Conversations with Todd Mitchell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Mitchell. 

Hi Todd, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
If you told any of my elementary school teachers that I’m an award-winning author, they’d probably laugh and say, “That kid? You’ve got to be joking.” 

When I was young, I struggled to read and write. Although my parents and I didn’t realize it then, I’m dyslexic, and reading and writing have never been easy for me. Even now, as an Associate Professor of English at Colorado State University, and an author who’s twice won the Colorado Book Award, I struggle with reading and writing. 

But here’s what I’ve learned: sometimes the things we struggle with can become the things we get best at. My struggles with reading and writing, for instance, caused me to slow down and think about how stories are put together. This, in turn, helped me gain insights into writing craft and structure that helped me become a better storyteller. 

Although I eventually went to graduate school to study writing (earning an MFA in Fiction from CSU), after graduating, I followed the best piece of advice about writing that I ever got: write the story you most want to read. For me, this meant allowing myself to write wild, imaginative stories for young readers, teens, and adults. 

Since then, I’ve gotten five middle grade and YA novels published, and a few comic books, including The Last Panther (Penguin Random House), The Secret to Lying (Candlewick), Backwards (Candlewick), and The Traitor King (Scholastic Press). My two newest books came out in fall 2021 with Owl Hollow Press—one for writers, artists, and creators titled Breakthrough: How to Overcome Doubt, Fear, and Resistance to Be Your Ultimate Creative Self and a middle-grade novel that’s been optioned for film/TV development titled The Namer of Spirits. 

Currently, I serve as an Associate Teaching Professor at Colorado State University where I direct the Beginning Creative Writing Teaching Program. I also regularly do professional author visits to elementary, middle, and high schools across the country. If you’re interested in learning more about my books, or in bringing me to your school (virtually or in person), please visit my website, www.ToddMitchellBooks.com. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Writing and publishing can be an extremely rough road full of doubt, rejection, and criticism. There’ve been many times when I’ve gotten discouraged and felt like giving up. In fact, a few years ago, after a series of perceived failures, I drove myself to a nasty breakdown. 

This ended up being a very good experience for me, although it didn’t feel that way at the time. Having a breakdown (my lucky break!) gave me an opportunity to reassess what creativity actually is, and to discover better ways to go about it. 

Since then, I’ve spent years researching creativity and creative practices. The things I’ve learned have not only helped me become more resilient and creative, they’ve made my life much more enjoyable and fulfilling. I wrote Breakthrough (my most recent book for writers, artists, and creators) to share some of the life-changing insights and techniques that helped me. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Two of the books I’m best known for are the middle-grade novels The Last Panther and The Namer of Spirits. Although these books are works of imagination (The Last Panther takes in a post-climate disaster future Florida and might be consider sci-fi, and The Namer of Spirits takes place in an enormous cloud forest and might be considered fantasy) they both engage real-world environmental and social issues. 

Stories shape the ways we think and act. One of the reasons why I write novels that use imagination to explore real-world issues like the climate crisis, income inequality, and species extinction is because we need stories that help us emotionally connect to and understand the big, complex challenges we’re facing. And we need to use our full imaginations to solve these challenges. 

Many teachers have contacted me about how they enjoy using my books with their 4th-9th grade classrooms to help students understand our world better, imagine solutions, and develop a sense of hope and agency for how we can create a better future. 

Pricing:

• I do free virtual author visits for schools that order 15 or more of my books! I can also be booked for full or half-day author visits (which can include inspirational literacy sessions, custom writing workshops, and teacher professional development sessions). Visit my website, www.ToddMitchellBooks.com, and click on the “For Teachers” tab to learn more about visit options, and to schedule a date for your school.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ToddMitchellBooks.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toddmitchellbooks
• Twitter: @TMitchellBooks
• Youtube: Better Living Through Fiction