Matthew Cody's Dead Gentlemen makes me Powerless

Less than two weeks ago I received a box load of awesome books from one of my favorite publishers Random House (no they don't pay me to say how awesome they are - I would do that for free) - anyway, upon opening the box my eyes focused on one particular book right away. I wonder if you can guess which one?

Yeah, that's right, the one with the word DEAD in the title. I was like whaaa? And I picked it up and started reading it right away. I was two chapters in and decided I needed to reach out to the author and tell him how cool he is. But, he already gets lots of that I'm sure, so I asked if he would stop by the Asylum and answer a few questions. What I learned about MATTHEW CODY before the interview made me that much more excited for it to happen. Not only is he a dude and comic book nerd, but he has also written a book about kids with(out) super powers called POWERLESS. How this book escaped my trained bookish vision escapes me (bad comic nerd, bad). AND he's a writing teacher with Gotham Writer's Workshop. Yeah, I know, the cool points just keep adding up. Everyone, I would like you to meet, if you are not familiar with him already, Mr. Matthew Cody...

Can you tell us a bit of your background (for those us us who don't know) and what brought you to writing for children?

Matthew Cody - I've always been very in touch with my inner 10 year old, but my middle grade writing career started when I was working on a short story about Peter Pan  - or at least a response to Peter Pan. I wanted to write about a boy who woke up with the memory of flying, but no amount of happy thoughts could make it come true. The story got bigger. The protagonist became a minor character of a much larger cast and before I really knew what I was up to I had a novel on my hands.

It's seemed a good fit ever since!

There has been a rise in heroic/comic book hero middle grade books lately. Was Powerless your first stab at writing a book and did your love of comics influence your decision to write it? 

MC - Powerless was actually my second novel. The first was a bad Terry Pratchett pastiche that will stay forever locked in the darkest corner of my desk drawer, but it was useful in learning how to actually write a novel.

As I mentioned before, Powerless actually had it's roots in Peter Pan, but once the story started to grow, my life-long love of comics absolutely took over. Specifically, my love of the super hero story took over. The super hero is one of the few truly American genres and I wanted to explore it as myth.

And people flying and punching each other with super strength is cool. There's that.

Your follow up book, The Dead Gentlemen, is what I would call a dream book (meaning it has all the elements you dream about putting into a book and reading in a book). Time travel is a tricky element to write and keep the audience focused. What was the hardest part about writing this book and what was the easiest?

MC - There was very little that was easy about that book! You're right when you say that time travel is tricky, and it put my editor and me through the wringer. But I really love it, probably because it's so complex. Not just the time travel, but there are different points of view throughout the book and that adds another level of complexity to it.

But like you said, it's a dream book in that it touches upon many different genres I adore. And it's a love letter to a certain kind of fiction - the wide eyed adventure novel of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I had a blast weaving all those elements together into one (hopefully) coherent narrative.

On top of your busy writing schedule and being a parent and husband, you are also an instructor at Gotham Writer's Workshop. Did you ever say to yourself, if I teach writing I won't do this or do that? What is your approach to teaching writing?

MC - Whether I'm teaching creative writing to adults at Gotham or to kids on one of my school visits, I always approach it as a conversation about reading, first and foremost. What do you like about reading, and how can we translate that into your writing? What don't you like and why? You have to become a critical reader if you want to write yourself. I always begin there.

That and get yourself one of those tweed jackets with the leather elbow patches. That's a must.

Are there any essential writing rules you teach that you keep yourself or don't follow (because we know sometimes it is easier to tell others to do it - wink wink)? 

MC - Try to write everyday. I don't believe in aiming for a word count goal, but the disciplined act of dedicating some time every day to your craft is the first step, and often the step many people can't take.

It has to become a habit. At this point in my career, if I skip a few days I get irritable (just ask my wife) and I take that as a good sign.

As for rules of actually writing - don't forget that human beings have five senses! Use them in your descriptions. And speaking of descriptions - beware of characters walking through an endless series of blank rooms! Place is as important as action.

I'm a comic nerd myself. Personally, I love what Scott Snyder is doing with Batman and Swamp Thing right now. What are some of your current faves and what do you look for in comics?

MC - Scott Snyder is brilliant. And I'm proud of the fact that he has a prose background! There aren't enough prose writers working in comics these days. By the way, one of my my greatest "writerly" experiences was getting the chance to tour the DC Comics offices. Dream come true!

Yes, that is a dream come true. My agent did the same thing and she sent me a pic. I was Riddler green with envy. Ahem... please continue...

MC - But comics are a love/hate relationship for me, because I worry that with all these dark psychological stories we are losing the younger readers. I want books aimed at me of course. Snyder's Batman books are a good example of the perfect book aimed at me but I'm 38 years old. It's masterfully done, but I also want comics that I can share with my son. One of those is Atomic Robo. It's an indie book about an atomic powered robot built by Tesla who beats up monsters. Wonderful.

Note - I didn't know anything about this Atomic Robo until now and it really does look awesome. Plus it deals with Tesla (enough said). Just look for yourself.

Lastly, can we tease or talk about your next book? 

MC - My next book is the sequel to Powerless, titled Super. It'll be out in September. After that I have another book coming from Knopf that will be a bit older. Closer to YA, but without all the angst!

Uhhh, that sounds SUPER amazing. Am I right people!?

I want to thank Matthew for being so cool and open to speaking with me (since I blindly sent him an email hoping for the best) and visiting the Asylum. I can't recommend The Dead Gentlemen enough to anyone who wants a cool book chock full of great storytelling and imagery. To learn more about Matthew, his books and more - visit here - Matthew Cody.