INTERVIEW
What do you call a writer who once wrote for a Las Vegas fashion magazine under a woman’s name without getting caught, co-hosted the Bazowie Awards, and somehow found time to help charity anthologies raise over $40,000? Meet Jo Szewczyk, an author, voice actor, interviewer, and creative polymath whose résumé is almost as unpredictable as his sense of humor. When he isn’t hosting What’s Kraken?, he’s lending his talents to charitable causes, including an annual David Bowie event in London, where an organizer bestowed upon him the immortal distinction of being “tall for your age.” With his latest novel, Scarlet Shadows, launching a ten-book mystery series, Szewczyk brings his characteristic irreverence to everything from storytelling and literary success to the mysteries of everyday existence. In this delightfully unfiltered email correspondence with B Sudharsan, the founding editor-in-chief of Literary Harbinger, he discusses his earliest artistic misdemeanour, the professor who transformed his writing career, his unconventional creative process, and a secret project involving penguins.
HARBINGER SPECIAL
B SUDHARSAN: Your writing career appears to have begun rather unconventionally. Can you take us back to your earliest literary endeavor?
JO SZEWCZYK: There I was, in my parents’ living room with a crayon in my hand and my magnum opus on the wall. I’m not sure if I was 3 or 4 years old, but I was in a lot of trouble. Quite honestly, my style hasn’t changed much since then.
B SUDHARSAN: From that early masterpiece on the wall to published books, you’ve made impressive progress. How did your published works come into being, and what can you tell us about your latest novel, Scarlet Shadows?
JO SZEWCZYK: I’ve been published in magazines, anthologies, and the occasional International Male Catalog. Each has a different trajectory. My first novel came about because I answered a want ad. The game was a lot different back then. My latest book, Scarlet Shadows, is about found family and the lengths someone would go to for the ones they love. Also, I’ve heard it called a ‘Twisty Mystery,’ which makes me smile.
B SUDHARSAN: Do you meticulously map out your plots and characters beforehand, or do you allow the story to surprise you along the way?
JO SZEWCZYK: I usually have the entire novel in my head before I do anything. I’m not so much of a writer as a transcriber for the universe. For Scarlet Shadows, though, I had the idea of seeing if I could write it like I would a screenplay. I had act structures and beats to hit à la Blake Snyder. I then mapped everything out to see what word count had to be spent where. Does that mean I never let my characters talk to me? Not at all. They always talk. It’s a matter of letting them do it and understanding which is the better version. Sometimes their version of the story is better, and I take it. Other times, my version of the story is better, so I run with that one. It’s usually a mix, though.
‘Jaimee Wriston Colbert Is the Best Writer I’ve Ever Met’
B SUDHARSAN: Every writer is likely to have literary influences, whether consciously or otherwise. Which authors have left the most indelible impression on you, and what makes their writing special?
JO SZEWCZYK: Favorite is a weird word. It signals a single entity standing above the rest. I read Stephen King’s The Stand when I was five years old. I think I have the longest-standing relationship with him. With that said, I have a few authors I admire, though. The usual suspects of Agatha Christie, Stephen King, and Charles M Schulz gave me my formal training. Then if we shift genres, the Dragonlance team of Weis and Hickman is probably the reason why I write. Of course, making a series means I need to be able to count, and I learned how to do that by reading Douglas Adams’s five-book trilogy.On a personal level, though, Jaimee Wriston Colbert is the best writer I’ve ever met. Sometimes we’ll write the same story, but hers has a life of vibrance, whereas my version is on life support. It’s humbling when someone can tell a story not only better than you but with such grace that you can’t even feel envy. I love her work.
B SUDHARSAN: With so many creative influences and ideas competing for attention, how do you actually organize your writing time?
JO SZEWCZYK: I generally write when I have a computer in front of me. I used to write with just a notebook, but then the 90s came. I hear I should have a schedule. I never really got into that, though. It’s like playing basketball. Sure, I could book court time, but you know there’s a reason why I carry a ball in my car, right? It’s more of a ‘when don’t I write’ than ‘when do I write.’
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‘My First Book Was Sheer Luck’
B SUDHARSAN: Let’s get to know the person behind the books a little better. Where are you currently based, and what can you tell us about your educational background and age?
JO SZEWCZYK: Currently, I’ve adopted Terra as my area of residency. I really like what your lot have done with the trees, but I’m unsure that the dolphins agree with me. If you want to talk educational qualifications, I guess you can say I went to Oxford. You could say it, and it would be correct.
B SUDHARSAN: You’ve experienced the publishing world from several different angles. Was becoming an author always a conscious ambition, or did life lead you towards writing in unexpected ways?
JO SZEWCZYK: With the memory blackouts I have, I’m not even sure if getting dressed today was a conscious decision. My first book was sheer luck. I don’t think I deserved the success, and it got to me a bit. Picture it—a nobody from nowhere all of a sudden getting limos and the Playboy Mansion. It can warp your view when you’re twenty-one. The rest that followed was darker. Ever get fan mail? Ever get fan mail from people who send gifts and mix tapes and perfumes—this or that’s with offers of this or that’s? Ever have someone show up at your place because your address is publicly listed on the utility company’s website? I wasn’t even famous. Just slightly successful for a moment, with a bad contract that let me have almost zero creative control and even less in royalties. But I didn’t want to be an author. I had far too many other things. So, I zagged into other branches of entertainment. Then came Binghamton University in New York (they lied to me, you see. They said they were only two hours away from NYC. Maybe by jet, but…). I was in this rather long line for financial aid, and I saw this woman walk by. She was magnetic. There was just this energy about her. I told myself if she walked past again, I would have to say hello. I know how ludicrous this sounds in 2026. But she did pass by again, and I was fourth in line. A promise to myself is a promise to myself, so I ditched the line and talked to the woman. I won’t name names, but she was the one who inspired me to start writing again. It was because of her I would take my notebook out and try short stories. I’d wait for her in this long hallway while she was in class. Just me and my notebook propped up in a windowsill. There was a creative writing workshop going on near that window, and the professor came out to say hi to me. I guess she figured I was lost or too shy to find my own class, and she was right on both counts. She invited me to poke my head in now and then. That professor turned out to be Jaimee Wriston Colbert, and she began my true writing career by taking a chance on a literal kid in the hall.
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‘I Don’t See Writing as a Responsibility’
B SUDHARSAN: How do you balance writing with other responsibilities?
JO SZEWCZYK: The phrase ‘writing with other responsibilities’ implies writing is a responsibility. I don’t see it that way. I like art in all forms. I love being active and work out every day. I also think charity should be a major part of life, so I can be found at a Bowie charity event in London utilizing my god-given talent of hanging a sign high up on the stage. Volunteering at Comic Cons in Canada seems to be a hobby of mine, as I’ve done it for about ten years to make sure the kids and families have a fun and safe time. I love music, too. I love everything from going to concerts (Gorillaz was my latest) to just sitting in the parking lot of a Domino’s Pizza listening to my friend’s French playlist as they translate lyrics for me. I cherish moments like that. The moments where the rest of the world is asleep and yet, here we are, doing seemingly nothing but having absolutely everything life can offer just by being present. It’s the small things, really.
B SUDHARSAN: Turning back to your literary projects, Scarlet Shadows is the beginning of an ambitious series. What’s next for the Scarlet Mysteries, and are there any other works in progress you can tell us about? Do you see yourself becoming a full-time author?
JO SZEWCZYK: Scarlet Shadows, book 1 of the Scarlet Mysteries, is, well, book 1 of a 10-book series. Currently, I am putting off writing book 2 since I am working on something of a secret project. I would love to tell you about it, but I won’t. You’ll never get that answer from me, no matter how much money you offer. Oh, well then, that is quite a lot, isn’t it? OK. I’ll tell you: Penguin Musical. I’ve said too much, a touch too much indeed.
B SUDHARSAN: A penguin musical is certainly an intriguing revelation! That said, you’ve experienced both the rewards and the disappointments of publishing. What would you say to aspiring authors who feel disheartened when their books don’t achieve the success they hoped for?
JO SZEWCZYK: What would I tell budding authors whose works do not perform well? Have they tried steroid injections? I hear it’s all the rage. I mean it’s not for everyone, but I don’t think books have drug tests, so you never do know. What qualifies as a work not performing well? Is it sales? Critics? I have an award-losing book called Surviving Gen X. It lost every award it was up for and was banned in a few places. But, when you look at it in literary circles, the critics glowed (just not enough to vote, eh?) and if you looked at launch or sales ranks, it hit #1. At one point I beat Malala. If you sneezed, you’d miss it, though. So, what is success? What is performance? We all have our definitions, and if someone really is hitting their head against the wall because a book bombed in some sort of form, my advice is to keep writing. You don’t write because you want to be a millionaire. You write because you have to. There’s something in you that won’t be silent.
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‘I Usually Have a 25-Hour Day’
B SUDHARSAN: Your thoughts on success raise an interesting question about what truly matters. If you could change just one thing about the world, what would it be?
JO SZEWCZYK: I bet a lot of people say something about hunger or war or injustice or baby Hitler. That’s all grand and all, but the one thing to really change in this world? Are we talking about a time machine or a magic wand? There are two fundamentally different answers depending on the true question. If I had a magic wand, I would give everyone the ability of true empathy. I think we’d solve all of the above if everyone could feel each other’s pain instead of the solipsistic (thanks to Henry Rollins for teaching me that word) version of life we have. If I had a time machine, though, that would be a completely different answer. I would go back in time and bet on the Los Angeles Lakers to 3-peat with Shaq and Kobe, but then put a lot of money on Detroit in that finals series that saw the stacked Lakers somehow lose to a Detroit team that barely had a 1st team player.
B SUDHARSAN: Haha! Between writing novels, teaching, interviewing, appearing on stage, and pursuing your other interests, your days must be anything but ordinary. What does a typical day in the life of Jo Szewczyk actually look like?
JO SZEWCZYK: Ever read James Joyce’s Ulysses? It’s a lot like that. Meaning, I usually have a 25-hour day that includes trying to juggle writing my new book of the Scarlet Mysteries (hey, did I mention you should buy the first book? It’s out now! Even my mom likes this one and nobody has banned it—yet.), teaching at a college part part part time, my interview show of What’s Kraken?, going back on stage for things like co-hosting the Bazowie Awards, giving lectures at Gen Con, and taking notes from Tony Horton on how I can age a lot more gracefully. The man’s 68 years old at time of writing, and he can still kick my butt at a lot of stuff. But, I got him beat on the cha-cha. Somewhere between all this, I work on other artistic endeavors and try to eat something that doesn’t resemble a protein shake. I even try to sleep now and then (more of the then instead of the now).
B SUDHARSAN: Your interests seem to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, particularly when it comes to music and storytelling. Besides English, which other languages do you speak or understand?
JO SZEWCZYK: I speak every language. It’s just most people can’t understand my accent, which tells you a lot about the listening skills of people today.
B SUDHARSAN: Finally, before we let you return to your extraordinarily busy life, is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers? Perhaps a final piece of wisdom or even a secret?
JO SZEWCZYK: I would like to share my sure-fire way of curing everything that ails a body. Other doctors hate me when I say this, but I feel your readers deserve to know the truth and regain ownership of their own bodies. So here it goes. The secret is… Oooh, sorry. Ran out of time.
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I speak every language. It’s just most people can’t understand my accent, which tells you a lot about the listening skills of people today.
~ JO SZEWCZYK
ENGAGE WITH LH | Click on the cover image of the book Scarlet Shadows and buy yourself a copy right away!