Don't Look Behind the Bookshelf: Day 8

Don’t Look Behind the Bookshelf

What are you doing here? Did you not see the letters in huge red script?! It told you not to look behind here--and you did. Now you have no choice but to pry your eyes open and be exposed to yet another day of Don't Look Behind the Bookshelf. (You can see yesterday's interview here.) Today brings an author who writes about a Halloween creature that's a little more hairy than others. And loud. And animal-like. Her novels are enjoyable and perfect for the scary season. Please start howling for...

Heather Davis

Trick or treat?

Treat, always! 

Truth or dare?

Truth. The dares my childhood friends came up with (like eating gross stuff) are not fun.

Best Halloween creature?

Werewolf, obviously! Though the vampire costume is easier. I am not a zombie fan.   

What’s the worst and best candy to get on Halloween?

Best candy = M & M Peanuts. (Those are my go-to candy.) Worst candy = Good n' Plenty. Blech. 

What’s your most memorable Halloween costume?

Most memorable costume was one I made myself in fifth grade. I was a giant chocolate chip cookie -- it was constructed out of a refrigerator box and an old pair of brown corduroy pants. Sadly, at the costume contest I lost out to a girl who had her mother sew her a wizard costume. What a cheater!  

Best movie to watch for Halloween? Best book to read?

For Halloween, I would watch An American Werewolf in London. It's pretty funny and scary. For a great book -- how about The Opposite of Invisible, a YA novel by Liz Gallagher. There's a whole plot-line about a girl and a Halloween dance and it's beautifully written.

What scares you?

I get creeped out by big hairy spiders. Yuck. 

[Beauty and the Bookshelf adds: Looking up spider gifs was not fun. I keep shuddering.]

Do you have a real-life experience that's like a Halloween story?

When I was eleven I scared in a charity Halloween Haunted House where you were crawling on hands and knees, only I couldn't get out because my grandma was crawling in front of me through the tunnel. I kept running into her backside and begging her to move faster and she got really mad.  Poor grandma!

Tell us about Never Cry Werewolf. 

Never Cry Werewolf is about Shelby, a girl sent to brat camp, who meets Austin Bridges, the III -- the son of a rockstar with a dark secret that will be revealed at the full moon. He needs Shelby's help to try to protect the secret and break him out before things really get hairy.

What’s next for you in your writing career?

I'm working on Book Three of Never Cry Werewolf and also working on a new story for younger readers.  There's never enough time to write all the stories that are living inside my imagination. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Thanks for interviewing me, Rachel!  Have a great Halloween!

Heather Davis is an award-winning young adult author based in the Pacific Northwest. With a touch of the paranormal, her stories center around ordinary people in extraordinary situations and explore the nature of love and life. 
She’s most comfortable crafting stories with a pen in her hand and rain pounding against the windows, but you will find her writing anywhere she goes.

To learn more about Heather Davis and her books, please visit her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. And while you're here, check out Never Cry Werewolf!

Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: August 18, 2009
Pages: 216
Moonlight can totally change your life.

And it all starts so simply.

You. Him.

The moon.

You're toast.

Okay, so maybe Shelby has made a few mistakes with boys lately (how was she supposed to know Wes had "borrowed" that Porsche?). But her stepmother "totally" overreacts when she catches Shelby in a post-curfew kiss with a hot senior: Suddenly Shelby's summer plans are on the shelf, and she's being packed off to brat camp. It's good-bye, prom dress; hello, hiking boots.

Things start looking up, though, when Shelby meets fellow camper (and son of a rock star) Austin Bridges III. But soon she realizes there's more to Austin than crush material--his family has a dark secret, and he wants Shelby's help guarding it. Shelby knows that she "really" shouldn't be getting tangled up with another bad boy . . . but who is she to turn her back on a guy in need, especially such a good-looking one? One thing's for sure: That pesky full moon is about to get her into trouble all over again.

I read Never Cry Werewolf a few years ago and really enjoyed it--it's a nice werewolf book (there aren't enough werewolves in YA, if you ask me). Plus, there's the son of a rock star. Sa-woon! You'll definitely want to check this one out! Also, Heather gets brownie points for being a local author.

Thanks for stopping by, but be sure to return tomorrow--if you dare--for even more of Don't Look Behind the Bookshelf.