Stephanie Cotela
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stephaniecotela.bsky.social
Stephanie Cotela
@stephaniecotela.bsky.social
960 followers 1.1K following 38 posts
Art Historian & Author writing spooky mysteries for children & crime thrillers for adults. 👻📚 @scbwi_british_isles @mslexia & @thesocietyofauthors https://linktr.ee/stephaniecotela
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A little nudge to draw you to my website where you’ll find * author updates & news, * Writing tips, * Book reviews * A free newsletter subscription, and an online shop featuring books and book swag! 📚🥳 stephaniecotela.com
Did you know, you can read The Ghosts of Hawkthorn, in print AND online?? If you like spooky adventure stories, give it a go. All the cool cats are loving it! 🐾👻 #readforpleasure #kidslit #fiction #adventure #ghosts
Reposted by Stephanie Cotela
I’m excited to share ‘The Shoe Creeper’ cover and key info!

In ‘The Shoe Creeper’ - a MG Horror with adventure and heart - a boy seeking control of his complicated life must uncover the link between his unwell grandmother and a fairy-tale monster that kidnaps children.

#books #reveal #kidlit
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I think I get a feeling/idea for a story, and that quickly develops. Soon the plot is taking shape and the characters are popping into my mind (and heart) so rapidly it’s hard to keep up. I don’t have a set approach yet. I like seeing how things happen naturally. #TheShoeCreeper #ukteenchat
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I needed to ensure anyone who read Fyn Carter and expected more of the same was clear what to expect this time. #TheShoeCreeper still has fun and adventure, but it does have some darker moments too. I also needed to put thought into how dark was too dark to try and get the balance right #ukteenchat
3, What are the biggest challenges you faced in writing a middle-grade horror compared to the sci-fi adventure of Fyn Carter? @ianhcreates.bsky.social #ukteenchat #TheShoeCreeper
Elmo Let The Challenge Commence GIF
ALT: Elmo Let The Challenge Commence GIF
media.tenor.com
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Sure! #TheShoeCreeper is an upper MG horror story based on the idea of an original folk tale about a monster that kidnaps and eats people, leaving behind a single shoe as a calling card. I came up with the idea after wondering why there are so many random shoes on the side of the road! #ukteenchat
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For #TheShoeCreeper I wanted to set it in real time in a real place so researched times of sunrise, sunset, high tide, low tide, moon visibility, school terms etc. I also did a walking tour of the key locations in the book (in Seaton) at the same seasonal time to pick up extra details. #ukteenchat
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Seaton is a town I love, and some of my favourite people live there. With its location in Devon on the south coast of England, it felt like a nice place to explore in writing. I also like the feeling of the people I know there seeing the place through different eyes 👀 #ukteenchat #TheShoeCreeper
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Now realising some of favourite spooky tropes (graveyards, a stormy night, and foggy areas) are not in the book 😂 I do like a spooky forest, the threat of the unknown, and a connection to the past. You can definitely expect those (and some atmospheric weather) in #TheShoeCreeper 👟🎃📖 #ukteenchat
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Really looking forward to this!! Thank you ☺️👟🎃📖 #ukteenchat #kidlit #TheShoeCreeper
Next #ukteenchat will be on Tues 7th October 8-9pm BST with the fabulous @ianhcreates.bsky.social - who will be chatting all about his new spooky MG - The Shoe Creeper 👟 All welcome to cone along and join in the chat 🙂
#TheShoeCreeper #writingcommunity #writerslife #kidlit
Reposted by Stephanie Cotela
Next #ukteenchat will be on Tues 7th October 8-9pm BST with the fabulous @ianhcreates.bsky.social - who will be chatting all about his new spooky MG - The Shoe Creeper 👟 All welcome to cone along and join in the chat 🙂
#TheShoeCreeper #writingcommunity #writerslife #kidlit
My next spooky middle-grade adventure is coming soon. Stay tuned…
Reposted by Stephanie Cotela
Great news!
JSTOR now have a free account with an Independent Researcher category. You can access 100 documents per month

www.jstor.org/action/showL...
Reposted by Stephanie Cotela
Last night, at Goldsmiths University of London, we launched my book that introduces students (or anyone else) to the study of Children's Literature:
@GoldUnivMACL
@GoldsmithsUoL
A little nudge to draw you to my website where you’ll find * author updates & news, * Writing tips, * Book reviews * A free newsletter subscription, and an online shop featuring books and book swag! 📚🥳 stephaniecotela.com
If you’re in the area, stop by and say hi! 👋🏼
Reposted by Stephanie Cotela
I’ll do a proper video to say thanks and more soon, but thanks so much for the initial support and excitement for ‘The Shoe Creeper’! I am really looking forward to sharing it in 22 days! 👟🎃📖

#kidlit #theshoecreeper #kindle #newbook #books #bookstagram #halloween
Reposted by Stephanie Cotela
Reposted by Stephanie Cotela
go grab my fantasy novel in the big indie sale!! 🎉

it's 400+ pages and features protective siblings and an unexpectedly caring vampire and demon. 🥹

universal: mybook.to/D3rL5
itch.io: rebecca-crunden.itch.io/the-wish-and...
book sale link: indiebook.sale
New trailer for The Ghosts of Hawkthorn. 🥳
Thank you @authorsaragrant.bsky.social for my signed copy of #theultimateguidetoeditingyournovel! I’m sure it will come in handy as I plod on with my first draft for book 3! 💐
Join me at @surreylibraries.bsky.social Walton on Saturday 13 Sept! 🥳