Author Interview: Michael P. Spradlin and Threat of the Spider Giveaway

 Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m thrilled to have author Michael P. Spradin here to talk about his newest MG Threat of the Spider and his career as an author. Threat of the Spider is the second book in the Web of the Spider Series. It sounds like an action-packed story set in Nazi Germany, and I’m looking forward to reading it. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

 

A twelve-year-old boy searches for his father and fights for free press amid the chilling rise of Hitler’s Germany in this second book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.

Ansel has never been afraid to say what’s on his mind. He’s always the first among his friends to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. When the Hitler Youth first set up shop in Heroldsberg the year before, Ansel quickly made enemies of the chapter’s arrogant leader, Hans. Of course, Ansel is also twelve years old, so he spends much of his time reading his favorite Dirk Goodly, Boy Detective novels and trying to make his friends laugh.

But more and more of his classmates have been swayed by Hans’s tactics and the Youth organization is growing throughout the city. Ansel knows that Hans and his group are spreading false information—after all, Ansel’s father is a journalist for the local paper and has been going toe to toe with Nazi propaganda for a long time.

Then Ansel’s father goes missing right before a prominent Nazi leader comes to town. With the local police in the Nazi’s pocket, can Ansel and his friends use their detective skills to find his father and thwart the Nazi’s plans to suppress the truth? 

Follower News 

Before I get to Michael’s interview, I have Follower News to share. Victoria Marie Lees released Determination: A Mother of Five Conquers College, her memoir, today. Here’s a blurb: You’re not smart enough. Determined to prove both her father and education authorities holding her daughter back they’re wrong, Victoria Marie Lees begins college. The challenge of college takes on a whole new meaning when you add five young children and self-doubt to the mix. And here are a few links:

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Interview With Michael P. Spradlin

Hi Michael! Thanks so much for joining us. 

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer. 

It was a process. I loved to read as a kid. Really loved it. As I got older, I realized that I actually truly enjoyed the act of writing. But I grew up in a small town that—as far as I know—had no writers. I had no indication it was something you could do to make a living (and there are times it’s still not!). Fast forward to college, where I was a history major and an English minor. You tend to do a lot of writing in those disciplines. It was there that I had several professors start encouraging me about my “writing ability.” One flat out told me, “Dude, you need to do this for a living.” And that was where the idea took root! It wasn’t until I was in my forties though, that I found I had anything to say.  

2. Where did you get the idea for Threat of the Spider and the Web of the Spider Series? 

It morphed out of a conversation with my editor. I was interested in writing a book about the Edelweiss Pirates. They were a group of German young people (some as young as 12) who, during World War II, opposed Hitler and the Nazi regime and engaged in espionage as well as circulating anti-Nazi propaganda. Some were caught and executed (as young as 12). We started discussing the idea of resistance and how it might take root, and we eventually got back to those who might have opposed Hitler from the very beginning. It’s incredibly important to remember that not every German citizen was a Nazi, nor a Nazi supporter. 

Your Writing Process 

3. It’s cool that your editor helped you with the idea for this story. This isn’t the first series you’ve written. Tell us how you plotted the series, and when you plotted it out in relation to publishing Rise of the Spider, the first book in this series. When and in how much detail did you plot out this story?

We came up with a rough outline for each book—sort of covering the broad strokes we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss. But that was basically just a framework. I had a lot of latitude with characters and personalities. I would say the finished books are quite different from the original outline. 

4. How do you keep track of everything you need to know about Ansel, the main character of your story, as you tell his story over the books in this series? Do you have him work through an emotional in addition to the outward plot problem in each book? 

I tend to keep notes with character descriptions and personality traits. Ansel is the main character in Threat of the Spider, but he will be a secondary character in the other books, so it becomes a little easier to keep track of things. 

5. I’ve read that you don’t write every day. And you’ve successfully published over 39 books. How do you stay so productive and write so many stories that are good enough to be published? 

I don’t write every day. It’s just not possible for my brain! I can’t think of any job where someone does it intensely, every single day without their work suffering for it. I think it’s vital to step away and recharge. That said, when it is a writing day, make sure you write. 

Your Journey to Publication 

6. How did Timothy Travaglini become your agent? 

Tim and I had met at a conference years ago, and he actually became my editor on a couple of my books. He bought The Youngest Templar Trilogy while he was at Penguin and edited that. It’s probably been my most successful project to date! Eventually, he moved on to agenting and he was a natural choice when I was looking for a new agent. 

7. Your first book, The Legend of Blue Jacket, was published in 2002. What was your road to publishing that picture book? How did you get your publishing contract for this series? 

Most of my books happen because of conversations. I had a conversation about the story behind The Legend of Blue Jacket with an editor at a conference. They asked to see it and bought it. Just like that! I don’t have the “hundreds and hundreds” of rejections that so many other writers have. This series also came out of a similar conversation at a conference several years ago. It only goes to show that you never know how much time something is going to take. Hold onto those ideas! 

8. I think we’d all like to sell books through conversations like you have. You write for all ages and have published at least 34 books since 2002. How have you been able to steadily continue publishing for all these years? What advice do you have for new authors for growing their careers? 

There’s no secret! Write as well as you can and just keep doing it. Don’t give up. Worry about writing for your own pleasure and not so much for publication. Remember a book is written word by word, while a career is built reader by reader. 

Promoting Your Book 

9. How have you been promoting Threat of the Spider? How has your marketing of your books changed over the years? Why? 

The internet has changed everything. It has made it easier to reach larger groups of people more easily. But I still believe the onus is on the writer to write a great book, and the publisher to publish it well. Publishers do a good job of finding readers. If you stay true to your readers, I believe you’ll eventually find success. 

10. What are you working on now? 

I am working on the next book in the Web of the Spider series, The Spider Strikes, which will be out in 2026.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Michael. You can find Michael at michaelspradlin.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. 

Giveaway Details 

Michael’s publisher is generously offering a paperback of Threat of the Spider for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by July 5th. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or follow Michael on his social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Tuesday, July 1st I’m participating in the Sparkle Time Giveaway Hop

Wednesday, July 2nd I have an interview with author Nia Davenport and a giveaway of her YA Love Spells Trouble and my IWSG post

Monday, July 7th I have an interview with author Natalie Richards and a giveaway of her MG Survive This Safari

Monday, July 14th I have an interview with debut author Sarah Mendonca with a giveaway of her MG An Enchantora's Guide to Monstros & Magic

Wednesday, July 16th I’m participating in the Hip Hip Hooray Giveaway Hop

Monday, July 28th I have an interview with author Marzieh Abbas and a giveaway of her MG Aarzu All Around

I hope to see you on Wednesday!