Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Karen Strong (The Secret Dead Club)!
Meet the Author: Karen Strong
Karen Strong is the critically acclaimed author of middle grade novels Just South of Home, Eden’s Everdark, and The Secret Dead Club. She is also a Star Wars contributor featured in Stories of Jedi and Sith, and the editor of the young adult anthology Cool. Awkward. Black. Her work has been praised by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, and School Library Journal and has also received recognition as a CYBILS award finalist, Ignyte award finalist, BCCB Blue Ribbon, and Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. Find her online at karen-strong.com.
About the Book: The Secret Dead Club
Wednesday Thomas sees ghosts. But that doesn’t mean she has to talk to them.
After a terrifying experience in an Arizona state park with a wicked ghost, Wednesday and her mother Olivia sell their RV and move back south to the family home in Alton, Georgia. Wednesday’s determined not to use her gift anymore—until she meets a group of girls who also know about the spirit realm.
There’s free-spirited Miki Okada and Southern belle Danni-Lynn Porter who seem to know about the ghosts who roam the school’s hallways, popular girl Alexa Scott who tells Wednesday to stay away from Miki and Danni-Lynn and not draw attention to herself, and mysterious neighbor Violet Delgado who died last year but still haunts the house across the street. Wednesday feels these girls have some kind of shared history, but it isn’t until Miki gives her an official invitation to the Dead Club that she starts to understand there’s a lot more going on with the ghosts in Alton and the girls who can see them.
And when another malevolent ghost threatens to harm Wednesday, it will take the help of new friends both living and dead to save her and banish the evil being to the spirit realm where it belongs.
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
I’ve always wanted to write a middle grade novel about friendship. I changed schools in seventh grade, and I still remember that nerve-racking experience of starting over and making new friends.
YABC: How do you know when a book is finished?
For me, a book is never “finished.” However, I think a book is ready to start the publication process once I start to tweak things like sentence structure and word choice. This is a signal to me that the plot and characters are fleshed out, and the major components of the story are complete.
YABC: What research did you do to write this book?
One of the things I loved was the world-building of the neighborhood where the story takes place. My research included a real neighborhood in my hometown called “Normaltown.” This place has a deep history, and there are also several Victorian houses in the surrounding area that were built in the 1890s. It was great to walk around the neighborhood, take pictures, and reminisce about the time I spent in this neighborhood as a kid. I was happy that I could put these details in the book.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
I think the middle-grade voice, especially when it’s in first person, is the trickiest to write. It’s a delicate balance because you don’t want your characters to sound too old but also you don’t want them to sound too young either. I’ve kept a diary since I was five years old, so reading all the entries from seventh grade helped me get the voice right. I think a lot of adults forget how self-aware, engaged, and observant kids are at this age.
YABC: What type of scene do you love to write the most?
As a genre writer, I love writing horror and suspense scenes. In particular, I love the unfolding of a suspenseful moment when the reader doesn’t know how a scene will unfold or how a character will get out of a tricky situation.
YABC: What is your favorite writing space?
I’ve tried to write in cafes, but I find writing in my office gives me the best results. However, if I’m in the revision phase and the story has a formed, stable shape, it’s easier to go out or meet up with a writer friend to work. But when I’m drafting a novel, I need a quiet, focused space for my brain to be productive.
YABC: What fandom would you write for if you had time?
I think I’ve already been very lucky to write in the Star Wars fandom. I’ve written both original characters and existing characters. Maybe in the future, I’ll have an opportunity to write more stories in this universe.
YABC: What is your favorite holiday or tradition and why?
Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love the candy, the costumes, and the mythology. I knew from the very beginning that Halloween would be the perfect time period for The Secret Dead Club.
Title: The Secret Dead Club
Author: Karen Strong
Release Date: August 20, 2024
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Genre: Horror
Age Range: 9-12
