Fiction

Interview With Author Josh Roberts

I’m thrilled to welcome Josh Roberts to the Mixed-Up Files . . . Just in time for Halloween. Today we chatted about his new middle grade, THE CURSE OF WILLOW COVE. This is the second book in THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE series.

Grab a cup of hot chocolate and pull up the covers; it’s time to talk all things spooky.

Lisa: Tell us about THE CURSE OF WILLOW COVE.

Josh: Thanks for inviting me to talk about my new book. I always love chatting with the Mixed-Up Files! The Curse of Willow Cove is the second book in my upper middle grade series aimed at tweens and teens ages 10 and up. I call it a standalone sequel to book one, The Witches of Willow Cove, because it’s intended as an accessible entry point for anyone discovering the series for the first time.

School Library Journal says that the Willow Cove books “may be written for middle grade, but the exciting narrative could appeal to young adults,” and that’s exactly what I was going for—stories that can be enjoyed by a lot of different age groups.

The Witches of Willow Cove and The Curse of Willow Cove are both set in a small New England town with a secret history dating back to the Salem Witch Trials. In the first book, a 13-year-old girl named Abby Shepherd learns that she and several of her seventh grade classmates are witches—with all the spell casting powers and flying broomsticks that come with it. Working together with a group of non-magical friends from their middle school, the young witches must solve a mystery from their town’s distant past before it can threaten the lives of everyone living in the present.

In The Curse of Willow Cove, Abby and her coven are all now 14 years old and they have a year of witchcraft under their belt. Things seem to be going well, until some of their classmates begin to vanish in the night… only to come back as something dangerous and different. Just as the first book in the series pulls from the real history of the Salem Witch Trials, The Curse of Willow Cove leans into another mysterious episode from the past called the Great New England Vampire Panic.

Lisa: Did you always plan to write a sequel to THE WITCHES OF WILLOW COVE? If yes, did you always know where you wanted to go with the story?

Josh: Yes and yes. From the beginning, I envisioned The Witches of Willow Cove as a series, and my publisher encouraged me to think of it that way, too. Although the first book is a standalone novel with a beginning, middle, and end, I was able to plant certain seeds for the sequel in it so that the second book feels very much like a natural continuation, even though it can be read on its own without having read the first book. Of course, things change when you sit down to write. Once I really dug into the story, not everything I’d planned for the second book made sense to me anymore, or new ideas came along, or certain characters began to demand more page time than I’d initially planned… but that’s one of the things that keeps it fun as an author.

I would say that The Curse of Willow Cove ends exactly where I always planned for it to end, but the route we took to get there changed quite a bit from my initial notes.

Lisa: What kind of research did you do while writing books about witches?

Josh: As a lifelong New Englander, I was already very familiar with the history of the Salem Witch Trials in particular. But “familiar with” and “an expert on” are two very different things, so for book one I did a lot of research into the real history of the period and then tried to weave a plausible secret history around those events while remaining respectful to the real historical victims. For The Curse of Willow Cove, almost all of my research went into understanding the Great New England Vampire Panic of the late 19 th century when farmers and townspeople all across the region were literally digging up their dead relatives because they believed they’d come back as vampires. The Curse of Willow Cove began with the question, “What if they were actually right about the vampires?”

Lisa: Do you think there are real witches with magical abilities?

Josh: Living so close to Salem and its modern witch culture, I would never be foolish enough to deny the existence of real witches!

Lisa: Do you base characters on people you know? If yes, spill the beans! (Translation: Do you know a witch?)

Josh: That’s a really good question. I don’t think I’ve ever set out to intentionally base a character on someone I know, at least not entirely, but without a doubt there are certain personality traits and habits I’ve borrowed from people in my life. It’s always fun to see if they recognize themselves in those characters. There’s one character in particular that reminds me of my wife when she was around the same age (we met when we were young teenagers) and so she’s obviously a favorite character of mine.

Lisa: How much of your real-life experiences play a role in the stories you tell?

Josh: Growing up in Massachusetts, I became fascinated by the fact that not only were there accused witches all across the state—including one in my hometown—but also that the witch trials did not actually occur in modern day Salem. I think there’s even a line in one of my books that basically amounts to “Salem gets all the tourists, but the real witch history happened elsewhere.” For the purposes of my story, that “elsewhere” is my invented town of Willow Cove, and it’s based off of the places I’ve lived all my life. So while Willow Cove isn’t literally a real place, it’s real to me because it feels like I’ve walked every inch of it at one time or another.

In terms of the characters I write, The Witches of Willow Cove series has a big and diverse cast, but I think it’s safe to say that there’s a little bit of my personality in each and every one of them—the witches and non-witches alike.

Lisa: What books did you like to read when you were a kid? Do those books influence your writing?

Josh: I loved everything by Lloyd Alexander, but especially The Prydain Chronicles. Those were the first books I ever fell in love with, and also the first to make me sad when I reached the end because it meant I’d never get spend more time in that world with those characters again. I think you can see the influence of those books in my writing most clearly when you look at the kinds of characters I’m drawn to write. The main female character in The Prydain Chronicles is a girl called Eilonwy, who is smart, strong-willed, sharp-tongued, brave, and (at times) sensitive. I think that describes most of the girls in The Witches of Willow Cove series, too.

Lisa: What advice would you give twelve-year-old Josh?

Josh: When I was younger, I wasted a lot of years believing I wasn’t talented enough to write a book because the words never came out the way I hoped they would on the first try. I wish I’d understood that writing is a journey and no one starts out perfect at it. You have to work hard, and you have to keep working hard even when it gets frustrating—or maybe especially when it gets frustrating.

I came from a family of readers, but no one else I knew ever wanted to write like I did. That made it hard for me to understand that writing is not something you’re expected to be instantly good at. So in short, I’d tell twelve-year-old Josh to keep writing and trust the process. If we’re being honest, sometimes I still need to be reminded of this!

Lisa: If you could cast one spell, what would it be?

Josh: I would conjure up the one thing every writer dreams of and that we all know doesn’t exist… a perfect first draft!

Lisa: Last, but most important . . . What are you working on now?

I’ve got a lot going on! My big focus right now is a young adult historical fantasy called Victoria Dare and the Blood of Kings, which I pitched as Indiana Jones meets The Diviners. It comes out in 2026 and follows the adventures of 16-year-old Victoria Dare, who accompanies her father on an excavation to uncover a lost Egyptian tomb and gets drawn into a plot involving Nazi occultists, Bolshevik assassins, and a mysterious figure her psychic friend calls “The Shrouded Man.” It’s everything I’ve ever loved all rolled into one story. If you’re interested, you can add it on Goodreads to get notified when it comes out. I’m also doing some early work on the next book in The Witches of Willow Cove series, which is already under contract and tentatively called The Haunting of Willow Cove. I have so many ideas for where the story will go and I can’t wait to get back to these characters again.

Josh Roberts is the author of The Witches of Willow Cove series for tweens and teens, and the forthcoming Victoria Dare series for young adults. His debut novel received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, and was a Massachusetts Book Awards Must-Read, a Kirkus Book of the Month, and A Mighty Girl Book of the Year.

 

 

Matt De La Pena looking down court with middle grade novel as picture book sets to release

By Faran Fagen

Acclaimed author Matt De La Pena’s newest picture book, Home, is coming out in March. However, his little-kept secret is that he’s working on his first middle grade novel in many years that comes out in 2026. Matt zoomed in with the Mixed-Up-Files to tell us about his dive into middle grade amid the release of his latest picture book and other adventures.

Q: Where did your travels take you just before this interview?

A: Well, I just visited the Galapagos Islands on family vacation. Just before that, however, I was in author mode at the Juvenile Detention Center in Fresno, California. I had some powerful interactions with young children there. What I found most interesting about that visit was that the children on the inside are even deeper into the reading world than children on the outside. One kid said to me, ‘When I’m in my cell and reading one of your books it’s like I have a TV on inside my head.’ I’ll never forget that.

Q: What’s happening with your latest project, Home, which comes out March 11?

A: My newest picture book, Home, is a follow-up to LOVE, which is also illustrated by Loren Long. I set out to write this book during the pandemic. One of the things I was curious about during this time was what’s important to you when you’re stuck at home. The natural world relates what is ours. Home is the place we live. But the Earth is our home too. Home contemplates the idea that family is home. That’s how we connect to love. The spiritual aspect of home is what’s most important. Over the course of time, love is interrupted by adversity. But home is safe.

Q: Your books are full of metaphors for love and other key elements of our lives. Can you point out a powerful metaphor in Home?

A: A lot of people encounter the possibility of losing their home, whether it’s a natural disaster or losing a job, or other things. Probably the most important metaphor in Home is a big tree just outside the house. The tree is damaged in a severe storm. The neighborhood is rebuilt, but the injured tree remains among new plants and continues to grow. The tree is a symbol of resilience – the resilience of the human population. Home is the intersection of the natural world and the human world.

Q: You have such strong themes in your books, whether it’s love, home or resilience. Even going back to your YA books such as Sticky’s resilience in Ball Don’t Lie. Do you write with the intention of exploring these themes?

A: It’s an accident. Basically, I write each book by thinking ‘what am I most curious about’, and then go on that journey with my character. The ultimate crime in fiction is to let the message outpace the story. It’s more along the lines that my books are the things I’m curious about. This goes back to the idea that authors write about the same things in a different way.

Q: I’m sure our Mixed-Up-Files readers would love to hear about your Middle Grade book coming out in 2026. Can you talk about it?

A: I spent the last one-and-a-half years on this middle grade, and I probably had more fun writing it than any other book. It’s about an eighth-grader whose basketball skills get noticed by a powerhouse program in a distant neighborhood. They want him as the starting point guard, but he has to move in with a new family, away from his rough neighborhood. He has to choose at a young age whether to follow ambition or family, and every chapter explores that decision. The book is about the father and son relationship as well as what it means to be a boy/man. Just about all my books are about class and what it means to be a man, and this is no different.

Q: What’s it like writing middle grade after spending so much time with picture books?

A: I feel like a rookie. I’m learning so much about Middle Grade. What I love is there’s so much depth in Middle Grade even though at times it’s not as edgy as YA.

Q: Speaking of picture books, what was it like promoting Milo Imagines the World on Good Morning America?

A: It was amazing. The coolest thing about it was that I got messages from people outside of the book world. People who knew nothing about the book sent me all sorts of emails.

Q: I know you can’t pick a favorite book of yours, but which one of your books is speaking to you right now?

A: We Were Here is probably my favorite YA of mine right now. Everything I learned in writing Mexican Whiteboy I applied to We Were Here. A couple of moments hit me hard just thinking about them. Like when Mong walks into the water and we see him disappear. Mong wants to be in control of how he dies. It’s so sad. He leaves the message ‘We Were Here’. ‘We Were Here’ explores marginal people and how they want the world to know they exist.

Q: What’s the biggest difference writing Middle Grader as opposed to Young Adult and Picture Book?

A: When you first become an author, some people survive by reading. I wasn’t a huge reader. I came into this world as a writer

 

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first. I often experience books in the world I’m writing for the first time. I’m blown away by the Middle Grade books I’m reading while writing my own Middle Grade. These books make me feel so lucky that I can do this too.

August 30 is National Frankenstein Day!

Mary Shelley, the author of the classic novel Frankenstein, was born on August 30, 1797. Each year, she and her famous monster are celebrated on this day. Have you ever worn a Frankenstein costume for Halloween? That’s a celebration, too. If you’d like to learn more about the author who created this iconic monster, click here to read/listen to a brief biography or here to read about the original story.

Today’s post offers stories of all monster types. Ghosts, zombies, Sasquatch, mummies, myterious beings, a Frankensteinian dog, and something called a Grabber. Enjoy!

The Bellwoods Game by Celia Krampien.  320 ps.

frankenstein day august 30

Everyone knows Fall Hollow is haunted. It has been ever since Abigail Snook went into the woods many years ago, never to be seen again. Since then, it’s traditional for the sixth graders at Beckett Elementary to play the Bellwoods Game on Halloween night. Three kids are chosen to go into the woods. Whoever rings the bell in the woods first wins the game and saves the town for another year, but if Abigail’s ghost captures the players first, the spirit is let loose to wreak havoc on Fall Hollow … or so the story goes.

Now that it’s Bailee’s year to play, she can finally find out what really happens. Legend has it the game’s winner gets a wish. Maybe, just maybe, if Bailee wins, she can go back to the way things were before her grandma got sick and everyone at school started hating her. But when the night begins, everything the kids thought they knew about the game—and each other—is challenged. One thing’s for sure: something sinister is at play, waiting for them in the woods.

Black Sand Beach: Are You Afraid of the Light?  by Richard Fairgray. 192 ps. GN frankenstein day august 30

Twelve-year-old Dash and his best friend Lily are spending the summer at Black Sand Beach, where Dash’s family has a house. Lily can’t understand why Dash isn’t more excited. Three months of surf, sun, and sand. It should be a dream!

But Black Sand Beach is not that sort of vacation spot. The house is a shack, and all of Dash’s weird relatives are there. More alarming is the zombie ram that crashes through the front yard and the eerie voices calling out to Dash from the lighthouse … a lighthouse that hasn’t been operational in a hundred years.

Now, Dash has a new plan for his summer vacation … survival.

The Cursed Moon by Angela Cervantes. 224 ps.

frankenstein day august 30Rafael Fuentes does not scare easily. He loves writing ghost stories, reading scary books, and entertaining his friends with terrifying tales he creates on the spot. Rafa has come up against enough real-life scary situations that fictional hauntings seem like no big deal. His incarcerated mom is being released from jail soon, and will be coming to live with him, his sister, and their grandparents. For the first time in a while, Rafa feels a pit of fear growing in his stomach.

To take his mind off his mom’s return, Rafa spends an evening crafting the scariest ghost story he’s ever told. As an eerie blood moon hangs in the sky, Rafa tells a group of friends about The Caretaker, an evil ghost who lures unsuspecting kids into the neighborhood pond never to return. Rafa is proud of his latest creation, until strange things start happening around him. With a sinking feeling, Rafa realizes the Caretaker is real. Rafa brought the ghost to life―and only he can stop him.

Frankenstein’s Dog by R. L. Stine. 160 ps. frankenstein day august 30

Kat is reluctant to visit her uncle Vic Frankenstein because of all the rumors about him. However, she’s relieved to find that even though he lives in a dark, old castle-like mansion, Uncle Vic is a quiet, gentle man. A scientist interested in building robots with artificial intelligence. Plus, Kat loves Poochie, Vic’s small, adorable, fluffy white dog. Unfortuantely, an accident occurs in her uncle’s lab causing strange things to happen. Has Kat created a monster? Or is something else responsible for the unleashed horror?

The Ghosts of Nameless Island by Carly Anne West. 304 ps.

frankenstein day august 30After his dad goes missing and his mom gets a job restoring an old building called Rotham Manor, twelve-year-old Gus Greenburg and his mom move to a quaint, secluded island called Nameless. Although Gus was hoping for a new start on the island (despite throwing up twice on the boat ride there), a mysterious ghost has another idea.

Throw in a mean kid who hides rats in the manor, two new friends, an eclectic island chef who’s competing to be on a reality TV show, and Gus’s power to talk to the dead . . . yikes, that’s a lot of chaos for one kid!

Gus needs to find out the identity of the mysterious ghost – and fast – or else he might be doomed to the same lethal fate. That is, if the island’s signature “Heavenly Hash” dish doesn’t get to him first.

The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf. 288 ps. frankenstein day august 30

I am a dark spirit, the ghost announced grandly. I am your inheritance, your grandmother’s legacy. I am yours to command.

Suraya’s witchy grandmother gifts her a pelesit. Delighted, she names her ghostly companion Pink, and the two quickly become inseparable.

Unfortunately, Suraya doesn’t know that pelesits have a dark side—and when Pink’s shadows threaten to consume them both, they must find enough light to survive before being lost to the darkness.

The Lonely Lake Monster by Suzanne Selfors. 240 ps.

frankenstein day august 30Pearl Petal and Ben Silverstein can’t wait for their first official day as apprentices to Dr. Woo, veterinarian for imaginary creatures. That is until they have to clip Sasquatch’s toenails. Gross!

Soon after, Pearl spots a monster in the lake behind the hospital. Even though the instructions were to not leave the building for any reason, Pearl sets off for a closer look, with Ben trailing cautiously behind.

The outing goes awry when the creature captures Ben and holds him hostage on an island in the middle of the lake. It’s up to Pearl to hatch a rescue mission. Will she save the day or cement her reputation as the town troublemaker? And will the hospital’s secret patient be able to help?

The Monstrous Adventures of Mummy Man and Waffles by Steve Behling. 288 ps. frankenstein day august 30

Eleven-year-old Wen Wyler (aka Waffles) is forced to spend the summer in Maine with his grandpa, a former Hollywood makeup and special effects artist for classic horror films. Ever seen The Beast with a Thousand Toes, Glaarg!? Or its sequel, Glaarg! Again!?  If so, then you might be familiar with his work.

Wen, a horror movie enthusiast, decides to go when he finds out that for part of the summer he’ll be helping his grandpa sort and organize his basement filled with props. Grandpa’s young neighbor, Tanya, will be helping, too. Together the two dig in until Wen accidentally brings one of the props to life.

Mummy Man is a good guy. Not so the other creatures. It’s up to Wen, Tanya, and Mummy Man (and his pet turtle, Frank) to stop the creatures from turning the town into the headquarters for an all-out monster invasion.

No Place for Monsters by Kory Merritt. 384 ps.

frankenstein day august 30Levi and Kat are about to discover a very dark side to their neighborhood.

Nothing ever seems out of place in the safe, suburban town of Cowslip Grove. Neatly mowed lawns, tidy sidewalks, and ice cream truck music in the air. Nonetheless, kids have been going missing … except no one even realizes it, because no one remembers them.

Not their friends. Not their teachers. Not even their families.

But Levi and Kat do remember, and suddenly only they can see why everyone is in terrible danger when the night air rolls in. Now it’s up to Levi and Kat to fight it and save the missing kids before it swallows the whole town.

The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn. 160 ps. GNfrankenstein day august 30

Diana and her little brother, Georgie, know every inch of the land around the old Willis place, a crumbling mansion that some say is haunted. They climb the trees and swim in the pond. And they can do whatever they want, even stay up all night. They don’t have to change their clothes, brush their hair, or go to school. They have total freedom–as long as they don’t leave the grounds.

When Lissa arrives with her father, the new caretaker of the estate, Diana is overjoyed. She’s been wishing for a friend she can show her favorite spots to and share her favorite books. Maybe Lissa can even help her uncover the ghastly secret of the creepy old Willis house.

However, rules must be followed in order to keep the peace. Making friends is forbidden. If Diana makes contact with Lissa, she could unleash evil forces beyond her control . . . and then they’ll all be sorry.

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker. 336 ps.

frankenstein day august 30The haunting season has arrived in the Antler Wood. No fox kit is safe.

When Mia and Uly become separated from their litters, they discover a dangerous world full of monsters. In order to find a den to call home, they must venture through field and forest, facing unspeakable things that dwell in the darkness: a zombie who hungers for their flesh, a witch who tries to steal their skins, a ghost who hunts them through the snow . . . and other things too scary to mention.

Featuring eight interconnected stories and sixteen hauntingly beautiful illustrations, Scary Stories for Young Foxes contains the kind of adventures and thrills you love to listen to beside a campfire in the dark of night. Fans of Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Auxier, and R. L. Stine have found their next favorite book.

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden. 256 ps. frankenstein day august 30

After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie, who only finds solace in books, discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who loved her, and a peculiar deal made with “the smiling man”—a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price.

Captivated by the tale, Ollie begins to wonder if the smiling man might be real when, during a school trip, she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she’s been reading about. Later, when her school bus breaks down on the ride home, the strange bus driver tells Ollie and her classmates: “Best get moving. At nightfall they’ll come for the rest of you.” Nightfall descends quickly when Ollie’s previously broken digital wristwatch begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN.

Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed these warnings. When the trio head out into the woods—bordered by a field of scarecrows that seem to be watching them—the bus driver has just one final piece of advice for Ollie and her friends: “Avoid large places. Keep to small.”

Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter. 304 ps.

frankenstein day august 30Kestrel, a young huntress, lives in a seemingly endless forest crawling with dangerous beasts. But the most dangerous beasts of all are the Grabbers, beings born at the same time you are. They stalk you throughout your life, waiting for the perfect moment to snatch and eat you. No one has ever defeated their Grabber once attacked, and those that die from accidents or other creatures are considered “lucky.”

Kestrel’s mother, a powerful and controlling spell-caster, instructs her to hunt down the Grabbers in an effort to protect their village in the forest. Accompanied by Pippit, a hilariously bloodthirsty weasel, Kestrel hones her skills as she searches for a way out of the forest and away from the judgmental villagers who despise her. But her own Grabber is creeping ever closer, and nothing in this forest is what it seems … including her mother’s true motivations.

Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White. 256 ps. frankenstein day august 30

Meet the Sinister-Winterbottoms: brave Theo, her timid twin Alexander, and their older sister Wil. This summer, they’re under Aunt Saffronia’s care and she knows nothing about how often children eat or how to use a smartphone. And her feet never quite touch the floor when she glides—er—walks.

When Aunt Saffronia suggests a week pass to the Fathoms of Fun Waterpark, they quickly agree, but the park is even stranger than Aunt Saffronia. The waterslides look like gray gargoyle tongues. The employees wear creepy black dresses and deliver ominous messages. An impossible figure is at the top of the slide tower, people are disappearing, and suspicious goo seeps into the wave pool.

Something mysterious is happening at Fathoms of Fun. It’s up to the twins to get to the bottom of it. The mystery, that is. NOT the wave pool. Definitely NOT the wave pool. But are Theo and Alexander out of their depth?

Are you feeling the vibes of Frankenstein yet? If you’d like more monstrous stories, take a look at this post.