Hi, Lily! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi! My name is Lily Anderson and I am the author of SCOUT’S HONOR, UNDEAD GIRL GANG, and other books for young adults. I’m a lifelong Californian and former elementary school librarian. I write books that are campy and cinematic, with a particular focus on female friendships and the mixed race experience.

Your latest novel, Showstopper, is out now! What can readers expect?

SHOWSTOPPER is a YA slasher novel alá Scream that’s set at a musical theatre summer camp. It asks the question “who would want to kill a bunch of theatre kids?” and answers it with “well, everyone, we’re the worst.” You can expect frenemies, superstitions, gory kills, sweet romance, and a killer in a commedia dell’arte mask.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I’ve always wanted to write a theatre book. I grew up in a youth theatre conservatory where we did three shows a year and rehearsed upwards of twenty hours a week. Not only did we perform in a theatre with a 300 seat audience, we also did shows at high schools and county fairs and local award shows. It was intense. It was life altering. It was really strange. We were kids but we were held to the standard of professionals. So we had the grudging respect of coworkers and the absolute melodrama of a bunch of hormonal competitive teenagers who kept falling in love with each other.

Writing SHOWSTOPPER was a way to look back at my own teen years with twenty years of hindsight and see how bizarre the whole thing was. And to add in a serial killer, just for pizzazz.

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Will you be picking up Showstopper? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Lily Anderson, Author of ‘Showstopper’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

AboutA Little Too Haunted: The Lost Library meets Not Quite a Ghost in this middle grade horror novel about a girl uncovering secrets about her new, haunted home.

It probably isn’t easy for a cat to have a writer in their life. When a cat spends enough time with a writer (or a dedicated enough reader) there is a real possibility of them becoming a Bookish Cat. It requires more than one might think. Not only do Bookish Cats have to inspect new books (books, of course, must pass a sniff test) and constantly be ready for and subjected to photoshoots with said books, but these cats don’t even get the appreciation they deserve for contributing to the writing of novels or reviews. (If something was deleted, well, that’s called editing. And it might not seem intentional when they walk across the keyboard, but a lot of thought was put intooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvqqqqqqqqqqq).

What I’m trying to say is… it’s a lot of work for someone who sleeps for most of the day!

But there are certain highlights to becoming a Bookish Cat. A certain magic. There is something so wonderful about the combination of cats and books. Oftentimes, Bookish Cats will get to curl up with their Writer and a good book. To make it even better, some of those times, they’ll even get to bite through the pages, or the crisp cover. Reading really is delicious.

As a writer, I am blessed to have multiple Bookish Cats in my life. They provide love and encouragement when I face struggles in my publishing career, they create perfect poses for me to badly edit into book marketing material, they make use of whatever boxes books are delivered in. They give real inspiration for the fictional cats I always include in my own books.

They are also great at choosing what to read next. I went around and asked what books they are most looking forward to reading this Halloween season, and rewarded them with treats for their responses.

Here are the horror recommendations from the Bookish Cats I am lucky enough to know and love:

JASPER recommends SHOWSTOPPER by Lily Anderson

As much as Jasper loves reading, he is a theater gay at heart. He has a love of showtunes, and is the most chatty of all the cats, with a projecting meow that really carries. But don’t think that means he doesn’t like a little violence. So what better book for him than a bloodbath that takes place at a theater camp? A killer performance, and the right amount of drama (and blood) for this spicy orange.

TWINKLEPOP recommends MYSTERY JAMES DIGS HER OWN GRAVE by Ally Russell

Twinklepop is known for his usually-haunted expression, with big eyes that seem to have witnessed unimaginable past horrors, nightmarish ghosts, or perhaps a bug. While he is a big softy, his tendency to lurk the halls and not trust strangers has him most excited for ghost stories, and Mystery James seems like the purr-fect fit. While Twinkle himself is probably closer to a sleep paralysis demon (he will prevent you from getting good sleep by sitting on your nightstand and slapping your face), a strong lead who has grown up around death and deals with the supernatural is definitely Mr. Pop’s cup of tea.

KIMURA recommends THE TRANSITION by Logan-Ashley Kisner

Kimura, known to many as Mr. Baby, knows what it is like to have a different form. Most of the time, he’s a cute, cuddly, playful chonk. But sometimes (perhaps on full moons? Or every night and after he uses the litter box?), he shifts into something a little different: a chaos cryptid with the zoomies, wreaking havoc and running wild. Needless to say, Kimura loves a monster book, and since this cat actually likes seeing dogs, he definitely won’t shy from werewolves. A trans werewolf story? Brb, getting the zoomies to the bookstore.

BECKY recommends WHO’S ALL GOING (TO DIE)? by Lisa Springer

Rebecca, more commonly known as Becky Buns, is absolutely Final Girl material. She’s small but fierce, and definitely a survivor. (Literally, an FIP survivor!) So she can’t resist a slasher with a fellow strong female lead. She also often wakes up and chooses violence (mostly against fabric, or feet under blankets) and loves a slasher. This fast-paced and fun book has the right amount of suspense to keep Becky at the edge of her seat (but hopefully, as a bit of a wobbly princess, not falling off it).

KANA recommends A LITTLE TOO HAUNTED by Justine Pucella Winans

Unfortunately, sweet Kana is no longer with us in this world, but she lives on in a lot of ways. In my heart, tattooed on my arm, and in the pages of this particular book. Kana was a sweet, wonderful kitten who loved to be cozy at home. A LITTLE TOO HAUNTED felt like the perfect home for her, as it is a book that is both scary and cozy, and a story about a lonely kid (and perhaps some lonely ghosts) building a (haunted) home. I’m sure you all will love her when you meet her in the pages, and I’m grateful to keep her memory alive in this way.

I hope you will take all these great recommendations (honestly, I should start a book club) but I think any Bookish Cat would want to emphasize that the important thing is that you read and read widely. Read books that make you think, books that make you laugh, books that make you learn, books that make you cry. Read books from writers with identities you share and books from writers with identities you don’t. Read the books that get challenged, and fight back against those challenges. (Have you ever tried telling a cat not to do something? The energy we need to combat the horrific book bans.)

Bookish Cats hope that you will read because books change lives and save lives. Just like the Bookish Cats that roam among them.

***And the Bookish Dogs, Bookish Snakes, Bookish Rabbits, Bookish Fish, etc. But I’ll leave those guest posts for those more familiar with that type of wondrous Literary Creature.

The post On Bookish Cats (And Their Horror Book Recommendations) appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Lily Anderson’s Killer House Party, which is out now.

Red Solo cups? Check. Snacks? Check. Abandoned mansion full of countless horrors that won’t let you leave? Check.

The Deinhart Manor has been a looming shadow over town for as long as anyone can remember, and it’s been abandoned for even longer. When the final Deinhart descendent passes, the huge gothic manor is up for sale for the first time ever. Which means Arden can steal the keys from her mom’s real estate office . . . It’s time for a graduation party that no one will ever forget.

Arden and her friends each have different reasons for wanting to throw the party to end all parties. But when the manor doors bar everyone inside and the walls begin to bleed, all anyone wants to do is make it out alive.

Every town has a haunted house. The Deinhart Manor was ours. 

What happened to the Deinhart family was the first scary story I ever heard. My dad told it to me many times, especially on Halloween. He grew up in Bucktown, looking up at the abandoned house on the hill. He loved the mystery and macabre grandeur of it. 

This is his version of the story. 

Almost exactly 100 years ago… (It’s always “almost exactly” no matter the year, but really it was some time between World War I and World War II.)

The Deinharts were the richest family in Bucktown. Mr. Deinhart owned the onion plant (where the bowling alley is now) and employed most of the men in town. Mrs. Deinhart wore fur coats and long strings of pearls. They had more money than God. More money than sense.

Back then, Founders Hill was a public park. It was covered in wildflowers and a grove of fruit and nut trees. People would picnic there and look out at the beautiful view of the town.

Until the Deinharts bought the park and the hill beneath it. A fence went up with a sign warning trespassers to keep out under threat of violence. The Deinharts built their mansion there, on the most desirable piece of land in the county.

The people in town watched as the hill’s trees sagged with a harvest that the Deinharts did not need. The sweet stench of rotting apples and overripe plums blew downwind and into their homes. Hatred for the Deinhart family grew. Festered. Metastasized into a curse. The town wanted the Deinhart family gone.

And then the Deinharts started to die.

There were five children in the Deinhart family, and they died in the same order they were born. The eldest fell down the stairs and crushed his skull on the way down. The second ate one of the hill’s apples, bit into the seeds, and died of cyanide poisoning. The third took her own life to escape the terror of waiting for the curse. Then there were two. A son and a daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Deinhart grew terrified that they would lose their last children. So terrified that they made a deal with the Devil.

(“Really? The Devil?” I’d ask. We were only Christmas trees and Easter eggs religious, not a literal horns-and-pitchfork devil religious. “The Devil always shows up where there’s enough money,” Dad would say. This led to me screaming in terror when I got a $50 bill from my grandma on my seventh birthday.)

The Devil told them, “Your family is cursed. The only way to break it is for one of you to die. Trade your life for your child’s.”

Mr. and Mrs. Deinhart didn’t believe it. Well, they refused to believe it, which is different. Refusing to believe is pretending with the truth stuck in your stomach. They sent the Devil away and took their own precautions. They refused to eat anything but canned food and powdered milk. They shut the children away in the Manor and boarded up all the doors and windows.

Eventually, one of the kids got sick. No one knows how because the only germs in the house were their own. But the Deinhart parents got scared. Not only out of fear for the child, but fear for themselves. The Devil’s warning didn’t seem so ridiculous now. As the child’s fever grew, so did their paranoia. The only way to stop the curse was for one of the parents to die. And neither of them was volunteering. They slept with knives under their pillows. Then they stopped sleeping altogether. They circled each other, sure that the other was planning their death. The house had seen so much death, it could feel that another was close.

Was the curse broken? I don’t know. The family never left. Not by foot or hearse.

They’re still in that house today, long since dead. And together forever.

Sounds like Hell, doesn’t it?

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Killer House Party’ by Lily Anderson appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Dahlia Adler’s introduction serves a great way to set the scene for the magical menageries of tales that are to follow. It reminds us of Shakespeare’s enduring influence and in our everyday language, but also acknowledges how the canon only represents certain groups, therefore through reimaginings, we can open our stories to be more diverse and inclusive. The timelessness of Shakespeare’s themes should be reflected in every reader being able to see themselves in his vast range of characters.

Kicking off the anthology is Severe Weather Warning by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, which is inspired by The Tempest. This was a cute, romantic tale with believable tensions and subplots worthy of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies. It’s such a human tale of miscommunication and squandered opportunities. Shipwrecked by Mark Oshiro then follows on and it’s inspired by Twelfth Night. I really loved the representation in this story and how Oshiro deftly wove the different narrators together. Yet again, the wish for communication and romantic entanglements were pulled off so well. This is a really funny, sweet and casually queer story. Next up was Taming of the Soul Mate by K. Ancrum, which was inspired by Taming of the Shrew. Ancrum had such a strong concept and unique way of reimagining the story. You’re left feeling like this is just the beginning of a new tale that would be amazing to see fully expanded in its own books someday.

Continuing this extremely strong anthology was King of the Fairies by Anna-Marie McLemore, which was inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As ever, their writing is just so gorgeous and ethereal. The discussion around colonialism, racism, and finding your own community was so impactful too. When the anthology was first announced, I was intrigued to see how The Merchant of Venice would be reinterpreted and I Bleed by Dahlia Adler is such a well-written reclamation of a tale that has roots in strong anti-Semitic ideology and Adler flips the tale on its head, allowing for more three-dimensional and nuanced Jewish representation. We Have Seen Better Days by Lily Anderson (inspired by As You Like It) was an interesting, entertaining, and moving coming-of-age story, while Some Other Metal by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy (inspired by Much Ado About Nothing) was both brilliantly cosmic and hopelessly human at the same time. Both perfectly captured the essence of the original story.

Brittany Cavallaro took a different approach with His Invention, which was inspired by Sonnet 147. This was a truly dark and disturbing story, reminiscent of an encased gem attempting to escape from the narrative. Kiersten White’s use of multimedia to convey her retelling of Romeo and Juliet, with an inspired title of Partying is Such Sweet Sorrow, was so interesting and really brought a modern feel to a timeless tale of forbidden love. Personally, Dreaming of the Dark by Lindsay Smith (inspired by Julius Caesar) was a blood-drenched, enthralling ,and dark story that left an indelible mark on my heart. It delved into death, magic, and vengeance in really unexpected and twisted ways.

The Tragedy of Cory Lanez: An Oral History by Tochi Onyebuchi, which was inspired by Coriolanus, was a powerful, timely story that sadly we’ve heard echoed over and over again in the media. The way we saw fragments of Cory through the narratives of others was thought-provoking and left the reader responsible for piecing it together.

Out of the Storm by Joy McCullough, inspired by King Lear, changes the entire narrative of the play from pitting women against each other to slowly exposing Lear as the abusive and controlling tyrant he was. There’s this bond of sisterhood that emerges slowly and cautiously, but it is undeniably there. From there, we dived into Hamlet in Elsinore by Patrice Caldwell, which was an epic, Gothic and empowering tale, complete with supernatural touches and even some vampiric creatures. Continuing the dark theme was We Fail by Samantha Mabry, inspired by Macbeth, which added a completely new dynamic to a story you know so well. Finally, Lost Girl by Melissa Bashardoust, inspired by The Winter’s Tale, was just a gorgeously written story that was beautiful in every way.

Overall, That Way Madness Lies exemplifies the brilliance of modern reimaginings of classic stories. Each tale is a gem in the glittering crown of this anthology, which is one of the best anthologies I’ve read.

That Way Madness Lies is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.

Will you be picking up That Way Madness Lies? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Fifteen acclaimed YA writers put their modern spin on William Shakespeare’s celebrated classics!

West Side Story. 10 Things I Hate About You. Kiss Me, Kate. Contemporary audiences have always craved reimaginings of Shakespeare’s most beloved works. Now, some of today’s best writers for teens take on the Bard in these 15 whip-smart and original retellings!

Contributors include Dahlia Adler (reimagining The Merchant of Venice), Kayla Ancrum (The Taming of the Shrew), Lily Anderson (As You Like It), Patrice Caldwell (Hamlet), Melissa Bashardoust (A Winter’s Tale), Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy (Much Ado About Nothing), Brittany Cavallaro (Sonnet 147), Joy McCullough (King Lear), Anna-Marie McLemore (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Samantha Mabry (Macbeth), Tochi Onyebuchi (Coriolanus), Mark Oshiro (Twelfth Night), Lindsay Smith (Julius Caesar), Kiersten White (Romeo and Juliet), and Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka (The Tempest).

The post Review: ‘That Way Madness Lies’ Anthology, Edited by Dahlia Adler appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover what YA books are coming out this month and tell us what you will be reading!

The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

The Trials of Apollo series continues in the third instalment, which is about the formerly glorious god Apollo, cast down to earth in punishment by Zeus, is now an awkward mortal teenager named Lester Papadopoulos. In order to regain his place on Mount Olympus, Lester must restore five Oracles that have gone dark. But he has to achieve this impossible task without having any godly powers and while being duty-bound to a confounding young daughter of Demeter named Meg.

The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde
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As a rock star drummer in the hit band The Brightsiders, Emmy King’s life should be perfect. But a night of partying lands Emmy in hospital and her girlfriend in jail, and branded the latest tabloid train wreck. Luckily, Emmy has her friends and bandmates, including the super-swoonworthy Alfie, to help her pick up the pieces of her life. She knows hooking up with a band member is exactly the kind of trouble she should be avoiding, and yet Emmy and Alfie Just. Keep. Kissing. Will the inevitable fallout turn her into a clickbait scandal (again)? Or will she find the strength to stand on her own?

Puddin’ by Julie Murphy
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

It is a companion novel to Dumplin’, which follows supporting characters from the first book in the months after Willowdean’s star turn in the Clover City pageant. Millie Michalchuk has gone to fat camp every year since she was a girl, but this year she has new plans to chase her secret dream—and to kiss her crush, Callie Reyes. When circumstances bring the girls together over the course of a semester, they will surprise everyone (especially themselves) by realising they might have more in common than they ever imagined.

Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch
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Addie is visiting Ireland for her aunt’s over-the-top destination wedding, and hoping she can stop thinking about the one horrible thing she did but her brother isn’t about to let her forget. When Addie discovers an unusual guidebook she’s able to finally escape her anxious mind until their plans change. Suddenly Addie finds herself on a whirlwind tour of the Emerald Isle, trapped in the world’s smallest vehicle with her brother and his admittedly cute, Irish-accented friend Rowan. Addie hopes her guidebook will heal not only her broken heart, but also her shattered relationship with her brother.

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

A princess, a traitor, a hunter and a thief. Four teenagers with the fate of the world in their hands. Four nations destined for conflict. In Brigant, Princess Catherine prepares for a loveless political marriage arranged by her brutal and ambitious father. In Calidor, downtrodden servant March seeks revenge on the prince who betrayed his people. In Pitoria, feckless Edyon steals cheap baubles for cheaper thrills as he drifts from town to town. And in the barren northern territories, thirteen-year-old Tash is running for her life as she plays bait for the gruff demon hunter Gravell.

From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell so when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2. When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Royals by Rachel Hawkins
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Meet Daisy Winters. She’s an offbeat sixteen-year-old Floridian with mermaid-red hair; a part-time job at a bootleg Walmart, and a perfect older sister who’s nearly engaged to the Crown Prince of Scotland. Daisy has no desire to live in the spotlight, but relentless tabloid attention forces her to join Ellie at the relative seclusion of the castle across the pond. While the dashing young Miles has been appointed to teach Daisy the ropes of being regal, the prince’s roguish younger brother kicks up scandal wherever he goes, and tries his best to take Daisy along for the ride. The crown–and the intriguing Miles–might be trying to make Daisy into a lady . . . but Daisy may just rewrite the royal rulebook to suit herself.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Mila Flores and her best friend Riley have always been inseparable. There’s not much excitement in their small town of Cross Creek except Riley’s favorite activity: amateur witchcraft. So when Riley and two Fairmont Academy mean girls die under suspicious circumstances, Mila refuses to believe everyone’s explanation that her BFF was involved in a suicide pact. Instead, armed with a tube of lip gloss and an ancient grimoire, Mila does the unthinkable to uncover the truth: she brings the girls back to life.

Game of Secrets by Kim Foster
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Felicity Cole sells flowers in the streets of Victorian London to feed herself and her young brother. But she has a close-guarded secret–her brother is a Tainted, born with special abilities that society fears and a shadowy organization called the Hunstsman scours the country to eliminate. When Felicity becomes the target of one of these individuals, she discovers something horrible: she’s Tainted, too. Rescued by a mysterious gentleman on the eve of execution, she’s whisked away to a school funded by Queen Victoria, established to train selected Tainted into assassins in service of the crown.

The Accidental Bad Girl by Maxine Kaplan
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After getting caught hooking up with her best friend’s ex on the last day of junior year, Kendall starts senior year friendless and ostracized. She plans to keep her head down until she graduates. But after discovering her online identity has been hacked and she’s being framed for stealing from a dealer, Kendall is drawn into a tenuous partnership with the mastermind of a drug ring lurking in the shadows of her Brooklyn private school. If she wants to repair her tattered reputation and save her neck, she’ll have to decide who she really is—and own it. The longer she plays the role of “bad girl,” the more she becomes her new reputation. Friends and enemies, detectives and drug dealers—no one is who they appear to be. Least of all Kendall.

Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

After Kate’s father tried to assassinate the high king years ago, she’s now an outcast. But Kate has a secret edge: she is a wilder, born with magic that allows her to influence the minds of animals. But it’s this magic that she needs to keep hidden, as being a wilder is forbidden, punishable by death or exile. The high king’s second son, Corwin Tormane takes it on himself to investigate rumors of unrest in one of the remote city-states, only for his caravan to be attacked—and for him to be saved by Kate. With their paths once more entangled, Kate and Corwin have to put the past behind them. The threat of beasts who attack in the daylight is only the beginning of a darker menace stirring in the kingdom—one whose origins have dire implications for Kate’s father’s attack upon the king and will thrust them into the middle of a brewing civil war in the kingdom of Rime.

The Surface Breaks by Louise O’Neill
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon

Deep beneath the sea, off the cold Irish coast, Gaia is a young mermaid who dreams of freedom from her controlling father. On her first swim to the surface, she is drawn towards a human boy. She longs to join his carefree world, but how much will she have to sacrifice? What will it take for the little mermaid to find her voice? Hans Christian Andersen’s original fairy tale is reimagined through a searing feminist lens, with the stunning, scalpel-sharp writing and world building that has won Louise her legions of devoted fans. A book with the darkest of undercurrents, full of rage and rallying cries: storytelling at its most spellbinding.

Check out more of this month’s book releases on our Goodreads list!

The post May Book Releases: Young Adult appeared first on The Nerd Daily.