Author Interview: Tracy Wolff and The Aftermyth Giveaway

Happy Monday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have Tracy Wolff here to share about the first book in her new middle grade fantasy series, The Aftermyth. It sounds like a real page turner with a very sympathetic main character whose plans are imploding. I’m looking forward to reading it. 

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

 

In a world ruled by the tenets of Greek mythology, one girl’s fate is more than it appears in the first book in a new dark academia fantasy middle grade series from #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Crave series Tracy Wolff.

What’s your myth?

Penelope Weaver has spent her whole life preparing to attend Anaximander’s Academy, where students learn how to bring to life the stories of Greek mythology as well as discover the Greek god whose principles they most embody. Penelope knows she’s an Athena—all smart, practical, and rule-following girls who take part in stories that matter are Athenas.

But when Penelope and her twin brother Paris arrive at Anaximander’s, it appears fate has other plans. Penelope isn’t placed with Athena but with students who are anything but practical and who prefer parties to rules. And that’s just the beginning. She’s given the world’s worst muse, her assigned tasks feel impossible, and the magic of Anaximander’s is overwhelming. Not to mention, there are two very different boys making her new life even more confusing.

But as things go from bad to dangerously worse, one thing becomes in a world where everything is fated to happen a certain way, some stories need to be rewritten. As the world around her shifts and cracks, Penelope is asked to forget everything she thought she knew to help create a better story…even if that changes every plan and breaks every rule. 

Follower News 

Before I get to Tracy’s interview, I have Follower News to share. Valinora Troy has a new MG fantasy, Lianna and the Hombit, releasing on 1/29/2026. Here’s a blurb: A grieving girl in need of a friend. A magical creature with a secret task. Can they end the ancient curse threatening their new home? You can find more information at www.valinoratroy.com

 

Interview With Tracy Wolff 

Hi Tracy! Thanks so much for joining us. 

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

Hi! Thank you so much for having me 😊 And oh, wow. That is a question with a very long, very circuitous answer, but I’ll give it my best shot!

I always say that I’ve been a writer since I understood that letters made words and words made sentences that could entertain people, and while that might be an exaggeration, it’s really only a small one.
From the time I was very little, my dad trained me to be a writer, though I don’t think he knew that’s what he was doing. He would say that he was training me to use my imagination. If we were sitting outside or going for a walk, he’d tell me to close my eyes and listen really hard. Then he’d ask me to describe everything that I heard. Or, and these were my favorite days, we might be sitting on the couch about to watch a movie or play a game and he’d tell me to make up a story about my shirt or the stuffed animal in my arms or my slippers or the painting on the wall or … you get the drift.

I do know that I wrote my first short story when I was six or seven years old. It had a princess (and a prince), a rainbow, a leprechaun, and a happily ever after. I don’t remember much else about the story (except it was written in an aquamarine marker) but I do remember that it was the most fun I’d ever had. I couldn’t wait to write the next story, and I think that was the moment I decided I wanted to be a writer.

I spent the next twenty plus years of my life getting there. I joined every writing club/newspaper/literary magazine I could throughout high school and college. I wrote a play my junior year in high school that was professionally directed through something called the California Young Playwrights Project. I had my first poem published in a professional journal when I was in high school. And when I went to college and grad school, I majored in literature and creative writing. In graduate school, I worked under a biographer and memoirist, and when she thanked me in the acknowledgements of the book she wrote while I was her assistant, it was the first time my name was in print in a book published in New York. It was an exhilarating feeling and I swore, then and there, that it wouldn’t be the last time my name appeared in a book from the Big Six publishers (Big Five now). And the next time it happened, I was determined my name would be the one on the cover.

From there, I became an English teacher for middle school, high school, and then college, and continued writing as much as I could in between work and starting a family. But it wasn’t until my second son was born prematurely and the doctor suggested I stay home for a year to help heal his lungs, that I started pursuing writing seriously and professionally. During the course of that year, I wrote two books and a novella and they became my first New York published works—two from Harlequin and one from NAL, a division of Penguin Books.

I’ve been writing professionally ever since—young adult fantasies and contemporaries, contemporary romance, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, books for kids with dyslexia, and now, finally, my very first middle grade novel. I am so excited about The Aftermyth and can’t wait to hear what people think of it. 

2. What an inspiring story. It’s so cool that your dad started you on your writing path. Where did you get the idea for The Aftermyth? 

The idea for The Aftermyth came from a bunch of different places. I have been wanting to write a middle grade forever, and when my editor mentioned she wanted a Greek mythology book, I jumped at the chance to write one. Each book in the series will follow Penelope Weaver, a young girl who is attending Anaximander’s Academy, a school where students are divided into 5 halls that honor 5 Greek gods, based on their personality traits and family legacies. I wanted Penelope to explore a different Greek myth in each book, and I started with Pandora’s Box because it is a myth that has always bothered me. Pandora was created by two gods (Zeus and Hephaestus) to punish two titans (Prometheus and Epimetheus), yet she is the one who has gotten blamed for opening the box/vase they gave her. This was a huge reminder to me that history is written by the winners, winners who—for millennia have been men—and I wanted to challenge that with The Aftermyth. Penelope is a mythweaver—someone who has the power to change myths—though she doesn’t know it at first, and The Aftermyth series is my shot at herstory instead of history. I had a fabulous time telling a funny,  action-packed story that also asks who gets to decide which myths we believe—and why.

Your Writing Process 

3. Share what your writing process was for The Aftermyth once you came up with the story idea, and how long it took to complete a draft to send to your agent and editor. 

I brainstormed The Aftermyth for a few months before I started writing, partly on my own and partly with my editor, as I worked out the pieces of the story I wanted to tell and the world I wanted to tell it in. But once I started writing, it took me about two months to write the book I turned in to my editor.

4. You wrote it in two months! As a slow writer, I need to take a class from you. Reviewers have said that The Aftermyth is a real page turner. What are your techniques for making readers, especially middle graders, want to keep turning the pages?

I am so thrilled and so grateful that early reviewers have been so positive and excited about the book! I don’t know if I have any actual techniques to keep people turning the pages, but I do like to write in short, action packed chapters that don’t take very long to read. Action-adventure mixed with humor is my favorite thing to write and I try to put as much of both into every chapter as I can. Also, my favorite thing about writing is creating characters who feel like real people. I have so much fun with their quirks and personalities, and I think people who read my books are invested in finding out what is going to happen next to whatever character in the story they like the most.

5. The Aftermyth is the first book in a series. You’ve written over 15 series already. How much of the rest of the series did you know as you wrote The Aftermyth? What tips do you have for other writers who want to write a series?

As I did with The Aftermyth, I tend to do a lot of brainstorming at the beginning of a series, working out the world, the big overarching problems, the character arcs, and a basic problem/growth arc for each book in the series. I like to know where I’m starting and where I’m going to end the series (though sometimes that changes along the way) and I usually have a few key scenes in mind for each book. Other than that, though, I like the world to grow organically in each book and see where it takes me.

I don’t have a lot of tips, except to keep a story bible. As a series grows and the world and list of characters expands, it’s helpful to have a list of rules, etc. that you have already set up in the series so that you can quickly reference it. For example, I might have a minor character in book one who plays a small but important part throughout the series. After writing them in book one, I like to make a quick note about them—what they look like, what color eyes they have, where they live, etc in the story bible. I remember who they are from book to book, but if it is a character who only has a couple pages per book, I might forget what color eyes they have or how they wear their hair, etc.

Another tip I have about writing a series I actually got from the middle grade and YA author Ally Carter. We were at a conference and having lunch with a bunch of other writers one day and she mentioned that her philosophy for series is to leave everything on the table in each book. Don’t hold a great idea back for the next book in the series—use every great idea you have in the book you are writing and worry about the next book when you get there or you run the risk of there not being another book in the series. I thought it was a great piece of advice when I heard it and it’s definitely something I try to live by even now. 

Your Journey to Publication 

6. Your tips are great. Your agent is Emily Sylvan Kim. Tell us how she became your agent and about how you’ve been able to publish over 60 books since you got your first publishing contract in 2007. 

Emily is my first and only agent and even after all these years, I still feel so lucky to work with her. I’m actually an impatient sort, and getting an agent is difficult at the best of times. So when I decided to concentrate on writing full time during that year I stayed home with my premature son, I sent chapters into two Harlequin writing contests with the hope of getting my work in front of editors who might actually buy it. I ended up placing in both contests and, after some revisions, one of the books was accepted for publication in a two book deal. That deal helped me get Emily’s attention and eventually she offered representation. 

Accepting that representation was one of the easiest (and best) decisions I’ve ever made. From the beginning, Emily was my first choice for an agent because everything I knew about her made me think we’d be a good fit. And it turns out I was right. The second book I’d entered in the second Harlequin contest was ultimately rejected because it wasn’t right for the category line it was aimed at, but when Emily signed me in November, she really liked the book and wanted to shop it. By early January, she had found Full Exposure a home at Penguin. That was nineteen years and more than seventy books ago, lol. 

7. What is your writing schedule like since you became a published author? How have you stayed so productive and juggled publishing multiple books a year? 

My schedule is a little wild. I am a slow plotter and a fast writer, so once I’ve figured out the main plot points of a book I can write it in a month or two (depending on the length). When I’m first starting a book, I tend to only write a couple thousand words a day because I’m still figuring things out. Somewhere around the middle of the book, my speed picks up and by the end, as I’m racing toward deadline, I usually write between seven and ten thousand words a day.

I usually only write one book at a time, but I can still brainstorm, edit, or do publicity for other books at the same time. So that’s mostly how I juggle—for most of my career, I’ve tended to have four projects in different stages at any given time. One that I’m brainstorming, one that I’m writing, one that I’m editing/doing copyedits or proofs for, and one that I’m actively doing book signings/interviews/publicity for. 

8. You write for middle grade through adult and in many different genres. For some books, you write under the names of Tracy Deebs and Tessa Adams. What made you decide to write under pen names when you’re so well known as Tracy Wolff? 

Back when I started my publishing journey, things were different. Your publishers wanted you to have different names for different projects. Tracy Wolff was the name my first books were published under. They were contemporary romances, and when I started writing YA, my YA publisher wanted me to write under a different name. Then when I started writing paranormal romances for adults, they wanted a third name, and Tessa Adams was born. Eventually, though, self-published authors helped show publishers that authors could be successful writing different types of books under the same name and I was able to streamline my different names back down to just one—Tracy Wolff. 

Marketing Your Books 

9. How are you planning to market The Aftermyth? How has your marketing strategy changed over the years? 

I’ve been very lucky to work with publishers with amazing marketing departments my whole career, so a lot of my marketing tends to go hand in hand with whatever they are doing. Simon and Schuster, who are publishing The Aftermyth, are incredible. They’ve been so wonderful to me and to this book at every step of the journey, including marketing.

As for what I do personally. I have a readers group, a newsletter, and a street team, so I will be publicizing The Aftermyth that way, as well as on my social media accounts. And yes, I am so excited that Simon and Schuster has organized an eleven-day signing tour for me, so I’ll be at various events in bookstores around the country in February.

10. What are you working on now? 

I am working on the second book in the Aftermyth series, the second book in my Calder Academy YA series, and a brand new Romantasy novel for adults. Thanks so much for having me! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Tracy. You can find Tracy at tracywolffauthor.com, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Giveaway Details

Tracy’s publisher is generously offering a hardback of The Aftermyth 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 February 7th. 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 Tracy 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. 

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

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 Sunday!

 

 

Literary Agent Interview: Alexandra Levick and Query Critique Giveaway

 Today I’m thrilled to have agent Alexandra Levick here. She’s a senior agent at Writers House. 

Status Update on 1/21/2026: Alexandra will open to queries on 2/1/2026.

Hi­ Alexandra! Thanks so much for joining us. 

About Alexandra: 

1. Tell us how you became an agent, how long you’ve been one, and what you’ve been doing as an agent. 

As soon as I found book publishing, I knew I wanted to be involved. And similarly, as soon as I met an agent, I knew exactly what I wanted to do in publishing. It felt like the perfect blend of creative and business acumen for my personality. 

I’ve been working at Writers House since 2015, first as an intern, then moving up the ranks. I started taking on my own clients in 2018 and then became a senior agent at the end of 2022. During that time, I’ve built a fairly omnivorous list working in both the children’s and adult markets. I would say a majority of my list is picture book and YA, with a bit of middle grade sprinkled in, and I’ve also been growing my adult list, particularly in the rom-com and speculative/fantasy/horror spaces. 

About the Agency: 

2. Share a bit about your agency and what it offers to its authors. 

Writers House was founded in 1973 with a vision for a new kind of literary agency, one that would combine a passion for managing a writer's career with an integrated understanding of how storytelling works. With this two-pronged philosophy, Writers House has played a critical role in developing the careers of hundreds of novelists and non-fiction authors. We believe in offering our clients not only our expertise in negotiating contracts, but in contributing to all phases of the editorial and publishing processes. Our goal is to maximize the value of our clients' work by providing hands-on editorial and marketing advice, as well as leading the way in branding, licensing, and selling film/TV, foreign, audio, dramatic, and serial rights. 

What She’s Looking For: 

3. What age groups do you represent—picture books, MG, and/or YA? What genres do you represent, and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres? 

Children’s:

Picture book: author-illustrators and illustrators only, I do not represent text-only PB projects!

MG

YA (not murder mysteries)

Adult:

Rom-com

Speculative

Fantasy

Horror 

For my full MSWL you can go here: https://www.alexandralevick.com/mswl 

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to seeing in the genres you are interested in? 

I’ve been feeling the need for escapism lately (I wonder why!), so anything that transports me away from the here and now (even a swoony contemporary!) is a welcome reprieve. 

What She Isn’t Looking For: 

5. What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

Murder mysteries are not for me and a vast majority of thrillers are not my bag. I also don’t really work on verse novels. 

Agent Philosophy: 

6. What is your philosophy as an agent both in terms of the authors you want to work with and the books you want to represent? 

Quality first. Always. Even if something doesn’t hit in the market the way we hope, but the quality is there, I think that is a major win and bodes well for the career ahead. Sometimes it takes a few books to find the one the market responds to in a big way. I also spend a lot of time thinking about impact (both intended and unintended) from the work we create, and I want to feel like the books I work on put some net good into the world, even if that’s escapism. 

Editorial Agent: 

7. Are you an editorial agent? If so, what is your process like when you’re working with your authors before submitting to editors? 

I’m a very editorial agent. I get deep into the weeds with my clients as early as they’ll let me. For each client that can look a bit different. Some need an idea to take a firm shape before they can invite someone else into the process, others will share several quick pitches and want feedback on which to prioritize. In all cases I’m looking to save clients time and energy by spotting potential editorial or sales issues as early as possible. I absolutely relish my job editing work with clients, I’m truly such a nerd about it, and nothing gets me more excited than brainstorming the perfect solution to an editorial problem with them! 

Query Methods and Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting) 

8. How should authors query you and what do you want to see with the query letter? 

The best way to query me is through my Query Manager link: https://QueryManager.com/QueryAlexandraLevick 

In a query of course I want to see the usual: a brief pitch, a couple of comp titles, a bio, etc. but I particularly love to hear about the why. Why this author wrote this particular book. What about this idea called to them? Why are they the best person to write it? I love that insight into the creative process! I love hearing the passion behind a project!! 

9.  Do you have any specific dislikes in query letters or the first pages submitted to you? 

I don’t love when query letters are written from the character’s perspective, it’s more confusing than intriguing to me and presents a bit of a barrier to entry. 

Response Time: 

10. What’s your response time to queries and requests for more pages of a manuscript? 

I aim to be back in six weeks, but honestly the volume has been so high of late that just hasn’t been possible. Right now, it’s more like 8 weeks. But I do respond to each and every query! You will never just not hear back from me, so if you haven’t heard yet I promise I will be back to you shortly. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors: 

11.  Are you open to representing authors who have self-published or been published by smaller presses? What advice do you have for them if they want to try to find an agent to represent them? 

Of course! My advice would be to seriously vet the interest you receive. Particularly recently, a lot of folks have sudden interest in indie authors and you want to be absolutely sure that person knows what they’re doing and can be an effective advocate for you and your work. 

Clients: 

12. Who are some of the authors you represent? 

You can find my full list of clients here!

Interviews and Guest Posts: 

13. Please share the links to any interviews, guest posts, and podcasts you think would be helpful to writers interested in querying you. 

I don’t know that there is anything that would be helpful to query me in particular, but there are a few resources I absolutely love!

-       STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron

-       Susan Dennard’s Substack: https://stdennard.substack.com/

-       Becca Syme’s Quitcast 

Links and Contact Info: 

14. Please share how writers should contact you to submit a query and your links on the Web. 

The best way to query me is through my Query Manager link: https://QueryManager.com/QueryAlexandraLevick

Please send a query letter and the first 10 pages of your manuscript (or full sketch dummy if you are an author-illustrator). 

Additional Advice: 

15. Is there any other advice you’d like to share with aspiring authors that we haven’t covered? 

It’s so important to read and read widely, not just in your genre or age category. And more than reading and moving on from a book, it’s important to analyze why key elements of story worked (or didn’t!) in whatever you just read/watched/played/listened to. How was the pacing? Were the characters dimensional and real? What about the motivations and stakes? Were the characters making choices that drove the action or were things just happening to them? Did the world feel fully-realized and built-out? It's an important editorial muscle to build up in order to improve your own work. 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Alexandra! 

Giveaway Details

­Alexandra is generously offering a query critique to one lucky winner. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (via the follower gadget, email, or bloglovin’ on the right sidebar) and leave a comment through January 31st. If you do not want to enter the contest, that’s okay. Just let me know in the comments. 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 follow me on Twitter or Bluesky or mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. This is an international giveaway. 

Have any experience with this agent? See something that needs updating? Please leave a comment or email me at natalieiaguirre7@gmail.com 

Note: These agent profiles and interviews presently focus on agents who accept children's fiction. Please take the time to verify anything you might use here before querying an agent. The information found here is subject to change.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops 

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 Monday!

 

 

Tips on Adding Humor to Your MG Story in Any Genre: Guest Post by Leslie Vedder and The Labyrinth of Souls and The Nowhere Beast Giveaway

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!

 

 

 

Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop

Happy Friday Everyone! Today I'm excited to participate in the Winter Wishes Giveaway Hop hosted by MamatheFox and MomDoesReviews. I hope you're having a good start to 2026 and that your winter weather isn't too bad. After it was frigid in Michigan in December, we're finally getting into the 30's. Woo hoo! I'm spending a lot of time working on my blog, crocheting amigurumi animals to donate, and reading.  

Book of Your Choice or Amazon Gift Card Giveaway 

I’ve got a lot of exciting newly released MG and YA book choices this month that you might like. You can also choose another book in the series by these authors or a book of your choice. You can find descriptions of these books on Goodreads. Here are your choices:

If you haven't found a book you want, you can win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Giveaway Details

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 February 28th telling me whether you want a book, and if so, which one, or the Amazon gift card and your email address. Be sure to include your email address. 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, 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. The book giveaway is U.S. only and the Amazon gift card giveaway is International.

Upcoming Interviews, Guest Posts, and Blog Hops

Monday, January 19, I have a guest post by Leslie Vedder and a giveaway of her MG The Labyrinth of Souls and The November Beast

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

I hope to see you on Monday!

Here are all the other blogs participating in this blog hop:

MamatheFox, Mom Does Reviews, and all participating blogs are not held responsible for sponsors who fail to fulfill their prize obligations.