GVN Interview With ‘The Sherlock Society’ Author James Ponti

GVN: Hello James! Thank you for stopping by Geek Vibes Nation to discuss your new novel, The Sherlock Society. Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your work?

Since this is GVN, I’ll embrace some of the multitudes of my particular geek-ness. I’m a television writer turned children’s author who loves to travel and spends most evenings binge-watching British mystery shows with my amazing wife. I write two books a year – one spy, one mystery – and like to unwind by reading, watching movies, and building Lego projects themed to my most recent book. I’m most likely to (over)spend while visiting independent bookstores or buying throwback baseball jerseys. I see about eight to ten Broadway shows a year and am currently trying to decide whether or not to get a new gaming system so that I can play College Football 25. (I’ve missed the game terribly but never have time to play, which is why I have an outdated system.) I write every day (including weekends and holidays) because I love it. I feel privileged that I get to write books for young readers.

GVN: The last time you spoke to GVN, you’d just published City Spies: Mission Manhattan, and now you’re launching a new series about teen detectives. Could you tell us how you came up with your latest series? 

When I left TV to write books full-time, I decided to go to two books a year. To brainstorm the idea for the second series, I went for a walk around a lake near my house. There are about ten benches around the lake and the rules I set were that I had to sit at each one and ask a question about the book. I couldn’t get up until I had a solid answer and then I had to move to the next bench and ask a more difficult question than the one before. After two laps, I knew I wanted to write a mystery series set in Florida that involved siblings and their grandfather.

GVN: What was the writing process like for The Sherlock Society? How is it different or similar to writing City Spies? 

This is my fourth series and the first book is always the hardest because of the need to figure out the characters and how they relate to each other; map out the scope and scale of the stories; and identify the special sauce that makes the series fresh and original. With Sherlock, I tried two things for the first time that were incredibly helpful.

After I wrote the first draft, I went to New York and spent a day with my wonderful editor, Kristin Gilson, going over the book from start to finish. Normally, we communicate remotely, but this let us really discuss what worked and what didn’t; and how we could get the most from the concept. Then, I went to Miami for a few days and visited every location in the book to look for details and inspiration that might help the story come alive.

As to similarities with City Spies, there are certainly overlaps. Both involve mystery, adventure, and a team of kids. But, the City Spies jet set around the world and are faced with challenges that are global in nature. Meanwhile, the Sherlock Society is dealing with local situations and more personal problems. Because of this, the mindset feels quite different.

GVN: How do you write two different series while maintaining a balance? Are there any struggles? If so, how do you manage those? 

I mentioned that the scope of the stories is different and that really helps me keep them separate in my head. I’ve also tried to work out a writing schedule that, to borrow a concept from Ghostbusters, makes sure the streams don’t cross. I try to write the books a year in advance so that I have been writing Sherlock Society 2 leading up to the release of the first book. When I get back from that tour, I will write City Spies 7 leading up to the release and tour of book six. The release tours serve as kind of a natural break between the two. The biggest struggle is time. I could really use a fourteen-month year. (LOL)

GVN: Alex and Zoe Sherlock are two very interesting and engaging leads. Can you talk about the process of creating the Sherlock siblings? 

Originally, they were sisters and the book was going to be about just them. That was because the title that I started with on that walk around the lake was the Sherlock Sisters. I talked it over with my editor and we thought it might be more fun to write a brother-sister combo at the heart. The necessary title change led to The Sherlock Society, which opened the door for more characters.

I’m always amazed at how siblings can seem so different despite being raised together in the same home. I wanted Alex and Zoe to almost seem like total opposites to their classmates. So much so that if it weren’t for the fact of their distinctive last name, no one would even guess they were related. But, as we see in the book, at their core, they are much more alike than different.

GVN: The supporting cast is great too! What do you think is the key to creating a great supporting cast? 

I think the first step is to not think of them as “supporting.” Rather than ask what the story could use to buttress the main characters, I try to think of interesting characters who would be fun to explore and write. Then, I add those characters to the story and adapt the plot to fit them, not the other way around.

As a kid, I loved movies on a profound level, which is why I went to film school in college. I gave that love to Alex’s best friend, Yadi, which lets me channel some of that passion into the books. I try to write Yadi leading from that point of view, how someone with his sense of visual storytelling will approach the world and how that will inform the mysteries they try to solve. I didn’t start with a plot need of having someone be good with a camera and then backfilling their personality. (I hope that makes sense.)

GVN: What was your favorite part of writing the book? Do you have a favorite character? 

I enjoy research and did a ton for the book. Not only did I scout Miami for great locations, but I also interviewed experts on things like marine biology and the Everglades. (Both are important to the plot.) I studied real mysteries and crimes related to South Florida and tried to figure out how to integrate them to the story. All of that was fun and probably my favorite part of the process.

I try to avoid favorite characters because of the fear it will throw off the balance of the story. However, Grandpa is an outlier in that I’ve never written anyone like him before. He is extremely fun to write and adds the special sauce I mentioned above that I feel makes the series fresh and new.

GVN: Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? 

The writing has to come from you, not the outside. Write what you love and care about. Write what’s exciting to you. Write in your voice, which means using words that you would use and not words from a thesaurus that you think make you sound smart. Tell a complete story. And read everything you write aloud so you can hear it. That last part is vitally important to me.

GVN: Can you tell us about what you’re working on next? 

I just turned in a draft of Sherlock Society 2 and will be addressing notes on that and City Spies: London Calling (which comes out in February.) As soon as I get back from my book tour in mid-September, I will jump into the deep end on writing City Spies 7. I can’t wait!

GVN: Where can our readers connect with you online? 

Jamesponti.com is a great place to start. I do it all myself, so it’s not the slickest, but it has everything you could want to know. I’m also on X at @jamesponti and Instagram @jamespontibooks.

Bonus Question: Alex and Zoe Sherlock find themselves transported to another story world (or book series). What world would it be and why? 

Although the temptation is there to join them with the City Spies, I’d love to see the two of them traipsing around Victorian London with the original Sherlock.

Author Bio

James Ponti is the New York Times bestselling author of four middle grade book series: The Sherlock Society following a group of young detectives; City Spies, about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 Spy Team; the Edgar Award–winning Framed! series, about a pair of tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, DC; and the Dead City trilogy, about a secret society that polices the undead living beneath Manhattan. His books have appeared on more than fifteen different state award lists, and he is the founder of a writers group known as the Renegades of Middle Grade. James is also an Emmy–nominated television writer and producer who has worked for many networks including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, History, and Spike TV, as well as NBC Sports. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida.

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