John Claude Bemis
John Claude Bemis tried to write about wizards and dragons. Growing up in rural North Carolina, he read fantasy classics like J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis. But when he began writing his own fantasy-adventure books, he decided to look to a different set of archetypes. As a songwriter and musician, John became fascinated with the way myths have been passed down through traditional country and blues songs and wondered how Southern folklore could be turned into epic fantasy. This passion grew into his debut novel, The Nine Pound Hammer, a story set in a mythical 19-century America full of hoodoo magic, battling trains, and mystifying medicine shows. The Nine Pound Hammer is the first book in The Clockwork Dark series from Random House. Having taught elementary school for over a decade, John lives and writes in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
