Happy Monday, Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Leslie Vedder here to celebrate the release of The Nowhere Beast, the second book in The Labyrinth of Souls series. I interviewed Leslie when she was a debut author in 2022. This sounds like a rich fantasy series with mysteries to solve, and I’m excited to read both books.
Here’s a blurb of The Labryinth of Souls from Goodreads:
A darkly inventive fantasy for fans of Tim
Burton, about a girl who can see Nightmare creatures from the forbidden
Labyrinth of Souls.
In the Kingdom of Spinar, there are seven rules
for safeguarding your soul from the Sorrows and Nightmare creatures—most
importantly: never, ever enter the Labyrinth of Souls.
Ix Tatterfall has always been an outcast with big
secrets: She can cross into the Labyrinth, home to the powerful Sorrows, and
she can see strange Nightmare beasts when no one else can. Some, like the
shadowy Inklings or bothersome Stubbed Toads, are merely a nuisance. Many
more—like the Jimber-Jawed Hounds—are dangerous. Even deadly.
But something is very wrong in the Labyrinth. A
terrible new Nightmare—a raggedy scarecrow called Jack—has been ravaging the
misty maze, gobbling up wraiths and lost souls and allowing Nightmares to seep
into the Waking World.
On one forbidden trip, Ix comes face to face with
Jack. Worse, she’s apprehended by Candle Corps, an elite magical group that
protects the kingdom against Nightmares. Instead of exile, Ix is allowed to
enter the mysterious Candle Corps Academy. For the first time, she’s surrounded
by others who can see what she sees: Morrigan Bea, a hot-tempered girl who
might be a monster; Ollie Pembrooke, a shy boy who loves books and Dreamchaser
dogs; and Hanky the Inkling, Ix’s faithful Nightmare companion.
But more and more Nightmares are bleeding into
Spinar. Raggedy Jack is on the hunt for something—someone—from the Waking World.
Ix Tatterfall herself.
And here’s a blurb of The Nowhere Beast from Goodreads:
Ix Tatterfall and the crew are headed back for their second
year at Candle Corps Academy. Ix is delighted to leave tiny Brittlewick behind
and return to life among her friends and the castle’s friendly Nightmares. But
strange things are happening at Covenant Keep: ghosts have begun to rise from
the castle, and the Reckoning—a deadly competition that could mean the end of
Candle Corps—is upon them all.
Ix, Ollie, and Morrigan are determined to win and
save Candle Corps. But a mysterious, shadowy beast has begun stalking Ix, and
the Nightmares of the castle are disappearing. Ix's only hope may be a
dangerous journey to the mysterious land of Nowhere, home of the elusive
Scavenger Prince.
Now here’s Leslie!
Fun, Funny, & Punny in MG (and why you might consider mixing a little silly with your scary!)
When I started working on my first MG book, The Labyrinth of Souls, I’d been writing YA for years, and I realized pretty fast I needed to find a new, fresh voice that suited my younger audience. But what makes something feel middle grade? What keeps kids reading, flipping pages by flashlight long after lights out? Or better yet, what turns them into lifelong readers?
One of the big answers I came up with was fun—young kids love to laugh more than anything, and bringing some humor into my books really made them come alive! So below, I’m sharing my four tips for adding humor to your MG books, along with a bonus tip about mixing horror and humor.
1. Dialogue. Dialogue is probably the most natural way to add humor to a book. Young characters are often joking with and teasing each other, and even in the direst of circumstances, somebody’s got to have the last word. (That word can absolutely be bumblefuzz!) Make part of character-building figuring out your MC’s sense of humor. Are they silly? Sarcastic? Punny? This will help you nail the voice in every scene—and hopefully get some laughs too!
For writing dialogue, I’ve got two main tips. First, if you’re stuck coming up with something funny for your characters to say, add depth to the scene around them. It’s really hard to be funny in a vacuum. But if there’s a constantly belching frog in the corner, or the otherwise serious wizard is wearing bunny slippers? Then your characters have something to play off of.
Second: whenever possible, try speaking your dialogue aloud. Sitting in front of the computer and telling myself BE FUNNY NOW has never worked. Chat it out with someone. Try saying it in a silly voice. It’s always easier to be funny with an audience—even if it’s just your lazy house cat!
2. Words Are Funny! Honestly, they are. And some words are way funnier than others, like lollygag or catawampus or bumfuzzle, or erf. Yes, erf. A very serious word for serious people :) Also remember you’re never too cool to be punny. Puns, at their heart, are wordplay, and young people are just discovering how magical words can be.
For The Labyrinth of Souls, I created a bunch of Nightmare Creatures, and naming them was possibly the most fun I had. There are Hookwinklers and Warty Hornswoggles and Gluttonous Gub Leeches, and even Stubbed Toads, which like to roll into your path for maximum toe stubbage.
So make up creatures and magic spells and names galore. Just remember that Glinda Spellinda is always funnier if the next guy is named Dave. Pepper funny words in like a strong spice—enough to taste, not so much it sets you sneezing.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Be Silly! Food fights, slime, and polka dots—the farther we get from childhood, the easier it is to forget all the silly things that made us laugh when we were young. To find your inner kid, read other MG books, watch some of your favorite kids’ movies (Ghibli is my go-to!), and just remember to let loose and get silly sometimes!
There are scary things in the Labyrinth of Souls, and the main characters face serious emotional challenges. But there’s also Snot Moss that drips on your head, peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, and a little creature called a Ding Bat that bounces off things with ridiculous sounds like sploink, ping, or splat!
So imagine something that would make your kid self laugh—whether it’s a gooey candy cake, a giant flying cat, or an epic three-legged race—and see how much brighter your book becomes when you squeeze that in.
4. May I Interest You in a Companion Animal or Mythical Creature? Seriously! Kids love animals—especially cats, in my experience. And animals can bring so much humor. Mice are tiny and nibbly. Slobbery dogs can chew up your books, and just imagine what a cat might have to say about that! Not to mention all the trouble you can get into hanging out with a Chamele-Plata-Kangasaurus Rex. The possibilities are endless.
Plus, animals can be the perfect companions for young characters: fun, powerful, and protective, but not parents. (We all know how pesky parents get in the way of the best adventures.)
5. Bonus: Horror and Humor Make a Great Combo! A little humor might seem like a strange thing to add to a scary book, but sometimes it’s just the tool to make those stories shine. Laughing releases tension, and having a little silly between the spooky makes it more accessible for kids.
The Labyrinth of Souls books were born from an idea about a forbidden Labyrinth filled with a plethora of Nightmares. A lot of the material is scary, from the long-fanged Jimber-Jawed Hounds to the creepy scarecrow named Raggedy Jack who’s hunting the main character. I didn’t want to cross the line and end up too scary for young readers. Humor helped me keep those things in balance. Also, as we know from every Halloween movie, the ghost is always scarier when you jump at a cat first!
Ultimately, humor is a very subjective thing. What we find funny varies from person to person. So when working on humor, follow your heart, get as much reader feedback as possible, and most of all…just have fun!
Thanks for all your advice, Leslie. You can find Leslie at:
Website: www.leslievedder.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/leslie.vedder/
Giveaway Details
Leslie is very generously offering a hardback of The Labyrinth of Souls and The Nowhere Beast for a giveaway. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower of my blog (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment by January 31st. If I do not have your email (I can no longer get it from your Google Profile), you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest. Please be sure I have your email address.
If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites and/or follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or follow Leslie on her social media sites, mention this in the comments, and I'll give you an extra entry for each. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. This book giveaway is U.S. and Canada.
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is hosted by Greg Pattridge. You can find the participating blogs on his blog.
Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops
Wednesday, January 21, I have an agent spotlight interview with Alexandra Levick and a query critique giveaway
Monday, January 28, I have an interview with Tracy Wolff and a giveaway of her MG The Aftermyth
Sunday, February 1, I’m participating in the Heart 2 Heart giveaway hop
Monday, February 2, I have a guest post by V.T. Bidania and a giveaway of her MG A Year Without Home
Wednesday, February 3, I have an interview with Alichia Dow and a giveaway of her YA Until the Clock Strikes Midnight and my IWSG post
Monday, February 9, I have an interview with Seema Yasmin and a giveaway of her MG Maysoon Zayid, The Girl Who Can
Wednesday, February 11, I have an agent spotlight interview with Tamara Kawar and a query critique giveaway
Sunday, February 15, I’m participating in the Wish Big Giveaway Hop
I hope to see you on Wednesday!
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