Have you ever written a scary story? In honor of the Halloween season, we are interviewing horror writers to learn about the craft of scaring readers. Recently, we spoke with author Barry Lyga.
Lyga (pictured) started off writing novels for an adult audience. When those particular manuscripts did not sell, he began penning stories for a teen audience. He established his publishing career with the release of his hit young adult novel, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Check out the highlights from our interview below…
Q: How did you land your first book deal?
A: I had written a couple of adult-ish novels that no one seemed to want to publish. It’s not they were bad — plenty of people liked them — they just weren’t sparking anyone’s interest. But a bunch of editors and agents who read them said, “Not yet — show me the next one.” The next one was completely different from those adult books — a YA novel about a bullied, comic book-obsessed dreamer. But I proudly showed it off to every agent and editor I could, and this time the reaction was pretty astounding. Within a few months of finishing the book, I met my agent at a writers’ conference. Within six months, she’d sold The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl. It was sort of a whirlwind.
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: September 15, 2010
Trick-or-treat. Smell my feet. Give me something good to read!
Well, it doesn’t quite rhyme, but I do wish that people gave out kids’ books instead of candy during Halloween.
For those of us that really enjoy Halloween— you know who you are: you’ve had your child’s costume since July, you’re dying for a visit to the pumpkin patch, and you’re dreaming of ways to make Halloween last longer than one fabulous day and night—this is the list you’ve been waiting for. There’s the silly, the spooky, the scary, and everything in between. No tricks here—only treats!
Picture Books
ZEN GHOSTS
by Jon J. Muth
Publisher’s synopsis: It’s Halloween.
The trees are ablaze in fiery reds. Excited children don colorful costumes. And there’s mystery and fun around every corner!
When Addy, Michael, and Karl finish trick-or-treating, their bags are brimming with treats. But the fun isn’t over yet. Their good friend Stillwater the panda has one more special surprise in store for them. A mysterious visitor is about to tell them a spine-tingling story — one that will fill each and every reader with wonder.
Scholastic Press | September 1, 2010 | Ages 4-8 | 40 pages
Add this book to your collection: Zen Ghosts
SCAREDY-CAT, SPLAT!
by Rob Scotton
Publisher’s synopsis: It’s Halloween, and Splat is determined to be the scariest cat in the class. Unfortunately he’s just too much of a scaredy-cat. He’s afraid of a little spider, and everyone says his costume looks more silly than scary. And when Mrs. Wimpydimple tells a ghost story in the dark, Splat gets so frightened that he tips over his jack-o’-lantern. But when the lights go back on, the entire class is scared silly by a small, black, furry creature with a big pumpkin head. Whooooo can it be?
Splat the Cat Scaredy-Cat Plush Doll Toy
HarperCollins | August 24, 2010 | Ages 4-8 | 40 pages
Add this book to your collection: Scaredy-Cat, Splat!
