Ask the Author: Carl Deuker
Answered Questions (24)
Carl Deuker
Hello Tato, you might like my book Gutless. It has lots of football action and some exciting stuff off the field. Payback Time is the same, with a mystery also. Thanks for reading Gym Candy. Carl
Carl Deuker
There's a little soccer in Gutless and a little in the book Shadowed which comes out in the fall. But . . . painful truth is I never played soccer so I'm afraid to try to write about it. I hate books where it's clear the author doesn't really know the game. Thanks for reading Gym Candy
Carl Deuker
She would be close to minimum wage, so today in Seattle [2021] that would be $600 per week, about $30,000 per year. When I wrote the book, $400 per week, about $20,000 per year. Minimum wage is a huge drop. Shane’s father was making at least ten times more. Maybe twenty. Thanks for the question and for reading the book.
Carl Deuker
Thanks. Great question and I have the answer. My grandmother—between the age 30 & 45– lived in Fort Wayne, Philly, St. Louis, NYC, New Orleans, Vancouver—and I’m forgetting a couple. Whether my grandfather was with her all or some of the time was never made clear. What was going on?
Carl Deuker
Hello Luke, Thanks for writing--glad you liked the books. GOLDEN ARM is my most recent book; it has a baseball backdrop. If you're looking for more football, you might take a look at GYM CANDY. It's probably (along with Heart of a Champion) my most popular book. Keep reading!
Carl Deuker
Thanks for the question. I don’t want to spoil the ending, so I’ll be a little vague. The Philadelphia event that Mitch and Kimi learn about late in the book is based on something that actually happened. My grandparents lived in that Philly neighborhood, so I was familiar with it. That sad story got my story going. Carl
Carl Deuker
Hello Autumn, Thanks for reading GC and for your question. I'd read about steroid use in the pros and a little bit in college, but just assumed that it really wasn't a problem in high school. Then I read a very sad item in the newspaper about a high school baseball pitcher who wanted to improve his fastball for college & pro scouts . . . took steroids . . . ended up depressed & killed himself. So that sad story was the impetus. Gym Candy doesn't have a happy ending, but Mick is (haltingly) headed in the right direction. Carl
Carl Deuker
Hello Autumn, Thanks for reading GC and for your question. I'd read about steroid use in the pros and a little bit in college, but just assumed that it really wasn't a problem in high school. Then I read a very sad item in the newspaper about a high school baseball pitcher who wanted to improve his fastball for college & pro scouts . . . took steroids . . . ended up depressed & killed himself. So that sad story was the impetus. Gym Candy doesn't have a happy ending, but Mick is (haltingly) headed in the right direction. Carl
Carl Deuker
Yes. I have a website at http://carldeuker.ag-sites.net
I have a contact me button there, and I always reply to any emails I get. Thanks for the interest.
I have a contact me button there, and I always reply to any emails I get. Thanks for the interest.
Carl Deuker
I'm going to read some Michael Connelly, Chris Bohjalian, Tana French--good thrillers that will take my mind off our pandemic for at least a little while.
Carl Deuker
Hello Zach, Golden Arm just came out in April. It's available through Amazon right now. I'm working on another book, but it's just in the early stages. Thanks for asking, Carl
Carl Deuker
Night Hoops is, sadly, based on events that happened to students in a class I taught. It was a tough experience, and I wrote the book to get rid of some of the frustration I felt. Thanks for reading it and for taking the time to write. Carl
Carl Deuker
I’d go on the Pequod with Captain Ahab after the great white whale, Moby Dick—so long as I didn’t have to die in the end.
Carl Deuker
I was working on Gym Candy when 911 happened. Sports seemed silly, so I tried for a YA book about terrorism that would also be about community. I’m glad you liked it.
Carl Deuker
Ha! Not famous at all, but glad they are famous for you👍
Carl Deuker
Sorry to have missed this question. Golden arm comes out April 2020. Working hard on the next one now
Carl Deuker
Sorry I missed the question for so long. Golden Arm comes out in April 2020. Baseball and a bit more
Carl Deuker
Sorry to take so long to answer. Technology weak sometimes--I didn't mean to be rude.
Inspiration. I look for topics that get people worked up. So, Gutless takes on bullying and racial prejudice against Asians. Swagger has to do with abusive behavior. Payback Time . . . gangs. Once I have my "meat," then I pick a sport as the scaffold for the story. And I make sure I put a good amount of sports action. When I was a teenager, I hated books that had a basketball player on the cover and then hardly any basketball inside.
Inspiration. I look for topics that get people worked up. So, Gutless takes on bullying and racial prejudice against Asians. Swagger has to do with abusive behavior. Payback Time . . . gangs. Once I have my "meat," then I pick a sport as the scaffold for the story. And I make sure I put a good amount of sports action. When I was a teenager, I hated books that had a basketball player on the cover and then hardly any basketball inside.
Carl Deuker
I just finished up a book entitled GOLDEN ARM. It will come out in March 2020. Thanks for reading my books and I'm glad they fit the bill. Keep reading!
Carl Deuker
For "Golden Arm," the idea came with all the changes in Seattle. Many of the lower-income homes are being torn down and replaced with fancy, pricey places. My main character is poor. He learns that the mobile home where he lives has been sold for redevelopment. I made him a baseball pitcher. Senior. Where will he live? What team will he play for? How can he get himself noticed?
For "Shadowed," which I'm just starting . . . much sadder. I had a neighbor who died in Vietnam at 18. I'm using him as my inspiration for a character in this book.
For "Shadowed," which I'm just starting . . . much sadder. I had a neighbor who died in Vietnam at 18. I'm using him as my inspiration for a character in this book.
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