Book Birthday Blog w/ Michael Spradlin

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog! 

Where we celebrate new books by Michigan's children's book authors and illustrators

BIG congratulations to Michael Spradlin on the release of 2 books in his new MEDAL OF HONOR series and the upcoming release of the paperback edition of his PARARESCUE series!

Congrats on the release of your amazing non-fiction middle grade series, Medal Of Honor and the Pararescue series! What made you decide to tell these stories?

I’ve always been interested in what defines a hero. Everyday there are people among us who perform heroic acts. I think what it means to be a hero is a theme that has run through all of my novels. With the Medal of Honor books, I found a chance to tell true stories of heroism. I often tell students during school visits that the truth is often a better story than fiction.

Can you take us through a bit of what it was like to research and write these books?

I will use any resource I can when researching. In this case, I had a great deal of primary source material to work with. There is a great amount of material accessible today that didn’t exist even ten years go. I love researching because I’m always learning something new. And I usually will come across ideas for future books during research. 

What do you hope readers will experience or take away from your books?

First and foremost, I hope they are entertained. I hope they will feel that reading the book was a few hours well spent. Then I hope they gain an appreciation of our men and women in uniform and the courage and dedication they possess.

Who is your author idol and how have they influenced your work?

Tough one to answer. But I’d have to go with John Steinbeck. I feel like he could write anything. I feel his love of humanity shows through in his writing. He had real affection for the downtrodden and overlooked in our society. Those on the fringes often were the heroes in his work. 

Do you have any advice for newer writers?

Just write. There is no secret. Writing is a craft like any other. The more you do it, the better you will get at it. Don’t worry about getting published. Just write because it’s something you enjoy. There are no shortcuts or gimmicks. You need to put your butt in the chair and write.

A little bit about the author:

New York Times Bestselling author Michael P. Spradlin is the author of over thirty books for children and adults. His books include Into the Killing Seas, The Enemy Above and Prisoner of War. He lives in Lapeer, Michigan. 

Like him on Facebook! facebook.com/MichaelPSpradlinAuthorPage

Follow him on Twitter @MSpradlinAuthor

Follow him on Instagram mspradlinauthor

A little bit about the books:

The Medal of Honor series focuses on winners of our nation’s highest military honor. Each book provides a profile of a Medal of Honor winner telling their story from primary sources. The books include maps, photos and interesting cross text which appeal to reluctant readers. 

The Pararescue Series is a paperback bind-up edition of the four Pararescue Series novels. These fictional stories follow the U.S. Air Force pararescue troops around the globe as they work to save soldiers and civilians.