Book Nook - Exit Nowhere

In Exit Nowhere, a group of kids from school are given a history project to research a local landmark and they end up choosing Raithfield Manor--an old mansion that's rumored to be haunted. It's a book that's designed to be a perfect read for teachers, librarians, and kids who are interested in the spooky genre but prefer their spooky-level to be tame rather than terrifying. The book is filled with heart, characters that stick with readers, and atmosphere galore.

I had a chance to learn more in this interview.

Where did you get the idea for Exit Nowhere?

The concept for Exit Nowhere came together with help from my editor! We were interested in telling a haunted house story, where a group of kids had to research a local landmark for a school project. After picking an abandoned house in town, the group ends up being trapped inside and forced to play childhood games against a ghost. It was an absolute blast of a story to write, and I had a lot of fun choosing which games the kids played. Of course, all of the games came from my own childhood favorites, like the Floor is Lava and Snakes and Ladders.

How do you keep the suspense level high without being truly scary or gory?

I love this question, because this question played an important role while I was writing the first drafts of Exit Nowhere. It's a fine balance between gently scary and truly scary, and I worked hard to keep from tilting into too scary for this book. Part of this was a conscious choice not to include any gore or scenes where characters are injured on page. Most of the suspense in the book is created with the question of, "What will happen next?" As is often the case in real life, people come up with scary ideas for the big "what if" questions in life. This is the same thing that happens for my characters. Once trapped in the house, they immediately start brainstorming what might happen next, and of course, they all think terrible things might happen! This helps to build suspense. Of course, many things go wrong for the characters, but I would say that most of the scares are tame rather than terrifying.

Why should readers consider reading genres of books they don't normally read?

I find that I, myself, as a reader go through waves in what genres I enjoy reading and what stories I'm interested in. Depending on what might be happening around me (and how stressful life might or might not be at any given moment!), I will reach for different genres. Different books fit different moods and needs! As an example, in one of the most stressful times of my life, I found myself reaching for graphic novels, when previously, I had never been someone who enjoyed reading graphic novels. I found that having illustrations combined with pictures helped take some of the mental load for me, and that was very important for me to be able to read. You never know what you might fall in love with if you stretch outside your preferred genre.

What's your favorite place to read?

I don't often get the opportunity, but I adore reading in a hammock on a warm, sunshine filled day. When that happens though, I usually end up taking an accidental nap! Ha! On a "normal" day though, I have a cozy pink chair in my living room that is perfect for curling up in. When I do, I try to set my phone aside, so I'm not tempted to become distracted. No phone makes for a perfect reading experience.