"I think horror is the best genre of book to lure children away from their screens and back between the pages."
Award-winning author Jennifer Killick has taken to the blog to explain what encouraged her love of books as a child, and what motivates her to write for young readers. She also delves into the horror genre and its unique power to fascinate, engage and enthrall...
Demon Hunters: Soul Feeder, Jennifer's hair-raising middle grade novella with Barrington Stoke, is out now.
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Why do I write what I write?
I’m often asked why I write the types of stories that I write. Why write for young people? Why choose these settings and characters? And most of all: why write horror? And when I’m struggling with my confidence, or trying to justify my stubbornness in persisting with a career that is constantly throwing up challenges and rejections, I ask myself the same questions. In the post below, I will try my best to explain…
Why write for young people?
For me, reading has been a life-saving and life-enhancing activity. My mum was (and still is) a prolific reader, and some of my earliest memories are of weekend visits to my local library. As a shy and lonely child, books became my joy, my safe places and my friends. They made my childhood and teenage years manageable in a way that I don’t think anything else could have.
I’m from a working-class background, and my childhood was spent with us scraping by. There was no money for anything beyond satisfying the most basic needs. There were no holidays, no takeaways, no branded clothes. My siblings and I had one pair of shoes each, and they had to last. Nobody in my family had been to university, or even stayed in school beyond the age of 16. I was lucky because I had a parent who instilled a love of books in me, and made sure I had access to whatever I wanted to read, even though we couldn’t afford to buy books. I believe that played a huge part in getting me to where I am now.
But so many children don’t have those things, and, like thousands of other writers, illustrators, publishers, teachers, and librarians, I feel a passion and a responsibility to do something about it. Why do I want children to read? Because reading opens doors. It levels a horribly uneven playing field in a world that feels harder and harder to navigate, and at times impossible to achieve success in. And most importantly, reading brings comfort, connection and courage. I want every child to have all the good things that reading brings.
Why these settings and characters?
I wasn’t a fussy reader growing up – I’d read anything and everything I could get my hands on. It didn’t matter to me if a story was set on another planet or in a magical forest, or if the characters were talking mice, moonfaced land-jumpers, or American high school kids – I could transport myself to wherever and whatever they were and be fully absorbed in the world.
But I know many people need something to relate to in a book. Orcs and fairies seem ridiculous. What’s the point of reading a story about a battle for a planet that doesn’t exist? It could never actually happen and it has no relevance to most people’s lives. That is why I choose settings that young people are familiar with – schools, shopping centres, arcades. I want them to feel, when they’re reading my stories, that they know these places; that the things happening in them could possibly even happen to them in their own lives.
I also firmly believe that all children should see themselves represented in stories, and that means we need to write diverse characters. I aim to write characters that seem real, in their names, their lives and the challenges they face; and in the way they speak, think and act. I’m sure I don’t always get it right, but I will continue trying to represent as many different children as I can, including those living in poverty, or with disabilities, or children who have trouble fitting in.
Why do I write horror?
In an age when there are so many things competing to engage young people - many of them delivering a heap of fun while requiring very little time or focus - reading has slipped down the list of desirable activities. Books take effort. Books are boring. Books are for a certain type of person, rather than being for everyone. I think horror is the best genre of book to lure children away from their screens and back between the pages.
Part of this is the allure of a good old-fashioned jump scare. When we play games like Fortnite, or the horror games in Roblox, for example, we are right there: totally engaged and living fully in the moment. These games offer achievable challenges – feelings of success and completion and the thrill of having survived. And they’re exciting, fuelling us with rushes of adrenalin. They satisfy a thrill-seeking need that many of us have. Of all the genres, I believe horror books come closest to satisfying the same needs.
Horror, whether in games, movies or books, also gives the opportunity for bragging rights. Children love a bit of friendly competition, and there’s a special kind of pride that comes with getting through a scary activity. Whether their experience was being terrified but getting to the end with only a couple of nightmares, or claiming not to have been scared at all, sharing the impact of a scary story allows for gleeful comparisons and one-upmanship. Horror is also appealing because it's seen as being edgy. For many of us, nothing makes us want to do something more than being told we're not allowed - that we're not old enough, or brave enough, or clever enough. The need to see behind a locked door is a powerful force.
Sometimes, when I’ve had a bumpy patch in my career. When events have been disheartening, or harsh words have ingrained themselves on my brain, I ask myself whether I should continue writing. I think through all of the reasons I’ve outlined above, and I wonder if they’re enough; if what I’m doing is making any positive difference in the world. And then I’ll receive an email or a message out of the blue, from a teacher, or a parent telling me that their child who refused to read has fallen in love with one of my series and is now hungry for more books, or that their child has been going through a horrible time and my books have brought them comfort and happiness, even on the toughest days. I even receive emails from young readers themselves – so full of enthusiasm and curiosity that I feel myself being swept up in their excitement, and eager to get back to my laptop. These messages tell me that I must be doing something right, and as long as that’s the case I will keep trusting my instincts, and keep writing stories.
Thank you Jennifer for this amazing piece!
JENNIFER KILLICK is the award-winning author of the Dread Wood, Crater Lake and Alex Sparrow series. She regularly visits schools and festivals, and her books have three times been selected for the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge. Her favourite stories to write are horror-comedies, often with a science-fiction twist, and she is heavily influenced by anime and manga, and creepy TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stranger Things.
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Demon Hunters: Soul Feeder by Jennifer Killick
Available now
“Jennifer is the Queen of Middle-Grade Horror and this story perfectly demonstrates why she wears the crown. Super-accessible AND super-scary; Soul Feeder is a bite-sized tale that ratchets up the chills and tension while wrapping it in a relatable tale of friendship. Scarily good.”
CHRISTOPHER EDGE
Caiden and his best friend Sam are used to coming across some pretty weird stuff while helping Caiden’s dad in his house-clearing business. But they’ve never seen anything like the grotesque mounted heads of bizarre, other-worldly creatures they find in what was Sasha Kinski’s home. It’s clear that something awful has happened here, and it’s not over yet …
Alone at the company warehouse that evening, the boys make the terrifying discovery that they have brought an uninvited evil passenger back with them from Miss Kinski’s house.
With their very souls in peril, can Caiden and Sam unravel the mystery in time to save themselves …?
A hair-raising middle grade novella brought to life by illustrations from Marina Vidal.
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.