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5 Random Questions with A.J. Clack, author of Lie Or Die
In my March newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) I interviewed A.J. Clack about her fantastic YA debut, Lie Or Die, which came out this month from Firefly Press. In it, Kass is tricked into auditioning for a new reality TV show by her best friend, but when she gets there and contestants start turning up dead, Kass realises that winning the game is the least of her worries.
Lie Or Die has all the nerve-shredding tension of The Traitors (with added murder!) and the whodunnit vibes of Knives Out, and I loved it. Naturally, after asking the author all about the book and the inspiration behind it in my newsletter interview, I had to ask for a little tangential weirdness…
Enter the 5 Random Questions!
What’s your weirdest memory from high school?
The Nit Nurse.
What’s your greatest non-writing achievement?
Working on the London shoots of Friends.
The scariest movie you’ve ever seen?
Ok so I’m a bit of a baby when it comes to scary movies and tend to watch from behind a cushion. I still haven’t watched Aliens all the way through!
You are granted any superpower you like; which power will you choose?
I think flying would be epic but invisibility could be a lot of fun!
A thing you’re irrationally scared of?
Slugs.
About A.J. Clack
A. J. Clack moved from a small village in Wales to London to pursue a career in television. She worked on a huge range of shows from Teletubbies to Friends, while also writing plays for the Edinburgh fringe and development scripts/pilots for children’s television. She now lives in Essex with a handful of teenagers and can often be found freezing on the side of a football pitch.
You can follow her on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter/X.
If you missed my interview with A.J. Clack about Lie Or Die, catch up here. Also remember to sign up for my newsletter which I send out every month – next month’s goes out on Friday, 5th April and will feature an exclusive new short horror story – Phantom Image. Don’t miss it!
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5 Random Questions with Lisa Richardson, author of Channel Fear
In February’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) I interviewed Lisa Richardson about her debut YA horror, Channel Fear. In it, Iris, Byron and Molly are following in the footsteps of 2 famous YouTubers, Zach and Lucas, who disappeared while on a ghost hunt several months ago. Now, with tensions running high between the trio, Iris and co. are about to find more than they bargained for at the dilapidated Thornhanger House…
This book has so many of the horror tropes I love: creepypasta found footage, ghost hunters, a haunted mansion with no way out… as well as great characters you’ll alternately root for and want to push down the crumbling stairs.
After finding out all about Channel Fear, of course I needed to ask the author a little something extra…
Enter the 5 Random Questions!
Film you’ve watched the most times?
The Crow – my absolute favourite!
If you had to explore either outer space or the bottom of the ocean, which would you choose?
Both would be equal parts fascinating and terrifying, but I’d go with outer space.
A non-writing-related claim to fame?
There is a random stranger somewhere in Spain with my face tattooed as their entire backpiece – long story!
If you could time-travel to any point in history, where/when would you travel to?
The Victorian era to attend a séance.
One non-writing goal for 2024?
To get back into a regular yoga practice after recovering from a few injuries over the last couple of years.
About Lisa Richardson
Lisa Richardson has a first-class honours degree in Creative and Professional Writing and works as a production editor. When not writing, Lisa can be found reading, binge-watching Netflix with her sons, or running and taking photographs along the Kent coast.
You can follow her on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter/X.
If you missed my interview with Lisa about Channel Fear, catch up here. Also remember to sign up for my newsletter which I send out every month – next month’s goes out on Friday, 1st March and will feature an interview with A. J. Clack about her gripping locked-room thriller, Lie Or Die. Don’t miss it!
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Blackfin Sky and Purge are on sale!
There’s a January sale happening over at Firefly Press’s site, which means there’s a whopping 50% off some of their excellent YA titles – including 2 of my books, Blackfin Sky and Purge. The sale ends on 31st Jan, so hurry if you’d like to grab a great bargain and support a small but mighty UK publisher.
What you can expect in Blackfin Sky…
Sky falls from the pier and drowns on the night of her sixteenth birthday, only to show up at school three months later acting as though nothing happened. Because to Sky, life has continued as normal, and she can’t figure out why everyone’s acting like they buried her in Blackfin Cemetery three months ago. As she dives deeper into the mystery of her own supposed death, she’s drawn to the clues held by a burned-out circus in the woods, and a mysterious newcomer who has more than one reason to keep quiet about what he knows.
More info/order Blackfin Sky from Firefly Press
What you can expect in Purge…
The Earth has flooded, with only a handful of floating communities left. Mason would know – he’s been kicked out of most of them. Now he’s on his last chance at Alteria community, and he’s determined to make it stick, at least for his sister’s sake. Then he meets Eden – a girl who is exactly his kind of trouble. And trouble is the last thing either of them needs when Alteria uses mind-altering methods of purging ‘negative’ traits from their citizens.
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5 Random Questions with Diana Rodriguez Wallach, author of Hatchet Girls
In this month’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) I interviewed Diana Rodriguez Wallach about her latest heart-pounding YA horror, Hatchet Girls. Inspired by the Borden murders, Hatchet Girls kicks off in modern day with a new grisly crime scene in the town where those infamous axe murders took place back in 1892. It has all the chilling twists and supernatural intrigue you could ask for, so having learned more about the background of the book, I naturally wanted to know more about the author herself!
Enter the 5 Random Questions!
If you could make a guest appearance in any TV show, which would it be?
General Hospital. My Puerto Rican grandmother raised me on soap operas (it’s how she learned to speak English). I’ve probably watched all of them at some point in my life. I feel in my bones that I will one day be an extra in Port Charles. 😀
What unexpected talent/skill do you have?
I was a competitive cheerleader starting in second grade, so I still know a lot of cheerleading lingo. But it also means, I’ve spent a lot of time on the sidelines of football fields. I’ve not only won my fantasy football league, but I can usually call the penalties along with the refs!
Have you ever seen a ghost?
I lived in a haunted house! The first house my husband and I bought was a Philadelphia brick home built in 1832. We have a lot of stories.
What’s your non-writing claim to fame?
I’m five degrees from Kevin Bacon. When I was a reporter, I interviewed Randy Gerber. Randy is married to Cindy Crawford. Cindy used to be married to Richard Gere. Richard was in Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts. Julia was in Flatliners with Kevin Bacon.
You’ve been invited to a celebrity séance. Which 3 famous spirits will you try to contact?
JFK (who do you think did it?), Amelia Earhart (what happened?), Kurt Cobain (why?)
About Diana Rodriguez Wallach
Diana Rodriguez Wallach is a multi-published author of young adult novels. Her most recent YA Latinx Horror novel, a Lizzie Borden meets “Supernatural” story, titled Hatchet Girls, released in October 2023 through Random House/Delacorte. Publisher’s Weekly said, “This bone-chilling speculative horror drips with blood, gore, and engaging originality.” In 2021, she published her first YA Latinx Horror novel, Small Town Monsters, also through Random House. It was named one of the “13 Scariest Books of 2021” by Kirkus Reviews.
You can find out more about Diana and her books on her website, and follow her on Twitter/X and Instagram.
If you missed my interview with Diana about Hatchet Girls, catch up here. Also remember to sign up for my newsletter which goes out every month – next month’s will go out on Friday, 2nd February and will feature an interview with Lisa Richardson about her ghost-hunting YouTuber horror debut, Channel Fear. Don’t miss it!
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5 Random Questions with Sarah Wishart, author of Four Good Liars
In December’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) Sarah Wishart shared a behind-the-scenes look at Four Good Liars, her brand-new YA thriller about four teens who find a huge stash of stolen money – and each of them has a reason for wanting to keep it. This book is packed with plot twists I didn’t see coming, and I naturally wanted to know more about the mind behind them…
Enter the 5 Random Questions!
You have a magic ticket that will take you anywhere in the world for one day. Where will you go?
Iceland – I’ve always wanted to go!
The last book that made you cry?
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
What’s a secret talent not many people know about?
I’m a black belt in karate and a green belt in kick-boxing.
One thing you wish you’d known at 15?
It was okay to be yourself, instead of trying to fit in and be the same as everyone else. Not everyone has to like you.
Have you ever seen a ghost?
I’m not sure! I had a weird “ghostly” experience recently. My husband had a nightmare and dreamt there was a violent ghost in our bedroom. In the dream he woke up and looked at the alarm clock – it was 12.50am. He says he then woke up properly, without disturbing me, and it was around midnight. He went back to sleep. Later, I woke up screaming because I thought someone had sat next to me on the bed, and the person tried to clamber on top of me. My husband almost had a heart attack, particularly when he saw the time – it was 12.50 a.m. I have no idea what that experience was, but it freaked us both out!
About Sarah Wishart
Sarah Wishart is an award-winning author and freelance education journalist who also writes adult books under the name Sarah J.Harris. Four Good Liars is Sarah’s debut YA thriller.
Her debut adult novel, The Colour of Bee Larkham’s Murder, won the Breakthrough Author award from Books Are My Bag in 2018 and was a Richard and Judy pick in WHSmith. One Ordinary Day At A Time was also published by HarperCollins.
Sarah grew up in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, and studied English at Nottingham University before gaining a post-graduate diploma in journalism at Cardiff University. She is a black belt in karate and a green belt in kickboxing. She lives in London with her husband and two sons.You can find out more about Sarah and her books on her website, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
If you missed my interview with Sarah about Four Good Liars, catch up here. Also remember to sign up for my newsletter which goes out every month – next month’s will go out on Friday, 5th January and will feature an interview with Diana Rodriguez Wallach about her Lizzie Borden-inspired YA supernatural thriller, Hatchet Girls. Don’t miss it!
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The Devouring Light is coming in 2025!
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to do one of these book announcement posts, and I am over the moon to be sharing that my next YA horror novel titled The Devouring Light will be published by HarperCollins in 2025.
This book is my scariest yet, but also my most fun … at least in the way that horror is fun. Haden and Deacon are two very different personalities thrown into a situation neither of them is equipped to handle – a deadly swamp, no help or prospect of escape, someone (or something) stalking them, and a simmering rivalry threatening to undermine their chances of survival – and I really threw everything at them that I could think of. Basically, it’s a trip, and one I really hope readers will love!
Publication is still a way off yet so I won’t go into any more detail about the story now, but if you’d like to get updates on the book and when things like ARCs will be available, sign up for my monthly newsletter where I’ll be sending out all the behind-the-scenes info.
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5 Random Questions with Katya de Becerra, author of When Ghosts Call Us Home
In this month’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you missed it) I interviewed Katya de Becerra about When Ghosts Call Us Home, her latest YA horror about a girl who revisits the house where she and her older sister made a cult horror movie several years ago, and where she was last seen before she disappeared. This had so many of the horror tropes I love, as well as a truly cult-horror-worthy villain, and was a gripping, terrifying read.
As soon as I’d finished, I needed to know more about the author herself…
Enter the 5 Random Questions!
You wake up in a hundred years in a lab full of clones and androids, and realise you must be one or the other. Which would you rather be?
Probably, an android! (Assuming I have a sturdier body to come with it, given how I’d be at least part robot?)
Have you ever seen a ghost?
Can’t say that I have, but I’ve definitely heard and felt things I can’t explain!
What movie scared you the most?
Most recently, Hereditary (Ari Aster’s 2018 feature debut). It’s very hard for a movie or a book to scare me, but I’ve had nightmares for days after watching Hereditary. It’s probably so effective because it creates such a realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family in crisis and grief. And it’s so beautifully acted too!
As a kid, I remember being terrified by The Exorcist (1973). I’m embarrassed to admit that to this day I’ve only seen it in bits and pieces but never from beginning to end. Hopefully, one day I’ll be brave enough.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus. It always makes me feel like a teen again – and this song is imbued with personal meaning. And I always love to end my karaoke session with Nena’s 99 Luftballons – by then I’d usually have already lost my voice, so I just throw what I have left at it!
You hit your head and wake up inside a book. Which book is it?
I sure hope it’s not one of mine!
About Katya de Becerra
Katya de Becerra writes atmospheric young adult horror featuring determined characters, complicated families and enigmatic places. Critics called her debut What The Woods Keep “a thoughtful and compelling horror fantasy” (The Bulletin) and “a narrative that will keep readers enthralled” (Booklist), while her second novel Oasis earned a starred review from Booklist. Katya regularly publishes short fiction in anthologies and literary magazines. She is also co-editor of the anthology This Fresh Hell, which reimagines and subverts horror tropes in new and unexpected ways. As a child, Katya wanted to be an Egyptologist, but instead she earned a PhD in Cultural Anthropology and now works at a university, where she teaches and researches as well as supervises graduate students in Anthropology, Creative Writing and Education. Katya is a short version of her real name, which is very long and gets mispronounced a lot. Her third novel, When Ghosts Call Us Home, has just been released.
You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as @KatyaDeBecerra and read her blog here.
You can also sign up for her occasional newsletter here.
If you missed my interview with Katya about When Ghosts Call Us Home, catch up here. Also remember to sign up for my newsletter which goes out every month – next month’s will go out on Friday, 1st December and will feature an interview with Sarah Wishart about her brilliant new YA thriller, Four Good Liars, as well as more details about my next YA horror. Don’t miss it!
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Read my new short story RED PIANO – free!
Happy (almost) Halloween! As usual at this time of year, I’m making the most of the huge selection of scary films available to watch on all the streamers, and even ventured out to the cinema over the weekend to watch Five Nights at Freddy’s. I loved it, despite going in with pretty low expectations (it’s based on a video game, which doesn’t usually bode well, and I’ve never played the game so wasn’t sure what I was in for). Terrifying animatronics, a creepy abandoned amusement arcade, and a down-on-his-luck security guard (played brilliantly by Josh Hutcherson) made for a scary-good time.
Speaking of scary-good times… if you missed this month’s newsletter (sign up here if you’re not on the list) then you won’t have had a chance to read my new FREE short story, RED PIANO – but now you can! I’ve added it under the ‘Extras’ menu, so you can now read it here.
It was inspired by an unusual find while I was out walking in the woods a few months ago, and this story is the nightmarish result.
If you’ve already read RED PIANO and would like to read another free short story by me, check out my Christmas-themed horror short, CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.
Hope you enjoy, and Happy Halloween!
– Kat
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5 Random Questions with Kate Anderson, author of Here Lies Olive
In September’s newsletter (catch up HERE if you did) I interviewed Kate Anderson about her creepy and mysterious new YA novel, Here Lies Olive. In it, Olive lives in a sinister town where death and the macabre are celebrated, but since a near-death experience left her with questions about what comes after, she’s had a burning need for answers she can’t find anywhere… until Olive decides to summon a spirit from the other side. This is a fantastic read, and ideal for anyone’s Halloween reading list.
Naturally, I wanted to know more about the mind behind the book…
Enter the 5 Random Questions!
What’s the best Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
I threw this Lenore costume together about 10 minutes before a costume party and was thrilled with how it came together!
What were you ‘most likely to…’ in High School?
Get married young and have a bunch of kids… haha! And I did. Married at 19, four kids by 28. And we couldn’t be happier.
Would you rather encounter an alien or a ghost?
Ghost, because even if they’re dead, they probably still have some nuances of human behaviors, so I would understand why they’re haunting me.
What’s the last book/movie that scared you?
I’m pretty hard to scare nowadays, but Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes really creeped me out.
What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened on your birthday?
My 19th birthday was the worst. I was “home” from college, but my family had just moved from PA to TN, so I didn’t know anyone and I was so bored and lonely. I waited all day for my boyfriend, who was still at school on the other side of the country, to call or text or send flowers or do something to acknowledge the day. He ignored me completely. Then the next day he emailed me and dumped me because his family thought we should break up.
About Kate Anderson
Kate Anderson writes dark upper MG and YA books about snarky, socially awkward girls trying to figure out their place in the world. She loves to explore the bizarre and macabre all around us, and her writing reflects that with immersive settings and oddities woven throughout.
When not writing, she’s reading, embroidering, camping in her vintage Roadrunner camper, or planning road trips through the desert. Kate lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and four children.
Find out more about Kate at her website and connect with her on social media: Instagram ~ Twitter/X
If you missed my interview with Kate about Here Lies Olive, catch up here. Also remember to sign up for my newsletter which goes out every month – next month’s will go out on 13th October (Friday the Thirteenth!) and will feature an exclusive new short story by me called Red Piano. I promise it’ll be perfect(ly terrifying) pre-Halloween reading!
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‘A Taste of Darkness’ is out today
This YA anthology, curated by Amy McCaw and Maria Kuzniar and featuring stories by 13 young adult authors – including me! – has finally arrived, just in time for Halloween.
I’m thrilled to have a story featured in this collection, and one inspired by a legend that’s very close to home for me. Growing up in Wales, I heard many variations on the story of Mari Lwyd – a veiled spirit wearing a horse’s skull as a mask as it went door to door during the darkest nights of winter to sing for food and hospitality. Although the original legend isn’t intended to be scary – it’s more like a spin on trick-or-treating than a true ghost story – I felt like it would lend itself perfectly to a more horror-ish interpretation. And so I wrote one, and it became The Visiting Grey.
Grab your copy so you can check out:
How to Disappear by Rosie Talbot
The House with Teeth by Amy McCaw
Come Find Me by Kathryn Foxfield
The Wolf and the Witch by Maria Kuzniar
Saint Clover by Melinda Salisbury
The Visiting Grey by Kat Ellis (me!)
And the Waters Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich
The Party by Louie Stowell
The Chiming Hour by Amy McCulloch
Something Wicked by Kat Dunn
The Midnight Kiss by Mary Watson
The Beast and the Beast by Rachel Faturoti
‘Til Death Do Us Part by Cynthia Murphy
Happy reading!
Kat Ellis Writes 