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Sky's The Limit:
Interview with J. Schuyler Sprowles
By Carin Chea
Whether divinely inspired or scratching a lifelong itch, J. Schuyler Sprowles’ debut novel, The Young Samaritan, is a historical fiction that is equal parts thrilling and inspirational.
Sprowles (who goes by the moniker “Sky”) is an accomplished journalist whose professional achievements are vast and impressive.
Sky began his career in country radio and inevitably became a television news correspondent before expanding his role to that of a Communications Director for various eminent Los Angeles public agencies.
With The Young Samaritan, Sky takes an ambitious dive into the world of fiction. As a lifelong Christian, Sky has found a muse in the Gospel of Mark and crafted a historical adventure that speaks to the soul.
How do you pronounce your name?
John is my actual first name but I go by “Schuyler.” It’s an old-school spelling. The name is used more today, but not when I was growing up. My nickname is “Sky.”
You have such an impressive career. What made you decide to now write your first novel?
I’ve written a lot throughout the course of my professional life, but never put pen to paper and written a novel. I’ve always wanted to, but work got in the way. There’s always an excuse.
Eventually, I got around to writing this story and it took me a year and a half. I feel it turned out pretty well.
I took the approach that I wouldn’t force myself to write a certain amount of words every day. I might write a page one day, or one sentence, or even re-write a previous paragraph, but I would commit myself to the process each day with no demands on word count.
This approach took away the drudgery of writing every day and as a consequence I found myself becoming more and more captured by where this adventure was taking me.
When you finish, you think you’d be filled with relief, but I found myself missing the characters, which made me empathize with actors who have trouble letting go of their roles. I didn’t adopt the characters, but I certainly missed them.
Of all the books in the Bible, and of all the Gospels, what stuck out to you about the Gospel of Mark?
Mark is considered the first gospel written, even though it doesn’t show up as the first in the New Testament. As a consequence, Matthew and Luke used Mark as a kind of blueprint. They go off in different directions and experiences, but Mark laid down the tracks.
That’s one thing that intrigued me about Mark. His writing is raw and more of a “cut-to-the chase style.”
Scholars feel that Mark is writing from the standpoint of Peter’s story, the Apostle Simon Peter.
There’s one scene from the Gospel of Mark in the Garden of Gethsemane, where the temple guards have come to arrest Jesus after Judas has betrayed him.
When the guards arrest Jesus, the apostles scatter, but then this unnamed young man tries to intervene in the capture of Jesus. He is pulled in by the guards. Mark devotes two verses to this dramatic scene.
The young man manages to break free and runs away into the garden, but the guards are left holding his garments as he runs naked into the darkness of the olive grove never to be seen again.
I’m not a theologian or biblical scholar, but I found that passage fascinating. It is what gave me the inspiration to write a novel about the back story of this young man, starting when he was living in the hills of Samaria.
He’s not yet a man, but a young lad who has to flee home because of his very abusive stepfather. His father had died recently due to tragic circumstances. He loves his mother and three younger sisters, but he hates his stepfather.
One night, his mother awakes him and says, “Joshua, you have to leave and never come back.” She knows if he stays, he’s going to die at the hands of his stepfather. He struggles to find his way in an unfamiliar land, even though he’s heartbroken.
One of the things that predominates in the story is his search and desire to belong to something. He belonged to his family, but now he belongs to no one. He doesn’t believe in God or anything.
As far as God is concerned, he’s only taken things away from him. He doesn’t really have a place for God. He feels like he’s been forsaken and abandoned.
When you’re reading this story, you feel like you’re on this journey with him. I hope that when you read this story, it reminds you of things in your own life that are being expressed through Joshua.
Is The Young Samaritan inspired by a real-life person?
I probably drew on my own childhood experiences a little bit. It allowed me to write freely. I was a scrawny kid and I was bullied. I had good parents, but there were flaws in my household.
My father, whom I loved dearly, had problems with alcoholism later in life. There are instances in this story where Joshua is terribly bullied, but overcomes it through the help of the disciples and by just growing up.
I think anyone who feels like they’ve been bullied or pushed around in life – they will get something from this story.
What do you want your readers to feel while reading your book?
I want them to feel like they are actually travelling with Joshua, like they are with him every step of the way. My hope is that his experiences will remind readers of their own life journeys.
I don’t think we ever get to the point of, “Well, my journey’s over, I’ve learned all that I can.” I want people to cheer for him because they’re emotionally connected to Joshua. I want readers to think about their own lives as they read about Joshua. It’s not a preachy book.
There are many Jesus-based books out there and many are a little too on-the-nose, and that may work for some. I feel that my book casts a wider net because it’s not necessarily just a religious book. It’s a book that can be appreciated by a secular person.
Joshua goes through many trials, but along the way he’s always trying to find that sense of belonging. It goes beyond finding your purpose in life. It is about finding your tribe.
Tell us about your experience writing The Young Samaritan.
I wanted to put flesh and bones on these iconic people of the Bible. They’re not just stained glass people. These were people who lived and breathed and had dreams of their own; their stories were real, like our stories are real.
I didn’t feel it immediately. I had this idea in my head for a while, but I hadn’t started writing. I finally felt God say to me, “Don’t pussy-foot around. Sit down and write the book.”
Along the way, I felt like I was led while I was writing the story. So many times with projects I’ve taken on, I’ve given up. But, I never felt like that with this. I always felt guided. I never felt frustrated. I felt the Holy Spirit was leading me.
Who do you see playing the leading roles if your book were to be turned into a three-part miniseries for Netflix?
I’d be hard pressed to figure out who Joshua would be. There’s this one actor on this one commercial a lot; I’m not sure if it’s an insurance commercial.
It’s this boy who’s hanging out with other boys, riding bikes. And the last thing this boy does is dive into a quarry. The last shot is him just floating, face up, in the quarry and he says, “That’d be quite a life, wouldn’t it?” That really stuck with me.
For the role of Jesus, I think Rami Malek. He doesn’t fit the old stereotype of what Jesus would look like, he looks more Mediterranean. Plus, he’s a great actor.
Do you have any upcoming project you’d like us to know about?
I’m toying around with the idea of maybe a collection of short stories, where you find a spiritual experience in the place you least expect it.
For more information please visit: jssprowles.com
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