Spooky season is upon us.
The air is crisp, the leaves are turning, and Halloween is just around the corner.
This year, we’re absolutely thrilled to welcome back author Jeremy John, who will join us on Oct. 28, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., to regale us with spine-tingling tales from his latest book, The Strange Grave of Mikey Dunbar and Other Stories to Make You Poop Your Pants.
Jeremy is from Brantford (not to be confused with Bradford) and currently lives in Sudbury. He has had a long-spanning career in broadcasting, including co-hosting shows on 680 News and Breakfast Television.
This is Jeremy’s second book, following Robert’s Hill (Or the Time I Pooped My Snowsuit) and Other Christmas Stories.
I got the chance to speak with Jeremy earlier this week about his upcoming visit and some of his inspiration for his book of 14 hair-raising short stories.
I must admit I’ve already delved into the pages of his book, and it’s nothing short of spellbinding. Halloween is my favourite holiday, and these stories are perfect to get you into the spooky spirit.
The first story, Hangman, offers a unique perspective, narrated by the town’s hangman, whose solemn duty involves executing convicts. As he collaborates with the town’s mayor, sheriff, and judge to determine the fate of the murderer, Martin Breslow, the tension is palpable, and I find myself on the edge of my seat with every twist and turn of the page.
Natasha Philpott: Let’s delve into your journey as an author. When did you start writing books?
Jeremy John: This is a weird one. Ever since I was a kid, in my family I have written a news story for Christmas, I read a story every Boxing Day for 40-some-odd years. I told that story to a friend and then to a friend of a friend who worked at Dundurn Press and that turned into my first book (Robert’s Hill [Or the Time I Pooped My Snowsuit] and Other Christmas Stories).
The opportunity for the second book (The Strange Grave of Mikey Dunbar and Other Stories to Make You Poop Your Pants) came around in a strange sort of way.
We started brainstorming sessions with students during school author visits, where they shared their ideas about zombies, vampires and monsters. Dundurn Press was keen on a sequel, and the timing aligned as they were looking for a Halloween-themed book.
NP: What is with the pooping theme? How did that come about?
JJ: When the first book went through, Dundurn wanted one of the stories on the cover they suggested should be in the name. Not surprisingly, it was a big hit and got people’s attention and they wanted to keep the naming convention for the second book.
If (the young readers) come for the poop and stay for the literacy, then that’s great.
‘The Poop Trilogy,’ as I call it, will be completed in May 2024 with the release of The Death Swing at Falcon Lake and S’more Summer Stories to Make You Poop Your Pants.
NP: What was the inspiration behind the stories in this book?
JJ: Many of the Halloween stories in my book originated from conversations with students during school author visits.
But the biggest thing for me is asking myself questions and trying to figure out an answer.
In the Daddy-Daughter Halloween story, I thought, ‘Why don’t vampires do modern things? Couldn’t they use Tinder?’ And that turned into a story about vampires using the dating app.
Some of the stories are based on real stuff, like Hangman set in the old cowboy days when the hangman was the most educated in town. They had to know things about law and physics, so I went with that idea and expanded on that.
NP: Do you have a favourite story in the book?
JJ: The three that I usually read are Dead Drunk: The Story of a Monster Hangover, Making Plans for Halloween, and Daddy-Daughter Halloween. I should say these are audience favourites. People like them. Therefore, I like them that much more.
But my favourite is The Young Knight and the Quest to Kill the Woldger. It’s a fun one. I like the way it turned out and the idea that when we study animals and nature, sometimes the things they do are supernatural.
NP: You were here last year. What are you most looking forward to about coming back this year?
JJ: I am looking forward to being back in that wonderful space. It is gorgeous with great staff. I am also going to bring my balloon animals skills and do some fun stuff. But there’s a rule — I’ll make balloon animals, but they must be scary.
NP: Could you give us a glimpse of the stories you’ll be sharing during your visit?
JJ: I will likely open with Making Plans for Halloween, but maybe because I’ve been there before, maybe I’ll mix things up and do one that I haven’t done yet, a couple of shorter ones. And, of course, I am open to requests.
We are looking forward to having Jeremy next weekend with host Jennifer Harrison and hope to see you there.
It promises to be a spook-tacular morning of ghostly storytelling, complete with free bookmarks, balloon animals, and activity books for all. (Recommended for children ages six to 12.)
If you just can’t wait, you can borrow the book for yourself from our catalogue here.
To learn more about Jeremy John and Dundurn Press, follow @jjjeremyjohn and @dundurnpress.
’Til next week, happy reading.
Natasha Philpott is the marketing and communications co-ordinator at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library. She can be reached at [email protected].
