Scary Short
I’ve been trying to post a new scary short short story every Halloween. Twenty years from now, maybe I’ll have enough for a collection.
For now, enjoy!
Right after her family moved into their new house, she began to smell it.
Not always there. Just a whiff when she’d flip a switch and a dusty ceiling fan would groan into life. Or she’d open a closet and the smell would waft toward her, then vanish.
Damp. Thick. Rotting.
–You’re imagining it, sweetie.
–You just need to get used to the new place.
She left the windows open at all times. She dragged rugs outside into fresh air. She scrubbed floors with a stiff brush dripping hot water and bleach.
Her hands were red and sore. One of her knuckles cracked. She put her finger to her lips, but instead of salt, all she could taste was the smell.
Heavy. Oozing. Foul.
–This isn’t right.
–We’ll take you to see someone. Someone to talk to.
She lay in bed, and the smell seemed to slip long, slender fingers down her throat, coating her insides with slime.
She thought of mold, deep inside the walls. By morning, she’d clawed off as much wallpaper as she could reach. The walls, laid bare, were white and clean, but the smell was worse than ever.
–Look at her hands.
–We have to go now. We’re taking you somewhere safe.
Looking up at the concerned faces, she realized at last where the smell was coming from.
Dark, fuzzy tendrils spiraled into her whites of her father’s eyes. They spiderwebbed from the corners of her mother’s mouth.
Her bloody hands curled tight.
She knew what she’d have to clean next.
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Don’t Dangle
Will we ever know what became of all the mannequins?
An editor complimented me this week by saying I was the first author she had ever known to fix a dangling participle rather than introduce one. I’m proud.
A dangling participle sounds like some finicky grammar tidbit only a fusspot would worry about, but it’s actually quite simple. It’s all about getting a descriptive phrase (the participle) next to the noun it modifies. If it’s closer to a different noun, it “dangles”–i.e. it’s not securely attached to the right noun.
Like this:
The site of the infamous Mannequin Massacre, Algernon had always been fascinated by Lord Lingleberry’s Tower.
The participle (“the site of the infamous Mannequin Massacre”) appears to describe Algernon rather than Lord Lingleberry’s Tower. It dangles.
Algernon had always been fascinated by Lord Lingleberry’s Tower, the site of the infamous Mannequin Massacre.
Now the participle is securely next to the noun it describes. No more dangling.
Read MoreTwo Friends, One Cover
Delighted to reveal the cover of my upcoming chapter book, Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week!
“Emily knew what kind of a kid she was. The responsible kind. The kind teachers asked to take a message to the office. The kind who hung up her coat without being asked. The kind who had never been late to school. Not even once.”
And then Rani, plus her big dog Otto, move into Emily’s apartment building….
Read MoreTwo Friends, One Dog, and an Audiobook!
I can’t yet reveal the cover of Two Friends, so I’ll share this photo of my favorite character in the book, Otto the dog. We all need an Otto.
Very excited to share that my upcoming chapter book Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week (out next April) will have an audio edition put out by Listening Library! I’m so eager to hear an actor voice Rani, the narrator’s new best friend–her voice is unique and will be a lot of fun.
Here’s snippet of Rani-speak:
Read MoreSalutations! Like Charlotte says. You know Charlotte, right? Charlotte’s Web? Charlotte is an Araneus cavaticus–that’s a barn spider. Did you know that the biggest spider of all is the Goliath birdeater? They don’t actually eat birds all that often. They do eat mice, though. It’s a good thing there wasn’t one of those in the barn with Wilbur, or Templeton would have been toast! Their legs can stretch over a foot long. Wouldn’t it be amazing to hear one tap dance?
What I’ve Been Reading
Actually, listening to. (I’m a big audiobook fan.) My new favorite: Hench: A Novel by Natalie Zina Walschots.
Sometimes a romp, sometimes a deadly serious meditation on moral responsibility, and most of all a book that answers the eternal questions we didn’t know we had, like: Who the heck runs payroll for supervillains? Who does R&D on those space lasers and mind-control rays? Who’s renting the space for the hidden lair? Do minions get health benefits? Do they have HR?
It’s not strictly YA but it could be. Mostly it’s fascinating, suspenseful, and fun. I found the end a bit unsatisfying, though, and am wondering if this is supposed to be the first in a series or at least a trilogy. If so, I’m eager for more!
Read MoreThe Jean Little Library Praises Brown Is Warm
I’m both elated and humbled by this review for Brown Is Warm from the Jean Little Library.
This book is perfect in combining the diversity I want to see in my collection with subjects that teachers and parents are looking for and which will make it a popular choice and, possibly, an enduring classic.
Verdict: If you long for beautiful and diverse high-concept books but know they won’t circulate well for you, this is the book you need for your collection! If those high-concept books are easy circulators for you, this lovely book will be a wonderful addition. Either way, I recommend it for most collections.
Along with the illustrator, the editor, the designer, and the production team, I work my hardest at making a book that is beautiful, lyrical, a pleasure for the senses. But the one thing that is always a bit up in the air is reader engagement. I try to keep my readers in mind always, but I’m not sure any writer can ever really read their own work as a reader would–coming to it completely fresh. And the difficulty is doubled when the writer is an adult and the reader is a child.
It’s so gratifying, then, to hear praise from a librarian not just for the literary quality of the book (I mean, thanks for that, I do appreciate it), but also because she believes it will circulate–go into a reader’s hands over and over again. Because that’s what makes a book complete.
Read MoreHappy Elephant Day!
Save the…Elephants! is on the shelves today!
May it inspire young conservationists and activists everywhere. And always remember my favorite elephant fact, destined to enchant seven-year-olds everywhere: Elephant calves eat the grownups’ poop.
Read MoreSarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Thomson focuses on newfound connection, magic, and suspense to conjure a fast-paced, heartwarming mystery. Thomson’s world is populated by resourceful protagonists, fanciful creatures, and quirky supporting characters.”
—Publishers Weekly