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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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Combine Editions
Antony John’s books

Average rating: 3.82 · 15,310 ratings · 1,827 reviews · 16 distinct works • Similar authors

	Five Flavors of Dumb 3.87 avg rating — 9,704 ratings — published 2010 — 12 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 — 2,634 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 4.05 avg rating — 802 ratings — published 2018 — 10 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 — 736 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 — 691 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) 3.92 avg rating — 433 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 3.78 avg rating — 118 ratings — published 2019 — 7 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 — 100 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 3.51 avg rating — 84 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

More books by Antony John…

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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 — 3,803 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

127 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

71 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

See all Antony John's quotes »

Polls

What should we read for December? This is the final book. Make it count!

Matched by Ally Condie

5 votes 35.7%

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

2 votes 14.3%

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

2 votes 14.3%

White Cat by Holly Black

2 votes 14.3%

Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

1 vote 7.1%

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

1 vote 7.1%

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

1 vote 7.1%

Trash by Andy Mulligan

0 votes 0.0%

The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

0 votes 0.0%

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

0 votes 0.0%

14 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

511 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

302 likes

Antony’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-9) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 9: by Antony

30 jan. 2013 02:44

Amy wrote: "Thanks for the friendship, Antony. I'm super excited to meet you at the Less Than Three Conference in October. :)"

And thank YOU, Amy. Can't wait to meet you too!

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message 8: by Amy

30 jan. 2013 01:42

Thanks for the friendship, Antony. I'm super excited to meet you at the Less Than Three Conference in October. :)

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message 7: by Antony

18 jan. 2013 21:55

♥iLoveBooks♥ wrote: "Thanks for adding me as a friend, Antony! I literally finished your book Five Flavors of Dumb today and LOVED it! :D"

And thank YOU for friending me! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed DUMB. Thanks for reading it. Hope you like the other books as much. (Sadly, there's no plan for a DUMB sequel, though - sorry about that.)

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message 6: by Antony

15 mar. 2012 15:42

I'll let my publisher know you're interested in an ARC. Fingers crossed!

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message 5: by Antony

15 mar. 2012 15:41

Thanks, Book Whales. I can't wait either! Hope you like it.

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message 4: by Book Whales

15 mar. 2012 14:04

We can't wait for this book to come out!!:D

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message 3: by Amy

27 sept. 2011 21:56

You're very welcome! I probably will :)

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message 2: by Antony

27 sept. 2011 21:26

Amy wrote: "Thank you so much for the add :). Five Flavors of Dumb has become one of my favorite books ever. I thank you kindly for creating such a story. :)"

And thank YOU for the add, Amy. I'm so pleased you enjoyed DUMB, and I appreciate you taking the time to read it. Hope you like my next novel too!

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message 1: by Amy

27 sept. 2011 21:02

Thank you so much for the add :). Five Flavors of Dumb has become one of my favorite books ever. I thank you kindly for creating such a story. :)

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