Christopher Ledbetter: Author

‘Drawn’ was Chris Ledbetter’s debut Young Adult’s novel, one in which “all his sixteen year-old [main] character Cameron Shade thinks about is art. That, and for Farrah Spangled to view him as more than just a friend. To impress her, Cameron sketches her portrait into a mysterious sketch book. He gets a shock when the sketch moves and communicates with him. This puts Farrah in grave danger because the sketch has sucked her real-life soul into its pages. Cameron has twenty days to extract Farrah but to save her, he must draw himself into the book. If he fails, they will both die.”

ABOUT Christopher

Chris has gone on to write ‘Inked’ where his characters Cameron Shade and Farrah Spangled survive the near-death experience of ‘Drawn’ together. In ‘Inked’ they are lured back inside the cursed sketch book and the perilous Terra Sempre that siphoned their souls but you’ll have to BUY THE BOOK to find out what happens next!

Chris Ledbetter grew up in Durham, NC before moving to Charlottesville, VA. He attended Hampton University but after a change of heart and major, he enrolled in Old Dominion University and earned a Degree in Business Administration.

Chris taught business management, business law, marketing and sports marketing as a High School teacher in Culpeper, VA. He also coached football.He is a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) campaign.

He has described himself as a young reluctant reader, and now writes Young Adult stories specifically to reach other reluctant readers. He was a participant in the prestigious Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program, where he was mentored by Suzanne Morgan Williams, 2012 SCBWI Member of the Year. Christopher lives in Wilmington, NC with his family including three cats.

5 KURIOUS KIWI QUESTIONS

Do you have interesting friends? I do. I’m a kurious kiwi, so in this LifeStyle section I ask them 5 Questions. I ask each of them a common question, when it’s all said and done, what matters? Their responses are sometimes startling yet always thought evoking.

How do you measure your success as a writer?

That’s difficult because I think writers can have many levels of success. Finishing a story is success enough for some. Finding an agent is success for others. Getting one’s first book published at all is also up there. Of course many writers, if not all, dream of being on the NYT Bestseller list, but I think success can be had without that. To be honest, simply having a published book that’s available globally is way more than I’d have ever thought I could do. The ‘success’ bar moves like goals do. You set a goal. Once you hit it, you set a new goal. Ultimately, if I could pay my bills by writing that would be success to me.

Three important lessons Young Adults you know could teach older-gen today?

Young Adults could teach an older generation:

a) A willingness to be open minded
b) Not to be afraid of change
c) Sometimes, you have to live for today

Tell us about a Cause you support and why it matters.

When I go running, I use an app called Charity Miles to track my miles. Through this app, I support the Girls On The Run organization. I am the proud father of a young girl. This organization is all about empowering young girls through running. I love the concept. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get my daughter into it because she’s already busy doing soccer and Tae Kwon Do. But I love what it stands for.

George R.R. Martin said, “All fiction has to have a certain amount of truth in it to be powerful.” In ‘Drawn’ you write “The greatest deceit this life delivers is the belief that you have time.” Explain how that’s an important signpost in the book.

I have lost friends, students, and family members who were taken home-bound much too soon for my tastes. Some family members have been taken by illness. Friends and family I’ve lost to cancer. Students I lost to unfortunate decisions. No one is promised tomorrow. That’s huge. Live your life now.

What’s your personal philosophy in life? How do you replicate that in the lives of people you know and love?

I try as much as I can to follow my passion. I do that through writing. I rise at 4 am some mornings to write before going to work. I definitely try to live as an example for friends and family. I encourage my wife to keep after her dreams. I encourage my daughter to attack her goals with tenacity no matter the day-to-day obstacles.