We chat with author Justine Pucella Winans about Wishbone, which is a terrifying story about what happens when you aren’t careful what you wish for, think Coraline meets Ghost Squad!
Hi, Justine! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! My name is Justine Pucella Winans, pronouns they/she, and I am an author of mystery and horror books and, more importantly, a big cat person. Some of my previous books include the YA mystery, Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything, and the MG Stonewall Honor Book, The Otherwoods. When not working on my own books or reading books of others, I can be found playing Pokémon, training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and taking way too many photos of my three cats.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love books, to be quite honest! As a kid, I loved the escapism of fiction, and was pretty much always reading something. I have been a writer for a long time too. I wrote my first draft of a full novel when I was sixteen, although I remember writing stories from as early as second grade (when my awesome English teacher let me write an ongoing fiction story instead of journal entries). It definitely took me a long time to get to the point of publishing my work though.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter
- The one that made you want to become an author: Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Summer of Salt by Katrina Leno
Your latest novel, Wishbone, is out September 17th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Scary, cursed, fun, magic cat.
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect a combination of creepy, horror elements, action, a sense of humor, and found family. I think readers who enjoyed The Otherwoods will really like the horror fantasy elements of Wishbone, although it is a standalone so it’s totally okay if you haven’t read my other books! Ollie and Wishbone are very different than River and Mr. Fluffy Pancakes (the protagonist and feline sidekick of The Otherwoods) but I really hope that they will still resonate with young queer readers and cat lovers alike.
Where did the inspiration for Wishbone come from?
I wanted to follow up The Otherwoods with another horror fantasy, and I wanted to make sure I could include a cat as a main character. I don’t remember exactly how I came up with it, but I thought it would be fun to have a cat that granted wishes and caused curses. Wishbone having two tails was just something I found cool, although there is some inspiration from the design of Espeon (I am a huge fan of Eevee and the Eeveelutions in Pokémon!). I also really wanted to write a story that showed a strong sibling bond, which is why the relationship between Ollie and his older sister, Mia, is so important in the book. All of my books include some personal elements with themes, and this story definitely explores feelings of anger and frustration and how to deal with them without being consumed by them.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Overall, I really enjoyed writing the sibling scenes between Ollie and Mia! I have two siblings, so I really love getting to include that specific type of relationship in fiction. There’s something about knowing exactly how to annoy someone, but still having that strong bond, inside jokes, and (unfortunately) potential shared trauma. I also loved getting to write a protagonist who is more of a troublemaker and has to learn to deal with his anger. I think oftentimes these characters are written off as unlikeable, but I disagree. I love angry, messy, funny characters because I think they are far more relatable. I also think kids have a lot of reasons to be angry, and it is a disservice to pretend those feelings aren’t valid, common, and human. On the sillier side, one of my favorite elements to write were all the pun-filled names of Ollie’s dream horror-themed bakery.
With the spooky season drawing near, what are five favourite spooky reads or films you love?
Is it cheating if I give five books and five movies? (I’ve always been the person to ask, why not both?)
Spooky Reads (MG and YA):
- Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon
- The Nest by Kenneth Oppel and Jon Klassen
- Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
- Burn Down, Rise Up by Vicent Tirado
- Monstrous by Jessica Lewis
Spooky Movies
- Alien (1979)
- The Thing (1982)
- Nope (2022)
- Jaws (1975)
- The Host (2006)
What’s next for you?
I am so excited to have my first YA horror with Bloomsbury, HOW TO SURVIVE A SLASHER, release on March 11th! It is a very meta slasher in the realm of Scream and You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight that follows a queer teen who gets a seemingly prophetic manuscript that warns of the local masked murder’s return and leaves them with no choice but to reluctantly step into the role of Final Girl and stop the killer. On the MG side, I will have another release Fall 2025 that I’m equally excited about. It’s called A LITTLE TOO HAUNTED and follows a paranormal-obsessed thirteen-year-old who gets more than she bargained for when her fake “Haunted House flipping” moms finally move in to an actually haunted house.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Some recent reads I’ve absolutely loved are They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran (I was lucky enough to get an ARC), Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White, Murder Land by Carlyn Greenwald (also a 2025 release I got to read early!), and Rest in Peaches by Alex Brown. I am absolutely unable to contain my excitement to read The No-Brainer’s Guide to Decomposition by Adrianna Cuevas, Stage Fright by Wendy Parris, Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, Killer House Party by Lily Anderson, and on the Adult side, American Rapture by CJ Leede.
