Author Interviews

Interview with Ally Russell, author of MYSTERY JAMES RETURNS FROM THE GRAVE!

By on September 23, 2026   /   Author Interviews  

It was a thrill to interview Ally Russell, author of thrilling books, including IT CAME FROM THE TREES; MYSTERY JAMES DIGS HER OWN GRAVE; and now its follow-up, MYSTERY JAMES RETURNS FROM THE GRAVE.

Readers will love Mystery’s – and Ally’s – return to the chills of the Olde Ellis Town Cemetery and the mysteries contained within. Here, Ally discusses writing the second part of a duology, crafting sharp dialogue, and coming up with perfect names – and what thrills await!

Cover of

This is the second book in the Mystery James duology, after the tremendous success of Mystery James Digs Her Own Grave. Did you have this part of the story mapped out when you started working on the first book, or did this come later? What was the experience of writing this book vs the first?

I had a general synopsis of book two ready to go by the time I finished writing book one. The synopsis changed and became more detailed as I actually wrote the book. The experience was fun, because I was returning to a developed world with characters that I have fallen in love with; however, I have to acknowledge the challenge of trying to maintain a consistent tone and mood across two books. It was tough! I did my best to capture the spirit of book one, so that readers wouldn’t feel detached from Mystery and Ellis Town.

I love your dialogue in both the first book and now in …Returns from the Grave – it crackles off the page and defines your characters so wonderfully. Do you have any specific techniques for writing dialogue from character to character?

That’s so kind of you to say! I love writing dialogue. I don’t have any specific techniques other than reading the dialogue aloud. This is important because it helps me determine if the dialogue is too clunky, too adult, too much, or not enough. Dialogue should sound natural. Some dialogue sounds better when written on the page, but it doesn’t translate well when it leaps from the page to the screen or other mediums, so I’m always thinking about that when I write. Humans communicate with body language too, so sometimes dialogue isn’t necessary. 

You have a way with names, from the brilliant Mystery James, of course, to Coffin the harvestmen spider and “Hellish” Hazel, and beyond. How do you come up with such great names? Is there a character name out there you wish could be used in one of your books?

Would it surprise you to know that I struggle with names? Town, landmarks, characters, and book titles—naming things is one of the most difficult parts of my writing process. Sometimes, I drop in placeholders so that I can focus on getting the story down on the page, and then I go back and add names. I keep a notebook of names that I like, and I cross them off whenever I use them in a project. One time I forgot to do this, and I had a minor side character with the same name in two completely different books. Oops. I guess I really liked that name.

I wanted Mystery to have an unconventional name, so I tried to think about what Tía Lucy might call her. I imagined Tía Lucy playing peek-a-boo and other games with Mystery and saying something like, “Where did you come from? It’s a mystery!” I worried that her name was too odd, but once she had a name, her personality leapt off the page, so I stuck with it. 

I do have a character name that I absolutely adore, but I don’t want to share it publicly. It begins with “C,” and the name is also used by a villain in a spooky children’s movie.

In your acknowledgments, you write that it was vital for you to “….conclude this duology in a way that would leave [readers] happy and clutching the book to [their] chest.” What were some of the books that left you doing the same? Were there any second-books in a series that you looked to as you told this part of Mystery’s story?

Alexandra Bracken’s Prosper Redding duology comes to mind. I flew through The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding and couldn’t wait for The Last Life of Prince Alastor to be released. I remember clutching the book to my chest as I teared up while reading about the malefactor and Prosper Redding. I’m not sure that I looked to any particular sequel for guidance as I wrote Mystery 2. I just tried to tell a complete story that tied things up in a way that lets Mystery live on in the minds of readers.  

Speaking of endings, yours comes together in such a fulfilling way, trying together the storyline and especially highlighting Mystery’s relationships with Garrett, Eliza, and Tia Lucy. What were the any challenges pulling those threads together, and how did you resolve them?

I think the challenge came in trying to show readers, especially young readers, that most relationships change over time—for better or worse. I’m 39 years old, and my relationships with friends and family are constantly changing and evolving. This is a normal part of growing up (and we never really stop growing up). I wanted to show that even though the dynamics of Mystery and Garrett’s friendship change, they are true companions who will always fight for each other. 

You write that, although these characters will always live beyond the pages of the books, this is the end of Mystery’s journey. What can we look forward to reading from you next (after going back to binge your incredible, frightful debut, It Came from the Trees)?

I’m trying my hand at YA horror (yikes!), but I’m not sure the tone is right. The story feels like it wants to be upper middle grade/young YA. I’m going to keep writing and follow the story wherever it needs to go. I’m also thinking of another middle-grade book (a heist book), but I tend to think about stories for years before I actually write them, so I’m not sure when that will make it on to the page. I have a few other projects that I’m not allowed to talk about yet, but keep your fingers crossed that they get announced soon so that I can shout about them. 

 

Author photo of Ally Russell

Ally Russell is the USA TODAY bestselling author of It Came from the Trees and the Mystery James series. She grew up on a steady diet of Halloween parties, horror films, Unsolved Mysteries, and Goosebumps books. She has always loved scary stories, and got her MFA from Simmons University and, eventually, a job working in children’s publishing. She hails from Pittsburgh—ground zero for the zombie apocalypse. Ally lives with her husband and her two black cats, Nox and Fury. She’s afraid of the woods, the dark, and heights.

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MEXIKID DREAMS Creates a World of Empathy in This Graphic Memoir

By on September 14, 2026   /   Author Interviews, For Librarians, For Teachers  

As a young child picking strawberries alongside his family, Pedro Martin learned that hard work is survival. Even then, he loved to draw cartoons when he wasn’t in the fields and especially loved Saturdays when he could watch cartoons and draw. While in the fields, he imagined the characters of his creations, including a Mariachi band and Elvis Presley, making music nearby.

DREAMS is Pedro's second memoir,

Of the life in the fields that he captures in this second graphic memoir, Mexikid Dreams, Pedro says, “I think we [he and his 8 siblings] have all have noted it was difficult out there, but this story has to be told.” He explains, “I started at 7 years old out in the field. This was the only life we knew. The idea of working hard was really my father’s thing and we just wanted to make him happy. As we got older, we recognized there were differences between our family and other families. We also knew the dangers of pesticides. But if we weren’t out there, we knew our family’s finances would collapse.”

Pedro Martin Grew up creating cartoons and picking strawberries.

Pedro’s childhood was also full of joy and music. While attending school, Pedro picked up a trombone and played in a band organized by his parish priest. It was that priest who convinced Pedro’s Apá that his purpose in life was to ensure his children made better lives than he had experienced. Each generation helps the next generation move forward.

“Once we realized there was a way out, we all worked to find that way,” says Pedro who studied graphic design and music composition in college before finding himself “in the arts 100%.” That led to an early career and a move to the Midwest with Hallmark to design and create greeting cards. But he never forgot his beginnings. He grew up eating foods native to his Mexican culture, having strawberry fights with his many siblings, and listening to shared music with his siblings as it played on his transister radio. The love of family and music eased time as the siblings worked. He admitted they all always scanned the horizon for dust clouds that could mean La Migra raids. These raids were dangerous even for the siblings were all legally in the US, but more dangerous for the migrants who had to prove their right to be in the country.  Pedro makes all of these memories come alive in Mexikid Dreams.

A Newbery Honor winner and Pura Belpre Author/Illustrator for his first memoir, Mexikid, Pedro talked about the reality of writing about family. He says of his award-winning book, “I sent a text to my brothers and sisters, and wrote, “if you have a problem with it, tell me now. To a person, they all said, ‘Sounds great! Good luck to you.’ Which was sibling-speak for that’s never going to happen.”

He admits that his brother Hugo struggled after publication of that first memoir with one story, claiming he wasn’t the one who stalled a motor home on a hill. “You defamed me and I want a public apology,” Hugo.  He has since used humor to remind Pedro that he believes his brother misremembers by adding “Justice for Hugo” to all of his brotherly correspondence.

All of Pedro’s siblings recognize the value of telling the immigrant story and reminding readers that immigrant labor is still a reality. As Pedro points out, “If you ever go into a produce department in a grocery store and you see all these fruits and vegetables stacked beautifully in the stores, there’s no machine that picks strawberries, no machine that picks cilantro, or broccoli. Somebody bent over in a field, all day long for ten hours a day.”

While many laws have changed child labor laws, there are family farms. “In family farms, the rules are way more lax, and so, kids do end up picking things out in the field with their family because that’s the only way they can survive. A lot of times the hands of mothers, fathers, children, picked these fruits and vegetables you see every day in your local market. I always hope people start recognizing that. Even though these people seem invisible, you can actually touch their labor. It’s really important that people have empathy and a realization that those people are basically invisible and they have no rights in the US and they have no way to fight injustice that comes to them. They’re all here doing a thing that nobody here wants to do. And they’ve crossed deserts and rivers to do it. It’s an amazing story of tragedy and heroics to survive.”

 

As Pedro points out, industrial farming has changed the way immigrant laborers are treated to an extent. Industrial farms have more rules but tenant farming, much like share cropping, exists on these farms.

In this memoir, Pedro shows how La Migra or ICE frightening and dehumanizing the immigrants he worked alongside. He admits, “I had trouble talking about it. Should I lay weight on injustice or show what I experienced?” He decided in this writing, “Let’s tell the story as it happened so people can experience along with you. Everybody was scared all the time, on guard.

In one instance, Pedro includes the story of the death of an immigrant in this memoir. “It happened and I was trying to show all the different outcomes of immigration I experienced.” So he showed the good and bad of his life. “Here is success when I got to play music. Here’s the hard path my father took but he survived. Not everybody made it back.”

Pedro hopes readers find empathy in his story, and he wants them to recognize that his culture is rich in tradition, food, and hard work. “It  might kickstart readers to look into their own backgrounds and rituals. I think every culture and every group has regional cultural things they can celebrate.” He wants his story to encourage readers to “celebrate where they comes from and how they got here.”

He hopes teachers and librarians use his memoir to bring about conversations about cultural diversity and immigration. He recalls how his first book brought up questions. “I was surprised the kids had very deep questions about immigration, I’ve learned immigration has always been there. For us to survive we have to move geographically, if we run out of food, we have to move toward food. This is the way humanity has existed for hundreds of thousands of years. Don’t let this moment in time, even though it’s a terrible moment in time, scare you. Immigrations infuses us and makes things happen.”

This is a book about empathy, Pedro explains. “I want kids to experience something different and try to understand that, specifically now, the people they’re scooping up and taking are people they’ve gotten to know in this book. These are the people being disappeared.

Pedro’s stories can create shared experience, and he has a special place in his heart for those who bring his stories to his readers. “I really want to thank librarians and teachers from the bottom of my heart. I understood how hard their work is and thank you for the subtle ways they influenced my life. The one librarian moved me toward a book about Norse gods. That little nudge opened a whole new world for me. That magic teachers and librarians have to nudge kids is powerful.”

Pedro’s hope is for the US and all countries. “I’m hoping that there’s more acceptance, better paths to security and higher education and creating new ideas for all immigrants everywhere. Very simply, I hope this country and any other countries become so much more responsive to the needs of our neighbors. We must get past this idea of us and them and into the idea of we.”

 

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Author Spotlight: Guy Bass

By on September 11, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews  
Headshot for Guy Bass, author

In today’s author spotlight, Landra Jennings chats with Guy Bass about his newest chapter book, Scrap, illustrated by Alessia Trunfio, and published by Pengiun Random House on 9/1/26, just in time for back to school. Available now!

Cover of SCRAP by Guy Bass, robot with bright light behind it

The first in an original and entertaining sci-fi series for middle school readers from the award-winning author Guy Bass. For fans of the worldbuilding in WALL-E and the themes in The Wild Robot!

The year was Something Something. Humans had spread like peanut butter across the galaxy, looking for new planets to call Somewhere… One of those planets was Somewhere Five One Three.

When the humans arrive on Somewhere 513, they discover that the robots sent to prepare the planet for humanity’s arrival have chosen to keep it for themselves. Only one robot remains loyal: K1-NG, aka King of the Robots. But even with the most powerful robot on their side, the outlawed humans don’t stand a chance.

Ten years later, Gnat and her sister Paige are the only humans left and have spent their lives hidden underground. Now they must venture out in search of the one robot that stood by the humans. There’s just one problem—the once mighty K1-NG has vowed to never help another human for as long as he lives…

 

Interview with Guy Bass

LJ: I’m excited to dig into SCRAP. The interplay between human and machine intelligences has never been more timely. And this one promises to add a lot of adventure to the mix! Where did you get the initial inspiration to write this novel?

GB: I was reading about the export of waste, and the vast piles that have built up all over the world. An image popped into my head of a rusty robot sitting on a pile of discarded robot bodies, each more impressive than the one he was occupying. It’s more or less the image on the cover. I liked the idea of a robot city whose citizens had become vainly obsessed with self-improvement. With enough currency (charge) they could upgrade their bodies – their cases – and then discard the ones they no longer wanted.

I knew Scrap had to start out at the lowest point possible. When he was brought online, he was the most powerful robot ever made but ended up downgraded to the rustiest, crummiest case on the planet. He’s spent years on a pile of parts, angry and bitter and resentful but at the beginning of the book he’s just starting to accept his fate … then the last humans on the planet show up and throw his life into chaos.

C3-PO and R2-D2, Star Wars

LJ: What makes you uniquely qualified to tell this story?

GB: Nothing, except that I told it! My obsession with robots is definitely not unique; a nerdy corner of my generation were co-parented by Transformers, R2-D2 and C3-PO, Machine Man, Robotman, K-9, Johnny 5, Twiki, Zax…

The Unique Twists of Scrap

LJ: How does this title differ from some of your other stories?

GB: Scrap is aimed at a slightly older readership than I generally write for so the stakes are higher, the drama is more intense and the consequences of character’s actions are more significant and far-reaching. The book is also two or three times longer than my usual, so it took me a while to appreciate how much more breathing space I had in terms of world-building and the characters’ inner monologues.

LJ: Did you ever find your characters acting in ways that even you hadn’t predicted?

GB. Absolutely, especially Paige, who’s wildly protective of her little sister. I didn’t imagine her being quite so hard-nosed and intense but the minute she and Gnat were out in the world with nothing but their quest to find the King of the Robots, I found she was unpredictable. I wanted her to warm to Scrap but she was so single-minded and suspicious I wasn’t sure it was going to happen.

LJ: It must have been exciting to see your characters and situations come to life through Alessia’s illustrations. Did you have a particular scene that you liked best?

GB: I’m a huge fan of Alessia’s work. There’s a section in the book where Scrap is trying to get his old body back. He’s convinced it’s being occupied by another ‘bot and takes him on in a gladiatorial arena. Alessia captures the moment perfectly, from Scrap’s determination to the sheer size of the task (and robot) as well as the raucous atmosphere of the ‘Bot Bout stadium.

Finding the Fun

LJ: What do you hope readers take away from this novel?

GB: I hope they enjoy it! Beyond that, I’m hoping not to hope too much. I’m trying to teach myself – badly! – not to anticipate the reader’s reaction – not to obsess too much as I write about what they might think or how I want them to feel. I keep trying to tell myself that while I write, it’s mine. And I should enjoy that because as soon as it’s finished, I have to leave that world and those characters behind and the story belongs to whoever reads it.

LJ: What’s your favorite thing about being a writer and storyteller?

GB: Doing something for my job that I did for fun. I spent my childhood making up stories with my brother and we never thought about sharing them with anyone else. It was enough that we made them. The doing of it – the making of it – was the whole point. I still can’t believe that somebody might entertain the idea of turning one of my stories into a book, and then a bunch of people might actually want to read it.

Looking Ahead

LJ: Is there anything else you’d like us to know? Do you want to share anything about other upcoming projects?

GB: Look for the Stitch Head graphic novels – full-color comic book adaptations of the original novels with artwork by the brilliant series illustrator, Pete Williamson. The Ghost of Grotteskew is the third in the series and it might be my favorite.Stitch Head book cover

However, I can’t possibly suggest that you track down The Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen. It’s a collection of short horror stories with incredible illustrations by David Roberts. But, once you read it, you’ll know about the Sideways Doors and the World Behind the World. Once you’ve read it, it can’t be unread. You have been warned.

 

Because no MUF interview is complete without a…

Lightning Round

Coffee or Tea?

Coffee. I’m more coffee than man these days.

Sunrise or Sunset?

Sunset.

Favorite City (besides the one you live in)?

Tokyo.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor?

Cheesecake.

Favorite Book From Childhood:

George’s Marvellous Medicine.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? 

The power to be wittier in interviews? No wait, flight! But not the flight power I have in my dreams, where if I go too high I get nervous and start to sink back down to earth. Sheesh.

 

LJ: This illustrated chapter book sounds like the start to a series perfect for reluctant readers. Thank you so much for being with us today, Guy!

About the Author and Illustrator

Guy Bass is an award-winning author whose children’s books series include Stitch Head, SCRAP, Skeleton Keys, Spynosaur and lots of books that don’t begin with ‘S’ like Dinkin Dings, Anna Gain, Laura Norder and Noah Scape. In 2010, Dinkin Dings and the Frightening Things won the Blue Peter Award for Most Fun Book with Pictures.

He’s also written plays for both adults and children. He’s previously been a theatre producer, illustrator, temp, gerbil whisperer and has acted his way out of several paper bags. He spent his childhood reading comics and hoping one day to become a superhero. He spends his adulthood in more or less the same way. He lives in London with his wife and imaginary friends.  

Alessia Trunfio was born in southern Italy in 1990 but grew up in Rome, where she still lives. She has wanted to be an illustrator since she was a child but she hasn’t excluded the possibility of becoming an astronaut.

After graduating in 2013 with an Animation Degree from the International School of Comics in Rome, Alessia has worked as background artist for some of the most important animation studios in Italy. She currently works as a freelance artist on various animation and illustration projects. Fundamentally passionate about cinema, anime, literature, indie music, and fried food, Alessia is an eclectic, energetic, and inexhaustible illustrator. She uses digital techniques for her art, which is constantly evolving. Powerful colors, lighting, and everything that can move her, like a beautiful soundtrack or a good book, inspires her work.

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