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Interview with The Creeps Author Tehlor Mejia

By on October 7, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews   /   Leave a comment

Do you know a middle schooler who loves scary books? This one is pretty scary! The Creeps by Tehlor Mejia just came out October 6. It was hard to put down. I’m thrilled to interview Tehlor to learn more about how the book came to be.

 

About the Book

Hi Tehlor! Give us a short summary of The Creeps.

Hi! The Creeps is a book about a middle school boy named Dylan who has to move into a motel for a while when his mom gets sick. Only this isn’t a normal motel. It’s a motel with a lot of rules to follow, and when people don’t follow them, those people tend to disappear…

Who did you have in mind when you wrote it?
First and foremost I wanted to write this book for kids who have experienced housing insecurity—which is a lot more kids than we sometimes realize. Stable housing is such a given in most books for this age group, but that doesn’t reflect the lived experience of a lot of readers, especially as our economy continues to recess.

What came first, the rules or the storyline?

The rules were first! I was thinking about how folks who need to access housing support often have to jump through a lot of hoops to access it, and how sometimes people use their desperation as a way to push a particular agenda. I wondered how a slightly rebellious middle schooler would react to all those extra rules and Dylan’s story grew from there.

You address some serious topics in the book, including a child coping with a chronically sick parent as well as money issues. Unfortunately, there will be many children who relate to both of these. May I ask why you chose to tackle these issues?

Sure. As people in book publishing we’re always talking about the importance of kids seeing themselves in the stories they read. A lot of times being represented by the books you love can be the spark that makes a kid a lifelong reader. But for some kids, representation is pretty sparse. We seem to be pretty scared as a society of talking about poverty and illness. Maybe we’re so afraid of these things happening to us that we want to pretend they don’t exist. But this is reality for a lot of kids, and I believe those kids deserve to see themselves and their experiences in the books they read too.

 

About the Author

What horror films or books did you grow up liking? (Is “like” the right word for our relationship with horror?)

I’ll be honest, I’m a total scaredy-cat. I was barely able to watch any horror as a kid without getting terrified (this is pretty much still the case). But I did love Are You Afraid of the Dark, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and some of the less visceral kids horror. You’ll never catch me writing something scary enough for adults, that’s for sure.

What parts of Dylan can you relate to?
I shared Dylan’s experience of housing insecurity for periods of my own childhood. I never lived in a creepy motel run by [REDACTED], but my family had times where we stayed with friends or had to move to new places due to money issues. It was an experience that wasn’t shared by many of my friends, so it sometimes felt shameful and isolating to be dealing with stuff like that as a kid.

Writing Horror for Middle Grade

I’d imagine writing horror for middle graders is tough as there’s a fine line between not-enough-scare and too much. What rules do you have for yourself on this?
Honestly this one is pretty easy for me since I have about the same scare-tolerance as a ten-year-old. If it’s too scary for me, it’s probably too scary for them.

You’ve written adult, young adult (YA), and middle grade novels. Tell us a little about what you do differently for middle grade versus YA.
Yeah, there are so many cool things about writing for all age groups, but I’ll always have a soft spot for middle grade. I think in YA we’re often dealing with a character’s first time experiencing the world on their own, and having to navigate new situations without parents or guardians guiding them every step of the way. Middle grade is a little different because middle schoolers are really feeling the urge to separate from the adults in their lives and prove that they can handle things, but they’re still a long way from adulthood. So for YA I try to focus on the moment of separation and stepping into your own authority, while in middle grade I like to explore what happens when you feellike you want that freedom and independence but you might not quite be ready to separate entirely from the adults in your life.

I see you have a new book coming out: According to Vero. Can you give a brief description? It sounds really scary—evil AI is scarier than Freddy Krueger, for sure!
Thank you, yeah! According to Vero is about a boy who struggles to make new friends in school until he finds a mysterious device that seems to give him all the answers. It works great at first, until he starts to realize the device has an agenda of its own, and that the price for its corrupted advice might be higher than he was willing to pay.

 

For Teachers

Are you doing school visits related to this book?
I’m always happy to consider school visits for elementary and middle school. I can do book talks, talk about horror for kids, talk about the craft of writing scary stories, etc. Anyone interested can reach out through the contact form on my website.

How can we learn more about you?

I’m on Instagram at @tehlormejia and my website is tehlormejia.com

 

Thanks for your time, Tehlor!
Thank you so much! This was fun 😀

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STEM Tuesday — Spiders– Book List

By on October 6, 2026   /   Spiders, STEM Tuesday   /   1 Comment
STEM Tuesday Logo

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t matter where you are, inside or outside, there’s a good chance that a spider is watching you! Unless you are in Antarctica. For the most part, those spiders are perfectly content to go about their day eating garden pests and leaving cobwebby silk strands in the corner of your bathroom. But somehow, spiders get a “spooky” reputation. So, let’s take a closer look at them!

Book cover - 2 spiders in webs on upper corners, a spider dangling down left side, and a large spider on bottom right corner.

Spi-ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs by Leslie Bulion

From leafy treetop to forest floor, this book introduces readers to happy spiders, diving spiders, social spiders, and more. Each spread features poems and information about how they kill and digest their prey, engage in foolery – and even how they become prey themselves. Back matter includes hands-on spider activities and how to write your own spider poems.

Book cover - large spider on an enlarged leaf background.

Jumping Spiders (Creepy Crawlers in Action: Augmented Reality series) by Sandra Markle

Six chapters introduce the jumping spider’s world, with information on the spider from the inside out.  Because jumping spiders spend a lot of time hunting, readers are invited on a hunting expedition – from the spider’s point of view. Readers with smart phones and the appropriate app can scan Augmented Reality icons to watch the spiders “come to life.”

Collage of six book covers - all witha large image of a spider.

Super Spider Series (Black Widow, Cave, Funnel-Web, Tarantulas, Trapdoor, & Wolf Spiders) by Lisa J. Amstutz

These hi-low or younger MG books each focus on a specific spider and combine fascinating photographs, wonderfully concise, detailed information on each spider’s life-cycle and unique characteristics, a warning (when necessary), as well as a fun activity, jokes, glossary, and additional resources.

Book cover - spider holding a big bubble in front of it.

The Secret of the Scuba Diving Spider … and more! by Ana Maria Rodriguez

Readers are taken into the field with animal biologists to find the diving bell spider, the only spider that lives underwater. Only as long as a grain of rice, they’re hard to find in the water and they are becoming rare because of habitat loss and pollution.  In addition to diving bell spiders, readers meet whistling caterpillars, signal-jamming bats, and zombie ladybugs. https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/2018/01/scuba-diving-spiders-and-hugs.html

Book cover - big spider on a palm leaf.

Spiders! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle

At this very moment there may be several spiders lurking close to you. The good news: they are so focused on living their own lives that they really don’t want to have anything to do with us. An attitude that has served spiders well for the past 380 million years or so. Close-up portraits reveal things you usually don’t get close enough to see.

Book cover - a large spider at the bottom and two spiders in the upper corners.

Spiders: We’re Not Scary, We’re Amazing by Ruth Owen

Written as an address to the readers, this ingenious hi-low or younger MG book uses amazing photographs, microscopic images, and illustrations, along with an illustrated, lab coat-wearing “spider-scientist,” and bite sized bars of text to examine the physiology, special traits, life cycle, actual danger, science behind our fears of spiders, and some absolutely amazing spiders.

Book cover - spider in the center of an elaborate web.

The Secret World of Spiderwebs by Jan Beccaloni, illustrated by Namasri Niumim

Using conversational text and visually and tactilely engaging close-up illustrations (with a couple of stunning rotated spreads), this book highlights the beauty, strength and mysteries of thirteen types of webs and the 20 spiders (listed in the “spider spotters guide” at the end) who build these special webs. Like the Amazon social spider’s colony web or a lampshade web in a cave. A step-by-step guide walks the reader through web building, and a series of close-ups explore spider anatomy, how spiders make silk, and some of the different types of spider silk. 

Book cover - big spider with really large eyes.

Spidermania: Friends on the Web, by Alexandra Siy

This is a great book for younger MG readers. It begins by clarifying the differences between spiders and insects and then dives into spider lives. The book introduces readers to a diversity of spiders, and shows off their web skills. Stunning photographs and brightly colored electron micrographs show spider eyes and claws up close.

BIOGRAPHY

Book cover - female scientist holding a spider in a jar.

The Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid World War II Army, by Penny Parker Klostermann, illustrated by Anne Lambelet

Entomologist, Nan Songer collected butterflies and moths, beetles, caterpillars and spiders. But instead of killing and mounting them in display boxes, she kept a living collection in jars all over her house. When a friend mentioned he used spider silk to replace the crosshairs in his surveying scope, Nan wondered whether she could harvest spider silk and sell it. This book takes readers into her lab, showing her experimental process and the important role her research played as the US headed to war.

GREAT GUIDES 

Book cover with 15 different spiders.

Spiders (North American Field Guide) by Samantha S. Bell

A browsable guide containing the spider’s common and scientific names, “Fun Fact” blocks, extra information sidebars on webs, diving, and vision, amazing photographs, “How to Spot” sections with individual spider statistics, and succinct paragraphs about eighteen categories of spiders. Including crab spiders, a cat-faced spider, and a hammock spider.

Book cover with 13 different spiders.

Spiders of the World: A Natural History edited by Norman I. Platnick

Beginning with a detailed diagram and electron microscope images of a spider’s anatomy, it explores specific orders and subgroup of spiders. Stunning photographs accompany short descriptions, world-wide distribution maps, and characteristics lists for well over hundreds of spiders, including Spitting, Ogre-faced, Pirate, Diving Bell, Green Lynx, Beach Wolf, and ant-mimicking and beetle-mimicking Jumping spiders. It is a fascinating read, with a glossary, additional readings, and an index.

 This month’s STEM Tuesday book list was prepared by:

Photo of author Sue Heavenrich looking up into the trees.

Sue Heavenrich is an award-winning author, blogger, and bug-watcher. A long line of ants marching across the kitchen counter inspired her first article for kids. When not writing, she’s either in the garden or tromping through the woods. Her books for middle-grade readers include Funky Fungi: 30 Activities for Exploring Molds, Mushrooms, Lichens, and More and Diet for a Changing Climate. Visit her https://www.sueheavenrich.com/

Photo of author Maria Marshall with roses in her garden.

Maria is a children’s author, blogger, and poet who is passionate about making nature and reading fun for children. She was a judge for the Cybils Awards since 2017 and a judge for the #50PreciousWords competition since its inception. Two of her poems are published in The Best of Today’s Little Ditty 2016 and 2014-2015 anthologies. When not writing, critiquing, or reading, she bird watches, travels the world, bakes, and hikes. Visit her at https://www.mariacmarshall.com

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The Leap to Indie: One Author’s Story

By on October 5, 2026   /   Articles   /   2 Comments

Not all authors are lucky enough to get a book published. Some try for years, even decades, without success and eventually give up. Others keep at it, hoping for a book deal, even if the chances are slim. And the others? They do the one thing they swear they’d never do. They publish their own books.

Life After Kat Greene

After my debut novel, Kat Greene Comes Clean, came out in 2017, I was on cloud nine. Becoming a published author had been a long-held dream, and I felt like I’d won the lottery. Until my sales numbers came in. Understandably, my publisher turned down my second book, and my agent tried to find a new home for it. Things didn’t pan out, and eventually we parted ways. I found a new agent, and wrote a third book.

Disappointment and Despair

Despite my new agent’s enthusiasm, editors weren’t feeling the love. “The voice feels too young,” some would say. “The voice feels too old,” said others. Sometimes, editors wouldn’t respond at all. Hopefulness gave way to hopelessness, and it got harder and harder to stay optimistic. I knew I wasn’t a failure, but I definitely felt like one.

My daughter, Chloe, saw me struggling and gave me a book called Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. I appreciated the gesture, but I felt too deflated to read it. At the same time, I  knew that if I didn’t make some serious changes, I’d be stuck in a never-ending loop of disappointment and despair.

Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

The first step was breaking up with my agent. We had formed a strong professional bond over the years, filled with trust and mutual respect, and I worried that pulling the plug would feel like a personal betrayal. Thankfully, my agent didn’t see it that way. They admired my courage to forge my own path, and promised to remain friends. It felt like a burden had lifted, perhaps for both of us.

But after I terminated my contract, reality hit. I had no agent, and no clear way forward. Although I knew indie publishing was an option, I doubted it was right for me. Sure, many authors were doing it, but as someone who’s worked in publishing for more than thirty years, it still carried a stigma I couldn’t shake. Plus, all that hard work! All the uncertainty! And all the decisions I’d have to make, from hiring a cover designer to securing an ISBN number, and everything in between. For a risk-averse person with fair to middling decision-making skills, this was my worst nightmare.

Snowy Wings Publishing

And then I discovered Snowy Wings, a group of MG and YA authors who banded together to form their own publishing house. It’s a cooperative model, which means the authors in the collective share resources and advice, and help to cross-promote each other’s books. What could be better than that? So, I contacted the founder, Lyssa Chiavari, and bombarded her with questions. Lyssa patiently answered them, and then invited me to join the group.

My first novel with Snowy Wings, Camp, Crushes, and Other Catastrophes—an epistolary novel that focuses on two thirteen-year-old BFFs, Maddie, who’s getting bullied at sleepaway camp, and Kenzi, who’s back home in NYC, babysitting her bratty little brother—will be published on May 4, 2027.

I’d be lying if I said I’m not freaked out by going indie, and the learning curve is steep. But the thought of having more control over the publishing process is worth the price of admission. And then some. Watch this space! 🙂

Author Melissa Roske smiling and signing a book at a bookstore event. She is seated at a wooden table in front of bookshelves, wearing a sleeveless purple dress.

Melissa Roske is a writer of middle-grade fiction. Before spending her days with imaginary people, she interviewed real ones as a journalist in Europe. In London she landed a job as an advice columnist for Just Seventeen magazine. Upon returning to her native New York, Melissa contributed to several books and magazines, selected jokes for Reader’s Digest, and received certification as a life coach. In addition to her debut novel Kat Greene Comes Clean, Melissa’s short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish” appears in the Jewish MG anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories. Learn more about Melissa on her Website and follow her on  Facebook and Instagram.

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