Spooky stories are very popular with children. Three debut authors share their thoughts on creating spooktacular tales.
LOUISE FORSHAW– GRIM FALLS ACADEMY
Grim Falls Academy is a chapter book series about a monster school. The idea came when I created some ‘mock’ chapter book covers to showcase an older style of illustration. One cover was Grim Falls Academy: Don’t Eat the Soup. A story idea appeared, and I knew I had to write it.
All the students and teachers are monsters, be that werewolf, vampire, witch, zombie, mummy, etc. But at its heart, it’s a school for anyone who is ‘different’ – aplace where my characters feel at home and can be themselves. And since it’s a school, my characters also deal with ordinary situations such as bullies and schoolwork.
In the teachers are suddenly sprouting tentacles and losing their memories.