Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was raised by my loving parents as one of five boys (the middle child) in small town near Albany, New York. I graduated from college in the same state, and after travelling the world a bit afterwards, have relocated to North Carolina. Though I’ve been writing stories since my elementary school days, I didn’t build up the guts to try and publish one until now, so this is my first foray into the exciting world of publishing.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Super (Elementary School) Heroes is a series of books I’m currently working on. Book One: Kidnapping in Queen City is the title of the first installment. It’s both inspired by my love of superheroes and the countless stories of being an elementary school teacher to diverse groups of students. There have been a handful of students in my five year career that specifically inspired the characters in my book, and their touching stories, amazing resiliency in the face of all the unfair challenges they face, are what drive my writing. I sat down to seriously get to work on it after years of developing ideas when I realized that the books in my classroom library didn’t even come close to accurately reflecting the students I was teaching.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do my best writing near bodies of water for some reason. I can write for hours on end and finish multiple chapters if I’m outside typing away near a pool, lake or ocean. When I get stuck or bored or hot…I just go for a dip, dry off and get back at it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Batman comics were constantly present throughout my childhood – particularly a collection of stories called “The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told,” which I pored over on a nightly basis. But I owe my love of reading and storytelling to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Bill Watterson – two authors whose works (Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Calvin and Hobbes, respectively) I make a special point of introducing all my students to.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m putting the finishing touches on Book 2: Freedom to Fight back, which will be the second installment of my Super (Elementary School) Heroes series. I also have an untitled picture book finished that I am slowly illustrating, a separate children’s novel in the works, and another planned children’s book series that probably won’t be finished until the end of next summer.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m so new to this world that I couldn’t possibly answer that question. Using Twitter and Weebly to create a website have been the biggest contributors to sales thus far. I’m hoping to start school visits within the next few months, which I hope gives diverse groups of children a chance to see themselves in my characters.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My only advice would be to put aside any excuses as to why you haven’t done it yet and just do it. I used to think I was too busy to write, but then I just forced myself to do it, regardless of what else was going on. I probably devote four to eight hours each weekend writing and illustrating, and an hour per week night. The thing that has helped me most is that I really, really enjoy the work I need to put in.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I used to hesitate when thinking of writing an entire book, because I thought it would be a waste of time if it was never published. But a friend of mine who works in publishing, who I had been pitching ideas to for a while, finally told me to just shut up and write something. We made an agreement that I wouldn’t speak to him again until I had something I could be proud of to show him, and that’s exactly what happened.
What are you reading now?
I just put down The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo and once I finish Neil Gaiman’s latest, I’ll probably read John Boyne’s latest.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want to have the first 3 books in my series written and published by Christmas before I do anything else. After that, I will put some more energy into developing my other ideas for children’s series.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a no-brainer:
1. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
2. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes Collection (Bill Watterson)
3. Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendack)
4. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Author Websites and Profiles
Lysander C. Stark Website
Lysander C. Stark Amazon Profile
Lysander C. Stark’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account