Interview with John Shumacher

About T. A. Barron, Articles & Interviews, Creativity, Inspiration, Interviews

John Schumacher Interview
2014
PDF

Merlin’s Guide to a Meaningful Life is… a way of imagining what Merlin would say to give us hope, courage, and meaning in our lives. I’ve had a lot of fun with this—especially since I’ve written so many books about the great wizard, he now really seems like an old friend whose voice is quite familiar! To spread the fun (and maybe a bit of wisdom), I’ve produced 3 short videos you can see at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEmGIp5VWA0&list=PLmYq34773G6Mrezb7EpjB2EOgq86kh0IU%3C%2Fa%3E.+The+first+one%2C+Merlin%E2%80%99s+Seven+Most+Magical+Words%2C+reveals+his+seven+favorite+words%E2%80%A6plus+one+more+word+that+powers+them+all.+I%E2%80%99m+glad+to+tell+you+these+videos+were+seen+by+well+over+100%2C000+people+in+just+the+first+month.+So+I%E2%80%99m+now+making+Merlin%E2%80%99s+Guide+into+a+book+which+will+be+published+soon%21%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEllegandia+is+the%E2%80%A6%3C%2Fstrong%3E+setting+for+my+latest+book%2C+Atlantis+Rising.+It%E2%80%99s+a+great+vacation+place+for+anyone+who+loves+to+travel+in+the+imagination%21+This+magical+place+is+home+to+two+very+different+young+people%E2%80%94a+vagabond+named+Promi+and+a+mysterious+woman+named+Atlanta.+But+their+world+is+about+to+be+destroyed%E2%80%94and+their+only+hope+is+to+work+together.+And+their+adventure+results+in+the+birth+of+the+most+wondrous+island+anywhere%3A+Atlantis.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI+hope+the+Atlantis+Trilogy%E2%80%A6%3C%2Fstrong%3E+will+give+people+a+new%2C+authentic+vision+of+Atlantis%E2%80%94in+the+same+way+my+Merlin+Saga+introduced+a+new+Merlin%2C+a+young+man+who+was+very+human+as+well+as+deeply+magical.+Ever+since+childhood%2C+I%E2%80%99ve+loved+the+tragic+tale+of+that+lost+paradise.+But+I%E2%80%99ve+wondered%E2%80%A6how+was+Atlantis+created%2C+as+well+as+destroyed%3F+Who+were+the+key+players+in+that+drama%3F+What+was+the+ultimate+source+of+that+island%E2%80%99s+magic%3F+The+Atlantis+Trilogy+will%2C+I+hope%2C+answer+those+questions.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe+Gloria+Barron+Prize+for+Young+Heroes%E2%80%A6%3C%2Fstrong%3E+is+all+about+one+thing%E2%80%94turning+the+spotlight+on+some+remarkable+young+people+who+are+making+the+world+a+better+place.+Each+year+we+honor+25+kids+ages+8+to+18%2C+from+all+sorts+of+diverse+backgrounds.+They+have+shown+amazing+courage%2C+energy%2C+and+leadership+to+help+people+or+the+environment.+Sometimes+it%E2%80%99s+hard+to+feel+hopeful+about+the+future%E2%80%94but+these+amazing+young+people+will+renew+your+hope%21+Visit+www.barronprize.org.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThe+best+thing+about%E2%80%A6%3C%2Fstrong%3E+a+walk+in+nature+is+how+it+makes+me+feel+so+alive%21+All+my+senses+wake+up%3A+I+smell+the+sweet+tang+of+a+spruce+forest+or+the+briny+breeze+of+an+ocean+shore%3B+I+hear+a+distant+owl+hooting%2C+touch+moss+softer+than+velvet%2C+taste+a+sprig+of+wild+mint%2C+and+see+the+iridescent+flash+of+a+butterfly%E2%80%99s+wings.+Whatever+the+place%2C+whatever+the+season%E2%80%A6nature+is+my+favorite+place+for+healing+and+inspiration.+And+since+I%E2%80%99m+lucky+enough+to+live+in+Colorado%2C+nature+is+always+beckoning%21%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELibraries+are%E2%80%A6%3C%2Fstrong%3E+a+great+big+treasure+chest+full+of+wondrous+places%2C+people%2C+and+ideas.+The+first+book+I+ever+checked+out+from+a+library+was+a+biography+of+Abraham+Lincoln%E2%80%94and+I+remember+that+amazing+feeling+that+in+this+library%2C+I+could+go+anywhere+and+be+anyone.+Merlin+had+his+crystal+cave+for+discoveries%2C+solitude%2C+and+magical+inspiration%E2%80%94and+for+the+same+reasons%2C+we+have+libraries%21%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EReading+is%E2%80%A6%3C%2Fstrong%3E+the+best+way+to+travel%21+With+a+good+book%2C+you+can+instantly+voyage+to+another+continent%2C+another+world%2C+or+another+universe.+And+you+can+travel+just+as+easily+through+time.+The+only+limit+is+our+imagination%E2%80%A6which+means+there%E2%80%99s+no+limit+at+all.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMr.+Schu%2C+you+should+have+asked+me%E2%80%A6%3C%2Fstrong%3E+about+the+magic+of+words.+After+all+the+books+I%E2%80%99ve+written%2C+I+still+can%E2%80%99t+explain+how+words%2C+these+simple+marks+on+a+page+or+sounds+in+our+ears%2C+can+convey+every+possible+feeling+and+experience.+Being+a+writer+is+a+humbling+experience%E2%80%94partly+because+there+are+so+many+ways+to+grow+and+improve%2C+and+partly+because+I%E2%80%99m+dealing+with+these+mysteriously+powerful+elements+called+words.+Honestly%2C+no+magic+that+Merlin+ever+wielded+is+more+amazing+than+what+all+of+us+can+do+through+creating+and+sharing+stories+and+ideas%21+All+thanks+to+the+magic+of+words.%3C%2Fp%3E%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0A%09%09%09%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0A%09%09%09%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0A%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%09%0A%09%09%09%3C%2Fdiv%3E%0A%09%09%09%3C%2Fdiv%3E%3Cdiv+class%3D&rel=0"et_pb_column et_pb_column_1_3 et_pb_column_1 et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough">