This is a children’s story,
which means that I can get away with
saying things I want to say to adults
by saying them to children instead.
–Miss Emma, Librarian
New Project!
I’m posting a heads-up for a project that I’m starting today, a sequel to my middle-grade horror novel The Witch House. (Middle-grade = ages 9-12.)
If you’re not a middle-grade reader, think Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Middle-grade novels can be fun and adventurous, light-hearted and easy to read…
…and they can get away with saying true-but-dark things that make book-banners froth at the mouth.
I wrote The Witch House with that tradition in mind. The book-banners were already spinning up their corrupt bullshit in Florida in 2023, and they certainly haven’t lightened up since then.
The Witch House
The Witch House is a story about a 12-year-old girl, Jayla, who has just moved to her mom’s old hometown and has to start keeping a journal for English class. She doesn’t particularly want to share anything personal with her bland teacher, Mr. Henderson, but she has to write something…so she starts making up a story about how she is secretly a witch.
Which is fine.
Right?
Background
A lot of personal stuff got woven into the tale; in the two years since then, I’ve pondered what came out of the first story, tried to learn from it (maybe?), and feel like I’m ready to try my hand at a second book.
Not a sequel, really, but a prequel.
If you’ve read The Witch House, yes, it’s what you think. If you haven’t but you think the project sounds sort of interesting, here’s how to pick which book to read first:
- Read Book 2 first if you like reading about the oldest history first, and the rest of the history in order.
- Read Book 1 first if you like reading in the order the author wrote.
I like to think that it’s better to read The Witch House first and this sequel afterwards, but that’s because I’m the kind of person who goes, “Okay, but why?” when I read stories. So I always read series in the order the author wrote them, even if that makes no sense whatsoever, because it feels like I’m getting the author’s process of answering that why. But the reading order for the first two books should work either way. (I think there will be a third book eventually that will just have to be read last, regardless. But that’s for later.)
Here's the plan!
- Write one entry a day, at least 1000 words per entry.
- Each entry will be a journal, letter, note, or other document written by the characters. (Sometimes several different characters on the same day.)
- I’ll finish by October 31/November 1. Probably reeeeallly early November 1.
- The entries will be posted on my Patreon for a subscribers-only account on a daily basis; the first few entries will be open for everyone as a teaser, but after the first week the story will go to subscription only. (You can subscribe for $1/month, and this will be a one-month subscription.)
- I may set up other methods to subscribe, just to test them out. I have an adult romantic suspense series (very adult!) that I’m not sure how to handle, and I’m looking at different options.* But Patreon will work regardless.
- I wrote/published book 1 a day at a time on my website; I’ve been doing entry-a-day October projects for…buh…this will be the sixth year (the fifth-year project isn’t released yet). So I know what I’m getting into. Relatively speaking.
If you have any questions or comments, like “I’d like to support you but not Patreon please!!!“), let me know. I’m testing systems; nothing is set in stone.
*Not Substack.
If you want to look at book 1 first...
Here’s the info for The Witch House:
YOU DON’T HAVE TO FACE THE WITCH HOUSE ALONE
Jayla Jackson isn’t a witch. Or is she?
She dresses in black, has zero friends, is super-smart, and doesn’t fit in.
But that doesn’t make her a witch…
…right?
When Jayla’s English teacher makes her class start writing in journals for class—but says they don’t have to tell the truth in them—Jayla boldly declares that she’s a witch.
She starts making up spells, talking about her familiar (a ghost cat), and writing stories about all the terrible things she’s done. She didn’t mean to hurt anyone, she says, but that doesn’t make her feel any better.
Her English teacher just smiles and praises her for being creative.
But Jayla has real secrets hiding underneath her made-up confessions.
There is a witch in town.
And Jayla must face her if she wants to save her family and her new friend, Lola, too.
A middle-grade novel about finding one’s own strength in the face of overwhelming magic. Read it now!
…
I hope you enjoy the experiment! Please remember that this is being published as I write it, and edits will happen later. (You can tell me about stuff you spot, but I may not be able to fix it right away.)
