Childhood is a mystery. One moment our imaginations know no limits, and the next, that burning sense of wonder begins to fade. New York Timesbestselling author Jasmine Warga's new book explores that in-between stage of adolescence, where being oneself is sometimes the hardest, most mysterious quality of life.
In A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall, we follow Rami who, while at the museum where his mother works, believes he sees a ghost roaming Cherry Hall-the same hall in the museum where a painting was recently stolen-and the ghost herself looks alarmingly like the figure in the missing painting. Rami's mother is an unfair suspect in the case of the missing art, so with the help of his classmate Veda (as well as a turtle named Agatha), Rami ventures to put the clues together to find the missing art, to identify the ghostly girl, and figure out who he is and who he may be becoming along the way.
I spoke with Warga about tackling the mystery genre, how to weave together reality with the imaginary, and more.
Something I really loved about this book was the feeling that not just anything could happen, but also that anything was possible. This is a mystery story, but there are also otherworldly elements. How did you build that sense of wonder in a book like this?
Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2024 de Writer’s Digest.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September - October 2024 de Writer’s Digest.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Writing for a Warming World - Imagining the overwhelming, the ubiquitous, the world-shattering.
Climate change is one of those topics that can throw novelists—and everyone else—into a fearful and cowering silence. When the earth is losing its familiar shapes and consolations, changing drastically and in unpredictable ways beneath our feet, how can we summon our creative resources to engage in the imaginative world-building required to write a novel that takes on these threats in compelling ways? And how to avoid writing fiction that addresses irreversible climate change without letting our prose get too preachy, overly prescriptive, saturated with despair?
Kids' Author Meg Medina Inspires Readers
WD chats with the National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature.
The Horrors of Grief
Whether hot off the presses or on the shelves for years, a good book is worth talking about.
The Mystery of Growing Up
New York Times-bestselling author Jasmine Warga tackles a new genre with her signature blend of empathy for her readers, agency for her characters, and the belief that art is the great connector.
Education
Even if it's not your thing, you're probably familiar with the term dark academia.
A Do-Over Romance
Karin Patton, the first-place winner of the 24th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Awards, shares a funny story about secondchance love and a brief Q&A.
Everyday Wonder
How to mine awe from the mundane
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Unveil the hidden beauty in the facts and transform your nonfiction with the power of wonder.
Childhood: Our Touchstone for Wonder
How to get in touch with Little You and create big new work for today.
Agent Roundup
22 agents share details, about what kind of writing will pique their interest and offer tips for querying writers...
