I'm pleased to present an interview with Lindsay Currie, author of The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street, today on the blog! Ms. Currie is also the author of multiple YA novels.
The bold font are the questions I asked, the regular font are her answers, and the bold italic font are my comments about her answers.
1. Would you please tell us a little about The Peculiar Incident on Shady Street?
I'd love to! Peculiar Incident is a middle-grade mystery novel based on a famous local ghost legend here in Chicago. While I can't tell you exactly who is at the heart of the legend (no one likes spoilers!), I can tell you that it's delightfully spine-tingling and I had a blast researching/writing it. My main character, Tessa Woodward, is brave, resourceful and empathetic - all hard things to be considering she's just been forced to move from her warm and sunny home in FL to chilly, rainy Chicago. As if it wasn't hard enough leaving behind her friends, school, and art classes, Tessa discovers that her 100+ year old house isn't just old - it's also haunted! With the help of her new friends, Andrew, Nina and Richie, Tessa must unravel the mystery of who is haunting her, and why!
2. What was the inspiration for the book?
My inspiration for the book stemmed from my love of Chicago history and architecture. I often find myself taking walks to unusual locations in the city for inspiration - including graveyards! One of my favorite graveyards in all of Chicago is Graceland cemetery, where the ghost in Peculiar Incident is buried. Graceland is over 100 acres of serenity in the middle of a chaotic city, is hauntingly beautiful, and features some of the most eerie ghost legends this city has to offer - perfect inspiration for a fun and mysterious MG!
3. Random question! What's your favorite word?
I'd have to say my favorite word is "vivid". It isn't the most beautiful sounding word in the English language, but if you think about it from a writing standpoint, the meaning is wonderful. Vivid means "producing powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind" —something I aspire to do with everything I write! Setting is incredibly important to me and since my books are often set in Chicago, I try very hard to use all five of my senses to make sure that our elegant, historic and ghostly city is vivid for the reader!
Great word! :)
4. If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?
I can't reveal much, however I can say that I'm working on two different projects concurrently. One is another MG ghost story (unrelated to Peculiar Incident), and the other is a MG magical realism novel that features amulets, time travel, Great-Depression era Chicago, dangerous street gangs, and a whole lot of friendship. Stay tuned!
They both sound excellent! :)
5. What are some of your favorite MG books you've read? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?
I just recently read The Art of the Swap by Jen Malone and Kristine Asselin and loved it! And as for what I'm looking forward to reading, Case Closed by Lauren Magaziner comes out this August and I can't wait! My kingdom for an ARC!
The Art of the Swap was really good! And I'm really looking forward to reading Case Closed, too! :)
Thank you to Ms. Currie for participating in this event!
Here are a few links:
I have this on my must read list. Love the cover too. Thanks for the interview!
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