Featured Author: Rene Schmidt

Bibliography at Orca

Leaving Fletchville: Brandon is the biggest and toughest kid in his small-town school. He is feared as a bully, but he only pretends to be "dumb as a bag of hammers," so he can learn as much as possible about the people around him. When Leon, his sister Winnie, and their lively little brother Sam, arrive in Kingsville, they are the only black people in town. Everyone is curious about them-where they came from, what their parents do-but when Brandon discovers the truth about their situation, he decides to do what he can to protect them from harm.

Interview

Why do you write? Writing for the young is challenging because they will tell you when it is boring or they will just put the book down. They are very honest. It also limits you to simpler words and forces you to use the "less is more" rule. I try to write stories which appeal to the students in my own classes. To coax them I would ask them "proof" a manuscript for kid-interest and my end of the bargain would be a promise to include their names in the acknowledgements section of the book if it got published.

What is your favourite children's book? I could never have just one favorite! I loved a book called All Over Town by Carol Ryrie Brink. It was set in the 1800’s and it smelled musty. Great! When I was ten I would come home from school reading the Hardy Boys as I walked. In high school I loved reading Kurt Vonnegut, and Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck had a big influence on me. I acted the part of Lenny several times.

What is your favourite (or funniest) childhood/teenage memory?A boy at our high school decided to ‘streak’ on the last day of school. This was in the 70’s. He hid in some bushes and took all his clothes off and then got on his bicycle and rode full speed toward the turn-around circle in front of the school where everybody was standing. "LOOK AT ME!" he screamed. Then he wiped out.

What are the best and worst things about writing books?The worst is when I write something absolutely brilliant and superb and a good editor, like Sarah Harvey at Orca, makes me take it out. The editor is invariably correct and I end up agreeing with them but then I have to write it all over again. The best thing about writing is when the book is done and it is "greater than the sum of the parts". Seeing your book in print for the first time is almost as good as seeing your child being born. The cover is something unexpected, the font and design maybe a surprise to you, but it is beautiful and it all works together. You’ve contributed to something that wasn’t there before. Fantastic!

Biography

Rene Schmidt always wanted to write books, but only got Cs in high school. He has traveled many countries and worked as a miner, taxi and truck driver, construction worker and ship's crew. He eventually entered university where he discovered the creative writing department. Now he is a father and teacher in Brighton, Ontario, encouraging boys to read and write.