Author Interviews

Debut Author Interview – Wendy Parris

By on August 3, 2023   /   Author Interviews  

Welcome Wendy!

It is my absolute pleasure to welcome Wendy Parris to the Mixed-Up Files today. The debut of a first book is such an exciting time for an author, especially when the book packs as many chills in it as Field of Screams.

Field of Screams

Field of Screams
Paranormal enthusiast Rebecca Graff isn’t happy about being dragged to Iowa to spend the summer wit
h family she barely knows. But when she tracks a ghostly presence to an abandoned farmhouse, she starts to think the summer won’t be a total lost cause! Soon she is in a race to piece together a puzzle and recover a family legacy before it is lost forever—and a horrible tragedy repeats itself.

Advice for Authors

An author at work.

What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book:

My advice: Keep your eyes open. Of course, writers need to read a lot of books in their chosen category/genre. And also study the craft of writing and practice as much as possible. But you never know when a photograph or a glimpse of something from your everyday life might spark your imagination. The single most important thing that inspired me to write FIELD OF SCREAMS was something I saw in my day-to-day life. In the summer of 2012, I was visiting family in Clear Lake, IA, a small town not far from the Minnesota border. I went on a bike ride around the lake, through some woods, and onto a lonely country road—and came across an abandoned farmhouse. Fascinated, I stopped, jumped off my bike, and explored, taking a bunch of pictures of the outside of the house (to this day I wonder if I should’ve ventured inside, though who knows what kind of critters could have been lurking there!). That farmhouse lingered in my mind. I wondered who had lived there, what had happened there, and why it was abandoned. And it looked so spooky to me that I knew it must be haunted. I decided I’d write a ghost story about it. So I did. 
 

Main Character

red-head-girl-cartoon-md.png (296×207)
Would you and your main character get along?
Absolutely! Rebecca and I grew up in very different circumstances and decades (lol), but I empathize a lot with her. For example: I understand her battles with her naturally curly and frizzy hair; I, too, was fascinated by ghost stories and mysteries when I was a kid; and I HATED being away from my best friend. Although my parents divorced when I was a kid and Rebecca’s father passed away—very different life experiences— I do understand how awkward and unsettling it can be when a parent starts dating a new person. I really admire Rebecca’s curiosity and determination as well, but there is no way twelve-year-old Wendy would have been as brave as Rebecca is when facing a ghost! One big difference between us: I’m a big fan of ’80s music and she is not, so we don’t agree on that topic at all.
 

Music or Silence

Do you play music when you write —and, if so, what’s your favorite?

I don’t play music when I write, like I know a lot of writers do. I don’t need total silence, but I like to “hear” the characters’ voices inside my head. When Don't We All Struggle With Being Silent And Listening, - Listen To Music Verb #492255I write, the dialogue flows through my mind. I explore each character’s voice , trying out different words and intonations. This is probably because I studied acting and performed in plays, musicals, and improv comedy shows over many years. I find that music, particularly music with lyrics, competes with the words I’m trying to form in my imagination and write down. So I tend to like things as quiet as possible when I write. That being said, I’ve certainly had to learn how to tune out all sorts of sounds (dogs barking! kids playing! traffic passing!) so that I can concentrate and hear my characters.

 

Favorite Middle Grade Books

What books did you read growing up?

Well, I was obsessed with Nancy Drew. My mom saved most of her childhood books, so I had a whole library of not only classics like Little Women, but of Nancy Drew Mysteries, the Betsy-Tacey series, and Trixie Belden Girl Detective books (look them

MWPA on Twitter: "Come party Nancy Drew-style on July 29 with @MaineWriters! https://t.co/9QjzTBo9xJ https://t.co/0SWLo187H0" / Twitter

up!). And I grew up in the 1970’s, so Judy Blume was hugely popular and I devoured her stories. I loved Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. I’d go to the library several times a month and come home with stacks of books. I read pretty much anything I could get my hands on. I remember my grandmother saying “That Wendy always has her nose in a book.” My favorite place to read was up in a beautiful old willow tree in my backyard. 

 

What’s Next?

Can you share a tiny bit about your next book?
My next book is another spooky middle grade novel called Stage Fright about a group of thirteen year olds trapped in haunted theater.

Cleveland's Most Haunted: 21 places where ghosts roam (and you can, too) - cleveland.com

Here’s the pitch: When Avery returns to her hometown after moving away a year earlier, she is hoping to jump back into her friend group as if nothing has changed, but new interests, secret crushes, and changing dynamics get in her way. In an effort to reunite her BFFs, she suggests they host a séance at an abandoned theater that was the site of a tragedy; what starts as a fun outing soon becomes a fight for survival. 
I’m writing it right now, and it is slated to be published by Delacorte Press in the fall of 2024. 

Release Party

Find out more about Wendy Parris and Field of Screams at her Book Release Party!
Visit Wendy at her website.
Interested in learning more about other Debut Authors?
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Author Interview: Deke Moulton, DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR MONSTER

By on July 28, 2023   /   Articles, Author Interviews, New Releases  
DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR MONSTER, by Deke Moulton

Welcome to MUF, Deke Moulton. Deke (rhymes with ‘geek’) Moulton’s debut novel, DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR MONSTER, is out August 1, 2023. Read on to learn more about Deke, including their love of middle grade books, the inspiration for their vampire story, and how their background as a US Army drill sergeant informs their writing.

MIXED-UP FILES: Congrats on the new book, Deke. Tell us a little bit about it.

DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR MONSTER, by Deke MoultonDEKE MOULTON: Thank you so much for having me! DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR MONSTER is a middle grade spooky adventure about two vampire brothers who are sick (in their own ways) of the secret life their mothers want them to live, especially when they find out there’s a serial killer in their small, sleepy Pacific Northwest town. Adam wants to use his vampire powers (and protections) to track down and stop the killer, whereas Victor sees the killings as a way to get guilt-free blood.

I honestly came up with the idea from a dream – I had this super vivid dream of being a middle-grade-aged vampire kid being accused of eating people and having to clear my name. My original idea has changed a lot over the drafts, but it was one of those moments where a super vivid dream becomes very inspiring.

MUF: Why vampires? Have you always been into them? 

DM: Honestly (and I hate to admit this!) I have never been ‘obsessed’ with vampires. I’ve enjoyed vampire movies (I include so many references to THE LOST BOYS in my book for a reason!), but on the other hand, I went viral on Twitter for talking about how I accidentally ate at the Bella Italia of Twilight fame during my honeymoon without any idea what Twilight was.

Though part of my removal from a vampire obsession helped while I was writing – I explored different vampire myths without feeling too personally connected to any of them, which gave me some of the space to play with what myth is used for.

MUF: Do you love to be scared as a reader?  

DM: I cannot do horror at all! If something is truly scary, I just have a hard time dealing! I adore spooky things though – I love witches and skeletons and vampires and ghosts. I love the idea that the spooky can be friendly and misunderstood and helpful (but once ‘spooky’ things are out to get me, I just don’t care for it much). That’s one of the reasons I love Halloween – even though traditionally it’s not a Jewish custom to observe it – just because I love all these little spooky things.

MUF: What made you want to write for middle grade readers in particular?  

DM: I’ve always been drawn to middle grade books. Part of me wonders if I’m trying to ‘recreate’ a childhood I didn’t have, or if I’m really just in need of books that have a guaranteed ‘hopeful’ element to them. I’ve read adult books but get a little bored with the jaded atmosphere I find in so many of them. I don’t really care about adults being down and out, or having marriage problems, or having a mid-life crisis. I want to go on adventures with the full promise of life ahead of me!

MUF: Did your career in the military inform your writing in some way? 

DM: Ha! Yes!! Though in some strange ways – I talk about different kinds of blood, which I learned about while doing ‘combat life saver’ courses. One of my supporting characters, Luis Espinosa, is a military kid and shares some insights that he learned from his father that helps the kid trio try to track down the serial killer.

But also in some surprising ways, too. I trained as an Arabic linguist during my service, and at one point, all my professors were Sudanese, so I made one of my characters Sudanese. Sudanese Arabic is surprisingly hard to find online, so I’m glad I have some authentic language in there!

Author Deke Moulton

I was also stationed in Vicenza, Italy, so my Italian character is a former nun whose convent was one I ran to weekly as part of my physical training regiment – the hilltop convent of Monte Berico. Also, that character’s name is Beatrice – I worked with an interpreter with that name, but because of the Italian pronunciation, I didn’t realize her name was actually Beatrice!

MUF: What are some other recent middle grade books you’ve read and enjoyed? 

DM: I have been reading a LOT this year, so this will be a difficult list to manage, but I’ve been positively adoring the ARC I got of ALEX WISE VS THE END OF THE WORLD by Terry J. Benton-Walker at ALA, THE WITCH OF WOODLAND by Laurel Synder (which is an incredibly wonderful Jewish witch story!), SOUL LANTERNS by Shaw Kuzki was so phenomenal that I had to purchase it (after borrowing it from my library), HONEY AND ME by Meira Drazin was such a great look at the Modern Orthodox community.

MUF: What are you working on next? 

DM: My next book is called BENJI ZEB IS A RAVENOUS WEREWOLF – which is a werewolf book based on Jewish werewolf mythology! I honestly had no idea there even WAS a specifically Jewish werewolf mythology, so it was really fun to explore that and build a story around that. It comes out next summer!

Readers can find Deke at their website, on Twitter @dekemoulton, and on Instagram @dekewritesstuff 

 

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Space Travel and LEGOs: Interview with Author Jennifer Swanson

By on July 17, 2023   /   Author Interviews  

Jennifer Swanson authorWe’re excited to have Jennifer Swanson on here today to talk about her two new releases. Let’s start with learning a bit more about her, and then we’ll talk more about both of her books, Spacecare: The Kids Guide to Surviving Space and LEGO: Amazing Earth.

So, Jen, did you love to read as a child? If so, can you tell us some favorite books?

I read EVERYTHING! Every summer my library had a contest to read the most books. I won almost every year. I read so many books. Fiction, nonfiction, science, history, adventure, and more. I think my favorite books are mysteries. They still are. Of course, I read all of the Nancy Drew books, the Hardy Boys, and Trixie Belden as well.

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I have been writing my whole life. I used to write books when I was in kindergarten and early elementary school. As I got older, I kept journals. I didn’t fully decide to become a writer until I was much older and a stay-at-home mom with three kids. It was a busy time, but writing was my outlet and I loved it.

Have you had any careers besides writing?

Yes, I’ve been a science teacher for over 14 years. I’ve taught middle school science, forensics science, and high and junior college level chemistry.

That sounds like you have the perfect background to write these science-based books. Is that what drew you to writing nonfiction?

I am a curious person and have lots of questions about how things work. LOTS! One of my mom’s favorite sayings to me when I was a kid was, “Go look it up!”. And I did. I was a totally Jeopardy kid. Because I love facts! And I love learning. So, for me, writing nonfiction is all about making those facts FUN for kids. It’s getting them to be curious, and wanting to imagine, explore, and investigate to learn more.

And now that we know about more about Jennifer, let’s find out about more about her books about space and LEGOs.

book cover Space Carebook cover LEGOs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jen, what inspired you to write about these topics?

Both of these books were actually work-for-hire projects, so I was given the topics to write about. But, let me tell you, I was THRILLED to be able to write them both.

I have long been a HUGE fan of space, medicine, and LEGOs.

From the time I was 9, I wanted to be a doctor. At first a pediatrician, then a heart surgeon, then an organ-transplant surgeon. When I was in high school, Sally Ride, went up in the space shuttle for the first time. I was hooked. My new goal – the first female astronaut organ-transplant surgeon. (That sounds like an amazing goal!!)

While, clearly none of that happened, writing Spacecare allowed me to share my passions for both topics.

As for LEGOs, well, I’ve been building with them since I was old enough to put them together. My childhood was spent engineering and building many different creations. I’m old enough to have been around when you just bought the blocks and there weren’t instructions, so you designed your own stuff. My kids loved LEGOs, and our house is still filled with them. Taking my love of LEGOs and combining it with science? Yes, please. Writing this book was simply AMAZING!

Can you tell us a little about the books?

How about I show you. Here are a few spreads from SpaceCare: The Kids Guide to Surviving Space (Mayo Clinic Press/Smithsonian Institution)

 

page 22pg 23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

pg 24

pg 25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at this book, and it’s fascinating. Did you ever wonder how people eat in space or go to the bathroom? Remember they don’t have gravity like we do on Earth. What’s microgravity? How do you keep yourself from floating around when you sleep? Jen covers all this and so much more. The pictures are amazing.

If you’re a LEGO-fan, you won’t want to miss this one:

Here are a few spreads from LEGO: Amazing Earth (DK Books)

Lego spread

Lego 2 spread

Not only do you learn to construct many new things with LEGOs, but you’ll also learn fun facts as the sample pages show.

To find all this great information, Jen, where did you go to do your research?

Most of my research for the Spacecare book was done online. NASA has some amazing websites. But I also went to NASA Kennedy’s Space Center, and NASA Johnson’s Space Center, too. I spoke with a few experts, including Dr. Mike Harrison, doctor at the Mayo Clinic and now the Chief Medical Officer for Axiom Space. I was also lucky enough to speak with Astronaut Megan McArthur as well.

Wow! That must have been exciting to go to the space centers and speak to the doctor and an astronaut! And Astronaut Megan McArthur wrote a note at the beginning of the book.

For the LEGO: Amazing Earth book, I did a lot of online research at highly regarded content websites, as well as did some interviews with scientists, too.

With all the unusual information you discovered while researching, what was one of the most interesting facts you learned?

In Spacecare, there were so many facts, it’s hard to pick. I think I would have to say that the fact that when you’re in microgravity, your stomach floats up so that you don’t always feel hungry. That was intriguing to me. (It is to me too.)

For the LEGO book, I’d have to say that seeing how these ecosystems were designed by the LEGO experts was my favorite part. I knew I wanted to include them, but I had no idea what they would look like. (That is fascinating!)

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I hope readers will be fascinated by new facts, inspired by the amazing science and technology, and go out and explore the world around them.

I’m sure these books will inspire them! I know they inspired me.

Can you tell us about some of your other books?

I am the author of about 50 books for kids. I love STEM of all kinds, but I also have history and biography books, too. You can find all of my books, free teacher guides, videos, and more on my website https://jenniferswansonbooks.com/

I also have a science podcast for kids (of all ages). Check it out! https://solveitforkids.com/

What are you working on now?

I just completed final edits on my MG NF book, The Lost Forest: An Unexpected Discovery Beneath the Waves (Millbrook Press, April 2024). It follows a group of scientists who were the only ones to investigate an underwater forest.

I am working on edits for a book called Who Owns the Moon? (Margaret Quinlan Books, Jan 2025), cowritten with Cynthia Levinson.

And I’m in edits on the next Atlas Obscura book which releases from Workman Publishing in 2025.

Those all sound like great reads. We’ll look forward to seeing them when they come out.

Thanks so much for having me!

You’re welcome, Jennifer. It’s been a pleasure.

About Jennifer Swanson

Jennifer Swanson is the author of 40+ nonfiction books for kids. She is the creator and cohost of the Solve It! For Kids podcast which, in its two years of being on air, has 40k+ downloads, is ranked in the top 5% of all podcasts Worldwide, and is #1 in the Top 10 Best Podcasts for Learning by All Digital School. Her passion for science and technology resonates in all of her books but especially, Brain Games, named one of the 50 Best Science Books Ever by ThePlanets.org, Astronaut-Aquanaut, BEASTLY Bionics, and Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner, Save the Crash-test Dummies. Her books have received starred reviews, been on the Booklist ‘Best Tech’ books list, won a Green Earth Book Honor Award, three Florida Book Awards, California Reading Association awards, and multiple National Science Teaching BEST STEM awards. Jennifer’s Outdoor School: Rocks, Fossils, and Shells book was named a 2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year, and her Save the Crash-test Dummies book received a Parent’s Choice GOLD Award. Jennifer is an accomplished speaker at events and schools around the country, the Highlights Foundation, the National NSTA conferences, the World Science Festival in NYC, and the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival. You can find Jennifer through her website www.JenniferSwansonBooks.com.

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