Chilled Spines anyone?
Today I'm delighted to welcome the spine-chilling author, Nancy Gray to my blog, as she tours the internet with a cool scary book for middle graders, The Scarecrow. But what draws an author toward writing horror... and horror for kids? Here's Nancy's answer to the question:
Why Horror?
When I was asked to write a blog about my work, I honestly
wasn’t sure where to begin. So I started thinking about questions people have
asked me before, and one of the things that seem to surprise people when I talk
about my work is the fact that I enjoy writing horror. People probably wouldn’t
expect it from me. They probably, in fact, would think I would prefer to write fantasy
or young children’s stories instead of middle grade horror novellas, but horror
stories are how I got my start and what I enjoyed when I was a child. So I’m
going to try to explain why horror is important to me and why I think these
books are worthwhile.
Even though people don’t like to admit it, deep down I
believe that everyone likes a good scare as long as it’s caused by something
that doesn’t have a bad outcome. People like to tell a good “close call” story
or a story about seeing something they can’t explain if the audience is willing
to listen. We all have a deep fascination with the unknown and things that can’t
be easily explained. Even though no one likes to say it, we tend to look in the
direction of an accident because we have a fascination with things that are
grim.
When I was a child, I read books from the Scary Stories series. I read these books
because I was fascinated by the gore and the horrific things that happened in
the stories. The stories made me jumpy and a little nervous but it was a good
feeling, an interesting shiver that would make me always look over my shoulder.
As I grew up I started watching scary television shows and reading books like Goosebumps. I started reading Stephen
King novels probably when I was too young.
The point that I’m trying to make is that horror books are
worthwhile because they stimulate that need that we have to see the grim side
of things and to experience a close call through the eyes of another person. We
can read a story, feel afraid, and then breathe a sigh of relief knowing that
it’s all just a story in the end. No one knows how keenly we need this kind of
outlet than children.
The world today is a scary place. Amid stories of child
trafficking, families splitting up, school shootings, and other horrible
realities that children are exposed to, stories about children fighting
monsters and facing their fears are important. In the Spine Chillers series, my characters have to save themselves by
being clever, thinking things through, and using their talents in creative ways
to fight off the monsters that thrive on their fear. In facing the creatures,
many of them have to confront their own inner demons as well and learn what
they are and aren’t capable of in order to protect themselves and others. If my
stories can give children courage, and can convince those facing something that
seems too big for them that they can be confident in themselves, then I’ll have
done what I set out to do with these novels. I’m proud to be a horror writer,
and especially one for middle school children.
Title: SPINE CHILLERS: THE SCARECROW
Author: Nancy Gray
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 113
Genre: Mid-Grade Horror
Author: Nancy Gray
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 113
Genre: Mid-Grade Horror
BOOK BLURB:
Eleven year old, Sophie, arrives at her Aunt and Uncle’s farm to horrible news: her cousin, Hunt, has gone missing. When Sophie starts searching for clues to where her cousin went, strange things happen. The scarecrow wanders around the cornfields at night and murders of crows lash out at other animals for no reason at all.An ancient spirit wants revenge. Sophie will have to be brave and clever in order to save her cousin…and herself!
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Excerpt:
Chapter 1 – Aunt Angie’s Farm
Sophie leaned
against the car window listening to the soothing sounds of the dirt road that
threatened to lull her back to sleep. When her head rolled to the side, her
glasses occasionally rattled against the windowpane, waking her from her
dreamlike state. She glanced at the scenery rolling by like the background of a
side-scrolling video game. Even though most of what she could see was the
forest, she knew that they had to be getting close to the farm. The oak trees
would occasionally part revealing a long patch of clover or grass that looked
luxurious in the setting sun. She imagined rolling around in the grass like a
happy puppy and then exploring the woods, climbing into a tree or discovering a
hidden trail.
Just as she thought
that she couldn’t take wondering if they were getting close and was about to
ask, she realized that her parents were talking in hushed tones that they
thought that she couldn’t hear. They must’ve thought that she was still asleep.
She closed her eyes and listened, curious about what they were saying.
Her mother sighed
and said, “Sometimes I really don’t know how you two are related.”
Her father
chuckled. “Yeah, but at least she isn’t living out in the woods foraging
berries or something. Angie’s always been a flake.”
“Do you think that
Sophie likes coming here? I mean, the farm used to always scare her so much
when she was little, but she acted like she was excited to come this time.”
At first, Sophie
thought about telling them that she could still hear them, but instead she just
continued to lean against the car door with her eyes shut.
“Well, she’s always
liked seeing the animals and I think she likes spending time with her cousin.”
Her mother made a
snorting noise and said, “Sometimes I wish she didn’t. That boy is a bad
influence on her.”
“I talked to Angie
about that. This time, if they want to explore they’ll be going with one of
us.”
Sophie frowned at
her mother’s comment. Part of the reason why she enjoyed going to the farm at
all was to spend time with her cousin Hunt. They were a lot alike. They both
loved exploring the farm together and playing with the animals. They even could
be mistaken for siblings because they both looked alike as well, around the
same height with blond hair and blue eyes. Even though she hated to admit it,
her mother was right. Sometimes Hunt did get her into trouble, but it was
always fun. They loved to sneak into places on the farm that they weren’t
supposed to go, like the old barn or the woods nearby. Playing with Hunt always
meant going on some sort of adventure.
She thought
miserably, “It just won’t be as fun if mom and dad are close by. I never get
into any trouble at home. Why can’t they just let us play? I guess, at least,
we won’t be getting lost in the corn field this time.”
Sophie’s dad said
in a voice that shook her out of her daydream, “Sophie, we’re here.”
She opened her eyes
and stared out the window at the rows of feed corn in front of her, fascinated.
The road was so narrow the plants scraped against the sides of the car. She
could hear a tractor up ahead and their car slowed down. The tractor motor stopped
and her dad stopped the car. Sophie craned her neck and saw her uncle waving at
them from the seat of a large, green combine and motioning for them to get out
of the car.
Her father
muttered, “Looks like Mike wants to talk. Come on, Sophie. Why don’t you get
out and stretch your legs too.”
She gladly got out
and stretched then ran in the direction of her uncle. He gave her a long hug
and said, “There’s my favorite niece. Good to see you, Sophie. Give me a minute
to talk to your dad, and then maybe I’ll give you a ride on the tractor later.”
Sophie said,
“Okay.”
She thought, “He
usually seems more excited to see us. Why is he frowning? Is something wrong?”
Her uncle put an
arm around her father’s shoulders and walked down the road until they were far
enough away that Sophie couldn’t hear them. From the way they pointed in her
direction, she knew they didn’t want her to listen in and were talking about
something that concerned her as well.
Sophie walked up to her mother.
“Mom, can I go look around?”
“Okay, but don’t go
too far. I’m going to talk to your dad. Stay close to the car.”
Sophie squinted and
shielded the sunlight from her eyes, glancing at row after row of corn.
Finally, she spotted what she was looking for and carefully entered the corn,
counting the rows so that she wouldn’t get lost, until she reached the
clearing. Hanging on a pole in the center of the open area was a scarecrow.
Oddly, there were several crows perched on top of it. One was even pulling on
one of its button eyes. The black birds glanced at Sophie for a moment with
dark, doll-like eyes and then flew away as she approached to get a closer look.
Since the
scarecrow’s head was tilted downward she got a good look at its face, and
immediately wished that she hadn’t. The head was made of a burlap sack. Even
though it was just a cloth bag, the folds around the bottom and the eyes were
deep, creating grooves in the material, making the scarecrow appear to have an
unhappy expression, possibly even an angry one. One of the button eyes hung limply
where the crow had pecked it loose, and the wide brimmed black hat on its head
cast a shadow that made the body seem to leer over her like the intimidating
silhouette of a villain in a western movie. Sophie stepped back slowly and then
turned and ran in the direction of the car, not stopping until she reached her
mother. Sophie hugged her tightly around the waist.
Her mother glanced
down at her and asked gently, “Sophie, what’s wrong?”
“Can we go?”
She nodded. “Yes,
we were just about to go to the guest house and get settled in.”
Sophie got into the
backseat of the car and didn’t glance back in the direction of the scarecrow
until they were driving. When she did turn to look, even though she knew it
wasn’t possible, the scarecrow’s head seemed to be cocked in a different
direction, slightly upward, as though it was watching them leave. Just as she
was about to say something to her parents, a wall of crows flew up from the
cornfield and obscured her view. When they were gone the head was resting down
again. Sophie made a whimpering sound in the back of her throat that she was
glad her parents didn’t hear and shifted further down into her seat, hoping
that even the top of her head wouldn’t show through the back window.
Nancy Gray has published a number of works including her young adult fantasy series Blood Rain. Her short story “Chosen” appeared in Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal Author Quest: a Penguin Special from Grosset & Dunlap. Her work also appears in various anthologies.
Nancy Gray has been writing for over ten years. Gray lives in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys books, video games, anime, manga, and horror.
Her latest book is the mid-grade horror, Spine Chillers: The Scarecrow.
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