Today we are very excited to share an interview with author Ciera Burch!
Read on to learn more about the author, the book, and a giveaway!
Meet the Author: Ciera Burch
Ciera Burch (she/her/hers) is a lifelong reader and writer. She has a B.A from American University and an MFA from Emerson College. When she’s not reading or baking, she can be found playing Dungeons & Dragons, eating ice cream, and talking about diverse kids lit. While she is originally from New Jersey, she currently resides in Washington, D.C with her stuffed animals, plants, and far too many books and D&D dice. She is the author of middle-grade novels Finch House and Camp Twisted Pine, and the YA novel Something Kindred. Find Ciera online at cieraburch.com and on Instagram @cierasburch.
About the Book: Camp Twisted Pine
Whispering Pines meets Small Spaces in this spooky middle grade novel about a girl whose first summer camp experience is disrupted by a menacing creature abducting her fellow campers.
Eleven-year-old Naomi loves all things outdoors—birds and beetles, bats and bunnies—in theory. She explores nature in the best possible way: the cold, hard facts in books. So when her parents’ announcement of their impending divorce comes hand in hand with sending Naomi and her younger twin brothers to summer camp while they figure things out, it’s salt in the wound for Naomi and her avoidance of hands-on experience.
Camp Twisted Pine could be worse. The counselors are nice, and Naomi likes her cabinmates, especially Jackie, whose blunt personality and frank dislike of the camp draws Naomi in quickly. Jackie is also hard of hearing and uses a hearing aid, and the girls quickly develop a routine of sign language lessons in their free time, which Naomi sees as a welcome break when all the s’mores-making and nature walks get to be a bit much.
But the campers aren’t the only ones who roam the grounds of Camp Twisted Pine. When people start to go missing, including Jackie, Naomi has to find a way to save everyone—and herself. Her practical knowledge of the outdoors may still be rudimentary at best, but she has years of studying and the scientific method to fall back on. Can Naomi identify and stop the dangerous predator before it’s too late?
~Author Chat~
What gave you the inspiration to write Camp Twisted Pine?
I always wanted to go to sleep away camp when I was a kid. After reading and quickly falling in love with the Percy Jackson series at 11/12 (and still!) I figured that the next best thing to going to Camp Half-Blood would be to go to summer camp…unfortunately, my mom didn’t agree.
Thankfully, at the same time, my middle school decided to take all of the 6th graders to a camp called, no joke, Mt. Misery, in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey for a week. We weren’t allowed to have electronics, we’d all be in cabins, and we’d go on hikes and make crafts and eat s’mores. The typical summer camp experience with the added bonus of school friends! When I was on a walk sometime during the pandemic, the experience came rushing back and I started jotting down ideas on my phone while in the middle of the woods. And, of course, my first thought was of the not-so-famous, Jersey-based cryptid, the Jersey Devil.
Which came first, the concept, landscape, characters, or something else?
I’m normally a very character-based writer, but the landscape is so important to this story that it came first. It helped that I was in nature when the idea came to me, so I spent a lot of time taking pictures of my surroundings and thinking of ways to describe all the greenery as many ways as I could without it feeling repetitive. Eventually, a summer camp started taking shape in my head in the middle of all the pine trees and faded dirt paths.
What research did you to do to write Camp Twisted Pine?
Without getting into spoiler territory, I did have to do a lot of research about invasive plants and what they can do to ecosystems, specifically the Pine Barrens in New Jersey which is known for its acidic, poor-nutrient soil. I hadn’t realized how fragile ecosystems can be or how even the smallest, most harmless looking plant can actually cause big problems!
What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
I’ve recently—finally!—read The Tea Dragon Society series by K O’Neill and loved them. The art is gorgeous and portrays a fantasy world full of nature so lovingly, and the relationships between the characters and each other, as well as them and the tea dragons, were very sweet.
Which was the most difficult or emotional scene to write in Camp Twisted Pine?
Oh, hmm. I’d definitely have to say a moment of conflict between Naomi and her cabinmates/friends. She’s very much a people-pleaser and not one to speak her mind, so having to do so, especially with people she likes but is still getting to know, even for what she saw as a good reason, was really tough for her and hard for me to have to guide her through it.
If you were able to meet them, would you be friends with your main character?
I think so! Me and Naomi are both big introverts and homebodies, so it might be hard at first, but I think we’d have a lot to bond over—we’re both oldest siblings and bookworms with a soft spot for nature.
What fandom would you write for if you had time?
There are so many to choose from! Right now, I’d have to say Dhonielle Clayton’s Marvellers series/world for books and the world(s) of Dungeons & Dragons in general.
What is the main message or lesson you would like your reader to remember from Camp Twisted Pine?
You don’t have to do everything on your own, the people who care about you are always there to help; it’s important to share with people how you feel; nature is important and worth protecting and we should find ways to do our part in keeping it safe and beautiful not just for ourselves, but for everyone.
Title: Camp Twisted Pine
Author: Ciera Burch
ISBN-13: 9781665930574
ISBN-10: 1665930578
On-sale date: Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Imprint: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Ages: 8-12; Grades 3-7
~ Giveaway Details ~
Three (3) winners will receive a copy of Camp Twisted Pines (Ciera Burch) ~US Only (No P.O. Boxes)!
*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*
