Happy Halloween, friends!

I'm thrilled to share my interview with Kristen Dickson, author of A Witch Lives Here. A Witch Lives Here is a "a whimsical picture book about a mysterious house in the woods full of black cats and flying brooms, and a child and dog who follow the clues to determine if a witch indeed lives there. For fans of Kiki's Delivery Service and How to Catch a Witch." It's the perfect spooky season story! 🎃

Q: A Witch Lives Here follows Felix and Spike as they investigate a mysterious house to decide if a witch truly lives there. To do so, they search for clues contained in the aptly named book, “23 Witchy Clues to Spot.” What inspired the twenty-three witchy clues?

A: Oh, the clues! I believe there was a small army of copyeditors dedicated to counting and double counting the number of clues. We didn’t want to miss one! Or count one twice! It was a big effort to keep them all straight (big shout out to the editorial team at Roaring Brook!). To answer your question, we all loved the idea of Felix treasuring witches so much that he carried his own witchy almanac – and then happened to find the perfect way to put his knowledge to the test (a tall black house in the middle of the forest)!

Q: Your words are welcoming, playful, and vibrant, delivering a heartwarming story of witchy wonder, spooky shenanigans, and friendship. Would you share your process for honing your voice and crafting joyful tales that are treats for the whole family?

A: Thank you so much for your kind words, first of all! This book was SO fun to write. I have always loved Halloween, so I’m very grateful for the opportunity to write the Halloween book of my dreams! Fun fact – this manuscript has gone through at least 20 revisions. Spike’s original name was Claude! But Felix has always been Felix, and he has always wanted to be a witch, and the house in the woods was always instrumental to his journey to become one. In fact, the ending lines (“’I wonder,’ Felix said, ‘if any witches live here.’ And they did.”) were in the manuscript from the very first draft. Like Felix, once we find our own magic, we carry it with us across every threshold.

Q: A Witch Lives Here features stunning pictures that complement the story perfectly, delivering an immersive and spellbinding reading experience. Would you walk us through the collaboration process with A Witch Lives Here’s incredible illustrator, Justine Gilbuena?

A: Isn’t Justine wonderful? This is her debut picture book! I am so honored to be a part of her first publication process, especially having seen her extraordinary talent first hand. I still get goosebumps every time I open the book, because every detail is so darn perfect and adorable. Throughout the collaboration process, it felt like Justine was constantly reaching inside my brain to bring every detail of Felix and Spike’s adventure to life. Fun fact: Felix was partly inspired by one of Justine’s illustrations from a few Halloweens back! Safe to say that Justine’s been baked into Felix and Spike’s story since the very beginning.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from A Witch Lives Here, and what did you learn by writing it?

A: It’s always wonderful to hear of little ones reading the book for the first time, or seeing pictures and videos, or experiencing it while reading it aloud to a group at storytime (nothing like real-time feedback from toddlers, ha!) But nothing beats hearing about families reading it again and again, because that’s a kid’s true stamp of approval. Fills me with joy! This book has several layers to it and can be appreciated in different ways, so my hope is readers can find something new in Felix and Spike’s story every time they open it.

Q: What is your favorite part of writing for little ones?

A: When my kids were in preschool, I hosted a weekly storytime for our neighborhood playgroup in my backyard. Each week we chose books according to different themes (Cars, Dinos, Mermaids, etc), and I quickly learned the importance of humor in capturing the attention of rambunctious four year olds! The more absurd the humor, the better – which is a very fun place to write from. I try to shape my work around the number of belly laughs it might one day receive.

Author Bio:

Kristen Dickson is the author of A Witch Lives Here and Fiona Builds A Fairy House, two picture books about marvelous houses and fantastic friends. Kristen dresses as a black cat each year for Halloween and loves finding magic in everyday things. She lives in Dallas with her family.

Thank you so much to Kristen for joining me in discussing her spook-tacular picture book! 🫶

Happy Halloween friends!

We've got a combo disability release wrap up for September and October this month! Apologies on getting a little behind on these--with the combination of traveling internationally and the start of the school year... the fall has gotten away from me. Really, I should be studying for midterms right now but one thing about me is I'll take any excuse to procrastinate.

September Releases

A Hart to Call Home by S. Sidney

romance

chronic migraine

Espíritu by Aiden Thomas

YA fantasy
ADHD

Tastes Like Summer by Caroline Frank

romance

type 1 diabetes

Feeling Like an ADHD Alien by Pina Varnel

YA graphic novel

ADHD

Keldori by Daybreak by M.T. Zimny

YA fantasy

trichotillomania

Kill Your Darlings by Yuvashri Harish

YA Horror

neurodivergence

Conflict Conclusion by D.C. Emerson

romance

PTSD

The Vanished Sister by Sherry Thomas

historical mystery

neurodivergence

Set the Record Straight by Hannah Bonam-Young (trad pub release)

holiday romance

autism, ADHD

The Curse of Thornhollow by Valtinen Erik Karille

paranormal thriller

cane and ambulatory wheelchair user

Doomsdate by Laura Piper Lee

paranormal romance

anxiety

Kiss of the Black Flame by Helen Scheurer

fantasy romance

chronic illness, chronic pain

Made Better Together by Kylie Skye

romance

PTSD

Between Heaven and Unholy by Joanna Carney

romance

anxiety

From Beijing With Love by Bei Lin

romance

OCD, anxiety

The Bone Brides by Marley Rose-Teter

horror

mental illness

October Releases

You're No Better by Andrew Joseph White

YA horror

autism

The Forest Bleeds by Rachel Kitch

horror

OCD, neurodivergence

Ideal Lost, Part One: The Shrikes by JT Wong

contemporary

depression, anxiety

Forrest and Fable by Evita Wren

romance

POTS

Boundless edited by Marieke Nijkamp

middle grade anthology

every story ft. different disabilities

How to Troll a Guy in 10 Days by Pippa Grant

romance

migraines

Bad Words by Ríoghnach Robinson

romance

depression

Big Nick Energy by Morgan Elizabeth (trad pub release)

holiday romance

migraines

Undone by Peyton Corinne

romance

mental illness

Sunflower Season by Danica Nava

romance

anxiety, panic attacks

Scorpion Deep by C.G. Drews

YA horror

autism

Victorious by V.E. Schwab

fantasy

chronic pain

Love Wants Us to Win by Jacqueline Middleton

romance

migraines

Crack the Ice by Lindsey Saenz

romance

autism, ADHD, cancer

It's that time!

October has come to a close! I hope everyone enjoyed Mazywood this month, the new horror-thriller from prolific speculative writer Tananarive Due. We have now selected our picks for November, and it is time to vote!

As fun perk this month, BGN Followers can vote on the selections! We have a number to pick from so choose wisely!

Without further ado; here are the selections. Please make sure to vote so yours is counted!

The First Editions, your next book club read just got a little easier! ✨ Our Love All the Way by Rachel Woodley book club kits are officially available, and they’re ready to help you turn your reading into a conversation worth having.

From thoughtful discussion questions to book-club-friendly activities and more, these kits are designed to help you dive deeper into the story, connect with your readers, and make your Love All the Way book club discussion even more memorable. 💕📖

✨ Ready to grab your kits?
Tap the link to download your Love All the Way book club kits!

Tap here to download your BOOK CLUB KIT

Tap here to download your INDIVIDUAL BOOK CLUB MEMBER GUIDE 

Tap here to download your BUDDY READER KIT 

Tap her to download your SOLO READER KIT 

And while you’re there, don’t forget to check out our Deep Dive Book Club Review of Love All the Way by Rachel Woodley. We’re taking a closer look at the story, themes, characters, and everything that made this book such a great conversation starter for The Page Ladies Book Club.

📖 Read. Discuss. Connect. Repeat. That’s what book club is all about. 💕

#LoveAllTheWay #RachelWoodley #BookClubKits #BookClubReads #ThePageLadiesBookClub