Bear Country by Justin Schwab is shortlisted for the 2023 Author of Tomorrow, 16-21 years.
Bear Country: Two men attempt to right the wrongs of their past as they guide a young girl through a war-torn country to her home. As they draw closer to their destination, they must ask the ugly question stalking their journey: is it possible to be a moral person in a world full of darkness?
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An Interview with Justin:
WNSF: What is your favourite book?
Justin: I have recommended Middlemarch by George Eliot to far too many people who are certainly never going to read it. (It’s worth all 800 pages, I swear.)
WNSF: Who is your favourite author? Or one who has inspired you and why?
Justin: I love F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ability to weave magical descriptions into disturbing and uncomfortable scenarios. This Side of Paradise has been a huge inspiration for me, both in structure and approach. I wanted to write a story about a morally troubled protagonist and found myself drawing elements of Paradise, particularly the snappy scene jumping and psychological unrest.
WNSF: What is/was your favourite subject at school?
Justin: I’m an English nerd through and through, but a close second is definitely orchestra. I’m lucky enough to have a strong music program at my high school and have found most of my friends through playing an instrument. (Any other viola players out there?)
WNSF: What does ‘adventure writing’ mean to you? Why did you choose to try your hand at an adventure story?
Justin: Adventure stories should be songs. Sometimes writers keep stories too self-contained, where the only adventure is the journey the protagonist takes. When we listen to music, we not only understand the lyrics but project ourselves into the landscape that the artist has trusted us with. To me, adventure writing is not only presenting that surface arc but delving into the emotional and thematic keystones that I leave for explorers to uncover. For Bear Country, I wanted to test how expansive I could make a story with a linear plot without sacrificing the experimental creativity I value in storytelling.
WNSF: If you could ask an author anything, what would you want to know?
Justin: I love hearing about the inspiration behind fictional characters, whether it be other fictional characters, celebrities, or friends and family of the author. I think a certain amount of the author is always injected into the protagonist and it’s fascinating to hear people explain how they relate to their own characters.
WNSF: Who would you consider one of your heroes and why?
Justin: I admire hairstylists. I really do. They’re the most personal strangers I don’t know.
WNSF: What is the most adventurous thing you would like to do, or place you would like to visit and why?
Justin: I’d like to visit all of the New Seven Wonders of the World, in the order they were built. I love visiting museums both to learn about the history of places I was never taught about in school and to admire and ponder artistic ingenuity. When you consider that the Seven Wonders are essentially giant art pieces, each with a huge story behind it uniting various periods of history, it’s absolutely flabbergasting that anyone wouldn’t want to see them all.
WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
Justin: Inspiration is never the same for any story. For example, some of my short stories are based on real locations, like a local gas station or a state park. Bear Country, on the other hand, was inspired by a dream (I must’ve had something funky for dinner that night). While I was building the story, I incorporated tales from the Old West about murderous couples and nature growing aggressive. Historical accuracy or plausibility is one of my favorite details to include when writing. I want people to be able to trace my inspiration and explore the original story themselves.
WNSF: If you could time travel, where would you go and why?
Justin: I’d head back to 1926 to buy an original copy of Winnie-The-Pooh, watch the world premiere of Puccini’s opera Turandot, investigate Agatha Christie’s disappearance, be one of the first people to drive on Route 66, party with F. Scott Fitzgerald, witness the beginning of the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, visit one of Henry Ford’s factories, meet Harry Houdini, and join Byrd on his flight to the North Pole (even if he didn’t quite make it). I mean, if we want to talk about a year to cross off a time travel bucket list….
WNSF: What three words would you use to describe your story?
Justin: Karma’s a bear.