Interview with Lindsay Currie

Lindsay Currie, thanks so much for stopping by Middle Grade Minded! 

Thank you for having me! 

Congratulations on your recent big news! Can you tell our readers more about WHISPERS FROM THE DARK? 

Thank you!  WHISPERS FROM THE DARK is releasing September of 2020, so we have a little bit of a wait, but I promise it will be worth it. The book follows the story of Claire Koster - a twelve-year-old scientist - who struggles to deal with her father's very un-scientific obsession with ghosts. His ghost tour bus, "Spirits", is a huge embarrassment to her because it causes rumors at school. Claire is determined to have nothing to do with her father's ghost business. She's a scientist, after all. Scientists don't believe in ghosts. But when her father's bus driver cancels on him at the last minute, not only does he need her to come along on the bus for an evening, but he needs her to help with the tour. It's pretty much Claire's worst nightmare. Unfortunately for Claire, surviving the tour bus is more complicated than pulling a baseball cap over her face and hoping no one from school recognizes her. The stories her father weaves at each location are darker . . . scarier than she anticipated.

When a mysterious boy shows up on the bus, then vanishes with nothing but a tattered piece of paper bearing the number 396 found lying on his empty seat, it sets off a chain of bone-chilling events in Claire's house and she begins to wonder if she brought back more than chilled fingers and numb toes from the tour that night. 

Maybe she brought back a ghost.

Your first book, THE PECULIAR INCIDENT ON SHADY STREET, has been a huge hit with readers, making it on 4 state lists. What similarities and differences can readers expect with your second book? 

Thank you! I've been very fortunate to have PECULIAR INCIDENT resonate with so many readers and educators! In terms of similarities, WHISPERS is spooky and dark and very, very ghostly.  It's also rooted in truth and history and steeped in a hefty dose of local Chicago legend - another similarity to Tessa's adventure. I adored Tessa's journey, as well as the friends she made along the way to solving the mystery of what happened on Shady street, and I'm equally thrilled for you guys to meet Claire! Claire is like many of us - filled with ideas about the world we live in, but occasionally hesitant to explore notions that are unfamiliar or different. Her journey in this mystery is special, and I truly hope her adventure resonates with you as much as it did with me when I wrote it. 

You're a part of the #SpookyMG team over at spookymiddlegrade.com. Can you tell us more about that and how teachers and students can get involved? 

Yes! #SpookyMG is a collaboration between over a dozen authors of spooky middle-grade literature! We host a blog, a YouTube channel, giveaways, and even have an amazing #SpookyMG book challenge that teachers and librarians can use to help find the perfect text for even their most reluctant readers. Our author group is also open to Skype's and spoke to dozens of classrooms all over the country this year! Spooky books can play a role all year long, and we're honored to shine a spotlight on all the fabulous benefits of reading them!

Both of your books feature hauntings. Do you believe in ghosts in real life?

Haha yessssss. Although I've never experienced a haunting personally, I do believe in ghosts. I guess there's a little Nina from PECULIAR INCIDENT in me! Most of my belief in the paranormal stems from the research I've done. There are so many ghost stories out there, and the more you read the more you begin to wonder. And if there's one thing an author loves to do . . . it's wonder. 

Thanks so much for stopping by, Lindsay Currie. You can find out more about Lindsay at: www.lindsaycurrie.com