Bryan Reardon's Blog
March 10, 2015
Guest post for Librarylovefest
Guest Blogger: Bryan Reardon, author of Finding Jake
You'll remember Finding Jake from our previous post and when it was chosen as the #6 LibraryReads pick for February. Now, to celebrate his book's birthday, author Bryan Reardon has stopped by to share a few words.
***
Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon tells the story of Jake Connolly and his father Simon. After a shooting at the local high school, seventeen-year-old Jake is missing. Worse, the authorities have identified him as a possible suspect. Simon embarks on a journey not only to find his son, but to find out who his son really is. Although not included in the book, this school paper, written by Jake in the seventh grade, may hold a clue:
If I Was an Animal
By Jake Connolly
It's funny. If I think about it, I can guess which animal most everyone else in class will write about. I know who the lions are. I think there will be one or two cheetahs. Everyone knows a certain class president will probably pick the eagle. But after hours of thinking about it, I still can't decide which I am.
When I try to think of something, I keep remembering this one book I read in the fifth grade. I had to do a report so I went down to the school library. While I was wandering around, probably looking all confused, Mrs. Thomas came over. She was our librarian all through elementary school. She had this way of picking very specific books out for each kid.
"Hi Jake."
Before I said anything, she nodded, like she'd just figured something out.
"Come here. I think I have a book that you'd really like to read."
Mrs. Thomas gave me Watership Down that day. I saw the rabbit on the cover and didn't love it right away.
"It's a great book, Jake. You have to be a strong reader to handle this. The language can be a little tricky. But the story… you'll love it. I'm sure."
Looking back, I think that was a challenge. I took that book and, no matter how hard it got sometimes, I finished every word and it stuck with me. Now I know why. See there was this rabbit, Fiver, who was always worried. He kept warning all the other rabbits, but some of them got annoyed and wouldn't listen. It drove him crazy, because he cared about the other rabbits so much, and he knew they were in danger. It totally reminded me of my dad. I used to think he worried about me all the time. It used to annoy me. But I get it now. See, it's just that his worry is his love for me and my sister.
So, my dad would be a rabbit. The problem is that's not what I'm supposed to be writing about. I'm sure I'll get a bad grade for this since I'm not really answering the question. But if my dad is a rabbit, and I figured that out by reading a book, then maybe I'm just a bookworm.
You'll remember Finding Jake from our previous post and when it was chosen as the #6 LibraryReads pick for February. Now, to celebrate his book's birthday, author Bryan Reardon has stopped by to share a few words.
***
Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon tells the story of Jake Connolly and his father Simon. After a shooting at the local high school, seventeen-year-old Jake is missing. Worse, the authorities have identified him as a possible suspect. Simon embarks on a journey not only to find his son, but to find out who his son really is. Although not included in the book, this school paper, written by Jake in the seventh grade, may hold a clue:
If I Was an Animal
By Jake Connolly
It's funny. If I think about it, I can guess which animal most everyone else in class will write about. I know who the lions are. I think there will be one or two cheetahs. Everyone knows a certain class president will probably pick the eagle. But after hours of thinking about it, I still can't decide which I am.
When I try to think of something, I keep remembering this one book I read in the fifth grade. I had to do a report so I went down to the school library. While I was wandering around, probably looking all confused, Mrs. Thomas came over. She was our librarian all through elementary school. She had this way of picking very specific books out for each kid.
"Hi Jake."
Before I said anything, she nodded, like she'd just figured something out.
"Come here. I think I have a book that you'd really like to read."
Mrs. Thomas gave me Watership Down that day. I saw the rabbit on the cover and didn't love it right away.
"It's a great book, Jake. You have to be a strong reader to handle this. The language can be a little tricky. But the story… you'll love it. I'm sure."
Looking back, I think that was a challenge. I took that book and, no matter how hard it got sometimes, I finished every word and it stuck with me. Now I know why. See there was this rabbit, Fiver, who was always worried. He kept warning all the other rabbits, but some of them got annoyed and wouldn't listen. It drove him crazy, because he cared about the other rabbits so much, and he knew they were in danger. It totally reminded me of my dad. I used to think he worried about me all the time. It used to annoy me. But I get it now. See, it's just that his worry is his love for me and my sister.
So, my dad would be a rabbit. The problem is that's not what I'm supposed to be writing about. I'm sure I'll get a bad grade for this since I'm not really answering the question. But if my dad is a rabbit, and I figured that out by reading a book, then maybe I'm just a bookworm.
Guest blog for Bookclubgirl
Guest post: Bryan Reardon, author of FINDING JAKE
I love book clubs.
It's the truth. I admit it. But I also admit I'm not in one. My wife is in two. And I like them. But what I really like about book clubs is that they talk about books. A couple of years back, I co-wrote a memoir. When that book came out, I visited a number of book clubs. These conversations were so much fun. Even more, though, they provided such amazing insights. Members brought up some really perceptive points, things I hadn’t even noticed when I wrote the book. The questions got me thinking in different ways and showed a side of writing that the writer, unfortunately, doesn’t see enough: what the reader thinks and what the reader wants to read.
Soon after that, I sat down to write Finding Jake. And honestly, I wrote it with book clubs in mind. After working from home for a decade and taking care of my kids, I really thought that writing a story from that perspective could be interesting to talk about. Over those years, I stumbled through so many misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and misjudgments. I battled my own insecurities. And in writing the book, I realized most of what I endured had been self-inflicted.
I knew the book would be from that point-of-view. When I began thinking of themes I hoped to touch on, many played very well with that decision. I've always been fascinated with how well, or how little, we all know the people in our lives. And, as I can tend toward being introverted, I thought about how that concept is magnified with people that don't speak out as much. I wondered how that would play out in a time of stress. Having read Dave Cullen's Columbine, and thinking a lot about the effect on the families of both the victims and the perpetrators, I made the final decision to plot the book around a high school shooting.
When I started writing Finding Jake, the floodgates opened. I put so many of my thoughts and feelings over the past 10 years into the book. The process became cathartic. Each time I sat down to write, my mind would travel back to moments that stood out. Our life together became fodder for my writing. In the end, though, the stories never turned out the way they did in real life. Instead, they melded with the other themes and the book finished itself in about four months.
Now, with it released out into the world, one of the things I most look forward to is the chance to speak with book clubs. I can't wait to hear what people think, what parts of the story worked, and what parts didn't. I know that every opportunity I get will make me a better writer. I have three concepts we are playing around with for my next book. Each idea starts with: can you talk about this? I love writing that way.
I love book clubs.
It's the truth. I admit it. But I also admit I'm not in one. My wife is in two. And I like them. But what I really like about book clubs is that they talk about books. A couple of years back, I co-wrote a memoir. When that book came out, I visited a number of book clubs. These conversations were so much fun. Even more, though, they provided such amazing insights. Members brought up some really perceptive points, things I hadn’t even noticed when I wrote the book. The questions got me thinking in different ways and showed a side of writing that the writer, unfortunately, doesn’t see enough: what the reader thinks and what the reader wants to read.
Soon after that, I sat down to write Finding Jake. And honestly, I wrote it with book clubs in mind. After working from home for a decade and taking care of my kids, I really thought that writing a story from that perspective could be interesting to talk about. Over those years, I stumbled through so many misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and misjudgments. I battled my own insecurities. And in writing the book, I realized most of what I endured had been self-inflicted.
I knew the book would be from that point-of-view. When I began thinking of themes I hoped to touch on, many played very well with that decision. I've always been fascinated with how well, or how little, we all know the people in our lives. And, as I can tend toward being introverted, I thought about how that concept is magnified with people that don't speak out as much. I wondered how that would play out in a time of stress. Having read Dave Cullen's Columbine, and thinking a lot about the effect on the families of both the victims and the perpetrators, I made the final decision to plot the book around a high school shooting.
When I started writing Finding Jake, the floodgates opened. I put so many of my thoughts and feelings over the past 10 years into the book. The process became cathartic. Each time I sat down to write, my mind would travel back to moments that stood out. Our life together became fodder for my writing. In the end, though, the stories never turned out the way they did in real life. Instead, they melded with the other themes and the book finished itself in about four months.
Now, with it released out into the world, one of the things I most look forward to is the chance to speak with book clubs. I can't wait to hear what people think, what parts of the story worked, and what parts didn't. I know that every opportunity I get will make me a better writer. I have three concepts we are playing around with for my next book. Each idea starts with: can you talk about this? I love writing that way.
