14/05/2024
My class is currently finishing, tomorrow, our 6th read aloud. They chose this one titled "Under the Blood Red Sun". We reached out to the author, Graham Salisbury, and he responded.
He said if we had any questions feel free to ask. So we did. The kids are beyond thrilled to see his responses today. I was so impressed with their questions and his answers gave us so much to discuss. One question about if there was sequel has inspired the whole class to commit to self prescribed summer reading!
Arianna
What made you want to be a writer? Do you like the ideas of being a writer? Do you like the way the book turned out? How long did it take you to write the books?
This book took about three years to write because of research and editing. I love the way it turned out. I wanted to be a writer after I became a serious reader. I didn’t read books until I was 30, believe it or not. But when I started reading and discovered how much I loved the vicarious experience you can get from great books, I wondered if I could try writing myself. It took a while to teach myself the art, but it worked. I guess we can do anything if we have the desire and passion. Good questions, Arianna.
Karly
What inspired this book? How many books have you written? Is this a series? Have any schools banned this book? What’s it like being an author? This book is absolutely wonderful!
Esther
How long did it take you to write your book? Did you get writer’s block at one point in the story? Was it a struggle to publish your story?
I don’t get writer's block, Esther. But there are days when writing is a struggle, just like anything else you might do day after day. But I just push on through. Being “blocked” is mostly just being lazy. Muscle up and do the work. I have a motto I live by in my creative life: “You did not wake up today to be mediocre.” Believe that, and you will crush it every day.
Ethan
What made you write this, like did your family member help? How many books have you written? Do you play sports? What is your favorite MLB team? Would you make a part 2? I Like THIS BOOK ALOT. ¨ Under the Blood Red Sun
I like the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants, Ethan, although I used to be a Dodger fan when I lived in LA. I loved to listen to the play calls by Vin Scully. I played sandlot ball like the boys in Under the Blood-
Red Sun, which is probably why baseball plays a part in this book. There is a sequel (or part 2) to the book: House of the Red Fish.
Lilliana
What is your favorite book or movie?
Oooo, Liliana, I have many favorite movies. But I have say that Gladiator sits near the top. But dang, I love good movies! Same for books. But it was
Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell, that made me want to write books for young readers. Love that book. Alex Haley’s Roots, made me start thinking about being a writer.
Macey
What was your favorite book you wrote? How did you come up with Under the Blood Red Sun? Do you like being an author? What was the first book?
My first book will always be my favorite, Macey, because there is so much so my own experience in it. That book is called Blue Skin of the Sea. I spent a long time on that one because I was teaching myself how to write. My goal was to memorialize the days of my youth in Kailua-Kona, on the island of Hawaii. I think I reached that goal. At the moment I am writing a memoir, of sorts, and I am finding that extremely rewarding.
Jax
How did you get the creative ideas for the setting and scenarios in the book?
Ideas are everywhere, Jax, like raindrops in a storm. All you have to do is reach out and grab one. Start writing and things come to you. But the settings in all of my books mostly come from my own experience. I grew up in Hawaii, so almost everything in Under the Blood-Red Sun was already familiar to me, even though I was born after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It would be very easy for you to write a story set in your own town, because you can see yourself in it. Put a pen in your hand or your fingers on a keyboard and things will happen. Promise. And you might just have a darn good time with it.
Jules
How did you come up with the name Under the Blood Red Sun?
Imagine yourself on the ground as the Japanese planes attacked, Jules. Looking up you would see the red sun painted on the bottom to their wings and you would be … under the blood-red sun.
Justin
Are the baseball names real? Or did you come up with them for the book?
The boys baseball was all fiction, Justin. But references to major league baseball on the radio was actual. It was fun to do the baseball research.
Harmeek
Did the baseball teams exist or are they made up? What was your intention of making the book “Under the Blood Red Sun”? Why did you choose to make a book about Pearl Harbor? What was your passion to write a book about World War 2? When did you start making this book? Why did you want to be an author? What is it like being an author? Are you in the movie that goes with “Under the Blood Red Sun? What other books have you written?
Believe it or not, Harmeek, I am in the movie … for about two seconds. I play Mr. Davis, and all I say is, “Have a good day, boys.” Ha! Making that movie was a lot of fun for everyone involved. You can see all the books I have written by going to my website (www.grahamsalisbury.com). I wanted to write about the attack on Pearl Harbor because I’d heard stories about it growing up. My grandparents lived five miles away, and were terrified of
Japanese soldiers coming ashore and invading the island. Fortunately, that never happened. But the stories I heard excited me. So I explored it all in fiction, or more appropriately, historical fiction.
James
How did you come up with the name’s of Tomi and the rat’s, Kaka'oka and the other team’s and the towns?
That was the fun part, James. I got to make them up! As I said before, once you start thinking about something, and putting your fingers on your keyboard, things happen. Like, hey, I’ll call them the Rats! Ha!
Christian
What was your thinking process when making this book? Do you like baseball?
I love baseball, Christian. It’s a great sport, if you’re a patient person. I love football, too, maybe more than baseball. I really can’t answer your question about my thinking process. That’s kind of a big one. I guess the best answer is that I set my mind on writing about how the attack on Pearl Harbor affected Hawaii’s Japanese-American community, and how the caucasian community responded. It was a worthy undertaking, and I’m truly thankful for having had the opportunity to do it.
Myles
What's your favorite book you wrote?
Blue Skin of the Sea, Myles. Hey, I have a son named Miles, named after and spelled like Miles Davis, the jazz musician.
John
Who is your favorite character in this book?
That would have to be Grampa Joji, John. He was a hoot to write about.
Lucas
What's an estimate of how many books you’ve sold of Under the Blood Red Sun?
Under the Blood-Red Sun is still selling well, Lucas, but we are around 800,000 copies to date. That’s a ton of books. Tomi would be pleased!
Mackenzie
Is this based on what happened to you?
No,Mackenzie. I wasn’t born yet. But my dad was at Pearl Harbor on that day, an Ensign in the US Navy. He survived.
Emily
Did you ever play baseball? Have you written any more books if you have what books?
By now, Emily, you know the answers to your questions, but if you go to my website, there is a bit more for you to check out, if you have an interest. I didn’t play much baseball after the sixth grade, however. I was a runner. A miler and cross-country guy. To be a good baseball player took way more skill and muscle than I had. But one can dream and write about it, right?
Brady
How much were you involved in the making of the movie? Is there anything that you would go back and change? Have you read your own book before? What's your favorite book?
I was intimately involved in making the movie, Brady. I wrote the screenplay and was a part of all the filming. It was a wonderful experience that I will never forget. I have not read Under the Blood-Red Sun in quite a while, mostly because of what you brought up: I might want to change something. Ack!
Jocelyn
How old were you when you began the book and ended the book? Why did you write this book? I love your details in your book. How did you pick the title of the book?
Thank you for your comment about the details in the book, Jocelyn. Details are very important in making a book come alive in a reader's mind. I’m pleased that they worked for you! I guess I was around 40 when I started the book, and 43 when it was finally done. Something like that. Jules’s question answers your question about the title. It was a visual thing.
Noah
Do you like sports and if you do what teams do you root for? Also what's your favorite character in Under the Blood Red Sun?
I got to both of these questions in previous answers, Noah, but I will add that in sports, I get most excited during football season. I’m an avid fan of the Forty Niners and the Seahawks. My son Miles is a serious Eagles fan, maybe because his dad, me, was born in Philadelphia (but raised in Hawaii). I live in Oregon now, and like west coast teams. But any football game is fun to watch.
