniature golf, its history and its current appeal. Also proprietary eponyms. I studied those a lot.

Do you and Malcolm share any similarities?

See #5 above. We definitely share a lot of the same DNA, even down to some of the voices we hear in our heads. One place we differ is that by the end of the book, Malcolm learns not to be so hard on himself. I’m 45 and still working on that.

What was the hardest scene to write about him?

The conversational scenes between him and his parents were tough—especially the heart-to-heart he has with his mother near the end where he learns one of the reasons why his parents sometimes fight about him. Some things are just so difficult to talk about—it takes guts just to open the door—and I often worry that the words I’m choosing as a writer don’t do justice to the emotions that I can feel my characters going through.

That said, all writing is hard. Fun. But hard.

Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?

I think all three adults in Malcolm’s life evolve in that role (some with more difficulty than others). Obviously Frank comes to be the kind of cheerleader for Malcolm that his father always struggled to be, but even his motives are questionable at the start. If I had to pick any character who believes in Malcolm from the moment she meets him, I’d choose Lex. Sometimes it takes someone your age to know exactly what you’re going through. Waka waka, man.

Why do you think young people, like Malcolm, are sometimes afraid to be their true selves and not share with their parents what they truly want out of their life?

At what point in your life do your parents stop dictating the direction it will take? At what point do you truly find the agency to be your own person, develop your own credo, and make your own choices? That’s incredibly hard to do at age 12 or 13. It’s hard for some people to do at age 30 or 40. Add to this the added pressure of not wanting to disappoint said parents (tick them off, sure, but disappoint them, that’s the worst), and the fact that most people of any age struggle to know what they truly want out of life--not to mention whatever the thing you want always seems to be changing, and it makes sense that this would be something that would cause anxiety. However parents can do a great deal to create a safe and supportive environment for kids to express their hopes, dreams, and insecurities by being encouraging mentors and guides.

What do you think Malcolm is doing as the present time?

I think he would still be playing miniature golf, for starters. It’s nice when you find something that energizes you, that you want to invest yourself in and get better at, and I’m happy that he found his. But right at this very moment I’m guessing Malcolm and Lex are probably playing Pacman, eating Little Debbie Snack Cakes, and discussing why Frisbees are called Frisbees and not flying discs.

*Here are links to the One Hundred Fifty-Eight interviews...

SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

Interview #1 with Elly Swartz (Author of Finding Perfect)

Interview #2 with Jeff Zentner (Author of The Serpent King)

Interview #3 with Nora Raleigh Baskin (Author of Nine, Ten, A September 11 Story)

Interview #4 with Cammie McGovern (Author of Just My Luck)

Interview #5 with Kate Messner (Author of The Seventh Wish)

Interview #6 with Paul Griffin (Author of When Friendship Followed Me Home)

Interview #7 with K.A. Holt (Author of House Arrest)

Interview #8 with Abby Cooper (Author of Sticks and Stones)

Interview #9 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Counting Thyme)

Interview #10 with Claire Legrand (Author of Some Kind of Happiness)