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Antony John

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United Kingdom

Website

http://antonyjohn.net/

Genre

Young Adult, Children's, Fantasy

Member Since

May 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/antony_john

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Antony John was born in England and raised on a balanced diet of fish and chips, obscure British comedies, and ABBA's Greatest Hits. In a fit of teenage rebellion, he decided to pursue a career in classical music, culminating in a BA from Oxford University and a PhD from Duke University. Along the way, he worked as an ice cream seller on a freezing English beach, a tour guide in the Netherlands, a chauffeur in Switzerland, a barista in Seattle, and a university professor. Writing by night, he spends his days as a stay-at-home dad—the only job that allows him to wear his favorite pair of sweatpants all the time. He lives in St. Louis with his family. ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

I'm an aspiring writer, but I'm dealing with two things: I get discouraged every single day because 96% of manuscripts are rejected, and I haven't had an idea for years, literally. There's too many people wanting to be writers, and knowing there's so much competition just kills me a little every day. When I get motivated, immediatly something appears about the industry that kills it. Any tips on how to deal with this?

Antony John Hi Cintia! I think yours is a question that plagues all of us to some degree, even those who are already published. Way smarter people than me have we…moreHi Cintia! I think yours is a question that plagues all of us to some degree, even those who are already published. Way smarter people than me have weighed in on why we feel this way, and how much self-doubt creeps into the creative process. But I think one thing all us writers can aspire to is to put aside the things we can't control (the slush pile; the market; comparable titles) and focus on the aspects of writing that we CAN control: characters we care about and a story we want to share. I have written entire novels that haven't sold, but when I look back I still recall enjoying the writing process. I write first and foremost for ME, and if somehow my ideas strike magic in another reader, well . . . then I consider myself to be doubly fortunate. But during the creative process I'm selfish enough to write only for myself.

So I guess that's my advice to you: Try to be selfish for yourself. Write whatever you want (or not at all). Congratulate yourself on every good word. If you compose a particularly great scene or piece of dialogue, celebrate it. Because while a published novel is the goal, it's the moment to moment triumphs that sustain us.

Good luck!(less)

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By a roundabout route, we learned about your book yesterday (5 Flavors of Dumb) due to "deaf" subject - can you tell us if the book mentions captioning also? For any media, and for live events too? If so, we'd like to tell other networks about it. Deafness or hearing loss is not dumb of course - am sure you did not mean that :). LS/CCACaptioning.org

Antony John There is indeed a scene on a TV set that features captioning. In particular, the Deaf character is relying on the captions to follow what's unfolding …moreThere is indeed a scene on a TV set that features captioning. In particular, the Deaf character is relying on the captions to follow what's unfolding on set. I think this is the only instance in the book.

No, there's no mention of captioning for live events in my book, though personally I have benefitted from outstanding captioning at some of my author events.

"Dumb" refers to the name of the rock band in the novel. Even in that context, however, the word could be construed as offensive. My hope is that this double-meaning will foster discussion among teens about the power of language and the need to guard against offensive and derogatory terms.

Thanks for the question!(less)

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Antony John’s books

Average rating: 3.82 · 15,242 ratings · 1,835 reviews · 15 distinct works • Similar authors

	Five Flavors of Dumb 3.87 avg rating — 9,719 ratings — published 2010 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Elemental (Elemental, #1) 3.68 avg rating — 2,623 ratings — published 2012 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mascot 4.06 avg rating — 764 ratings — published 2018 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Firebrand (Elemental, #2) 3.90 avg rating — 725 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thou Shalt Not Road Trip 3.38 avg rating — 690 ratings — published 2012 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Renegade (Elemental, #3) 3.91 avg rating — 423 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Other, Better Me 3.83 avg rating — 109 ratings — published 2019 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Busted: Confessions of an Accidental Player 3.26 avg rating — 101 ratings — published 2008 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Imposter 3.49 avg rating — 81 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Elemental 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Antony John's Blog

Adventures in middle grade research

Research is an essential part of writing. You already knew that, right? I should’ve done too, because I’m pretty sure my English teachers told me. But I wasn’t what you’d call a “good listener,” which explains why I had to learn it firsthand (and also, perhaps, why I feel compelled to touch clearly marked electric cattle fences just to see if they’re really electric).

Research helps a writer flesh

Series by Antony John

Elemental Trilogy (3 books)
by

Antony John (Goodreads Author)

3.75 avg rating — 3,771 ratings

Quotes by Antony John (?)

“Don’t worry about wanting to change; start worrying when you don’t feel like changing anymore. And in the meantime, enjoy every version of yourself you ever meet, because not everybody who discovers their true identity likes what they find.”
― Antony John, Five Flavors of Dumb

128 likes

“He was depressed. He was addicted to heroin. And I think there comes a time when all the beauty in the world just isn’t enough.”
― Antony John, Five Flavors of Dumb

tags: beauty, heroin, kallie, kurt-cobain, music, nirvana

72 likes

“COOL·NESS [KOOL-NIS] -noun
CATCHING your mom gazing at the crazy crowd like she finally gets it
WATCHING your dad head-banging like he’s Finn’s twin brother
LEARNING that your new friends Tash and Kallie are a thousand times more complicated than you realized, and loving them for it
FEELING every one of your boyfriend’s pounding drumbeats, and thinking it’s the most romantic music ever written
REALIZING you’re completely unique . . . even in a crowd”
― Antony John, Five Flavors of Dumb

tags: coolness, definition, inspirational, piper

21 likes

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Polls

What is your favourite novel involving Deaf characters?

Silent Fear by Lance Morcan & James Morcan

17 votes 37.8%

Never read any novels with Deaf characters

11 votes 24.4%

Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers

4 votes 8.9%

Children of a Lesser God by Mark Medoff

4 votes 8.9%

The Cayman Hustle by Devi Di Guida

2 votes 4.4%

Silent Fear by James Morcan & Lance Morcan (write-in)

2 votes 4.4%

Of Sound Mind by Jean Ferris

1 vote 2.2%

Silent Fear (write-in)

1 vote 2.2%

The Stand (write-in)

1 vote 2.2%

Not a Sound

1 vote 2.2%

Blindness by José Saramago (write-in)

1 vote 2.2%

Resurrection Bay by Emma Viskic

Resurrection Bay (Caleb Zelic, #1) by Emma Viskic

0 votes 0.0%

And Fire Came Down by Emma Viskic

And Fire Came Down (Caleb Zelic, #2) by Emma Viskic

0 votes 0.0%

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

0 votes 0.0%

Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby

0 votes 0.0%

The Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan

0 votes 0.0%

You're Welcome, Universe by Whitney Gardner

0 votes 0.0%

Whisper by Chrissie Keighery

0 votes 0.0%

Waiting for a Sign by Esty Schachter

0 votes 0.0%

T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte

0 votes 0.0%

Read My Lips by Teri Brown

0 votes 0.0%

Deaf Child Crossing by Marlee Matlin

Deaf Child Crossing (Deaf Child Crossing #1) by Marlee Matlin

0 votes 0.0%

Without a Sound

0 votes 0.0%

Silent Grace by Gerri LeClerc

Silent Grace (Knoll Cottage Series Book 2) by Gerri LeClerc

0 votes 0.0%

45 total votes

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Antony’s Quotes

“Zoology, eh? That's a big word, isn't it."

"No, actually it isn't," said Tiffany. "Patronizing is a big word. Zoology is really quite short.”
― Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

507 likes

“Yes! I'm me! I am careful and logical and I look up things I don't understand! When I hear people use the wrong words, I get edgy! I am good with cheese. I read books fast! I think! And I always have a piece of string! That's the kind of person I am!”
― Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

300 likes