Otto Schafer
The Secret Journal 2020 Illinois YA Fiction Winner
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My wife and I live in a little log cabin in central Illinois. We raised three boys, all of whom are grown and out on their own – empty nesters at forty! When I’m not working at my day job, I enjoy running trails and writing of course. I have run a couple one-hundred-mile trail races and am currently training for a two-hundred-kilometer race in late 2021. I try to balance the two passions as the running also helps to feed my inspiration for the writing, but lately I’ve been writing more than running – hard at work on the third book in the God Stones series.
Tell us a little bit about your winning book.
The story is told from two separate storylines that trade back and forth from chapter to chapter while following the same timeline. One story follows Breanne Moore, a young teen spending the summer on a dig site with her world-famous archaeologist father. Breanne wants nothing Moore than to be a famous archaeologist like her dad and spends every minute she can with him on various dig sites around the world when she isn’t in school. Breanne lost her mother tragic accident years earlier and blames herself. The guilt is debilitating and something that will prove to be problematic unless she can learn to forgive herself. Her story will take the reader on an epic teenage Tomb Raider style adventure that will ultimately lead to the magical catalyst that anchors the series.
At a glance, Garrett appears to be a small-town teen working side jobs for extra cash while doing his best not to anger his stepfather. This storyline follows Garrett and his pals as they discover a crusty old journal behind the basement wall of an old Victorian Garrett is helping remodel. Many readers say the teenage banter between Garrett and his buddies is their favorite part of the book. This storyline has a The Goonies and Stand by Me feel to it. As the story unfolds, Garrett will discover that nothing in his small town is as it seems and soon he will be questioning everything he thought he knew. Trust will become a major issue for Garrett and one that he will need to get past in order accept his destiny.
Ultimately, the two storylines merge and the magical catalyst is unveiled. Readers enjoy speculating as to how Breanne and Garrett will find each other since their stories are taking place in different countries.
It was my goal in writing The Secret Journal to stay as close to historical record and real locations to give the reader the feel that this could all be possible and then transition from fact to fantasy fiction in a way that felt totally believable.
What inspired you to write this book?
Petersburg, Illinois was my hometown growing up. It is a beautiful little town full of history and old Victorian era homes that dot the bluffs overlooking a winding river that runs through town. Ole Abraham Lincoln himself surveyed the town in 1835, and if you visit there you will see it’s a magical place. As a kid, I played in all the mysterious drainage tunnels, explored some of the basements of those old homes high up on the bluffs, and even worked a summer out at New Salem State Park. The key locations in the book including the mysterious tunnel, are all real, and were described to the best of my memory. It only made sense Petersburg had to be the setting for the magical story I wanted to tell.
I am a huge fan of archaeology thrillers. I love Indian Jones, Dan Brown, and National Treasure. The Goonies was my favorite movie as a kid. But I also love fantasy and magic, like Tolkien of course, and more modern stuff like Brent Weeks Lightbringer series and Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone. I combined these influences to write the book I would want to read.
I should also say I was inspired to write a story that featured diversity. Diversity is important to me personally. I wanted to write a story that a teen girl, whether Black, Hispanic, or whatever, could read and say “Wow, I want to be an archaeologist like Breanne!” I wanted to write about a friend who loved to shred guitar to Metallica and just so happened to be Black. In The Secret Journal readers will find a well-balanced group of diverse characters that don’t necessarily fit the mold society has placed them in. In my humble opinion our children and teens need to know the world is theirs for the taking and they can be anything they want.
What made you want to be a writer?
I think I have always wanted to write. But I didn’t make time for it until four years ago when I started writing The Secret Journal. I think of my late mom was incredibly influential, as well as my wife. My mom was the kind of lady who would read a paperback a day. I remember cleaning out the garage and finding dozens and dozens of boxes loaded with books. Her and I talked a lot about books. I also remember telling my wife the idea for the book, and she said, “All that is just in your head?” I nodded, and she was like, “You really need to write that down, hon.” So, I started, and it just poured out.
How have libraries played a role in your writing journey?
Well, the Petersburg library is a key location in the book. It has this basement level I always found secretive and magical as a kid. I still find libraries to be these mysterious places full of secrets. I also have a fantastic relationship with several libraries where I live now, and my first book signing was at a local library. If it had not been for my local library, I would not have known about the Illinois Author Project.
The library also made my first book signing an experience I will never forget, am forever grateful for, and will always cherish.
You can learn more about the Indie Author Project here: Get to Know the 2020 IAP Contest Winners – Indie Author Project