We chat with author Kiersten White about Mister Magic: The Graphic Novel, which sees former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show—and discover the secret of its enigmatic host—in this stunningly illustrated graphic novel adaptation of the thrilling national bestseller Mister Magic.
Hi, Kiersten! Welcome back! It’s been almost six(!) years since we last spoke for the release of The Camelot Betrayal. How have you been and what have you been up to?
Six years! That’s wild. I simultaneously feel like all my previous books came out a few months ago but also another lifetime ago. Since then I’ve released eleven books across middle grade, young adult, and adult categories, plus a graphic novel adaptation of my first book for adults, HIDE. I’ve also been working on the seven (?) books I have coming out between now and 2028. So, that pretty much sums it up. People sometimes ask if I have any cool hobbies. The answer is: napping.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My love of writing hit very young. I was in first grade when I decided I was going to be an author. As I grew, reading voraciously and telling myself stories became coping mechanisms for anxiety. I feel really fortunate that I’ve been able to make a career out of it, because there’s literally nothing else I want to do. (Or am good at.)
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? I could have looked at those books forever.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Probably a tie between Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery and the Redwall series by Brian Jacques
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Mister Magic: The Graphic Novel is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Gorgeously eerie full color nightmare!
What can readers expect in this graphic novel adaptation?
It’s very faithful to the narrative of the novel, so whether you’ve already read Mister Magic or not, you can dive right in! The story follows the last cast of a cursed children’s program that ended in tragedy thirty years ago, reunited at a strange house in the middle of the desert to try and discover what the show actually was and why it’s haunted them all these years.
With the shift from prose to art, please expect Veronica Fish and Andy Fish to have delivered a) the most expressive, gorgeous cast, b) stunningly beautiful settings, and c) the trippiest, coolest atmosphere. It’s more creepy than disturbing, so if you’re not usually a horror reader, this is a great one to dip your toes into. I’d also recommend it if you’re not typically drawn to graphic novels. It’s very character driven and so a little more accessible if you’re still building visual literacy. (It’s a thing! If you didn’t grow up with the format, you really do have to put in some time to learn it.)
Jumping back to 2023 when Mister Magic published, where did the inspiration for the book come from?
One afternoon, my spouse mused, “What if the cast from Barney grew up and realized it had been real the whole time?” And I said, “Yes! Because their one friend who always insisted Barney was real turns up dead, with bite wounds from a creature that hasn’t existed in millions of years. Barney’s back, and he’s hungry.” And then my spouse asked why I always make things creepy, and I said he loves it, and he confirmed he does. After that I got thinking about the concept of a children’s show everyone assumed was make believe actually being real—and sinister, naturally—and it spun out from there.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed seeing come to life in the graphic novel?
There’s a quiet scene between two of the main characters, Val and Isaac, where they’re standing under the nighttime desert sky. When I wrote it, it was all interior thoughts and feelings. And somehow Veronica and Andy captured everything with one wordless panel. I’m getting chills just thinking about it. I know we joke that pictures are worth a thousand words, but they really can be.
They also did a phenomenal job tapping into a 90’s aesthetic for the flashback scenes from when the show was airing. It’s so fun!
Were there any challenges with the adaptation?
Honestly, not on my end. I’m a big fan of adaptation, and of creating the best story for whatever format you’re using, so changes weren’t a big deal to me. I also only did editorial; Scott Peterson, the adaptor, is so good at his job. I really thought studying his process with HIDE: The Graphic Novel would help me learn how to write graphic novels. Instead, it convinced me I shouldn’t try because it’s such a specific, technical, challenging format. He’s incredible to work with. And then when I was reviewing the art at various stages, the biggest challenge was finding anything helpful to say other than OH MY GOD and THIS IS AMAZING and ARE YOU TWO ACTUALLY WIZARDS BECAUSE I’M PRETTY SURE THIS IS MAGIC.
We did go back and forth on the depiction of Mister Magic himself—in the book, he’s a featureless black void, but for obvious reasons he needed to be a little more visually distinctive in the graphic novel. And again, some more, I think Veronica and Andy absolutely nailed it.
The graphic novel is illustrated Veronica Fish and Andy Fish. Is there any insight into the direction for this graphic novel that you can share?
Because Mister Magic and Hide take place in the same universe—there’s even a cameo from a couple of characters in Hide, and I was so excited to literally see them again—we wanted the art to have a similar feel. Which wasn’t difficult, because we lucked out in having the exact same team. I also want to shout out Kaitlin Ketchum, our incredible editor at Ten Speed Graphic, as well as Meggie Ramm, our designer. I know it’s my story, but I feel like I can take so little credit for what an incredible graphic novel it turned out to be.
What’s next for you?
I have two more releases this year! One is a middle grade book, Hiding From the Dark: A Star Wars Horror Novel. They let me scare children with Darth Vader! Sometimes my life feels like a dream.
And then in an opposite process from Mister Magic: The Graphic Novel, I was lucky enough to write the first prose novel in the world of Something Is Killing the Children, the incredible horror comic series from James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera. Something Is Killing the Children: Hope Is a Knife is out in October!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I’m really excited for the new Stephen Graham Jones, Off the Reservation, and I just secured a copy of Katee Robert’s upcoming fantasy The Tarot Trials.
I’ve had a great reading year so far. Some standouts were Veronica Roth’s urban fantasy novellas When Among Crows and To Clutch a Razor, Lauren Groff’s short story collection Brawler, the English translation of Korean novelist Kim Bohyun’s Mothersucker, and Melissa Albert’s delicious The Children.
