Read by yours truly :)
A couple of stellar interviews about The City
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Out of the City and into the Wild, the foxes continue their spooky adventures today.
I talked with Publisher’s Weekly and School Library Journal about the new adventure and the value of scary stories for kids. Enjoy.
Finding Hope in Horror: Christian McKay Heidicker is Not Afraid to Scare Kids
Out Tomorrow: SSFYF: The City and the SSFYF paperback!
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Not only is the Foxes sequel coming out tomorrow (August 31st), the paperback of the first Foxes is too! The latter contains bonus content, including more accurate wildlife AND (for the first time in print) the story Beatrix Potter wrote for Mia!
Here are some real nice trade reviews for The City:
“Heidicker’s writing continues to shine, his poetic language depicting scenarios that will be too much for sensitive readers but will more than satisfy those with a taste for gore and tragedy. At times the action becomes more burden than forward momentum, but on the whole, this is a worthy follow-up, with a triumphant end attempting to answer the eternal quandary of safety versus freedom . . . A fur-raising adventure.” —Kirkus
“Readers will white-knuckle their way through a vet’s treacherous office, a dog-food plant, and a sewer, but loyalty and friendship prove sturdy stuff for readers and foxes alike. A frightfully accomplished companion novel that stands on its own.” —Booklist
“Haunting and frightening nature tales of foxes in the wild and in a city, perfect for fans of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox or Sara Pennypacker’s Pax; would be a wonderful text for practicing inference skills.” —School Library Journal
See you all in the Antlerwood.
Lena Headey is bringing Scary Stories for Young Foxes to TV
https://deadline.com/2021/04/lena-headey-kids-horror-novel-scary-stories-for-young-foxes-animated-miniseries-boat-rocker-1234745778/?fbclid=IwAR2uyDTMEWsPhn5jm1X5-E9hWwCHMhUGOrwZV5kZNRdlW92LBJxp-ZSUKvA
GHOSTS OF WEIRDWOOD haunting children now!
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Happy pub day, little books. May the readers who need you find you.
(Also, the THIEVES OF WEIRDWOOD paperback is now available!)
EXCERPT from FOXES 2 (and a wonderful interview with Betsy Bird)!
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Link here! Enjoy!
GHOSTS OF WEIRDWOOD cover reveal! And THIEVES for $2.99!!!
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My birthday seems as good a time as any to have another cover reveal!
It’s out on April . . . something! The reviews are pretty, pretty nice:
“This second action-packed Weirdwood adventure is as exciting as the first . . . The villains are fantastic [and] the book addresses grief in an age-appropriate, accessible way. The plot twists and the cliffhanger ending will have readers clamoring for more.” —Kirkus
“Heidicker treats readers to some involved character development . . . Fans of the first title can rest easy knowing this is a worthy successor.” —BCCB
ALSO. THIEVES OF WEIRDWOOD is on sale for $2.99 wherever you get your ebooks!
Go. Be pleasantly haunted.
Mohammad Murad
Cover Reveal: SCARY STORIES FOR YOUNG FOXES - THE CITY
A frightened Stranger staggers through the Twisted Antler Wood,
Wounded deep and mumbling, his pawprints filled with blood.
Three young foxes sniff him out beneath the winter glow.
They listen to his gasping tale while sheltered from the snow . . .
A Barn holds swaying secrets, hung and dripping from its eaves.
A shade plucks foxes from the night, invisible as leaves.
The Ragged waits for helpless things while grinning in its tomb.
Laura Roady
A cold Machine grinds foxes up and drools them in the gloom.
The clicking teeth of hollow hounds resound down empty streets.
The Ladies smear their faces white and lure kits with their sweets.
A figure gathers paws and eyes with nimble Rubber Hands.
And foxes wake to metal scrapes, their limbs pinned down by bands.
Three young foxes knead the ground, uncertain what to do . . .
Will turning tail save your hide,
when the stories come for you?
8-31-2021
Pre-order here.
HOLY SQUIP, I STARTED WRITING FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
I have no idea how it happened, I don’t want to overthink it, but here’s my first piece:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/17/books/review/no-place-for-monsters-kory-merritt.html?fbclid=IwAR1kYGWthrkyxes3U5pGNVEL9LPZGEp1Nwsyi-BQAJs9UhFMxG7IavhsgsI
Listen to this brilliant, spooky podcast: Fuse 8 n’ Kate w/ Special Guest Christian McKay Heidicker and The Spooky Old Tree by the Berenstains
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I personally can’t think of a better way to spend an October night than to do a deep-dive discussion of The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree with two brilliant people.
Hopefully you can’t either:
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2020/10/12/fuse-8-n-kate-special-guest-christian-mckay-heidicker-and-the-spooky-old-tree-by-the-berenstains/