Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Fred Bowen

Fred Bowen, who writes the weekly KidsPost sports column in The Washington Post, is the author of 16 books of sports fiction (ages 8+) and a picture book biography of Red Sox legend Ted Williams titled “No Easy Way.” Bowen is not your usual sports-fiction writer; he always weaves a little real sports history into his fast-moving plots, and includes a history chapter at the back. He likes showing kids that the games they play are part of a large rich tradition.

Where do you find inspiration?
I write kids sports books. I find inspiration from several sources: my memories of playing sports growing up in Marblehead, Massachusetts; my experience of coaching more than 30 kids sports teams; and my observations of the current sports scene.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Read as much as you can and in lots of different subjects. Place yourself in situations where you have to write. Use every time you write as an opportunity to practice good writing.  Keep at it.

What are you reading right now?
I just started “The Turnaround” by George Pelecanos. In the past few weeks I have also read: “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett; “In the Garden of the Beasts” by Erik Larson; and “American Uprising” by Daniel Rasmussen.

What’s your favorite opening line from a book?
“When I was six, my father gave me a bright-red scorebook that opened my heart to the game of baseball.”  Doris Kearns Goodwin, “Wait till Next Year: A Memoir”

What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
As a young reader, I was inspired by the Chip Hilton series of sports books by Clair Bee. I loved the books and would read and reread them. When I started writing kids sports books I hoped my readers would feel the same way about my books.

If you could sit down at dinner with three other authors, living or dead, which three authors would you choose, and why?
Wow, what a difficult question. But here is a try at an interesting table:

• Doris Kearns Goodwin – She is a wonderful historian, storyteller and a Boston Red Sox fan!
• Bob Dylan – I have loved his music for 50 years. His book “Chronicles: Volume One” is surprisingly good.
• David Halberstam – A remarkable person who wrote very good histories and sports books.