A Conversation with Pseudonymous Bosch

Hi, I'm Kitty Feldy. Last week we discussed the name of this book is secret by synonymous Bosch. This week we talked to the mysterious writer himself, otherwise known as Raphael Simon. Well, you don't talk about the style of this book because the idea of inserting yourself

as a writer sometimes really intimidates other writers. How did that come about? Well, partly it happened because I was writing initially for this one girl named May as part of this writing partners program.

So in the same way that you would address a letter to a person and you'd write a letter in second person, I started writing the book that way. So that's really how it began. And I found it liberating.

Just as I found having a pseudonym sort of liberating, I found writing to a particular audience also greased the wheel, so to speak. And it's actually something that I recommend to other writers and to kids and grownups alike when they ask for writing advice, as I often say to them, try writing to a particular

person, real or imaginary. And imagine that you're speaking to them. And that, I find, really brings writing to life, and it makes it a lot easier to write and makes it more fun.

At what point did you decide to also include puzzles and games in the novel? I think, in part, that came out of sort of this secret theme. And I liked puzzles when I was younger and I was trying to make it fun. And my editor at Little Brown for the first book actually really liked that aspect of the

book so she encouraged me at the very end to put in a few more puzzles than were there initially. And writing a series, did you think about it in terms, you must have thought of it in terms of series because the first book ends at a cliffhanger.

By the time I got to the very end that was in my head. But you know initially I didn't even think I would finish the one book let alone get to write a series. But certainly by the end I was thinking about the next book. And I initially had a two-book contract, then there was a third, then a fourth, and a fifth,

because as you might remember there's this whole theme about the senses. So we kind of came up with the structure that each book would be loosely tied to one of the five senses. So how do you structure, I mean did you know it was gonna be five parts when you knew you were gonna go beyond book two? I mean how do you actually

structure your series? I think that really came about I think with the third book when I kind realized I was gonna I wanted to do this this five senses structure and the third book you know is this book is not good for and it has this mysterious chocolate in the book. I personally in real life but

also as this character, pseudonymous Bosch, being a great fan of chocolate. That came through in book one. So, then it was sort of helpful by then to kind of tie each book's mystery to one of the senses.

And just it's like in the first book there's the symphony of smells and it kind of goes on from there. Are you a plotter or a pancer? You know I'm a half plotter, half pancer.

I've now written 12 books, including my last book, which is not a pseudonymous Bosch book, but even with that one it's really been the same thing where I have plotted out about half the book, gotten stuck, and then tearing my hair out decided, well, I just have to start writing or I'm never gonna write, and

then I get halfway through the book writing, and guess what? I get stuck again. So then I have to kind of take stock and plot out the rest of the book. That's kind of what happens almost every time. And what gave you the bravery to finally come out of the fake name world into putting your

actual name on the cover of a book? Well, initially it was a lot of fun, very liberating to be this character, Suedanamish Bosh. But gradually over the years,

it's begun to feel a little bit stifling that I can't sort of just relax and be me. And there was one day in particular where I was on stage answering questions

Susanis Bosch and there was a question asked of me to talk about an embarrassing incident from my childhood and it was a fellow writer friend named Adam Gedwitz asking me this question. And he wanted probably me to tell some sort of funny story that the kids could relate to and what happened was that all I could think about was something from seventh grade where

a girl I knew who had recently heard that one out of ten people were gay, kept counting people around the school yard and getting to me when she got to gay, or rather when she got to the number ten. And I was stuck on this story and I realized how

that I was feeling very closeted, you know, as pseudonymous Bosch. Whereas in my real life, so to speak, I came out as a freshman in college. You know, here, when I was interacting with the public and with kids all over the country,

I was this other character who wasn't straight per se but just was not forthcoming about my own personal life because that was the character to be secretive. But it just felt like, it felt like somehow a step backwards for me and I felt a certain responsibility as a gay author to be out of the closet about my sexual orientation.

And I just decided at that point that I was going to eventually be Raphael again and not pseudonymous any longer. Ever. You're not going to go back.

Oh, I would never say that. Fair enough. Thanks Raphael. We have interviews with dozens of other wonderful writers at our website, bookclubforkids.org.

And if you're looking for another podcast, check out the Phenomendoza Mysteries. It's free and not only a good mystery story, but also the perfect introduction to civics education for elementary school students. There's curriculum at the website and a free teacher's guide that you can download.

Check it out, thephenomendozamysteries.com. I'm not sure if you can hear me. I'm not sure if you can hear me. I'm not sure if you can hear me.

I'm not sure if you can hear me. I'm not sure if you can hear me. I'm not sure if you can hear me. I'm not sure if you can hear me.

I'm not sure if you can hear me. I'm not sure if you can hear me.