Posts Tagged #authorinterview

Author Spotlight: Paige Classey

By on April 29, 2026   /   Author Interviews   /   Leave a comment

In today’s Author Spotlight, Sydney Dunlap chats with author Paige Classey about her middle-grade novel, Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer, an “enemies-to-first-crushes” story published by Penguin Random House and chosen as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

Paige Classey is a school librarian who lives with her husband and two sons on the Connecticut shoreline. She is the author of the YA novel Everything You Left Me and has contributed articles on libraries and education that have appeared in School Library Journal, TEACH Magazine, and Education Week.

All About the Book!

Anna-Jane couldn’t wait for camp. But when the outside world goes dark, she and her friends soon realize they’re in for the adventure of their lives this summer—and maybe even beyond.

Captured in Anna-Jane’s diary, discover the poignant journey of a young girl’s fight to survive in the face of the unknown.

Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer released April 28, 2026, from Random House Books for Young Readers. The book has earned a starred review from School Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews called it “an intense and riveting read.” It is also a Junior Library Guild selection.

Interview with Paige Classey

Welcome, Paige! Thank you so much for being a guest on the Mixed-up Files!

Thanks so much for having me, Sydney!

Inspiration

It is my pleasure! I absolutely loved Anna-Jane and the Endless Summer! What a beautifully written, compelling survival story—I found it impossible to put down. It is sure to be a huge hit among young readers. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind it?

I am so honored! This novel grew from a convergence of both childhood and adult experiences. I spent many summers at YMCA camps throughout Connecticut; those summers remain so vivid and nearly magical in my mind. The onset of the pandemic caused me to start toying with the question of what might happen to a group of children and teens left to their own devices at camp. Finally, the censorship efforts we’ve seen sweeping the nation sparked the layer regarding the necessity of the arts.

Craft

You do such a great job maintaining the element of mystery in the story about what exactly is going on outside the camp. The thread pulled strongly all the way to the very end. Was it difficult to craft this novel? What was your biggest challenge in writing it?

Pacing was my greatest challenge. Anna-Jane’s story runs for a lengthy time period, and I wanted to make sure that the sense of danger and suspense never flagged. My agent, Rebecca Rodd, and my editor, Elizabeth Stranahan, made a number of extremely helpful suggestions to maintain the tension throughout.

Point of View

You describe the experience of going through a frightening time of separation from family and so many unknowns with grace, care, and sensitivity. I loved the way the story was written in verse in Anna-Jane’s journal. How did you decide the format?

From the very beginning, Anna-Jane’s voice came to me in verse, in first person, and in present tense. In a way, she decided the format!

Characters

I enjoyed your other characters a lot too. Do you have a favorite secondary character? Who and why?

I love the other campers and counselors for all different reasons. I love Amaya’s sense of loyalty, Pooja’s genuine kindness, and Morgan’s passion for science. Bryce is the camp romance I wanted at that age and didn’t have! But my answer has to be Jojo. She is the kind of tough I’ve always wanted to be.

Takeaways

The story moves so quickly, yet contains wonderful layering and thematic elements regarding peer relationships that will be so relatable to kids everywhere. What do you hope readers take away from this book?

I hope readers walk away feeling empowered. Children can make and have been making a difference in their homes, communities, and the world at large. You don’t need to wait until you’re an adult to start making positive changes.

I also hope the story plants or reinforces an appreciation for the arts. Music, art, literature, theater, film . . . these pursuits are so essential to the human spirit. “Grow work,” as Anna-Jane’s teacher would call it.

Research

This story is one that will stay with me for a long time, and it gave me so much to think about. Can you describe the research that went into crafting this novel?

I don’t want to give away any spoilers here, so I’m going to tread lightly! I needed to research different reasons a community or region might shut down, how daily life would be disrupted, how government agencies and others might respond, and so forth.

Writing Process

Will you tell us a little about your writing process? Are you a plotter or pantser? Where and when do you prefer to write?

Can I go with “middle-of-the-roader”? I definitely do not plot out an entire novel chapter by chapter beforehand. But as I write, I keep a list of plot points and ideas I want to return to. I keep this list at the end of my document, then erase points as I address them in the story. It’s in my nature to make lists and check off as I go, and I feel like my writing process mirrors that tendency.

I find my best ideas come when I’m taking long walks. Walking gives my mind the space to roam, and I usually end my walk with a new idea or two for my work in progress.

As a mom of two small children and a full-time school librarian, I write whenever I can find pockets of time (generally when my children are asleep!). I usually write at home, but sometimes at local coffee shops or libraries. I recently won an Artist Fellowship grant from Connecticut’s Office of the Arts, which made it possible for me to attend a writing retreat at the Highlights Foundation (now called Boyds Mills) in PA.

Influences

What are some current books that have influenced you as a kid-lit writer?

I noticed my students flocking to novels-in-verse by Jason Reynolds, Elizabeth Acevedo, Rajani LaRocca, and Megan E. Freeman, so I read them too, along with Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson. In a sense, I never put them back down.

Advice

What is your advice for aspiring writers?

Write what you care about. And read, read, read. I know this is “typical” advice, but it is truly the best way to learn more about style, the market, your target audience, and more. My work as a librarian has fed my writing, and vice versa.

I also recommend sharing your writing with others who will give you serious and constructive feedback. I saw an ad in my local paper and entered Connecticut’s Tassy Walden Award for New Voices in Children’s Literature in 2020. Throughout that process, my friend and mentor (author Doe Boyle) recommended joining a writers’ group through SCBWI. That community has provided so much support and has been instrumental in elevating my writing.

Upcoming Projects

Can you give us some insights into what you’ll be working on next?

I’m currently editing my YA thriller-in-verse, SURVIVING THE MADISONS, forthcoming from Delacorte in summer 2027. The story follows a toxic trio determined to right perceived wrongs at their high school . . . until the line between right and wrong blurs, leaving them to face dire consequences.

I’m also fascinated by the mixed-media format I’m seeing in books like A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER by Holly Jackson and GAME CHANGER by Tommy Greenwald, and I’d love to craft a story that uses mixed-media in a meaningful way in the future.

And for the lightning round:

Coffee or tea?

Coffee! I wish I liked tea—it seems so refined! But if I’m being true to myself, I’m a latte girl.

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset. I like to sleep.

Favorite place to travel:

I love traveling to places I’ve never been before, but Newport, Rhode Island, is a forever favorite. I also spent a college summer in Florence that remains alive in my memory.

Favorite dessert:

Mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Superpower:

I am intrigued by the idea of time travel, but worry too much about the potential consequences! So I’m going to go with teleportation.

Favorite music:

Wow, how do people answer this?! Everything from Led Zeppelin to the Gilmore Girls soundtrack. We also play a lot of Disney music in our house. Lately, I can’t stop listening to Chappell Roan.

Favorite book from childhood:

Again, how can I answer this? I loved Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes when I was very small. As I grew older, I devoured the Harry Potter series, the American Girl series, the Dear America series, and R. L. Stine’s Fear Street novels—can you tell I grew up in the ’90s and early 2000s?

Thanks again, Paige! It was so much fun to learn about you, your writing journey, and your amazing novel! Learn more about Paige on her website and follow her on Instagram.

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Author Interview: Daphne Benedis-Grab (I KNOW YOU STARTED IT)

By on April 24, 2026   /   Author Interviews   /   Leave a comment

Book cover for I KNOW YOU STARTED IT by Daphne Benedis-Grab

Daphne Benedis-Grab has thrilled audiences with her Secrets and Lies series, and she’s back with a fourth installment: I KNOW YOU STARTED IT. With a crackling mystery and captivating characters, the book is a firestorm of suspense and intrigue. Daphne was kind enough to join the blog to talk about her writing process, her inspirations, and the power of words. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

From the very first chapter, I felt like I was in such good hands when it came to the central mystery of the book. How important is that opening line or that chapter to you when you’re writing? 

That is a really good question. I put a lot of thought into where we’re starting – what’s going to be that inciting incident that kicks things off. So we start at a place where there’s room to get to know the characters. But we’re in it. We are not wasting a second. We are not leading up to it. It’s there. It’s starting. 

The reader is right there from that beginning point –  you are part of it. I think particularly in a mystery or a thriller, you’re getting on a ride and it’s going fast. 

How important is it for you as the writer to know the ending of the book as you’re starting that opening? 

For me (and I know everybody writes differently) it’s essential. 

I need to know where I’m going. I always write from an outline, and hammering out an outline is one of the hardest parts of writing for me  – because I can come up with a lot of really fun inciting incidents and ideas, but does it have legs to sustain interest? 

Is there going to be room for a twist or two in there? And is it going to stick the landing? Is it going to be something that I can see an ending all the way through that is going to be extremely satisfying for readers? 

And if I can’t, if I don’t know what the ending is – I don’t know where I’m going with it.

So, everything needs to lead to that twist – and then to the final reveal. 

This book is told through multiple perspectives, and you did an incredible job getting into the psyche of each of those characters. Did you always plan to tell this story that way? 

Yes, so all of the Secrets and Lies books have three to four narrators, and I am inspired by the books that I have read with multiple characters. I used to do just one character narrating – either 1st or 3rd person. But when I read a couple of really well-narrated books with a number of different narrators, I understood this keeps the reader guessing – because none of us know what the full story is, right? 

In any given situation, everyone is going to have a different perspective, and that’s going to be based on who we are and how we perceive things and how our brains work and our experiences in the world.

And so, to tell a story in a book really well, I feel like you need those multiple characters who are going to give this different perspective and this different take on the bigger situation.

The reader then has a fuller picture than they otherwise might if it’s just that one person. 

Do you have an exercise or anything you do to get into that mindset more fully when you’re moving from character to character? 

That’s a really fun question. So one thing is that when I make the outline, I’m very conscious of who’s narrating what. And sometimes I’ll come to something and I’ll be like –  wait a minute – another person discovered this, and then I have to restructure things. But by the time I’m sitting down and writing, it’s organic who I’m going to be going to next. 

And if it doesn’t feel right, then that’s not the problem. That’s telling me that this probably isn’t the character to narrate this.

Another thing is that when I write – because I have the outline – I’m never sitting down to write a book. I’m sitting down to write a scene. And when I know what that scene is and who that narrator is, it makes it a lot easier to dive in.

That said, if I’m sitting and I’ve come to a chapter break and I’m moving into the next one, I definitely need a break. I need to do a little reset, where I dive into the next character so it’s their voice. 

I love how you break the book into the five stages of the fire, from kindling through incineration. Is that how you structure the outline too? Or does that come along later in the process? 

100%, yes. And I love devices like that. I love a book written in letters or written with texts or there’s a little something at the top of the chapter that gives you some insights to something else. That’s one of my favorite things. And all of these books, I’ve tried to have something like that. 

I looked up the stages of a fire, and I was like – oh, this is perfect. Many moons ago, I read Robert McKee’s books, and now each act has to get built in intensity – and that’s perfect for a fire, right?

Absolutely! Through all of the twists and the turns of the book (which there are many, and they’re wonderful and surprising!), there are important ideas that come through as well. Seeing people as they truly are, standing up for one another and oneself, and being aware of online bullying. 

Did those themes start from the beginning, or did they find you as you’re writing the story? 

That’s a really interesting question. They tend to find me as I’m writing.

But I’m very aware of the things that are important to me to lift up when I write. Part of that comes from parenting children and from being a school librarian. And the things that I see – [that] my students grapple with, and in the fears that they have and how scary it is to speak up – and how lonely you feel when you’re bullied and how that’s part of it. 

A theme that I come to again and again in my writing, but also my life is that – evil grows in darkness, right? It’s hidden when it’s secret, when we hold it, and there isn’t the light of many people seeing it.

That’s when it grows. 

How do we shine that light? How do we bring it into those same corners and lift things up?

Another thing that’s always really important to me is understanding that everybody has a story and that we might present in a certain way. And you don’t understand where someone’s coming from you.
You don’t know them. You can think that you do. You can judge on a few features. 

But everybody has a story and everyone has a perspective. And we’re missing out in life if we’re not getting a little bit more of that. 

There’s a line at the end of the book where Liam says, “Words can be dangerous.” How do you feel about that line as an author and a librarian and someone who’s concerned about young people? 

Of course, the first place my brain goes to is social media, right? Where words live forever. Where you always have a digital footprint. Where the things that you can say without thought can cause such incredible damage to another person – to a situation where you can get pushed to do something that you just would never do if you stop to think. 

I think words have power in that way, but words also have the most important and the most beautiful power because they can express us and they can express our stories.

And when you have language to name your feelings and name what you’re thinking and name who you are – that’s how you exist and own space in the world.

That’s so beautiful and important. Thank you!

 

Author photo of Daphne Benedis-Grab


Daphne Benedis-Grab is the award winning author of the Secrets and Lies Novels, companion middle grade books that include I Know Your Secret, I Know You’re Lying and I Will Find You, as well as the young adult book The Girl in the Wall. Her middle grade book The Angel Tree was made into a Hallmark Original movie. She earned her MFA from The New School and is the librarian at Warder Elementary School in Arvada, Colorado. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband, two college student kiddos and cats Mishka and Blue.

More at daphnebg.com

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Mythspeaker – Interview with Debut Author Christopher Roubique

By on February 25, 2026   /   Author Interviews  

Cover for Mythspeaker by Christopher Roubique

What would you do if you were told at five years old that your destiny was to save the world? 13-year old Kyta has been wrestling with that question for a long time, but now he finally sees an opportunity to fulfill that destiny. But it may involve a lot more complications—and a lot more cooperation—than he bargained for.

Mythspeaker, the debut middle grade novel from Christopher Roubique, arrived in bookstores yesterday! Publishers Weekly called it “a rousing action-packed adventure” in their starred review. Please join me in welcoming author Christopher Roubique to From the Mixed-Up Files.

Interview with Debut Middle Grade Author Christopher Roubique

Katie: Christopher, thank you so much for joining us at From the Mixed-Up Files to chat about your debut middle grade book, Mythspeaker. It’s always a delight to chat with a fellow Wisconsinite!

First question, if you were at a school visit with a roomful of upper elementary kids, what would be your quick elevator pitch for why they should read this story?

Christopher: Hi Katie! Absolutely a pleasure to be here and with a Wisconsin neighbor no less!

As far as a quick elevator pitch just for kids:

Imagine that back when you were five years old, a living myth—a being as old as time itself—came to you and said you would have to save the world someday. That’s exactly what happened to Kyta. His whole childhood, he’s been stressing. Alone. Searching for a destiny he can’t predict. But now that he’s 13, it’s happening. Invaders have stolen the egg of the huge World Turtle he and all the tribes live on. So he’s going to steal it back. He has to before the turtle falls from the sky in grief.

There’s just one problem: he can’t do it alone. So Kyta has to make a team of other kids—misfits like him—and somehow lead them on the heist of a lifetime, past monsters and men, to save everyone. No pressure.

 

Katie: Kyta is such an interesting character, given the heavy weight of the prophecy he received when he was only five, and his desire to serve his community. Does Kyta have much in common with you as a kid? If not, where did you find inspiration for their personality?

Christopher: He absolutely does. As far back as I can remember, people called me special. It’s nice, in a way, but “special” is also really hard to carry as a kid. What exactly does special mean? Sometimes, it felt like adults really wanted me to save the world—to be or become something big and impressive and powerful that I had no idea how to be. I have this vivid memory of one of my elementary teachers telling my mom that I would be president one day. They were dead serious. And I remember thinking, “Oh no, I don’t know how to do that. I don’t know if I can do that.”

That feeling—that old burden—became a core part of Kyta. I loved the idea of telling a story where we get to honestly see how the “destined hero” actually feels. How he grapples with living up to something so much bigger than him. And I’m incredibly gratified that people seem to click with it. Most people—kids especially—have had that moment where they suddenly feel entirely out of their depth. I’m glad Kyta’s journey can be there for them because the answer he finds is the same answer I did: you don’t have to do it alone. (Also, I have no plans of becoming president. Sorry, Mr. K!)

 

Katie: Teachers often tell students to “Write what you know?” You mention in your opening author’s note that you created the culture and mythology of your story yourself. How have you been able to use “what you know” and your own life experiences to write creative fantasy?

Headshot of author Christopher RoubiqueChristopher: I love this question for a fantasy book because it’s complicated! How can any fantasy author be writing “what they know” when we’re out here describing fantastical creatures and ancient magics and worlds that have never been? But the answer is simple: for all their amazing trappings, even the most fantastic story is still about us. People. What connects us and allows us to live and learn and grow. Or what divides us and gets in our way. Sure, Kyta lives on a giant flying turtle and his best friend is a large hare made of branches and brambles older than dirt. But he’s also a kid determined to do something important and afraid he’ll mess it up. He’s excited and cocky and anxious. No matter what I’m writing, I always try to keep those very real feelings in mind because they’re what make even the most outlandish fantasies meaningful.

More specifically to the culture and mythology of Mythspeaker, I’ve always been fascinated with Indigenous American mythology as an exploration of my own heritage. There’s such beauty to how the tribes that have long called this continent home understood and explained the world around them. How some still do. Inspired by the spirit of those myths, the grandeur and wonder of them—I created something new that celebrates this piece of myself I adore.

 

Katie: Since this is your first middle grade novel, can you tell us a little about your path to publication? What led you to write for kids?

Christopher: Sure! Even though I’ve been writing for almost my entire life, I actually didn’t start writing books until just after college. I was a poet. Didn’t even think I could write a book. But my first job after graduating was so boring that I started writing an adult fantasy novel bit by bit on used fax cover sheets (which may be the oldest-sounding thing I’ve ever said). I tried querying that novel, and no agent wanted to read it.

That was 13 or 14 years ago.

Between then and finally landing my agent, Melanie Figueroa, I wrote six other books including a few middle grade novels. I started getting full requests from agents, but though I was often told my work was beautiful . . . none of them wanted to represent me. In the end, after querying for more than 8 years across 7 manuscripts and 200+ rejections, Melanie offered to represent me. She’d read 2 of my books and though she didn’t feel they would sell to a publisher, she couldn’t get my writing style and voice out of her head. So she took a leap of faith, choosing to believe in me and my potential. And I will always be grateful.

I wrote two more books—one of them middle grade—before everything finally clicked. The thing I’d been missing was a “high concept;” one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot in publishing but always felt arcane to me. The moment I finally cracked how to make a high concept, everything changed. The very first one I thought of was a high fantasy heist that I fused with my desire to write an Indigenous fantasy novel, which became Mythspeaker!

As for what led me to writing for kids, that’s easy. Pretty much all my favorite books ARE kids books. I firmly believe the books we read as kids, especially that middle grade range, are the most important books we ever read. I love writing middle grade books. And even though I’m working on some young adult and adult novels, too, I don’t intend to ever leave middle grade behind.

 

Katie: What advice would you give to fledgling MG authors?

Christopher: Don’t write to get famous or make money or be successful; that’s not really how this journey goes. Write stories that bring you joy. Stories that satisfy you. Learn from your mistakes and from the lessons others share. Ask other authors! Find your community. But the biggest thing to writing books—and getting into publishing, if that’s what you want to do—is perseverance. Don’t give up. Even when it’s hard. Grit and determination make an unbelievable difference. And when you pair grit with a willingness to learn, you can do a lot.

(But seriously, write things you would love to read. Writing a book is hard enough without trying to write something you don’t even enjoy.)

 

Katie: What are some of your favorite middle grade books or series?

Christopher: How much time do you have? My all-time favorite middle grade series is Broken Sky by Chris Wooding. I got the first book from a Scholastic book order in 5th grade and it made me want to write fantasy. I still have that copy on a shelf right next to me. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Chronicles of Narnia (especially The Magician’s Nephew) by C.S. Lewis, Red Bird Danced by Dawn Quigley, the Wilderlore series by Amanda Foody, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, and (this might be cheating) anything related to Gravity Falls by Alex Hirsch.

*takes deep breath* Okay, I’ll stop now.

 

Katie: Great list! The Girl who Drank the Moon remains one of my all-time favorites. Is there anything else that you would like readers to know about the book or about your upcoming projects?

Christopher: As far as Mythspeaker, this book is a love letter to the kid I was. It’s wondrous and whimsical, funny and exciting. I hope it reaches other kids out there looking for the same things I was, whether that’s an Indigenous fantasy or misfits finding where they belong or just really big, cool monsters. Mythspeaker has all that covered in spades.

And as for other projects, well, I can’t get into specifics, but let’s just say that this won’t be the last middle grade fantasy you see from me. In fact, if I have it my way, you’ll be seeing more from me for a long time!

 

Yellow graphic lightning bolt

No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round so …

Best jewel for a jewel horse?

White opal. That prism sheen in sunlight is too pretty. Garnet is second place.

Favorite fictional character you would include if planning a heist?

If I want it to go well, Joker from Persona 5. If I want it to go well but also completely off the rails, Gandalf.

Dream job when you were a kid?

Briefly archaeologist. Then writer all the way.

Superpower?

Controlling electricity.

 

Katie: Finally, where can readers find you if they want to reach out?

I’m on Bluesky and X as @Dreamertide.

You can also find me on my website: christopherroubique.com

 

Official bio for Christopher Roubique

Headshot of author Christopher RoubiqueChristopher Roubique grew up in rural Wisconsin and filled his time—and his heart—with the joys of fantasy and science fiction. His own books leap from those same joys, folding in his Cajun and Indigenous heritage, passion for mental health, and plenty of fantastical creatures. He still lives in Wisconsin and has squeezed his wife and daughter beside all those stories in his heart too.

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