We chat with debut author Ciera Burch about her spooky middle grade novel Finch House, which is Encanto meets Coraline and follows a girl who must convince an old, haunted house to release its hold on her and her family.
Hi, Ciera! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Of course. I’m Ciera, I love writing, ice cream, and D&D. I’m a plant mom and book hoarder and I very much enjoy spending time on my couch with my heated blanket and a good book when I’m not writing my own.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Oh, when I was very, very little. I was lucky to have a mom who loved reading and so would spend time reading aloud to me as a baby. I think one of my first memories is just my mom’s voice in that very storytelling cadence as she read and her reactions to whatever it was she was managing to read for fun in between being busy taking care of me and working and finishing school.
When I got older, reading and storytelling became my main source of entertainment. If I wasn’t reading, I was daydreaming and if I wasn’t daydreaming, I was making up worlds and scenarios to act out with my stuffed animals.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Oh, jeeze, my memory is so bad! Okay!
I think it was some collection of Disney princess stories that is forever titleless in my memory. Or maybe one of the Babysitters Club books. Or The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Jon Scieszka.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor was one of my first introductions to a main Black cast in a book, especially a young Black main character. Despite the time period and location difference reading that book was the first time I’d felt seen as a reader and I just remember wanting to give other kids that same feeling with the stories I liked to tell my mom or stuffed animals.
I’m not sure I’ll ever stop thinking about We Are Okay by Nina LaCour and the profound sense of emotion wielded so well on every page.
Your debut novel, Finch House, is out September 5th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Spooky, loving, brave, hopeful, and forgiving.
What can readers expect?
A lot of atmosphere! Fall is the best season and I love a good haunting vibe, which I think Finch House has just enough of without being too scary. They can also expect lots of familial love and blossoming friendship between characters because I love love in all of its forms, especially familial, and bravery even in the face of doubt and fear.
Micah is a brave girl but it doesn’t mean that she’s not afraid and her fear is perfectly understandable and absolutely okay.
Where did the inspiration for Finch House come from?
There are many inspirations—The Haunting of Hill House, Victorian houses in general, the feeling of constant change that often comes with growing up—but my main influence is my Poppop…and his basement. My Poppop is one of my best friends and I love getting his view of the world and seeing how it’s different to or has helped shape my own.
His basement, and the endless stairs leading into the darkest night, has also been responsible for causing fear every time I step into the kitchen at night for almost three decades. When I think of childhood horror, it’s that basement that forever comes to mind!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed writing Jenn, a girl who lives inside of Finch House. She was a very complicated character to figure out, partially because of everything she’s gone through, and it was very fun (and somewhat difficult!) figuring out how she would interact with Micah and Theo and other characters and how her present day self might be different from her past self.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
It’s been fun! A little scary, surprisingly quick at times, and really just filled with a lot of gratitude for the people behind the scenes who have championed me and my book as much as they have! I’ve been writing for nearly my entire life but the process of becoming a published author has amplified that warm, happy feeling I get when I write just as much as it has made me stress over deadlines or edits. I worked in publishing and bookselling for all of my adult life but being on this side of the book world has been fascinating and eye-opening in any number of great ways.
I previously wrote mostly YA and started writing Finch House partially on a whim and partially on a nudge from my agent and quickly fell in love with the voice I discovered for middle grade.
What’s next for you?
My debut YA, Something Kindred, about Jericka, a teenage girl who’s forced to move to rural Marlyand to help care for her sick, estranged grandmother and develops feelings for another girl she meets in town, comes out in April!
I’m also currently working on my second middle grade that deals with a fun cryptid from my home state and a science-loving Black girl who definitely doesn’t believe in monsters.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton is absolutely delightful. Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato is a wonderful story about discovering D&D and friendship. And for manga lovers, I’ve been very much enjoying Spy X Family by Tatsuya Endo!
