Q&A: Michael P. Spradlin, Author of ‘The Spider Strikes’

We chat with author Michael P. Spradlin about The Spider Strikes, which follows a twelve-year-old boy and his friends amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany as they confront rising Nazi threats during a family trip to Austria.

Hi, Michael! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I was born in great state of Michigan and have lived here all of my life. I’ve been writing my whole life, but professionally for about twenty-five years now.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

Quite early. I loved reading as a kid, and my public library was my favorite place. I was the classic kid caught with the flashlight under the covers. My love of writing came along later, when I got to college. I majored in history and minored in English, so I consequently wrote a LOT of papers. And I found that I enjoyed it. After a couple of years of study, I started to get fairly good at It, and had several professors tell me that I should focus on writing as a career. It took me a while, but I got here.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Curious George
• The one that made you want to become an author: Cannery Row
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The one that I’m working on now (cheating, I know!)

The Spider Strikes is the third installment in your The Web of the Spider series and it’s out February 24^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Some stuff catches on fire.

What can readers expect?

I think most of my readers have come to suspect action and suspense. Will the characters make it out of here in one piece? How will this experience change them. I think this book is really starting to show the impact of the rise of Nazism on the characters. It’s becoming something they can’t overlook now.

What was the inspiration behind the story of The Spider Strikes?

It’s a continuation of the series, so I guess the inspiration was book one THE RISE OF THE SPIDER. But this particular story takes the characters well out of their comfort zones and show them their world is changing irrevocably and not in good way. Worse, there is very little they can do about it.

Can you tell us a bit about your research process for the book?

Before I started the series I traveled to Harrodsburg and Nuremberg and spent time there. It was a different experience because for most of my other books, the worlds I’m writing about no longer exist.  But here, I could stand on the very podium where Hitler stood when he addressed the Nuremberg rallies. It was profound and a little disturbing.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

Well, I kind of fell in love with Ansel early on. I think all writers find a character that works as a doppelganger of sorts. And as the series progressed, I kept inventing ways for him to come back into the story, even though book 2 is really his signature moment.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

This series was a challenge from the get-go. I was diagnosed with colon cancer right after I started and had to endure chemo for a year while writing. Then I had a reaction to one of the neurotoxins in the chemo and suffered some falls with resultant concussions. The falls also scrambled my brain a bit, and I’m still a little fuzzy on some of the details of my earlier life. So, if anyone has notes from 1978 to 1982, please write.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on Book Five of the series THE FLAMES OF THE FIRE. And I have several other works in progress as I always do.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

Tough question. All of them? I find it hard to read for pleasure when I’m in the middle of writing and researching. I’m waiting on the next James Lee Burke, and I have a couple of T. Jefferson Parker’s newest books lined up, so that will probably keep me busy for a while.

Will you be picking up The Spider Strikes? Tell us in the comments below!