Author: Brad McLelland

Spooky Middle Grade (a.k.a., The Spookies): Today we are so excited to feature the wonderful Anica Mrose Rissi, author of numerous, fabulous books — from picture books to chapter books to YA thrillers, you name it! We could spend all day talking about Anica’s incredible Anna, Banana chapter book series, or her amazing picture books, but today we’re particularly excited to talk about Anica’s upcoming spooky short story collection for middle-graders, Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories.

Before we get started, let’s check out that nerve-jangling cover illustrated by Carolina Godina:

The Spookies: Welcome, Anica! What a beautiful, haunting cover! We’re so very happy you could join the Spooky Crew today! Could you kick us off with a little bit of backstory about your upcoming collection? How did the story ideas come to you (i.e., all at once, or slowly but surely)? Give us the scoop!

AMR: Boo! Thanks for having me.

I’m joining you today from my childhood home on an island off the coast of Maine (this is Stephen King country: the movie Pet Sematary was filmed nearby), which is also where I wrote most of the twenty spooky stories—some funny, some spine-tingling, some hide-under-the-covers scary—found in Hide and Don’t Seek. Just over my shoulder, there’s a shadow box in which three crocheted dolls are trapped (my mother’s idea of good wall art). Their faces are pressed to the glass, their arms are spread wide, and their eyes never blink. Is it any wonder I was inspired to write spooky stories here?

Two summers ago, I wrote the collection’s opening story, about a game of hide-and-seek that never ends, to amuse myself and my nieces. It was a fun way to procrastinate from the work I was supposed to be doing, so I wrote another, and another. I completed thirteen scary stories that summer in a thrilling creative whirlwind, and read them aloud to any friends who would listen (an important step in my revision process). After my editor at HarperCollins/Quill Tree, Rosemary Brosnan, bought the collection, I added seven more scary stories, playing with not only fears but also formats: One story is told entirely through text messages, another through letters sent home from camp. A few are in verse. One is the script of a play. There’s even a story narrated by a very good dog.

This book was a lot of fun to write!

The Spookies: You definitely know how to make readers bite their nails in suspense (*points to Anica’s YA thriller, Nobody Knows But You*). Did you find the process very different when writing spooky, suspenseful stories for middle-graders, versus writing for a YA audience? Did you find any similarities in the process?   

AMR: In Nobody Knows But You, my YA novel about an intense friendship formed over a single summer at camp—a summer cut short by murder—the psychological suspense builds over the course of the whole book, so the pacing is pretty different. With Hide and Don’t Seek, part of the fun is that the stories are short (the longest has 2,350 words but the shortest has only 62), so I got to pack scares, suspense, chills, and surprises into every page. Both books have a dark sense of humor, but the humor in Hide and Don’t Seek is overall sillier and more playful than the humor in my books for older readers. Nobody Knows But You has some deeply cerebral moments, whereas Hide and Don’t Seek is designed to engage readers’ senses with scary sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and corporeal feelings.

The Spookies: Have you come away with a particular favorite in the collection? If so, why is it your favorite? Does it give you more nightmares than all the rest?  

AMR: “The Girl and the Crow” is the story I revised the most times, and it’s the one I find most terrifying—perhaps because, despite it featuring a talking crow, it feels very real to me. You can read it as a straight-up classically horrifying fairy tale, but I hope its underlying themes will spark thoughts and conversations about boundaries and consent, gender dynamics, and the danger of teaching girls they must always be “nice.” A corresponding story, “The Boy and the Crow,” expands the allegory and examines how patriarchal structures and systemic racism are toxic and harmful to even their beneficiaries. I’m proud of those stories. I hope they’ll make readers shudder and think.

The Spookies: Do you have any favorite creepy authors or books that you find especially inspiring or influential?  

AMR: Oh, I was definitely inspired by my love for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and its sequels. I haven’t revisited the series since childhood, but I remember its scariest moments—and the experience of reading them—vividly.

The Spookies: What monster, legend, piece of lore, or ghost tale scares you the most?

AMR: I can read almost anything but I’m a total scaredy-cat when it comes to watching horror—even horror lite. Friends tease me because I had to quit Buffy the Vampire Slayer after only one episode. It gave me too many nightmares!

The Spookies: If you had a single piece of advice to give an aspiring writer of spooky stories, what would it be?

AMR: Focus on the senses! What scary sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and sensations can you incorporate into your story to make it more evocative and memorable?

The Spookies: Okay, let’s do something a little more . . . adventurous. We’re going to give you a noun, and we want you to write a two-sentence horror story based on each. Are you up for the challenge?

AMR: Eeep! Okay.

The Spookies: Then let’s start with . . . GRAPE JELLY.

AMR: When I stuck my finger in the jelly jar, I expected a warm, sticky squish. I did not expect something inside the jar to reach out and poke me back.  

The Spookies: Yikes! Good one! How about . . . PUPPY LEASH.

AMR: The other ghosts moan and rattle their chains, searching for justice and vengeance…but not Myrtle. She whistles and whistles all through the night, one hand clasped to the spot where her heart doesn’t beat, the other holding the leash of her poor lost pup.

The Spookies: Ooooh, excellent creepy vibe! Now let’s do . . . MOON BEAM.

AMR: “Don’t worry,” he said, pulling a soft quilt up to the boy’s chin. “The Murderbeast can only enter your room on a moon beam, and I’m certain we’ve closed those curtains tight.”

The Spookies: Okay, that one is the creepiest yet! Last but not least, how about a super tough one: ELEPHANT. 

AMR: The ground shook and the beast roared. Slippy the Clown’s painted-on smile didn’t budge, but her eyes grew wide and her shoulders trembled as the World’s Tiniest Ballerina rushed past her, leaping toward the exit, and shouted, “That is not a normal elephant!”

The Spookies: Wow, you really were up to the challenge! Well done! (And after that Moon Beam story, we won’t be sleeping for days.) Thanks so much for your time, Anica! We’re stoked about the release of Hide and Don’t Seek: And Other Very Scary Stories, creeping into the world in hardcover, audiobook, and ebook on August 3, 2021!

AMR: Thanks, Spooky Middle Grade! I hope it scares you silly.

Don’t forget to preorder Anica’s collection here, add it to your Goodreads here, and be sure to check out her other amazing work while you’re at it!

I think we need to have a talk. I have a few major grievances.

There’s a lot—I mean a LOT—of fake news out there about black cats. We get a seriously bum rap. Especially around Halloween. That’s the day for treats and dressing up, not for hating on all us black kitties. Who doesn’t like treats? I get plenty. And who doesn’t like to dress up on occasion? I do it myself when the mood strikes.

Let’s start with my biggest pet peeve. Black cats mean bad luck.

Absolutely bogus. For starters, everyone knows you make your own luck. You don’t need a black cat to do that for you. So don’t put your pessimistic attitude on me. Having a little trouble winning at Poker? Not my fault! Be a better card player.  

Here’s another doozy. Some people claim we black kitties are familiars for witches, and that we can change into a human shape and spy on people for witches or demons. Complete rubbish. Humans are boring. Why would I ever want to shapeshift into one? The only time I change my shape is when I need to sit in a pot. That’s. It.

Another common misconception: We hate water. Apparently it burns us, or turns us into a red, gooey blob. Well, I’ve got news. We can have as many baths as we want and not melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. Next question.

Afraid of sunlight, you say? Nope. I’m rather fond of going out in the sunlight. Unlike vampires, a little morning sun never hurt a single black kitty.

Okay, admittedly, sometimes black kitties like to howl at the moon like werewolves. But that doesn’t make us wicked. Far from it. We’re just extremely in touch with our moon phases. Nothing wrong with that.

Oh, and just because we have black fur doesn’t mean we aren’t completely photogenic. I mean, just take a look at this side profile. Can you say KITTY GORGEOUS?

The negative attitude about black cats exhausts me.

National Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17, 2021. Adopt yourself a black kitty, snuggle it, give it plenty treats, and above all, appreciate it. We might just bring you a little good luck.

Oh, and adopting a blind kitty won’t hurt anything either.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Ophelia McLelland is the author of numerous best-selling books on superstition and lore, most of which are out of print (but still hugely popular in places you’ve never been). A spiritualist and medium to the cat realm, she is a professional piano player and an advocate for the blind cat community. A resident of Oklahoma, Ophelia lives with her cat sister, Millie, her dog sister, Sophie, and three human pets, one of which writes spooky, adventurous middle-grade novels that aren’t very popular. Follow her on Instagram: @opheliakittycat

Let’s face it: 2020 hasn’t been a very fun year. But we here at Spooky Middle Grade believe better times are coming, and we’re ready to open 2021 with a new slate of goals and pledges. We recently asked ourselves what Writerly Resolutions for the New Year we’d like to tackle, and while accumulating our list, we also received resolutions from a couple of New York Times-bestselling authors of adventurous (and sometimes spooky) tales for kids.

Let’s kick off the fun with . . .

J.C. Cervantes, NYT-bestselling author of The Storm Runner series:

“This coming year I plan to finish 1 and ¾ books which may contain monsters, aliens, and ghosts.”

Victoria Piontek, Author of The Spirit of Cattail County:

“My new year’s resolution is all about self-care and balance. I have a propensity for binge writing, so things can get off-kilter when I’m working on a project. This year, I want to make sure I take regular breaks for proper meals (no more coffee only breakfasts) and to squeeze in a run or yoga.”

Samantha M. Clark, Author of Arrow (June 2021) and The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast

“I’ve got two new middle-grade novels coming out in 2021, which will keep me very busy. So my main resolution for next year is to maintain good balance between work and life. Plus, I’d like to make the time to read lots of wonderful new spooky books.”

Jonathan Auxier, NYT-bestselling author of The Fabled Stables and Sweep:

“My resolution is to learn to draft in longhand so that I never have to touch my computer again.”

Kim Ventrella, Author of The Secret Life of Sam and Hello, Future Me:

“This upcoming year is all about balance. No more frantic binge-writing sessions followed by periods of hibernation. I’m using the Forest app to build consistent periods of focus into every day, for both writing, reading and other activities. I’m already finding this process much better for my mental health. It’s stunning how much you can accomplishment in a simple 25-minute focus session. And this more balanced, incremental approach is helping me avoid the main downfall of my old process, i.e. those long stretches of recovery when I wasn’t writing. Like most writers, I’m generally a happier person when I’m working. This way, I experience the joy of writing all the time, just not in such huge, intense doses.”

Cynthia Reeg, Author of the Monster or Die series:

“My resolution is to continue improving my literary craft, encouraging my writer friends, and inspiring kids to connect with books.”

Brad McLelland, Co-author of the Legends of the Lost Causes trilogy:

“I’m not the best resolution-maker (and I’m really bad at keeping them), but in 2021 I’m committed to writing the middle-grade novel I’ve had in my heart and head for more than fifteen years. It’s a project I’ve struggled with for a long time because I haven’t been able to find the right “doorway” into its unique and haunting world. But now I think I have that doorway (as well as a ton of notes, and a pretty thorough outline), and I feel ready to tackle it. I’m also going to take more long walks through the woods and tell my stepdaughter more ridiculous Dad jokes.”    

Lisa Schmid, Author of Ollie Oxley and The Ghost: The Search for Lost Gold:

“I am typically not a New Years’ resolution kind of a gal, but after the crazy year we’ve just experienced, I am ready to throw down. My 2021 resolution is to complete my second middle-grade novel by the end of the summer. And now that I have put that out to the universe, I better make it happen. Bring it on 2021!”

S.A. Larsen, Author of Motley Education and Marked Beauty:

“I plan to work on two short story writing sessions a month to hone my craft and technique skills, and to let ideas flow. You know, exercise that writing muscle.”💪

Janet Fox, Author of The Artifact Hunters:

My Writerly Resolutions for 2021:

Finish this Covid novel — no, it’s not about Covid, but I never would’ve written it without all that extra time last spring — by the end of January. Start something new . . . but I don’t know what. That will require brainstorming or perhaps just daydreaming. Exercise every day, because that helps me write. Get that vaccine so I can keep on writing.

Lorien Lawrence, Author of The Stitchers:

“My resolution for 2021 is to try and appreciate small successes. Sometimes it’s hard not to compare my career to others, but this coming year I just want to try and enjoy my own journey.”