An Inside Look with John Claude Bemis
(Author of Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem)
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
(September 9, 2025)
How did you come to know Sidney?
There's a cliché in fantasy literature of “the Chosen One,” the ordinary kid who is destined to save the world. Sidney Poblocki was born out a desire as a storyteller to subvert that cliché by having my protagonist destined to destroy the world—in this case, the multiverse. Poor Sidney has no idea how or even why he’d want to do that, but there are powerful figures who believe this prophecy and are determined to stop him.
What do you think is his most admirable quality?
Sidney isn’t particularly talented, brave, or powerful. His protectors, Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem, are aces in those departments. But Sidney stands out because he’s simply a kind person. He just wants to find belonging. I loved the idea of making him heroic because of his big heart. Kindness is the most admirable of all qualities.
Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
Sidney could probably stand up to Rodeo Hawkins more. Even though Rodeo seems like a kid—and in a sense, she is a kid—but she’s also a powerful cosmic being with an exaggerated ego. While she’s trying to keep Sidney safe from those who want him dead, she’s not always nice about it. Part of Sidney’s emotional journey is figuring out how to not be pushed around so much by Rodeo.
What do you think Sidney can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
In many stories, the choices the heroes face are clearly good or clearly bad. I wanted Sidney to face situations where it wasn’t always so clear what was the right or wrong thing to do. The bad guys in the story think they’re doing what’s best to protect the multiverse from danger. They have the right intentions. But their methods are horrible. I wanted young readers to see how it’s often hard to judge what’s “good” and what’s “bad."
How did you research Sidney and the circumstances he found himself in?
The story involves the whole notion of the multiverse—that there are other universes with other versions of Earth where things might be quite different from our Earth. So most of the research was simply asking the most outrageous “What if?” questions I could come up with. It was a ton of fun dreaming it all up!
Do you and Sidney share any similarities?
Sidney is a pretty adventurous guy. He enjoys making new friends and having new experiences. I can definitely relate to that.
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
Many of the characters in the story aren’t who they seem at first. Seemingly good heroic characters turn out to be villainous. And mischievous, trouble-making characters turn out to have hearts of gold. So it was challenging to write those scenes where Sidney feels genuinely unsure who to trust. I had to work hard to get readers to wonder what the various characters’ motivations were.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Sidney’s biggest supporter is definitely his best friend Walt from his old life before the Daughters of Mayhem sweep him away. Unfortunately, when Sidney crosses the boundaries of the multiverse it has the magical effect of making everyone who used to know him forget him. So sadly, Sidney’s best bud Walt no longer knows who he is. This becomes important in the next book, Rodeo Hawkins and the Sons of Disaster, when Sidney tries to reconnect with Walt.
Why do you think some young people can show such resilience, strength, and courage during difficult life situations; sometimes even more than the adults in their lives?
Kids have such powerful imaginations. They can see so many wild and inventive possibilities. I think this gives them a strong sense of hope. And it’s important that we as adults help to preserve and nurture that sense of hope for young people. I believe this is why so many children’s books not only have hopeful endings, but need to have hopeful endings.
What do you think Sidney is doing at the present time?
He's currently off on some wild and wooly adventure across the multiverse with Rodeo Hawkins. And it’s most certainly full of an extra dose of mayhem.
There's a cliché in fantasy literature of “the Chosen One,” the ordinary kid who is destined to save the world. Sidney Poblocki was born out a desire as a storyteller to subvert that cliché by having my protagonist destined to destroy the world—in this case, the multiverse. Poor Sidney has no idea how or even why he’d want to do that, but there are powerful figures who believe this prophecy and are determined to stop him.
What do you think is his most admirable quality?
Sidney isn’t particularly talented, brave, or powerful. His protectors, Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem, are aces in those departments. But Sidney stands out because he’s simply a kind person. He just wants to find belonging. I loved the idea of making him heroic because of his big heart. Kindness is the most admirable of all qualities.
Is there anything you wish he would have changed or done differently in his story?
Sidney could probably stand up to Rodeo Hawkins more. Even though Rodeo seems like a kid—and in a sense, she is a kid—but she’s also a powerful cosmic being with an exaggerated ego. While she’s trying to keep Sidney safe from those who want him dead, she’s not always nice about it. Part of Sidney’s emotional journey is figuring out how to not be pushed around so much by Rodeo.
What do you think Sidney can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
In many stories, the choices the heroes face are clearly good or clearly bad. I wanted Sidney to face situations where it wasn’t always so clear what was the right or wrong thing to do. The bad guys in the story think they’re doing what’s best to protect the multiverse from danger. They have the right intentions. But their methods are horrible. I wanted young readers to see how it’s often hard to judge what’s “good” and what’s “bad."
How did you research Sidney and the circumstances he found himself in?
The story involves the whole notion of the multiverse—that there are other universes with other versions of Earth where things might be quite different from our Earth. So most of the research was simply asking the most outrageous “What if?” questions I could come up with. It was a ton of fun dreaming it all up!
Do you and Sidney share any similarities?
Sidney is a pretty adventurous guy. He enjoys making new friends and having new experiences. I can definitely relate to that.
What was the hardest scene to write about him?
Many of the characters in the story aren’t who they seem at first. Seemingly good heroic characters turn out to be villainous. And mischievous, trouble-making characters turn out to have hearts of gold. So it was challenging to write those scenes where Sidney feels genuinely unsure who to trust. I had to work hard to get readers to wonder what the various characters’ motivations were.
Who do you think was his biggest supporter and why?
Sidney’s biggest supporter is definitely his best friend Walt from his old life before the Daughters of Mayhem sweep him away. Unfortunately, when Sidney crosses the boundaries of the multiverse it has the magical effect of making everyone who used to know him forget him. So sadly, Sidney’s best bud Walt no longer knows who he is. This becomes important in the next book, Rodeo Hawkins and the Sons of Disaster, when Sidney tries to reconnect with Walt.
Why do you think some young people can show such resilience, strength, and courage during difficult life situations; sometimes even more than the adults in their lives?
Kids have such powerful imaginations. They can see so many wild and inventive possibilities. I think this gives them a strong sense of hope. And it’s important that we as adults help to preserve and nurture that sense of hope for young people. I believe this is why so many children’s books not only have hopeful endings, but need to have hopeful endings.
What do you think Sidney is doing at the present time?
He's currently off on some wild and wooly adventure across the multiverse with Rodeo Hawkins. And it’s most certainly full of an extra dose of mayhem.
SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
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Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)
Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)
Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)
Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)
Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)
Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)
Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)
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Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow)
Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)
Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)
Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)
Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)
Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy)
Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)
Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)
Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)
Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)
Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)
Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)
Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)
Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)
Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)
Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)
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Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl)
Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)
Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me)
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Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (Author of One Kid's Trash)
Interview #200 with Chad Lucas (Author of Thanks a Lot, Universe)
Interview #201 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Where We Used to Roam)
Interview #202 with Rebecca Caprara (Author of Worst-Case Collin)
Interview #203 with Leslie Connor (Author of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?)
Interview #204 with Caroline Gertler (Author of Many Points of Me)
Interview #205 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of Susie B. Won't Back Down)
Interview #206 with Shawn Peters (Author of The Unforgettable Logan Foster)
Interview #207 with Aisha Saeed (Author of Omar Rising)
Interview #208 with Adrianna Cuevas (Author of Cuba in my Pocket)
Interview #209 with Jennifer Swender (Author of Stuck)
Interview #210 with Brenda Woods (Author of When Winter Robeson Came)
Interview #211 with Danya Lorentz (Author of the Book Of a Feather)
Interview #212 with Saadia Faruqi (Author of Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero)
Interview #213 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of What About Will)
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Interview #214 with Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner (Authors of What About the Octopus)
Interview #215 with Lauren Wolk (Author of My Own Lightning)
Interview #216 with Rebekah Lowell (Author of the Road to After)
Interview #217 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Honestly Elliott)
Interview #218 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Midnight Children)
Interview #219 with Melanie Conklin (Author of A Perfect Mistake)
Interview #220 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Different Kinds of Fruit)
Interview #221 with Tracy Edward Wymer (Author of The Great and Mighty Benjamin Teller)
Interview #222 with Louise Hawes (Author of Big Rig)
Interview #223 with Paul Acampora (Author of In Honor of Broken Things)
Interview #224 with Shannon Doleski (Author of Gabe in the After)
Interview #225 with Jennifer Ziegler (Author of Worser)
Interview #226 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Hummingbird)
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Interview #227 with Celia C. Perez (Author of Tumble
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Interview #229 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Daredevils)
Interview #230 with Sashi Kaufman (Author of Sardines)
Interview #231 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of The Real Deal)
Interview #232 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of New Kids and Underdogs)
Interterview #233 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of The Hope of Elephants)
Interview #234 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Rover's Story)
SEASON #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)
Interview #235 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Thirst)
Interview #236 with Torrey Maldonado (Author of Hands)
Interview #237 with C.C. Harrington (Author of Wildoak)
Interview #238 with Margi Preus (Author of Windswept)
Interview #239 with Dayna Lorentz (Author of Wayward Creatures)
Interview #240 with Katrina Nannestad (Author of We are Wolves)
Interview #241 with Anika Fajardo (Author of Meet Me Halfway)
Interview #250 with Sally J. Pla (Author of The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn)
Interview #251 with Chris Baron (Author of The Gray)
Interview #252 with Dusti Bowling (Author of DUST)
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Interview #253 with Sarah Everett (Author of The Probability of Everything)
Interview #254 with Andrea Beatriz Arango (Author of Something Like Home)
Interview #255 with H.M. Bouwman (Author of Gossamer Summer)
Interview #256 with Kaija Langley (Author of The Order of Things)
Interview #257 with Elaine Vickers (Author of Half Moon Summer)
Interview #258 with John Gaspard (Author of The Curious Mysteries of Eli Marks)
Interview #259 with Dana Kramaroff (Author of The Do More Club)
Interview #260 with Jessica Vitalis (Author of Coyote Queen)
Interview #261 with Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko (Authors of Dog Town)
SEASON #SEVENTEEN (Winter/Spring 2024)
Interview #262 with Chad Morris and Shelly Brown (Authors of The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry)
Interview #263 with Anne Ursu (Author of Not Quite a Ghost)
Interview #264 with Erin Soderberg Downing (Author of Just Keep Walking)
Interview #265 With Kate Albus (Author of Nothing Else But Miracles)
Interview #266 with Robin Gow (Author of Dear Mothman)
Interview #267 with Toni Buzzeo (Author of Light Comes to Shadow Mountain)
Interview #268 with John Schu (Author of Louder Than Hunger)
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Interview #270 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of Once Upon a Family)
Interview #271 with Lynne Kelly (Author of The Secret Language of Birds)
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Interview #274 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall)
Interview #275 with Lois Lowry (Author of Tree.Table.Book)
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Interview #278 with Kate O'Shaughnessy (Author of The Wrong Way Home)
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Interview #280 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Deep Water)
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Interview #293 with Heather Bouwman (Author of Scattergood)
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