Bookpleasures.com ispleased to have as our guest Chad Lehrmann author of The Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles Rites of Passage and The Class They Remember.

After eleven years in ministry, Chad became a public school teacher in College Station, Texas, at College Station High School, where he is currently the Psychology, Sociology, and a Social Studies teacher and founder of LEADS, a middle-grade leadership program that he oversees.

Norm: Good day Chad, and thanks for participating in our interview.

What makes a teacher and a former member in the ministry want to become a novelist? As a follow-up, why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?

Chad:  Well, I think it is a natural thing in ministers, and in social studies teachers like myself, to be storytellers.  The difference now is that I am telling stories I completely made up!  I have been 'writing' my whole life, but never ventured so far as to actually try to publish. 

As a teacher, I wrote an education blog for about six years, and I incorporated educational parables to teach principles.  So, I got to tap into my creative side there.  But it wasn't what I really wanted to write about.  My students would always ask me, "What what you do if you didn't teach?"  I finally grew tired of saying writing, but never actually trying to do it.  So, because I wanted to show my students that if you work for your dreams, you can have them, I set out to self-publish.  And I really think that plays into the theme of my current series, Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles. 

The lead is a young man that is thrust into an unbelievable trial and has to persevere and achieve far beyond what anyone, including himself, expected.  I hope that my books inspire the readers to ask tough questions, to strive for their goal, and to realize the importance of support from those around you.

Norm: Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?

Chad:  I am a part-time writer, full-time teacher.  That means I write when I get a moment.  Inspiration tends to strike when I cannot write, so I use my Notepad app on my phone to keep ideas down.  I am a fairly efficient person, so I write fast, even with the full-time teaching gig. But that also informs the writing a great deal.  My student's experiences and tastes in literature serve as food for my writing.  I have bounced story ideas off of them and shared some short stories, so they serve as beta readers, too.

Norm: What has been the best part about being published?

Chad:  Without a doubt, it is getting to share the story with others.  I love to hear from readers who loved (or hated) something in the book. When someone comes to me and says, "I love Eli!" or "Sawyer is so cool!" it is like we get to share something unique. 

It is also entertaining to get the responses from readers who know me personally.  Because Sawyer's story is so intense and supernatural with violence and action,  a lot of friends said they did not expect that from me.  I'm pretty laid back in life, but the pace and intensity of the story are not.  I think my favorite reaction was a friend saying that reading Rites of Passage (the first book) was like a massive burp coming from a small child.  It just wasn't expected.  After clarifying that that was, in fact, a compliment, it became my favorite! 

Norm: What are your thoughts as to why people read fiction?

Chad:  I think it is a bit cliche to say for escapism.  That is not why I read fiction, and it is not why I write it.  I think people read fiction to engage.  Especially readers of horror and action, suspense and thrillers, urban and traditional fantasy. 

They don't want a story that is like their life, they want a story that is more intense, more terrifying, more intriguing.  The best fiction stories make me forget about the world around me.  When I read The Shining, I can almost feel the cold of the Rocky Mountains’ winter bearing down on me even though I'm in Texas, and it is one hundred degrees outside. 

Reading Goblet of Fire's climactic scene takes me to the dark cemetery of Harry and Cedric's encounter with Voldemort, I feel it on a level beyond cognition.  So, when I hear escapism, I hear people saying they want to find something better than the real world.  But for me, I want to find a world so messed up that I can't not look at it.  I want to engage with characters in over their heads, find villains that are one or two steps ahead, and find a situation that is all but lost.  That is why I read fiction- to meet those who overcome the impossible.

Norm: As a teacher, how do you interest your students in reading?

Chad:  I talk to them about it.  I like to know what they read.  I actually teach Sociology and Psychology. This past year, I introduced graphic novels to the Sociology class.  We read Marvel Comics' Civil War and analyzed it for how social groups coalesce around ideals and figureheads.  It was great to be able to have students reading a comic book in class and then have discussions about the impact of privilege or the limits that should be placed on weapons. 

A comic book got us talking about individual rights, despotism, and freedom.  I think the key to getting students to read and enjoy it is in finding what they want to read.  I know I read a lot of books in high school I did not like, and a lot that I did. 

I did not want to read The Hobbit at first, but now Lord of the Rings is one of my favorites.  I think we have to expose students to a buffet of literature.  They are not going to love everything, but they are more than likely going to find at least one thing they like.

Norm: Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Please summarize your writing process.

Chad:  I think I would say intuition with a guiding hand of logic.  The story forms in my daydreaming moments, or in the time when I am trying to fall asleep.  I have big, key moments that I want to hit at certain points, and I try to write organically to get there.  I am by no means perfect at this, but I never want a reader to stop and go- "How did they get there from here?"  So, I write it all out, then in the editing process, I try to forget I wrote it, and read it purely as an audience.  I look for gaps and plot holes, or just moments where I think, "I would hate to read that." 

When my books do use real-world locations, I research them to make sure my characters move about the place logically.  In Red Hand Rising, which is book two of Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles that comes out in August, there is a big scene in the City Museum in St. Louis.  This is an interactive modern art museum with exhibits made from recycled parts.  I have been once, and it is such a cool place, I wanted to include it.  But I researched what exhibits were on what floor so someone reading the book that has been there wouldn't be taken out of the story because my museum layout was wrong.  All that being said, when you write about demons and monsters, some liberties must be taken with reality.

Norm: Did you read any special books on how to write?

Chad: I am more of an experiential learner.  I don't often read other writers telling me how to write because I want my voice to be my voice, not me imitating someone else.  I have read some of Stephen King's shorter works on writing, but mostly I read other writers' actual work.  I look for techniques they use in the realm of their story and try to see how- or if- it can work in mine.  

Norm: Has your work as a teacher and a former member of the ministry taught you anything that you have been able to apply to your novels? If so, please explain.

Chad:  Like I said before, in many ways, my students are my target audience.  So, I learn from them trends and interests that shape characterization and story from time to time.  Having taught high school for eight years now, I feel I have gotten pretty good at connecting with students personally, and I hope it translates into the written word.  In addition to what I teach now, I have also taught debate and history.  Debate really helps me focus my mind on the logical and plausibility of what I write, and history is just such a fun topic that I love to add bits of history into the narrative of the story.  History is big in Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles, and so I weave real and real-adjacent characters from the past into the story frequently. 

As a former minister, that world-view obviously plays a big role in the shaping of the world my characters live in.  The current series is primarily focused on the stories of the Judeo-Christian supernatural entities, but the series also alludes to there being more out there than just what the heroes are currently facing. 

I used my training and brief time in seminary to make sure I get the important theological stuff down, but also leave room for a good story that is not tied to a religious genre of fiction. 

I never want my books to be heavy-handed evangelism, but yes, there is a flavor of my own beliefs present.  And the characters are dealing with universal faith issues- do I have a destiny?  Can I trust an unseen deity?  If there is pure evil, is there pure good?  Why do we suffer?  I don't have those answers, but I hope I spark those conversations. 

Norm: For your writing, does the story come first, or the world it operates in?

Chad:  At this point in my writing, the story comes first.  Each novel in the series pulls the curtain back more and more on the world the characters live it.  That is probably because the main character is himself discovering the world.  And he has stumbled into a part of that world that even those around him with experience are new to.  In some ways, my thought process about this book has been to look at dystopian novels for the young adult genre, where you are dropped into an existing calamity and ask:  How did this happen?  Could it have been prevented?  So, in a way, the story I am telling is trying to prevent a type of world from being created.  And at this point, I can say with all honesty- who knows?

Norm: What do you believe defines a character?

Chad:  The journey.  Sure, they have character traits and quirks, but the journey they go on is what defines them.  When we meet Sawyer in Rites of Passage, he is an eighteen-year-old with an inheritance and a Camaro. He is sarcastic, child-like (in a good way), and still has a bit of that teenage false bravado. 

Does that define him?  Partially, but it is what he does when the demon shows up, challenges him, and finds him not worth even the effort to kill the weak little boy.  Sawyer's choice defines him.  Will he choose a path of sacrifice?  Or will he choose a path of survival?  Can he let himself be happy, or must he endure hardships to become who he wants to be?  He may be sarcastic and child-like to the end, but will he be selfish and self-absorbed with that, or will he have integrity and be self-less?

Norm: How does an author know when to stop revising?

Chad:  I think that varies from writer to writer.  For me, once it is down on paper, it is pretty much set.  I cannot think of any situation where I have overhauled a completed work and changed key aspects.  I might fiddle around for a bit on the wording here and there, add some clarification or drop some hints when I go back through, but I am not one to keep going back over it endlessly.  But that's me.  There are some great writers I have come across that revise repeatedly, and for them, that works.

  I think the key is learning when you reach the point of over-revising.  When you re-read your work, do you still hear your voice, your original intent in the work?  If so, good.  But if your re-reading of the book seems unfamiliar, take a step back.  I believe a writer's voice should be clearly heard when you read it, and no one knows that voice as well as you, the writer.  

Norm: Many people have the skills and drive to write a book, but failure to market and sell the book the right way is probably what keeps a lot of people from finding success. Can you give us 2-3 strategies that have been effective for you in promoting your book?

Chad:  Man, I wish I knew this secret myself!  I am still relatively new to this writing thing, but three things I have found to be successful start with finding a good newsletter site.

BookDoggy.com is an excellent site if your book is free or reduced in price, and the cost to list there is pretty budget-friendly.  I have done a free giveaway, and I "sold" over 500 copies.

That obviously means I missed out on a lot of sales, but for my first book, it got my name out there.  The second thing I have done is a Blog Tour.  Depending on your genre, there are a lot of choices.  I used RABT for my recent tour, and my social media connections went up, and sales had a tiny bump as well.  Finally, I think interviews like this are great, especially for new writers like myself.  It allows the reader to learn a bit about me- and yes, they may come for the story in the novel, but understanding and relating to the writer is huge.  Plus, I think all of us writers have a tiny streak of narcissism, so we love getting to talk about ourselves.  :)

Norm: In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much is too much?

Chad:  When you abuse the trust of the reader.  There is tremendous trust between the author and the audience.  If an author sells you on a book about one thing, but misuses your attention to push an agenda or sell a product, then the line is crossed.  I can think of two times I read a book and just stopped reading it mid-way through because that trust was broken.  One was a book that dealt with asking the hard questions in life- on the back cover.  But inside, that was merely a segway into the author bashing a political figure they didn't agree with. 

Another time it was because the author- who had been a favorite of mine- basically started plugging their other books every chapter or so.  Look, all books have underlying messages- some I put there, some the reader puts there.  But if you buy my book about a demon hunting teenager, and then halfway through it, I am using the story to persuade you about healthcare, I am going to break your trust.  We need to tell the story for the sake of the story- and if I want to dissect my political/theological/medicinal beliefs, then I can do that outside of the book. Maybe if you invite me to your book club or something.

Norm: Could you tell our readers a little about The Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles Rites of Passage and The Class They Remember?

Chad:  The Class They Remember is my first and last educational book.  It details my theories on educational matters and outlines my plans for classroom management and my design of a coffeehouse-style classroom.  I used couches and tables- no desks.  It was poorly edited by me, but the values in the book are strong, I believe.  

The Sawyer Shepherd Chronicles Rites of Passage is the book that had rattled around in my head for over twenty years.  Sawyer is an eighteen-year-old whose parents died in a tragic church shooting when he was sixteen.  Instead of going to college, he hits the open road in the Camaro his parents gave him and living off the modest inheritance he got. 

He gets to a small Colorado town- Sage City, and soon encounters town drunk Eli Romer and a set of big-city developers with their eyes on the town as a future vacation mecca.  Sawyer ends up along for the ride when an ancient demon responsible for massacre over 125 years earlier is accidentally released.  Or was it an accident? 

Joined by Eli and college intern Mandy Jane, Sawyer has to choose whether he runs from the danger and his new friends, or he embraces his newfound destiny of fighting the supernatural forces of evil.  Will Sawyer save himself, or will he learn to face his demons- both physical and emotional?

Norm: What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your books?

Chad:  I hope it is that the read was exciting, enjoyable, and that they looked at their own journey through life and found parallels.  Sawyer and Mandy are both making important choices in their normal lives, apart from the demon-fighting stuff, so I hope that this rite of passage (see what I did there) story connects and engages readers.

Norm: What upcoming projects are you excited about?

Chad:  Red Hand Rising- book two, comes out August 4th, 2020, on Amazon.  I look forward to promoting this book and getting those who have not yet read Rites of Passage to pick it up- also on Amazon.  Currently, I am about seventy-five pages into book three- Origins of Man and Myth, and if I keep on pace, that should be out early next year.  In the meantime, I also write short stories set in this universe on MY WEBSITE.  

If you finish Rites of Passage, there are about six stories up currently that go between the two books.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and your books?

Chad:  My Amazon Author Page has links to purchase the books.

MY WEBSITE, where there are merchandise, stories, and some extras, as well as a way to sign up for a newsletter.

Norm: As this interview comes to an end, what question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has?

Chad:  "Can we make this into a movie?"  Seriously, I would love for someone to ask me that.  Especially if they worked for Disney, JJ Abrams, or Christopher Nolan.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors