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It Found Us: Lindsay Currie Interview

Do you know a child or student who LOVES scary? They will really enjoy Lindsay Currie’s books. Her newest book, It Found Us, is coming out tomorrow, September 5!

About the Book

Hi Lindsay! I believe I discovered your books on Twitter. When I saw the cover of It Found Us, I had to read it! As I was waiting for the release of the ARC, I read What Lives in the Woods (LOVED IT!). Can you give us a short summary of your newest spooky middle grade, It Found Us?


Absolutely! IT FOUND US follows the story of aspiring podcaster and amateur sleuth, Hazel Woods. Hazel is a gifted young detective, but the adults in her life don’t see it that way. They use words like “snoop” and “pest” to describe her which is hurtful to Hazel. So, when the opportunity to solve a very big, very serious mystery falls into her lap – the vanishing of her older brother Den’s best friend, Everett Michaels – she takes it. Everett was last seen playing an after-dark game of hide-and-seek with Den and a group of friends in a local graveyard – a notoriously haunted graveyard. When terrifying clues begin to appear to Hazel, she realizes there might be more to finding Everett than scent tracking dogs and search parties . . . and time is ticking.

Who would especially enjoy this book?
Anyone who enjoys mysteries, forgotten history, or ghost stories is going to love this book! Same for those who read and appreciated Nancy Drew. Hazel is such a brave, courageous, and empathetic sleuth, and her relationship with her brother is layered and realistic.


About the Author

Did you enjoy scary books as a child? What were some of your favorites?

I did, but there really weren’t as many as there should’ve been! One of the first ones I remember reading (and being wholeheartedly frightened of, haha) was called The Dollhouse Murders. I’ve talked about this book in other interviews because while there are elements of it that did not age well, the mystery did unfold in a fantastically tense way. I recall being simultaneously afraid to continue reading, but too hooked to stop. The perfect blend!


What books and movies have influenced your books? 

Oh, so many! I’ll admit that I’m a fan of leaving what I call Easter eggs in my stories – little homages to movies or books I love. IT FOUND US opens with Hazel sneaking around her neighborhood to find out who is allowing their dog to poop on cranky Mr. Andrew’s lawn. This is a small nod to the movie The Burbs, where we see two characters arguing over a dog that has been trained to relieve itself on other people’s lawns. I’m sure most of my readers won’t see that connection, but it made me smile 😀And truly, I was a Nancy Drew fan (still am) and intentionally tried to create a vibe that was reminiscent of those books. Lastly, there is a mention of Kate Warne in this book. Kate is largely considered to be the first female detective and worked with Pinkerton’s detective agency. She is buried about five minutes from my house in my favorite graveyard, Graceland cemetery.

What was your path to becoming an author? Any other interesting jobs you have had?
I’ve had a lot of jobs over the years! I wrote business conferences, sold real estate, and was even in flight school because I was training to interview with the FBI. No, I’m not joking. Can you imagine me as Special Agent Currie? *cue laughter* When I finally decided to pursue writing as a career, it took a long time to break in. Many years to get an agent and many years to sell a book. I wouldn’t trade any of it, though. I learned how to work through rejection and showed my children (who were little at the time) that if you don’t give up, you can succeed.

What is something from your childhood that you snuck into the book? (Were you similar to Hazel and liked to investigate?)
I was definitely a curious child who talked a lot and asked all the questions. I distinctly remember feeling as though I was never going to be taken seriously by the adults in my life and I hated it. That’s who I wrote this book for. The pests and snoops of the world.

All right, I have to ask: Do you believe in ghosts? Tell us more!
Yes! I get this question a lot at school visits and the truth is, I’m one of those people who is open to believing until you prove I shouldn’t. So, no . . . I haven’t seen a ghost. But I also haven’t seen evidence that they don’t exist. I’ve also had some genuinely hair-raising experiences while researching that makes me wonder.


Research/Writing

Your books are scary! I was surprised how, as an adult, I was actually scared! LOL. How do you decide what is too scary for middle grade?

I generally feel like this is a gut instinct. I don’t write any gore into my books, so that avoids ever having to draw a line there. But in terms of the other scares, if it feels like too much, I give it extra consideration. I’m also lucky to have wonderful critique partners and a fantastic editor who not only understands what I’m trying to do, but supports me by making sure I stay inside the lines.

Did you always set out to write scary middle grade?

Not really, no! My first middle-grade story, THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET, came to me as an idea first. It had this Goonies vibe that just struck me as so fun and so perfectly middle-grade that I decided to give it a shot. Then I never looked back. Middle-grade readers are so clever and fun and up for adventure. I love writing for this age group!

Where does your story idea begin—with the scary element? The resolution? Do you make an outline? (Are you a plotter or a pantser with the genre?)

I’ve always been so jealous of people who can plot with their beautiful corkboards and post it notes and highlighted, bullet-pointed lists. I cannot do that. I’m a pantser all the way! I generally know where my story is going to begin and where I want it to end, but the middle is all just one big roller coaster!

I love how there is a real historic connection with this story. Do all your spooky books have a historic connection?
Thank you! I love this, too. It’s no secret that I’m a history nerd – especially when it comes to people and events that can be considered “lost” or forgotten history. Once I come across something that captures my imagination, I build my story from there. I don’t want to give away anything, but the tragedy at the heart of IT FOUND US is something I’d never heard of before writing this book and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to highlight it through the mystery in this story. As of right now, all of my books with the exception of THE GIRL IN WHITE, do feature some connection to real history!


For Teachers

Do you have a curriculum guide or discussion questions posted online? 
Yes! Check out the teacher resources page on my website at: https://www.lindsaycurrie.com/spooky-101. There is a detailed discussion guide with questions for all of my titles posted there!


Are you doing school visits related to this book? 
Absolutely! My school presentations are generally targeted at grades 4th-7th and I’m taking requests for October/November currently. Check out this link for details! https://www.lindsaycurrie.com/school-visit 


How can we learn more about you?
My website is www.lindsaycurrie.com and I can be found goofing off on Twitter (I’m a Chicagoan who still says “Sears Tower” so I’m not likely to adopt “X” anytime soon), Instagram, Threads and Bluesky under the username @lindsayncurrie. I’m also on TikTok at @lindsaycurrieauthor! Come say hi!


I’m excited to read more of your books, Lindsay! Thanks for your time.
Thank you so much for this delightful interview! I’m so excited for IT FOUND US to hit shelves. Be on the lookout for a cover reveal soon for my next book – THE MYSTERY OF LOCKED ROOMS, which is action-packed adventure novel about three friends who team up to find a hidden treasure in an abandoned 1950’s funhouse!

Happy Birthday to A Horse Named Sky!

We are delighted to wish Happy Birthday to A Horse Named Sky, which Greenwillow Books just released. It’s the third in Rosanne Parry’s acclaimed Voice of the Wilderness novels. This one features a wild colt captured and forced into service by the Pony Express. We’re talking with Rosanne about how she wrote this story.
MUF: Rosanne, congratulations on another marvelously crafted (and beautifully illustrated) novel that invites readers into the world of a wild animal. Like all your novels, A Horse Called Sky is based on curiosity and on extensive research.  Was some of that done on location, in the places where wild horses live or have lived? If so, what was that like?

ROSANNE: I did travel quite a bit to learn about the wild horses in my story. I visited the Virginia Range just east of Reno, Nevada where my story begins and  I camped and hiked in the Steens Mountain Wilderness in Oregon where my story ends. I hiked over the summit of the Sierra Nevada mountains on the Pony Express Trail and I talked to all kinds of people. Paiute historians, wild horse conservationists, ranchers, geologists and hydrologists, and a variety of people who own, train or ride horses much more often than me.

MUF: In researching wild horses, what were some of the discoveries about them and their society that most interested you?

On the lookout!

ROSANNE: I have been fascinated by how horses communicate with their whole bodies in some very big and obvious ways and in some very subtle ways. Once when we were looking at mustangs from 100 yards away or so (like you are supposed to) a yearling got curious about me and approached. She walked right up to me, and then turned her head and neck to the side which is how a horse invites you to come closer. It was so sweet! I wanted to hug that little horse so much! But about 20 yards behind her the mare was fixing me with a look! Lips pressed together. It was subtle but I could see in an instant how unhappy she was. I did not take one step closer to the yearling! And as soon as she saw her mother watching her, she sprinted away from me.

I also saw a large group of mares and their stallions together and a smaller group of bachelor stallions alongside them. The youngsters got a little boisterous with each other. They started with just snorting and kicking dirt at each other. But then they reared up and started throwing kicks. One of the older stallions lifted up his head and gave one snort in the direction of the younger males.  They stopped fighting instantly. A subtle gesture with a huge response. It really made me think about the structure of a band of wild horses. They are very deferential to each other. The males do fight, but for the most part they are very conflict avoidant. It’s pretty inspiring.

MUF: There is much information in the back of your book about the status of wild horses and their environment in the present. You could have written a contemporary story about wild horses.  What was your thought in setting your novel during the brief run of the Pony Express in the early 19thcentury?

ROSANNE: It was the dearest ambition of my 8 year old self to be a pony express rider. 1. Outdoors 2. Moving fast 3. Excellent pay 4. Very little supervision. Four of my favorite things to this day! When I learned that the pony express had in fact taken mustangs off the range to run the more difficult and dangerous sections in the mountains of the west, I knew I had a story kids could really root for. And then I dug into the history of the Piaute War and the Comstock silver mine in the Virginia Range and the enslavement of Indigenous Americans in California, & the surrounding territories, and the history of Black cowboys.  Well it was all very interesting and piece of American history not so commonly talked about.

MUF: You set a task for yourself by having an animal character be your narrator. He can only communicate and connect with readers using perceptions and responses a horse would have.  Readers then have to guess at the actual object, animals, or words for things (and they do). I love the way Sky classifies humans by the colors of their hides and “manes” and identifies the stallions, colts, and mares among them. What things did you have to think hardest about to get them across through Sky?

ROSANNE: I love to think about how an animal perceives the world. It was very different to write about a prey animal as the last two Voice of the Wilderness books were predators—a wolf and an orca. Horses, even well cared for domestic horses, are always on the alert for danger. They notice the smallest things and every change of mood in the members of their family band.

The hardest part to write was thinking through the human interactions, understanding how horses regard humans and try to communicate with them. When I chose the wrangler who teaches Sky to accept a saddle and bridle, I chose a former slave. A person who would have a natural compassion for a creature who has newly lost his freedom. I studied both historic and contemporary horse training methods. The more gentle training model the wrangler uses was fairly common in the 1800s. Writing the actual steps in the gentling process from the point of view of a horse who doesn’t know what’s going on took lots of drafts.

MUF: And now let’s hear from Sky’s illustrator, Kirbi Fagan. Kirbi  is recognized for her cover art in adult, YA, and Middle-grade fiction as well as comic books projects such as Black Panther/Shuyri and Firefly. She illustrated this book in pan pastels.

MUF: Brava, Kirbi! Aren’t horses one of the more difficult animals to draw?  Love helps, right?

KIRBI: Thank you. It does take a certain kind of artist to take on drawing over a hundred illustrations of horses! My agent asked if I was tired of horses after I turned in my last revisions. I’m not. In fact, I think my inner horse girl is living her best life. Horses have lived alongside people for so long, it’s one of the animals humans can recognize quickly. That’s why, even for a novice, it’s easy to spot a bad horse drawing. All of this to say, yes, drawing horses is tough. 

MUF: Are wild horses an extra challenge?

KIRBI: I visited as many different horses as I could, I did proper studies to refer to, and drew in the field. I felt prepared (and inspired!). Seeing the range of diversity from horse to horse is freeing and helped me loosen up. Mustangs are on the more petite side, and I was lucky to meet Maggie, who lives about an hour away from me, who fit the size of Sky’s band roughly. Thanks Maggie!

MUF: Does being free but also having to provide for themselves change wild horses’ appearance or stance or carriage, compared to domestic horses?

KIRBI: The truth is, a lot of wild horses are dehydrated and undernourished. Likely worse today than during the Pony Express times. Today, wild horses will show characteristics of draft horses and thoroughbred horses. When most people think of wild horses many think of the swath of colors and markings. This reputation is well deserved. Wild horses roam great distances and these rugged terrains are not kind. Manes are ragged and mangled, sometimes even with burrs. They bear all sorts of battle wounds. They aren’t groomed, so when their coats change with the seasons, it’s a string of bad hair days!

MUF: Thank you, Rosanne and Kirbi, for taking time to share some of what went into creating this book!  Readers, treat yourselves to Rosanne’s unique and moving way of writing an animal’s story in A Horse Named Sky.  Also in the other two books in the Voices of the Wilderness series: A Wolf called Wander, and A Whale of the Wild.   (And keep an eye out for Kirbi’s debut author/illustrated picture book appearing in 2025).

Back to School with STEM Tuesday!!

 

 

 

Hello Amazing teachers, homeschoolers, and parents. We at STEM Tuesday wish you all a wonderful 2023-2024 school year! We want to remind you that we have SIX  YEARS full of STEM/STEAM resources in our “vault”. And it’s all SEARCHABLE!

All you have to do is to go to the TOP of this page, and click on the STEM Tuesday button. That will take you to a page like the one below. Then just click on the SEARCH by TOPIC button and you’ll see all of the great topics we’ve covered for the last SIX years.

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You’ll find….

Book Lists

In the Classroom –> tips for how to use these books in the classroom

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We hope you find these resources helpful and useful in your classrooms, whether they be in-person or virtual.

 

 

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STEM Tuesday Spin Off

 

Our amazing team even did a bunch of blog posts for MG Book Village called STEM Tuesday SPIN OFF! Find those HERE

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the awesome STEM Tuesday Team LOVES all things STEM/STEAM! As you are planning your author visits this year, please consider checking out our profiles. We all have great presentations that will ENGAGE, EXCITE, and INSPIRE your students.

You can find information about all of us and our websites HERE

 

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IF there is a topic that we haven’t covered, that you’d like to see, please let us know below in the comments.
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